God is Always Close

By Sister Ruth Hoerig

Consecrated life as a Catholic sister is a decidedly countercultural life choice. In discussing their vocation stories, several School Sisters of St. Francis reflected on the decades they have spent as vowed women religious. While not without challenges, each of these women of faith has found her life to be filled with joy and blessings.

“Through all my years of ministry, I have always felt the presence of God,” said Sister Carol Ann Jaeger. “I especially enjoyed preparing children and their parents for the sacraments and sharing the Word of God with the people among whom I worked.

“I feel very blessed as a vowed religious because of the numerous opportunities we have to grow in wisdom and grace.” Sister Carol Ann said. “We were given a good deal of support to develop our gifts and talents, and we have generations of former students and parishioners who keep in touch.”

Filled with graces

During her 45 years in education, Sister Larina Williams taught all levels at St. Martin’s, St. Clare, St. Killian’s, and Holy Angels schools in Chicago. During the last ten years of her tenure at Holy Angels, she served as assistant principal of the school.

“My 61 years in religious life have been filled with graces all around,” Sister Larina said. “Many former students of mine have done well with their lives. The sisters I live with exude an inner joy that lights up my day.

“Community life requires a shared life rooted in deep spirituality. Anyone considering a vocation today will find religious life most rewarding if they enter for the right reasons and if they are capable of making a commitment that will sustain them through a lifetime. God is always close, inviting us to keep ourselves open to His continual help in new and surprising ways.”

God is ever faithful

Though there were challenges and hurdles along the way, Sister Susan Weinheimer knew she was not alone in pursuing her vocation. She said she kept Jesus’ words ever before her: “Remember that I am with you always, even to the end of time.” (Matthew 28:2)

“For any woman considering a call to religious life, I would encourage you to seek out someone who can accompany you and guide you along the way,” Sister Susan advised. “Pray about it and remember: God is ever faithful.

“I have never regretted my decision to become a sister,” Sister Susan said. “The words of Psalm 23 express my feelings well. Religious life truly did fulfill all my wants and desires.”

An ever-deepening relationship

“Living with people who share the same values and who mutually accept and respect one another has had a very positive impact on my life,” said Sister Dorothy Hofer. “We were often encouraged to take on responsibilities we never dreamed of and relied on an ever-deepening relationship with God to see us through.

“As I reflect on my life, I know that God desires each of us to find a path that will help us to ‘act justly, love tenderly and walk humbly with our God.’ (Micah 6:8),” Sister Dorothy said. “For me, religious life has been that path.”

Richly blessed

Over the course of her religious life, Sister Claire Pink served at four Chicago parishes. “It was my first opportunity to work with people from other cultures, and the 1960s were an exciting time to work in the Church. The Second Vatican Council was starting to make its impact, and Martin Luther King, Jr., was becoming nationally renowned for his social activism in combatting racial inequality.”

Now retired, Sister Claire said, “I am so grateful for the time we now have for prayer, retreats, and spiritual growth. Our community life is a wonderful source of comfort and grace. We have few worries because of the good health care we have and the wonderful accommodations we enjoy.

“As I look back now, I can see how richly God has blessed me,” she said. “Even though some of those blessings came through challenging times, I have found deep satisfaction in the good we are able to do for others as women religious in the Church.”

Life-giving opportunity

Sister Mary Boyd served for 52 years as a classroom teacher, principal, art teacher and Spanish teacher, and said she has found religious life to be very rewarding and life-giving.

“It is replete with opportunities to serve others and encourages us to be ourselves and to establish meaningful relationships with our sisters and associates,” Sister Mary said. “Living community life with remarkable women is a wonderful way to minister to the needs of others while making our world better.”

God is ever-present

For the past 20 years, Sister Pat McCarthy has served in an acute care/trauma hospital. She finds her ministry in critical care to be especially energizing.

“The diversity of the people I serve—all ages, races, faiths and economic backgrounds—has been a most rewarding experience for me,” she said. “At the bedside of the dying, one can often feel a kind of suspension between two worlds, life and death. I am learning—even from the young–to live with mystery, accepting the circumstances of life as it unfolds, realizing that God is ever present and faithful to us in our suffering.”

Living in a religious community of sisters has been a strong support for Sister Pat. “We share our struggles and faith journeys with each other, and as we grow in mutual trust and honesty, we are able to work through the more challenging times—becoming truly sisters to one another.

“As a Franciscan community, we are all connected with one another, inspired by the charism of St. Francis,” Sister Pat said. “Francis witnessed extraordinary respect and gratitude for all of creation: planets, trees, lakes, and all our brothers and sisters, especially the poor. This is what gives us hope. It spurs us on to help build a better world.”