Servite Meadows: A House With a History
Karen Zarp
The white house located towards the back entrance of Marian has
quite a history.
The house was built in the early 1900Us by Patrick H. Lane, for
himself and his family. The house was then leased to the Servants of
Mary, who later purchased the house, including the 10 acres of farm land
around it.
"When I came in 1949 to the Mother House, the land had cows for
milk, potatoes and corn fields, and apple and plum trees on it,S said Sr.
Joy Weideman.
In the early 50Us, John A. Hess, and his wife Elva, were hired to
take care of the grounds around the house, including the farm. In return,
they stayed in the house as part of their wages earned.
In 1975, Saigon fell to communism and the Vietnam war broke out.
The Servants of Mary, along with other Sisters nationwide, and the
National Association of Catholic Charity, met for a week in August of 1975
to discuss the adoption of a family.
Many South Vietnamese families had escaped from the war and
traveled to the United States by boat. These families needed places to
stay and help to get assimilated into American society.
On Sept. 8, 1975, a widow, Ran Nguyen and her three children
arrived at the mother house to stay at the house. Two boys, Coung 3, Hung
5, and a 7 year old girl named Thuy. RThey were the most precious
children you have ever seen, but I guess I am biased,S said Sr. Joy.
The Servants of Mary provided them with clothing, food, and help
finding jobs. Creighton University helped them with medical attention
when needed. RDr. Robert & Dr. Barbara Heaney always made sure that the
medical bills were taken care of for us,S said Sr. Joy.
The family of four soon grew to a family of 13 when Ran was
connected to her parents. The Servants of Mary took in RanUs three
brothers, four sisters, and both of her parents. RVietnamese families
are very close to each other and strongly depend on one another,S said Sr.
Joy.
The family soon became independent on their own, the young adults
got married and had children of their own. They named some of their
children after the sisters and made the sisters godmothers to them. The
families moved out and started building their own lives.
In 1976, the Servants of Mary moved into the white house and
changed the title of the property to Servite Meadows. Sr. Jeanne Malick,
former principle of Marian in 1984-1988, was one of the first sisters to
live in the house. Currently living in Servite Meadows is Sr. Florence
Brinker, Sr. Zita Sharrow, and Sr. Viola Mikschosm.