dakotairish-news
 

DOYLES HONORED FOR A CENTURY OF SERVICE TO THE SIOUX FALLS CATHOLIC DIOCESE 

 When John and Irene Doyle had their first son, James, in Lake Benton, Minnesota in  the late spring of 1931 they probably never imagined that they were beginning a family that would eventually serve the Sioux Falls Catholic Diocese for over a century.  John and Irene Doyle were both children of  Irish American farmers of the Upper Midwest.   The Doyles instilled in their son, Jim, and his sister, Kathleen a pride in their Irish heritage and a strong Irish Catholic faith.  Kathleen, who became Sister Margaretta told the Bishop’s Bulletin, the Sioux Falls diocese newspaper that, “My family was a great influence in my vocation where we daily lived our faith and our proud Irish Catholic background.”

The Doyles eventually moved and settled in Lennox, South Dakota where they operated the local movie theater.  John Doyle ran the projector.  Irene sold the tickets, and the children made and sold the popcorn.  Jim and Kathleen both developed a life long appreciation of the arts from their early experiences helping out in the theater’s operation.

It is remarkable that both Doyle children both chose a life long devotion to the religious life.  Jim finished his seminary studies at the St. Paul Seminary in Minnesota in the spring of 1957.  He was ordained a priest of the Sioux Falls Diocese in June of 1957.  His sister, became Sister Margaretta Doyle when she made her final vows at the Benedictine monastery of Mount Marty in Yankton, South Dakota that same summer.   Msgr. Jim and Sister Margaretta, OSB have both served the Sioux Falls diocese for the past half century. 

Msgr. Doyle has served in many parishes throughout the diocese.  He received a master’s degree in Theology for the University of San Francisco, and has toured and studied in India.   Msgr. Jim served at the Newman Center at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion.  He taught at the University of South Dakota during his time in Vermillion.  In 2004 he was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University.  He was the founding pastor of St. Michael’s parish in Sioux Falls.   This fall Msgr. Doyle will be inducted in the South Dakota Hall of Fame in Chamberlain. 

In 1989, the centennial year of the Sioux Falls Catholic Diocese, Msgr. Doyle was chosen to present the sermon at the special centennial mass honoring the Irish peoples’ contribution to the religious traditions of our region.  His presentation was a reflection and an expression of his knowledge and understanding of the Irish traditions established in our region.   He continues to share his knowledge and appreciation of our Irish heritage. 

Sister Margaretta currently serves as a parish administrator at St. Mary’s parish in Sioux Falls.   It was at the St. Mary’s Church where a special Mass of Celebration took place on May 27, 2007, the fiftieth anniversary of St. Margaretta’s profession of vows, and Msgr. Jim’s golden jubilee of ordination to the priesthood.  The St. Mary’s choir perfomed many traditional hymns from the tradition of the Irish Catholic Church.  The mass participants included many of Sister Margaretta’s fellow sisters from Mt. Marty.  They included Sisters Aidan Bourke, Kathleen Courtney, Kathleen Crowley, and Kathryn Easley, all part of a strong contingent of Irish Benedictines at the Mt. Marty Monastery. 

 The Irish people of Eastern Dakota are truly thankful for the contributions of the Doyles to the preservation of our Irish traditions.

THE FUNCHION GIRLS 

 Many Midwestern Irish people do not realize that A respected Irish American historian has been teaching history at South Dakota State University in Brookings, South Dakota for over two decades.  Michael Funchion is a first generation, Irish American.  His parents were from Kilkenny County, Ireland.  Michael grew up with his brothers, Philip and Richard in an Irish community in the Bronx, New York.  Michael became a college professor ending up at South Dakota State in Brookings.  Philip became a union official with the longshoremen.  He has spent his career in Ireland and on the east coast of America.  Richard stayed in the New York City area and eventually became a Port Authority police officer in the city.

It is very interesting that each of the Funchion boys’ families now has a daughter beginning their professional careers in the big city of New York.  When I made my initial call into the city for this story I encountered an answering machine that simply stated, 'This is the Funchion girls! Please leave us a detailed message.'

I thought it would be rather interesting to develop a personal interest story with several direct quotations for each of the three daughters, Mary, Maura, and Siobainin.  After reading their wonderful responses to my questions I thought it best to give each of the young Irish American women a separate voice in the process.  It seems best to do it this way when dealing with Irish women these days. 

The Funchion Girls

Mary is twenty-seven years old.  She grew up in Callan, Co. Kilkenny, Ireland.  Her father, Philip grew up in the Bronx, New York.  Her mother, Kathleen is from Callan, Ireland.

Maura is twenty-five years old.  She grew up in Brookings, South Dakota.  Her father, Michael grew up in the Bronx, New York.  Her mother, Margaret is from Chicago, Illinois.

Siobhainin is twenty-four years old.  She grew up in Buchanan, Westchester County, New York.  Her father, Richard grew up in the Bronx, New York.  Her mother, Mary grew up in the Bronx, New York, as well.

Questions and Wonderful Answers From the Funchion Girls:

What are your educational backgrounds?  How did this lead to all of you living in New York City?

Mary:   I have a B. A. in English and Information Studies and an MLIS from University College, Dublin.  I studied for an MLIS as I had hoped that this would help me to find a job as a librarian in the United States.  At this point, New York was just one of the places I was thinking of moving to. 

Maura:   I went to high school in Brookings, South Dakota and graduated in 1998.  I earned my B. A. in Fine Arts, with a minor in Art History in 2002 from Minnesota State University, Moorhead.  I am currently attending Pratt Institute in New York City, working toward getting a Masters in Library and Information Science. 

Mary and I were to graduate around the same time in 2002.  We were both eager to embark on a new adventure, so we began planning on moving to a large US city once we were done with school.  We were pretty close,  seeing each other every year or so for most of our lives and staying in touch through letters and email.  Since the cost of living is so expensive in any metropolitan area, we decided to move somewhere together. 

We contemplated moving to Chicago or Minneapolis-St. Paul but decided that New York City would be the best option, seeing as that we would have relatives, Siobhainin’s parents to stay with while we searched for work and a place to live.  Maybe because it seemed as if it would be the biggest and most exciting change for us.

Mary lived here, with our uncle and aunt, for about six months before I was able to move.  I had been applying for jobs for months but had had no luck.  Maybe due to the fact that I had no “big city” work experience. 

Then, one Sunday morning, I saw a posting in the Job Market section of The New York Times, advertising openings in the security department of The Metropolitan Museum of Art.  I figured it would be a good just-out-of-college job for someone with a Fine Arts degree.  So, two days later I flew out to New York, was hired on the spot, flew back to South Dakota to collect my things, and was living in NYC within a week or so of the interview.  Very whirlwind!

About a month later, we found a nice apartment in Woodlawn, a small Irish community in the north-central Bronx that our parents were familiar with and suggested we move to. 

Siobhainin:    I am currently working on my Bachelors in Legal Studies.  I already lived in a suburb of New York, but the opportunities for a good position with a good firm are better living in the City.

What have been some of the major adjustments you have made to living in New York? Were any one of you better prepared than the others?

Mary:   I think the biggest adjustment for me was not being able to see my family as much.  It took me a while to get used to the fact that I could only see them once or twice a year.  It also took me a while to get adjusted to transport in the city—like learning the best subway or bus route to take.  I’m not sure if one of us was better prepared than the others.  We all learned as we went along. 

Maura:   Siobhainin was the most prepared, having lived in New York State her entire life and made frequent trips into the city.  Mary and her family regularly visited NYC, and she grew accustomed to urban life while in school in Dublin. 

I feel that I was the least prepared, relatively speaking, having spent my entire childhood in Brookings, a town with a population of about 20,000.  I went to college in Fargo-Moorhead, a small city by New York City standards, and with no access to a car or public transportation (the campus was my home).

            I saw very little diversity, ethnically and culturally speaking, while growing up.  I made a few trips to Ireland, a couple to New York, and a handful to Chicago, but that was the extent of my travels.

I have always felt comfortable and at ease in New York City, navigating by way of subways and buses and exploring neighborhoods and what not.  I did endure some culture shock upon moving to New York City. 

I worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art for the first two and a half years that I lived here, from the fall of 2002 to the spring of 2005.  I have met a wide variety of people from all over the globe.  The job challenged me to find new ways to communicate, since many of these folks were foreign and spoke little English. 

Since I began working as a Librarian Trainee with The New York Public Library, I have gotten to interact much more with actual New Yorkers and very few tourists.  I have discovered that their social norms are different from those of South Dakotans and that has taken some getting used to.  Maybe it is because I work in public service, but people here seem more direct about what they need or want and don’t bother to sugar-coat anything. 

I have found that it is much more difficult to remain patient or passive when everyone around you is in a great rush to get somewhere or something.  The cost of living has been a major adjustment!  I paid about $300 for a nice, one-bedroom apartment in Moorhead but $1000 for a one-bedroom in the Bronx! 

Siobhainin:   I was obviously most prepared because I grew up 45 minutes north of the City, and my dad, up until September 11th, worked in the city. I spent a lot of my childhood in the city, and I loved it. The only difference now living there is it's much louder than my hometown.  It's definitely the city that never sleeps. 

Did you ever imagine you would be living together? Did you talk about doing it for some time before it developed?

Mary: I had talked about it with Maura for several months before I moved, and I had always talked about moving to America at some point.  However, there were a couple of times when we thought it wouldn’t happen so it was nice when it did!

Maura:   In the year or so before I graduated from MSUM, Mary and I often conversed through email about how we would like to move to a large city in the US together.  Before that, the thought had never really seemed feasible to me; after all, we lived so far apart!  Living closer to family always appealed to me.

Siobhainin:   I think when we were little we imagined being closer to one another, not knowing it would be in New York. For a long time I thought of moving to Callan, Co. Kilkenny and being with Mary's family. Though about three years ago, the plan for us to live all together in New York did come into play, and then things were just set in motion.

Who has the "best" or most "real" Irish accent? Any specific expressions? 

Mary:      I guess I do!  There are certain words that are different—like path for pavement or bin instead of garbage can—but usually I use “American” words when I’m here and “Irish” words when I go home. 

Maura:    Mary is the only one of us with an Irish accent.  Siobhainin has a distinct New York accent.  I have what most of the country might consider a generic American accent, that of the Midwest. I distinctively pronounce many of my o's and r's, unlike some of the people here!. 

As a young child, I pronounced a few words with an Irish accent, that is toilet as "tie-let," most likely the influence of my father's speech.  His parents were both Irish emigrants, and he spent a great deal of time in Ireland during his youth.  His accent is part Irish, part New York, and now, part South Dakotan!

I have found that I have adopted some New York words and phrases since moving here.  For example, I used to say "pop" but now say "soda.”   

Siobhainin:  Mary, by far, has the most real, if for only obvious reasons. I think we all have moments when there are certain words we use that aren't so American; such as lads instead of guys, pubs instead of bars. 

Are there any specific insights that you might want to share? 

Mary:  I think the fact that I spent so many summers in America when I was growing up really helped me to adjust to living here when I finally did move. 

Siobhainin:    Living in the neighborhood we do, brings us closer to what we all consider home. It is virtually considered the "little Ireland" of New York. It brings a comfort level that I don't think the other boroughs would.