Winifred Behlen

Sr. Winifred A. Behlen R.C.E., Of Wellesley, formerly of Arlington and Winchester, died Saturday, January 7, 2012 in The Elizabeth Seton Residence. She was 95.

Born on April 29, 1916 in Hempstead, Long Island, New York a daughter of the late George W. and Anna A. (Gibbons) Behlen she was raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Educated by the nuns at St. Peter's in Cambridge and Marycliff Academy (then in Arlington), she entered the convent at 18 becoming a sister of the Religious of Christian Education. She later graduated from St. Joseph College in Emmitsburg, Maryland and earned Master's degrees in both English and Reading from Boston College.

The R.C.E. was a small, conservative teaching order based in France. Until the late '60's Winifred's life was not of this world - she was highly educated, she taught young girls at a private Catholic school but knew much more about medieval mystics than she did about politics. That changed when Winifred moved to Roxbury to work at Hawthorne House, providing adult education, a Headstart program and Montessori School. Boston in the '60's opened Winifred's eyes to the gap between what she perceived the world to be and what was actually occurring. It set fire to her soul and she became a social activist working for Caesar Chavez (including a trip to California to honor the breaking of his fast), ministering to a gypsy community in Boston and continuing her ties to Hawthorne House.

She was a passionate opponent of the Vietnam War. When the war ended and thousands began fleeing Vietnam she was horrified by the chaos and deaths of so many South Vietnamese who had been supporters of the United States during the war. She was then a pastoral assistant at St. Eulalia's in Winchester. She suggested to the priest that they find someone in Winchester to sponsor a refugee family. He told her that she should be that person and thus was born "Friends of Refugees." With the support of parishioners and under Winifred's leadership, the program resettled more than 70 families in the Boston area. She eventually purchased a house in Medford for many of these refugees.

Through "Friends of Refugees" Winifred met the Pham family and, at the age of 70, brought two of their young children, Hao and Hang, into her home. Their mother was stuck in a refugee camp, the father had escaped Vietnam with four children, finally making his way to Boston, but was having difficulty caring for his whole family. Winifred became legal guardian for Hang and Hao, raised them and spent 12 years trying to get their mother, grandmother and another child out of Vietnam. She was successful in 1991 and The Boston Globe covered the reunification on March 29th.

She is predeceased by her sister , Mary K. Connelly and brother, John "Jack" Behlen.

She leaves a niece, Caren M. Connelly and her husband, Randy Palmer, and their daughter, Catherine T. Palmer, all of Winchester; her religious sisters in the Religious of Christian Education Order; Hao "Peter" Pham of Dorchester and Hang Semancik and her children, Hugh and Michael Semancik of Quincy.

Family and friends will honor and remember Sr. Winifred's life by gathering to visit in The Joyce Funeral Home, 245 Main Street (Rte. 20), Waltham on Tuesday, from 1:00 – 3:00 and 6:00 – 8:00 pm and again at 8:45 a.m. on Wednesday morning before leaving in procession to Saint Eulalia's Church, 50 Ridge Street, Winchester, where her Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:00 a.m. Burial will follow in Saint Patrick Cemetery, Watertown.

Memorial donations may be made to Amnesty International USA, 5 Penn Plaza, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001.