One of a kind
Caring. Compassionate. Generous. A mentor. A pillar of the local music community.
Sister Rita Clare was all these things and more during the past several decades. And with her boundless energy, it seemed like she would be with us for many more years to come even if she was in her 80s.
Sadly, the Sydney native died suddenly at Parkland Cape Breton early last week, just two days after being on stage to be honoured during “Cape Breton Chorale’s Salute To Canada.”
The news came as a shock but there was some consolation for those who were in attendance, especially the chorale members, and able to show their appreciation one last time for her role as co-founder of the Cape Breton Chorale in 1973 and as the chorale’s conductor until two years ago.
There were many other milestones in the life of Sister Rita – entering the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame in 1952, completing a masters of arts degree in music and music education at Columbia University in New York, serving as supervisor of fine arts for the Cape Breton District School Board, past director of the Holy Angels Chorale and the Cape Breton Youth Choir, and organizing and conducting a 200-voice choir for the Jeux Canada Games in 1987 among them.
And the honours, including a Doctor of Letters Honoris Causa in 1991 from the University College of Cape Breton recognizing her as a “leader in the Arts in Cape Breton and a foremost promoter of music education in Nova Scotia,” have been many.
Most importantly, however, were the lives she touched along the way.
Eileen Pottie Forrester, who took vocal lessons from Clare while at Holy Angels High School 50 years ago, recalled the woman who was there in a time of need.
“Sister was by my side during cancer diagnosis, treatment, spinal surgeries and other surgeries related to the cancer,” Forrester told the Cape Breton Post.
“Her gentle way, dignity, strong faith and perseverance helped get me through a lot over the years, health-wise.”
Rosemary McGhee, who took over as interim conductor of the Cape Breton Chorale, recalls Sister Rita as a “person of personal and professional integrity.”
And former Whitney Pier resident Peter Gillis took the time to send a heart-felt letter to the Post from his adopted home in Little Falls, New Jersey, where he is now is on the Voice Faculty of Montclair State University.
Calling her death “the end of an era,” Gillis described Sister Rita as “a consummate musician” whose “zeal for musical excellence was perhaps matched only by her love for her religious order, the Congregation of Notre Dame.”
We are hopeful that Sister Rita’s passing will not mark the end of an era as she has plenty of disciples to carry on her love of music. Replacing the care, compassion and generosity she constantly displayed to those around her, however, will be far more difficult to replace.
She was, indeed, a very special individual.