More than six decades ago, Sister Annata Brockman, '65 MEd, chose to let God take the lead on her life, changing her own destiny and that of countless others.
Sister Annata Brockman could point to any number of accomplishments to indicate a life well-spent.
She has had both a school and a bursary named after her. Won prestigious awards from Newman Theological College in Edmonton. Was the first woman to receive a master's degree in educational administration from the University of Alberta. Was named a Woman of Vision by Global TV Edmonton. She even helped organize the church arrangements for Wayne Gretzky's wedding.
But Brockman doesn't look at her life in those terms. For this petite woman known for her huge heart and long shadow, it has been more about keeping out of the way. "I've learned not to get in the way of what God wants to do," she says. "It's not about what I do, but what God accomplishes through me."
Now in her mid-80s, she walks with the help of canes, but she hasn't lost the vitality she had as a child growing up in northern Saskatchewan. From her devout Catholic parents, Brockman absorbed the certainty that has formed the foundation of her life: "My parents taught us that every man, woman and child is part of God's family, and we should treat them with dignity and respect, just as we would treat God."
When she was 17 and living with her family in Kelowna, B.C., she decided upon a religious vocation. It wasn't an easy choice; she had looked forward to marriage and raising a large family. "But I soon found out that the plan I had for me didn't fit the plan God had for me."
She joined the Sisters of Charity of Saint Vincent de Paul in Halifax in 1948. After teaching in Nova Scotia and British Columbia, she came to Edmonton in 1960 to teach. She completed her master's degree in 1965. Brockman served as principal at three Edmonton Catholic schools before retiring in 1981.
But retirement didn't slow her down. She served as pastoral associate minister at St. Joseph's Basilica in Edmonton for two decades, co-ordinating the program that initiated adults into the Catholic faith and working with schoolchildren.
"All we have to do is the best we can each day in the situation we find ourselves, and trust that God will look after the rest."
She still has a full calendar, visiting the sick, elderly and dying. She also keeps close ties with the elementary/junior high school that bears her name. It opened its doors in the 2010-11 school year. On the first day of school, she greets students as they arrive, and almost every Wednesday, she visits to share her stories, her faith and her compassion.
Perhaps nothing sums up her approach to ministry and to life better than a note she received from a Grade 3 student. "One day," the student recalled, "I came to school and I was down. Then you smiled at me and I wasn't down anymore."
Life can be so simple, says Brockman.
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