From left: Sister Regina Bechtle, SC; “Doubt” Director Scott Ellis, Sister Karen Helfenstein, SC; Sister Donna Dodge, SC; Sister Peggy McEntee, SC; Sister Sheila Brosnan, SC; Sister Margaret O’Brien, SC; Sister Margaret Egan, SC; and Sister Mary Ann Daly, SC.

Several Sisters of Charity of New York and guests enjoyed a Broadway “red carpet” moment at the Feb. 29 opening night performance of “Doubt: A Parable” at the Todd Haimes Theatre. Playwright John Patrick Shanley modeled his young “Sister James” character on Sister Peggy McEntee, SC, his first-grade teacher, who taught him to read and write.

The cast expressed gratitude to the Sisters of Charity of New York leadership for their mutual in-depth conversations about becoming, remaining and serving as women religious in the Church of 1964 and today. Cast members visited the Sisters of Charity of New York several times in preparing for their roles in the play.

Sister Peggy reconnected with her former student, John Patrick Shanley, at the party after the show.

“Lots more could be said about the meaning of the play, as the director and cast voiced it in conversations with us: e.g. at this time of polarization, the play portrays the destruction that can result when some people are so certain that their view is right, and when such certitude leaves no room for nuance and complexity,” said Sister Regina Bechtle, SC. She recommends watching the interview with “Doubt” cast members Liev Schreiber and Amy Ryan on “The Today Show.”

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