Sisters' Legacy at St. Paul Continues with the ‘Garden of Two Sisters’

Tucked within the campus of St. Paul the Apostle Church in Baton Rouge is a serene garden. Where neighborhood children once romped and participated in catechetical activities, the space now serves as a space for prayer and speaks of the legacy of sisters Kathleen Bahlinger CJS and Barbara Bahlinger. 

The garden speaks of the mutual love between St. Paul/Eden Park community and the sisters, who dedicated their lives to serving the people there. The garden, originally dedicated in 2014 as the Sister Kathleen Bahlinger Garden, was rededicated on Oct. 19 as the Sister Kathleen and Barbara Bahlinger Garden. A Mass preceded the rededication.

The garden is better known as “the Garden of Two Sisters” by the people of St. Paul. The name reflects the close relationship of the sisters, according to St. Paul staff.

"She had beautiful ringlets in her hair that fell to her shoulders," said Barbara, 95. "When we were quite young, we slept in a double bed. I would kick Kathleen when she came on my side of the bed. We later had twin beds and we slept in the same room."

As they grew older, they went in separate directions. Barbara attended the Academy of the Sacred Heart at Grand Coteau, and Sister Kathleen attended St. Joseph's Academy in Baton Rouge. Sister Kathleen later entered the Sisters of St. Joseph and taught math classes at St. Joseph's Academy. Barbara joined Caritas, a Catholic ministry devoted to development and social service organizations that work worldwide to serve the poor, provide humanitarian aid, and promote justice.

But they remained close in heart. When Sister Kathleen was diagnosed with nephritis of the kidneys, Barbara donated a kidney. 

"It lasted 25 years,Top right photo: The Garden of Two Sisters at St. Paul the Apostle Church provides a serene spot to pray. Photo by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic Commentator
Above photo: Barbara Bahlinger, pictured at the rededication of the St. Paul Garden, with the plaque honoring her and her sister, Sister Kathleen Bahlinger CSJ. Photo provided by Monique Scott-Spaulding" said Barbara.

Sister Kathleen died in 2013 from a heart attack she had while mowing the grass of the former motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Joseph in New Orleans.

Barbara and Sister Kathleen, as well as Sister Lory Schaff CSJ, also deceased, worked in the St. Paul/Eden Park communities,.

They impacted many lives through their work with the St. Paul Adult Learning Center which opened in 1983 and is now closed.. Many of the students still remember them.

"Yesterday I got a phone call from a woman in California, Kim. She still remembers the influence we had on her. And that was 60 years ago," said Barbara.

St. Paul parishioner Lorena Williams also remembers the sisters' presence in the community.

"They had all types of activities for the children to get involved in," said Williams ... "We would have little hiking trips from (St. Paul) to the State Capitol one weekend. Another weekend we might walk from here to City Park. We had rides which consisted of an old pickup truck or bus, and they would take us to Abita Springs. We had retreats."

She added, "They would also keep us busy doing stuff around the church, like cleaning the church, doing stuff in the yard. I remember playing in the backyard and 'Father' would always tell us this is our second home."

Father Arockiam Arockiam, pastor of St. Paul, noted that the garden is a fitting tribute to the sisters' dedication to the people of St. Paul. He added that parish and family ties continue to this day.

"We have a good rapport with the Bahlinger family," said Father Arockiam. There are nieces and nephews who will sometimes join us for worship on Sundays."

Barbara Bahlinger noted that Sister Kathleen loved flowers and gardening, and St. Paul dedicated the original garden in her memory in 2014. Sister Kathleen's brother, Harold Balinger, created the garden.

The Bahlinger family was also heavily involved in the restoration of the garden through investments and manual labor.

"The garden had fallen into dThe statue of the Modonna and Child is the featured centerpiece of the garden. Nanette Bahlinger, niece of sisters Barbara and Sister Kathleen Bahlinger CSJ, restored and painted the statue. Photo by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic Commentatorisrepair. It was forlorn looking," said Nanette Bahlinger, Barbara and Sister Kathleen's niece. 

She contacted her cousin, Steve Shurtz, who has been a landscape architect in Baton Rouge for 50 years.

"He jumped at the opportunity to redesign it," Bahlinger said.

Shurtz told her revitalizing the garden required a lot of work: installing a new irrigation system; filling the base of the fountain that previously was in the centerpiece of the garden so that a Marian statue could be relocated there; fill in the fountain and move it to another location, etc. 

Landscape architect Alvin Vallery worked with Shurtz on the project because of the sisters’ positive impact on his childhood and the neighborhood. Shurtz had several family members who lived close to St Paul.

"I was one of the neighborhood kids," said Vallery. "They were always working with the young students."

Nanette also restored and repainted the Madonna and Child statue, which was rescued from the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina from the former St. Joseph Convent in New Orleans.

The statue was originally all white and Nanette asked Barbara about making the Madonna and Child Black to match the culture of the area.

"Her eyes flew wide open, and she said, 'That would be fabulous. That's the way it should be.'" 

Nanette talked to Father Arockiam, and his eyes also flew wide open. He said, "That would be perfect for this parish.”

The Christ Child had lost three fingers, so she painstakingly rebuilt thThe fountain vase, which previously served as the centerpiece of the garden, was moved to a different location in the garden. Photo by Debbie Shelley | The Catholic Commentator
 em with epoxy.
She also filled in divots around the statue.
 
The Blessed Mother is also depicted in traditional African colored orange dress, and traditional Marian light blue head veil and blue mantle.

Sometimes Nanette tried to prayerfully connect with Sister Kathleen for heavenly advice.

"I would say, 'Aunt Kathleen, what do you think about this? Do these eyes look all right?' She spent so much time here. I hope she would approve."

She knows her aunts would approve of anything that ultimately honors St. Paul.

"Working on this gave me some insight into why Aunt Kathleen and Aunt Barbara love this place so much and love seeing these people. It was the people, not the place," Nanette said.
Pictured at the dedication are Terrell Carter, Jr., Father Arockiam, Barbara Bahlinger, Anthony Carter, and Mason Sanders. Photo provided by Vera Dunbar