Dear Friends,

Welcome to our Vocation Ministry webpages! If this is your first time visiting us, please click here.

Summer is not a vacation from considering a vocation!
In fact, time away from our usual busyness allows some women an opportunity to stop, listen and reflect on what God may be saying to them. The thought of religious life that has been "walking around in the back of their minds" all year, has an opportunity to come forward, perhaps...

...watching a sunset and being taken up with the beauty of God's creation

...walking on a beach, or through woods, experiencing God's tremendous love for you

...experiencing your tremendous love for God in the quiet of your being

...encountering a homeless person, a victim of a disaster, a sick child

...realizing you want more in life!

Is God calling...nudging you? Are you ready to respond? Why? Why not?

Affiliate Gathering
Some of our Affiliates met at St. Mary's Convent in Haddonfield, NJ for an "Affiliate Gathering." Periodically our affiliates come together to share their journeys, become more familiar with various places, ministries and of course, our sisters. Haddonfield is where our Candidates live. It was a wonderful opportunity for the women as Paula, a candidate and Margaret, a novice, were able to join them for the weekend. They were able to get "the real scoop!" Donna, an affiliate from Kingston, Jamaica, was able to spend a day at St. Francis Inn in Philadelphia where our sisters minister with the Holy Name Friars. They serve the poor and homeless by means of a soup kitchen, a thrift shop and a women's day center. On Saturday all visited Our Lady Lourdes Medical Center in Camden, NJ, another ministry where our sisters serve one of the poorest cities in the nation. It is dedicated to our tradition of serving all with reverence, compassion and integrity in simplicity, joy and hospitality.

Vocation Team Meeting
I also traveled to Allegany to meet with our Vocation Team for four days. Our Team is comprised of nine sisters from various areas of our Congregation (New York, New Jersey, Florida, Jamaica, Brazil) who work with me in our vocation ministry. We spent time visioning and planning. We see our ministry as assisting women who are discerning God's call in their lives. It is important to us to reverence their unique and individual journey. See photos at right - "All work and no play does not make a good Franciscan!"