It’s moving to hear Sister Paula Rose Jauernig speak of her father, Paul, a German immigrant who arrived in Kansas with nothing but determination and faith, only to discover that his sponsor and uncle, John, had passed away while he was crossing the Atlantic. It’s a story that begins with loss but unfolds into a story of resilience, community, and wisdom passed from father to daughter.
From Germany to Kansas Farmland
Paul’s journey to America wasn’t easy. When he arrived in Burlington, Kansas, expecting to reunite with his uncle, he found himself alone and in challenging circumstances as an extra mouth to feed among his uncle’s struggling farming family. But providence led him to the McAvoys, friends of German immigrants, who connected him with the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, who needed help on their farm.
“Sister said, ‘That’s about all we can pay,’” Sister Paula Rose recalls her father telling her about his $24-a-day wage. “And he said, that’s three more dollars than I was getting!” It was during that time that Paul met his future wife, who also worked for the Sisters. They married and eventually settled into the rhythm of farm life that would define his family’s story.
A Father’s Lasting Influence
When asked whether her father influenced her religious vocation, Sister Paula Rose’s answer reveals the impact of his example. She recalls a moment after returning home from the SCL Mother House when they attended Mass together. In the car afterward, her father said simply: “The Our Father, you meant it. That was your life. So, I listened to you praying those words.”
This wasn’t just a father observing his daughter’s faith; it was recognition of authenticity—the living out of prayer in daily life that he himself embodied.
A Letter That Revealed a Father’s Heart
Perhaps the most profound insight into Paul’s character comes through a letter he wrote to his daughter during her time as a Sister of Charity of Leavenworth novice. Written by a man who admitted that “writing English has been difficult for me… I never learned English, just picked it up,” the letter reveals the soul of a simple farmer with extraordinary wisdom.
The letter began with characteristic humility: “You have been going after me to write to you for quite some time. I promised, and that was it… my intention shall become reality today. And I am going to write a few lines as this old German knows how.”
However, it was Paul’s philosophy of life that truly moved Sister Paula Rose, even today. He wrote about the importance of balance, describing “prayer, work, and play” as “inseparable partners in the life of man.” He observed how this partnership brings “joy and happiness, enjoyment of the task laid upon us. Success in life and consolation in death.”
Living Philosophy in Daily Life
Paul saw this balance lived out perfectly in his daughter’s religious Community. “They work and pray,” he wrote. “By so doing, they have a smile on their faces for all of us.” He concluded with words that would resonate throughout his daughter’s religious life: “They have chosen the better part that shall not be taken from them.”
The Legacy Lives On
Paul’s story is ultimately one of integration—the seamless blending of faith, work, and joy that he practiced daily on the Kansas farm. He raised eight children with this philosophy, demonstrating to them that a balanced life requires equal attention to prayer, work, and play.
Sister Paula Rose reflects on her father’s wisdom with appreciation: “A parent who raised all of those eight kids and then just his life and how he loved farming and how he loved just doing what he was doing every single day.” His example of finding partnership between prayer, work, and play became the foundation not just for his own contentment, but for his daughter’s religious calling.
In a world that often struggles to find balance between the spiritual and the temporal, Paul’s wisdom offers a timeless truth: that prayer, work, and play aren’t competing demands on our time, but rather partners that, when embraced together, lead to a life of genuine joy and purpose.
