One day in late 1965. On a plane carrying American Bishops back from Italy after attending the Second Vatican Council, there was a very beautiful flight attendant, attentive and polite in serving the passengers. However, throughout the journey, this beautiful young flight attendant was very upset and very uncomfortable because there was a man, who seemed indecent, constantly rolling his eyes and looking at her.
THE BISHOP AND THE BEAUTIFUL FLIGHT ATTENDANT - Catholic Student
It was even more outrageous when it was an older man. She was even more upset when she learned that the man was none other than Bishop Fulton Sheen, Archbishop of New York, a man famous for his eloquence, teaching and morality. He was a famous apostolic Bishop of America. It was truly unimaginable! How could such a seemingly unqualified person be a man of success and fame? She could not understand and secretly criticized and despised the old Bishop.
When the plane landed, strangely enough, the old Bishop who was considered "indecent" did not get off at the same time as the other passengers. It was unclear what he was planning to do by waiting for everyone on the plane to get off, leaving him as the last passenger to get off. Moreover, when he reached the plane's stairs, Bishop Fulton Sheen leaned his face close to the flight attendant's ear and whispered something that no one but the girl could hear...
The story seemed to end there. It was thought that the discomfort of the flight attendant would pass, the seemingly rude look of the old Bishop would be forgotten, and perhaps even a rude look (according to the girl's thoughts), would just be a fleeting look like so many other looks the girl had encountered in her life?
It was not so. Everything did not pass away, nor was it lost. Because one afternoon, Bishop Futon Sheen heard a knock on the door, and then the Bishop was surprised when he opened the door. In front of him was the young, attractive flight attendant on the flight that day, who had once given him an unfriendly look.
The girl greeted the Bishop and asked: "Your Grace, do you remember me?" Bishop Fulton Sheen slowly replied: "Yes, Father. I was the flight attendant on the plane that brought us back from the Second Vatican Council." The girl continued: "So, do you remember what you whispered in my ear?" The Bishop replied: “I remember! I remember, I said you were very beautiful. And I asked you, have you ever thanked God for giving you such wonderful beauty?” The girl happily continued: “Dear Father, what you said has troubled me a lot. That is why I came to see you today.
So, according to Your Excellency, what should I do to thank God?” A little surprised, Bishop Fulton Sheen fell silent and thought for a moment. Then the Bishop led the girl to the world map hanging on the wall, still in a gentle voice, he asked: “Have you ever heard of a leper colony in Vietnam called Di Linh leper colony?” The girl looked up with her blue eyes as if asking: “Dear Father, I once read it in the newspaper. I have also heard someone tell a few stories about the Di Linh leper colony.”
The Bishop looked into the distance before him: “My son, not long ago, I heard that the Bishop of Saigon, named Gioan Casaigne Sanh, resigned as Bishop of Saigon to serve the lepers in Di Linh. Would you like to thank God by trying to go to Di Linh leper colony, meet the Bishop of Saigon and stay with the lepers for about six months?” Too surprised by the Bishop of New York's proposal, the girl did not utter a word, silently bowed to the Bishop and then withdrew in the shock of her own heart...
Once again, people thought that the gentle, yet intense story of Bishop Fulton Sheen and the flight attendant had ended. But strangely, just that gentle, yet decisive proposal of the Bishop, completely changed the life of the beautiful flight attendant.
In the first months of 1966, people read an admirable news bulletin in the media of Saigon and of Vietnam in general: A very young, very beautiful flight attendant of an American airline had resigned from her job as a flight attendant to go to the Di Linh leprosarium in Vietnam, volunteering to take care of leprosy patients.
How beautiful, how beautiful. Just those words from a venerable Bishop, the courageous soul of a girl The wandering girl who loves to wander when choosing for herself the profession of a flight attendant, here and there, was able to accept to give up all the beautiful future as her beauty to live, not for six months, but for the rest of her life for an ideal that is equally beautiful: THANK GOD.
Just that much, the words of a venerable Bishop turned a beautiful flight attendant into a nun. Because she herself, after a period of serving the lepers, voluntarily took on the nun's habit in the Congregation of the Daughters of Charity of Vincent de Paul in Vietnam.
From now on, entering the religious life, the Nun, our beautiful girl, completely gives up all the worries of everyday life to live peacefully, thanking God by serving her lepers. That nun who used to be a flight attendant, is so beautiful. She is beautiful, not only physically beautiful, but also a splendid beauty of the soul. That nun, no one else, but it is Sister Louise Bannet.
Sister Louise Bannet volunteered to stay at the Di Linh leprosarium for the rest of her life. But the events of 1975 caused many changes, making her unable to continue her wish. After ten years of serving the lepers, she had to return home. Some time later, she asked the Order to let her go to serve leprosy patients in Tahiti.
In 1982, after many days of suffering from a terrible cancer, Sister Louise Bannet passed away amidst the great sorrow of the leprosy community in Tahiti. And in solidarity, as well as in her gratitude, is also the sorrow of Vietnamese leprosy patients in general and all those living at the Di Linh leprosarium in particular.