Summary

Sister is now seventy-four years old, and she has recently discovered that the church is planning to approve a new oil and gas drill site just behind the playground of the St. Paul’s Catholic Primary School. She decides to go directly to the priest, but he is unmoved by her concerns. Sister obtained a PhD in ecology but became a teacher when instructed by the church. Now, Sister struggles with her obedience to the church and questions her life decisions. She talks to her sisters about this, Ruth and Mano, and both are moved by the dilemma, with Mano encouraging them to “make signs. Picket the corners” (79).

Instead, Sister decides to go forward with a plan, one that she hopes will “bring her close again to God” (80). Armed with the information she learned from the internet, she...