News and Events: Our Vocations

This week we are blessed to welcome Emily Heckman into our community.  Emily will enter on the February 2, the Feast of the Presentation.  Emily comes from South Dakota and is an Emergency Medical Technician.  A call to the religious life is a great gift from God.  This week Emily will begin to learn what it means to be consecrated to God and to give herself completely to Him. The stages of formation begin with postulancy which is from 6 - 11 months. During this time Emily will get to know our community and learn our charism.  She will study the documents of the Church regarding religious life as well as study scripture and the history of the Catholic Church. She will pray, work and play as a member of our community.  I know that you will keep Emily in your prayers as she begins her new life as a Sister of St. Joseph the Worker.

Kas, our postuluant, and Emily help out in the kitchen,. 

Next week will be a celebration of another type of vocation.  Sister Patricia Jean's parents are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary. Without good, faithful, stable and holy families, there would be no religious vocations.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that the family is the first school of the Christian life. They are " centers of living, radiant faith." ( CCC #1656)

In the Christian home we learn how to work, pray, and live as a family.  We learn how to love and how to forgive. It is difficult to teach a young woman how to live community life as a religious if she hasn't had that witness from her parents.  It is hard to understand the vow of poverty if she grew up in a family where wealth was considered the reason for living. Obedience will be difficult to appreciate and love if the woman grew up with the idea that it is o.k. do to whatever she wants to do without regard for others.  Mr. and Mrs. Cushing's witness to the beauty of the vocation to the married life inspired one of their sons to become a priest and one of their daughters to become a consecrated religious.  Their other children are carrying on the wonderful witness to the married vocation as they live their vibrant faith. Congratulations to Mr. and Mrs. Cushing on this wonderful anniversary.

Sister Patricia Jean, Father Mathew Cushing, Sister Margaret Mary and Sister Therese Marie.

The Cushing family with Sister Patricia Jean and Sister Celeste Marie.