I. Professional women in the first half of 20th-century America were a rare species. I was still in grade school when I came to understand at least a little bit about how “different” my mother was. I was aware that she was a college professor, a concert pianist, a wife and a mother but, as I look back now, I realize that I experienced her then only as my mother, and I see what I missed: that my mother also had a very serious and active career as a musician (pianist), and as an artistic administrator and educator with a life-long commitment to the arts as teacher and performer. What’s even more astonishing is that my mother was one of eight children, seven of whom were women with professional careers. It took me a long time to understand the significance of this family of different and special professional women whom I had taken to be the norm. As I grew up, I came to recognize that the Endres sisters were surely not the norm. 

II. Nor was Frances Perkins the norm. Perkins (1880-1965), remembered by the church on May 13 was Secretary of Labor in the administration of Franklin Roosevelt and remained in office for the full length of Roosevelt’s presidency. Perhaps I should have been amazed that Frances Perkins accomplished so much, especially since she was a woman in a man’s world, but having been raised by a whole family of professional women, I came to believe Frances Perkins was noteworthy because of what she accomplished, period. Yet, in her time, Perkins was exceptional, and what she accomplished was extraordinary: think Social Security, WPA, Fair Labor Standards Act, etc. Never once did I see her as unusual. I simply believed that Frances Perkins was a gifted human being who, because she was a person of deep Faith, “excelled in the work of the Lord.” ( cf. David Brooks, The Call to Character, 2015).  

III. Parker Palmer has described a vocation as a calling that one hears. Palmer suggests, as does David Brooks, that a calling is a response to a “felt necessity” which has very much to do with one’s knowledge of self. (p. 46). For Frances Perkins, the “felt necessity” was the need for service and living a life committed to the welfare of others. In 1925, Perkins became an Episcopalian and, more specifically, an Anglo Catholic. Kirstin Downey, a Perkins biographer, writes that she

“…reveled in its elaborate and archaic rituals. They helped her remain serene and centered at times of stress. The church’s teaching also gave her substantial guidance about the right path to take when   confronted with decisions, and the hopeful message of Christianity helped her retain her optimism   [and offered] a way to seek meaning in life when so much seemed inexplicable. When friends questioned why it was important to help the poor, Frances responded that it was what Jesus would want them to do.”

—Downey, The Woman Behind the New Deal, pp.17-18

IV. Biographies of Frances Perkins and American History texts illuminate her breadth of experience even before her work with FDR and New Deal, all testifying to an extraordinary “public servant bearing fruit.” What is less known, however, is how much Frances Perkins, as one who felt summoned by God to do His work, cultivated and sustained a spiritual life for the six decades of her career. To sustain her spiritual self, and knowing its deep connection with her professional life, Perkins made monthly retreats (two-three days, usually) with the All Saints Sisters of the Poor for several years, including her time in the Roosevelt administration. During these retreats, Perkins lived in silence, reflection and prayer.

V. From its 18th-century founding, the Episcopal church has maintained a strong commitment to lay ministry and, in recent decades, a commitment to the ministry of women in the church, many of whom, like Frances Perkins were seen as “prophetic witnesses.” Writing this reflection has given me a chance to know more about and appreciate more fully who Frances Perkins was. The gift of coming to know her was to be able to admire and respect and love even more the Endres sisters, one of whom was my mother. Wonderful company to keep. 

VI. Finally, there is the Epigram with which this Reflection began. This verse, from the fifteenth chapter of First Corinthians, was the motto for the Class of 1902 at Mount Holyoke College. The president of the class was Frances Perkins.

Amen

-Father Peter Kountz

Note: For this reflection, we’ve provided a link to the bio of Frances Perkins from A Great Cloud of Witnesses, the Episcopal Lectionary of Holy People, Prophetic Witnesses and Saints. This bio is an especially moving account of the central place in her life and ministry.