the resource booklet

“Pray to the Lord of harvest to send laborers...”
Matthew 9:38
Explanation of the Diocesan Logo
Circular design represents the call of religious to share all things in common as equals.
Raleigh Diocesan shield is at the center, the place where hundreds of men and women
have served.
Three waves on the left side of the Diocesan shield represent the evangelical vows of
poverty, chastity and obedience which consecrated religious promise for life.
Wheat represents the Eucharist and the harvest of God’s kingdom on earth and in Heaven.
It represents the fruits of the labors, the work of human hands. Like all Catholics, religious
are fed by the Eucharist and are called to be Eucharist for others as they work to build up
the Body of Christ.
(Logo design by Father Ryan Carnecer, CICM, Parochial Vicar, St. Eugene, Wendell and Our Lady of Rosary)
Table of Contents
Introduction
Letter from Bishop Michael F. Burbidge ....................................................................... i
Letter from “Year of Consecrated Life” Committee ...................................................... ii
Pope Dedicates 2015 to “Year of Consecrated Life” ..................................................... iv
Vatican Outlines Plans for “Year of Consecrated Life” ................................................ iv
Important Events in Celebrating the Year ...................................................................... v
Overview .......................................................................................................................... 1
What is Consecrated Life? ............................................................................................. 2
Heart Stories .................................................................................................................. 7
Religious Communities of Women Who Have Served the Diocese .............................. 10
Religious Communities of Men Who Have Served the Diocese .................................... 14
Gratitude for the Past (1924-1964) ................................................................................ 17
History ............................................................................................................................ 18
Saint Katharine Drexel, S.B.S. ....................................................................................... 21
Father Thomas Price, M.M. ............................................................................................ 23
Heart Stories ................................................................................................................... 25
A Glance at the Past ........................................................................................................ 26
Passion for the Present (1965-2015) ............................................................................... 29
History ............................................................................................................................ 30
Religious Communities Currently serving in the Diocese.............................................. 32
Saint Francis de Sales ..................................................................................................... 45
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal ........................................................................................ 47
Heart Stories ................................................................................................................... 49
A Glance at the Present ................................................................................................... 51
Hope for the Future (2016-2055) ................................................................................... 55
What Will the Future Hold?............................................................................................ 56
Mother Teresa, M.C. ....................................................................................................... 57
Father Walter Ciszek, S.J. ............................................................................................... 59
Heart Stories ................................................................................................................... 61
Postulants, Novices, Temporary Professed, Seminarians ............................................... 67
Hope Activity .................................................................................................................. 72
Additional Resources ...................................................................................................... 73
D IOCESE OF R ALEIGH
7200 Stonehenge Drive, Raleigh, North Carolina 27613  (919)821-9746
November 1, 2014
Dear Pastors, Pastoral Administrators, Principals, Parish Faith Formation Directors, Teachers
and Catechists,
In response to Pope Francis’ declaration of the Year of Consecrated Life, Bishop Michael F.
Burbidge formed a Steering Committee to promote the celebration and make available
resources and activities for the Diocese of Raleigh.
The Subcommittee for Formation and Education developed this resource booklet which is
adaptable for parishes, schools and faith formation programs. The Year of Consecrated Life
begins on Sunday, November 30, 2014 and concludes on February 2, 2016.
The Booklet Includes:
 Letter from Bishop Michael F. Burbidge introducing the Year of Consecrated Life
 Pope Francis Dedicates 2015 as the Year of Consecrated Life
 Vatican Outlines Plans for the Year of Consecrated Life
 Important Events in Celebrating the Year of Consecrated Life
Five Sections
 Overview of Consecrated Life
 Gratitude for the Past (1924-1964)
 Passion for the Present (1965-2015)
 Hope for the Future (2016-2055)
 Additional Resources
Included in each section are history, stories of consecrated religious, pictures and interesting facts
and information on notable founders and foundresses of religious communities. In the “Hope for
the Future” section, students will have the opportunity to imagine “founding” their own religious
communities.
You are encouraged to make use of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops’ website and the
Vocation Office website of the Diocese of Raleigh http://www.dioceseofraleigh.org/offices/vocations
During this year we are asked to intensify our prayers for vocations to the priesthood, brotherhood,
sisterhood and lay vocations.
May this year be one of greater awareness and appreciation for the gift that consecrated religious
have been, are and will be in the future to our Diocese and to the world.
Sincerely in Christ,
Sister Barbara Cady, S.U.
Chair of the Council of Women Religious
Diocese of Raleigh
ii
Sister Rose Marie Adams, I.H.M.
Executive Director, Catholic Formation
and Evangelization, Diocese of Raleigh
Year of Consecrated Life Steering Committee
Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Raleigh
Sister Barbara Marie Cady, SU, Pastoral Associate, Infant of Prague, Jacksonville (Chair)
Monsignor Girard M. Sherba, Vicar Judicial/Chancellor
Father Ryan Carnecer, CICM, Parochial Vicar, St. Eugene, Wendell/Our Lady of Rosary,
Louisburg
Dr. Michael J. Fedewa, Superintendent of Catholic Formation and Education
Brother Giovanni Ada, CICM, Former Director of the New Evangelization
Sister Rose Marie Adams, I.H.M., Executive Director Catholic Formation and Evangelization
Sister Maria de los Angeles, DSMG, Director of Religious Education, St. Gabriel, Greenville
Mr. William Atwell, Director, Office of Communication
Ms. Anjanette Wiley, Social Media Specialist
Resource Booklet and Design
– Subcommittee for Formation and Education
Sister Rose Marie Adams, I.H.M. (Chair)
Father Stephen E. Shott, OSFS, Pastor, St. Ann, Fayetteville
Sister Martha Alvarado-Moreno, DSMG, Promoter of Hispanic Ministry, Tar River Deanery
Sister Maria de los Angeles, DSMG
Brother Giovanni Ada, CICM
Mrs. Rosalie Innacelli, Assistant Superintendent of Instructional Services (Retired)
Ms. N. René Corders, Principal, St. Ann School, Fayetteville
Mrs. Linda Lenzmeier, Coordinator of Faith Formation, St. Raphael, Raleigh
Mrs. Susan Gammon, Director of Religious Education, St. Catherine of Siena, Wake Forest
iii
Pope Francis Dedicates 2015 to Year of Consecrated Life
Pointing to the importance of the religious vocation, Pope Francis announced on
November 29, 2013, that the year 2015, will be dedicated to Consecrated Life. The
announcement was made during the 82nd General Assembly of the Union of Superior
Generals, which was being held in Rome. In speaking of the mission and identity of
consecrated life, the Pope remarked that a “radical approach is required of all Christians,
but religious persons are called upon to follow the Lord in a special way: They are men and
woman who can awaken the world.” The Holy Father went on to say, “Consecrated life is
prophecy. God asks us to fly the nest and to be sent to the frontiers of the world, avoiding
the temptation to 'domesticate' them. This is the most concrete way of imitating the Lord”
(“Pope Dedicates 2015 to ‘Year of Consecrated Life’.” 29 Nov. 2013. Zenit. Online. 3
Sep. 2014).
Vatican Outlines Plans for Year of Consecrated Life
As first reported January 31, 2014, on the Vatican Radio, Cardinal João Braz De Aviz, the
Prefect of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic
Life, held a press conference to announce the upcoming 2015 Year of Consecrated Life.
The official Vatican online service NEWS.VA reported on the press conference as follows:
Noting that the Year will take place in the context of the 50th anniversary of the
Second Vatican Council, Cardinal Braz de Aviz said, “We believe that the Council
has been a breath of the Spirit not only for the whole Church but, perhaps
especially, for the consecrated life. We are also convinced that in these 50 years
consecrated life has undertaken a fruitful journey of renewal — not free, certainly,
of difficulties and hardships — in the commitment to follow what the Council
asked of the consecrated: fidelity to the Lord, to the Church, to their own charism
and to the people of today.
For this reason, he said, the first objective of the Year of Consecrated Life would be
to “make a grateful remembrance of the recent past.”
With this positive outlook on the past, he continued, “we want to ‘embrace the
future with hope’”— the second objective. Although the crises that affect the world
and the Church are also felt within consecrated life, Cardinal Braz de Aviz said
women and men religious remain full of hope, based not on their own powers, but
on trust in the Lord. “In Him,” he said, “no one can rob us of our hope.”
This hope, though, he said, cannot keep us from “living the present with passion”
— and this is the third objective of the coming Year. This passion, the Cardinal
said, speaks of “being in love, of true friendship, of profound communion.” This is
“the true beauty of the life of so many women who profess the evangelical counsels
and follow Christ ‘more closely’ in this state of life.” In this regard, he said, the
Year of Consecrated Life will have an evangelical focus, helping people to realize
“the beauty of following Christ” in the various types of religious vocations.
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The Year of Consecrated Life is expected to begin in October of this year,
coinciding with the 50th anniversary of the promulgation of Lumen Gentium (the
Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern
World, promulgated on December 7, 1965), which has a specific chapter dealing
with consecrated life. The anniversary of the Council’s decree Perfectae Caritatis,
(Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life, promulgated on October 28, 1965), will
be the occasion of the close of the Year in November.
Year of Consecrated Life Events
February 8, 2015 Day of Community with Religious (Open House). Events will be
developed by religious communities at the local level, and we encourage them to
emphasize the family in light of the upcoming World Meeting of Families and Synods.
The open houses may include tours, receptions, family activities, and presentations on the
history of religious communities at convents, abbeys, monasteries and religious houses.
Summer 2015: Day of Mission and Service with Religious. Events will include joining
religious in their apostolates or special service projects, such as assisting the elderly,
ministering to the poor and homeless, and caring for the less fortunate.
September 13, 2015: Day of Prayer with Religious. Events will include vespers, rosary
or holy hours in convents, monasteries, religious houses, parishes and churches.
Please Note:
Prayer intentions, prayer cards, a video on consecrated life and other resources are
available on the USCCB website:
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/consecrated-life/year-ofconsecrated-life/index.cfm
v
Overview
". . . all in the Church, whether they belong to the hierarchy or are cared for by it, are called
to holiness, according to the Apostle’s saying: ‘For this is the will of God, your
sanctification.’ . . . It is therefore quite clear that all Christians in whatever state or walk of
life are called to the fullness of Christian life and to the perfection of charity, and this
holiness is conducive to a more human way of living even in society here on earth."
(Lumen Gentium, The Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, V, 39)
The Second Vatican Council in the document Lumen Gentium reminds us that all God’s
people are called to a life of holiness. We live out the invitation ‘to be holy' in our
Christian vocation with the help of God’s grace. There are four ways to respond to God’s
call in one’s life. They are marriage, priesthood, religious life and the single life. There is
great joy in finding one’s true vocation in life.
For someone who has chosen a single life, even though they have not formally taken the
three vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, yet they make a personal commitment to put
their freedom at the service of others in their work and prayer.
In married life, couples follow Christ by giving themselves to each other completely and
without any reservation, promising to love each other faithfully for the rest of their lives,
sharing their joys and sufferings in whatever circumstances life brings them. They express
their love through their sexual union, which brings them together in the closest intimacy
and opens them to the gift of new life.
For those who have chosen the ordained priestly ministry, through sacramental
ordination, they share in the priesthood of Christ in a special way. Their very beings are
transfigured so that they can represent Christ the Good Shepherd for God's people and
Christ as the Head of the Church. They not only offer their own lives to the Father, as all
Christians do, but they also stand before the Church and minister to the faithful as Christ
‘in person.'
The fourth specific vocation is consecrated life, which will be the primary focus of this
resource.
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What is Consecrated Life?
What is consecrated life?
In responding to their baptismal call, some men and women join religious communities in
order to consecrate their lives to God as a way of seeking holiness. To consecrate
something means to set it aside or devote it to a holy purpose. When a man or woman
decides to accept Christ’s invitation to leave everything and follow Him in a more radical
way, they make vows to live like Jesus in poverty, chastity, and obedience. They
participate in a ceremony in which they make this commitment, much like a married
couple exchanges their vows on their wedding day. They promise Christ that they will live
the rest of their lives dedicated exclusively to Him. These vows help them to live simply, to
be more open with God, and to depend totally on Him.
What is a Religious Sister?
A woman religious is a member of a religious congregation who shares in a particular
apostolate. After a period of promising simple vows, the sister makes perpetual simple
vows for life. These vows are poverty, chastity and obedience. Most of the institutes whose
members are called Sisters were established since the nineteenth century. Congregations
of sisters typically live and are active in the world. They serve in a variety of active
ministries reaching out into the world to assist the Church in a variety of areas: health,
schools, parishes, etc.
What is the difference between a Religious Sister and a Religious Nun?
While the titles are often used interchangeably there is a difference. Nuns take solemn
vows of poverty, chastity and obedience and live a contemplative lifestyle most often in a
cloistered environment. They live a life of silence and prayer. They engage in some work
to help support themselves. Currently there are no religious nuns serving in the Diocese of
Raleigh.
What is a Religious Brother?
A brother is a single, Catholic layman who lives his baptismal commitment by joining a
religious community of vowed members dedicated to serving God and those around them.
Religious brothers profess the evangelical counsels (vows) of poverty, chastity, and
obedience. They also commit themselves to a life of ministry, prayer and Gospel witness
within the context of community.
What is the difference between a Religious Brother and a Religious Priest?
A brother lives in a religious community and works in nearly any ministry: teacher, cook,
lawyer, etc. Brothers do not feel called by God to the ordained ministry as priests and
deacons are. Thus, since brothers are not ordained, they are not sacramental ministers. A
religious priest takes the same vows as a brother and may also work in a variety of
positions, but he is also ordained to the priesthood and serves as a sacramental minister.
What is the difference between a Diocesan Priest and a Religious Priest?
A diocesan priest ordinarily serves the church within a geographic area called a Diocese.
He ordinarily serves the people as a parish priest, but he may also be involved in many
other forms of ministry like teaching, hospital ministry, campus ministry, or prison
ministry. Diocesan priests make promises of celibacy as well as obedience and respect to
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their bishop. They do not make a vow of poverty, but are to live simply so they can be of
service to God’s people.
A religious priest is a member of a religious congregation whose ministry goes beyond the
geographic limits of any diocese. A religious priest seeks to live a life of poverty, chastity,
and obedience within a community of men. The community shares a common vision and
spirituality and often emphasizes a particular type of ministry.
What is a religious community?
Groups of men or women who live under a religious rule and who publicly profess vows of
poverty, chastity, and obedience form a religious community. They are referred to as an
order or congregation who are recognized by Church authority. Religious communities
typically follow the rule of their founder, which can be apostolic and characterized by
working in the world, or contemplative, which is characterized by a life of solitude and
prayer. One way to identify an individual’s connection to a specific order or congregation
is by the initials following their name, which identifies the order to which they belong.
What are vows and what do they mean?
A vow is a public sacred promise or commitment made to God with the approval of the
Church. The vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience are also known as evangelical
counsels; they may be taken for one, two, or three years, depending upon the decision of
the community and the individual. These promises are renewable for up to nine years. As
soon as three years after making temporary vows, a person can make a promise to live the
vows for life.
 Poverty: Poverty is a call to share all goods in common, live a simple life, and
depend totally on God.
 Chastity: Chastity is a call to love and serve God and all God’s people, rather
than to love one person exclusively in marriage. A life of chastity is a witness
and testimony to God’s love.
 Obedience: Obedience is a call to live in community and to surrender one’s
own will to the will of God. In community, religious listen to their superiors and
the voice within to discern God’s call for their life.
What are the formal stages in joining a religious community?
The time frame is dependent on the religious community but always includes: Postulancy
or Candidacy; Novitiate; First Vows – Temporary; and, Final Vows – Perpetual.
How do religious communities come to serve in a Diocese?
Religious communities can be invited by the Bishop to come and serve in his Diocese, or
the head of a religious order may request that the Bishop of a particular diocese allow that
community to come and serve within the diocese. In both cases the religious order serves
with the agreement of the Bishop.
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Key Terms
Apostolate: The type of work or mission of the order through which their particular
charism is lived. Examples of an apostolate would be teaching, nursing, social work, etc.
Brother: Brothers live in religious communities. They take vows and promise to use their
talents to serve God wherever the community decides they are needed. Brothers are not
ordained and thus do not serve as sacramental ministers.
Charism: A charism is a spiritual gift given freely by God to individuals and communities
for service to the Church. Each religious community has a charism or unique way of
returning God's love to Him and to the people they are called to serve.
Cloister: A cloister is a term for limited access to particular monastic communities that
willingly embrace the contemplative life and, thereby, separate themselves from life in the
world. It can also refer to this physical enclosure. A cloister is a monastery for monks or
nuns.
Consecrated Life: A permanent state of life recognized by the Church, entered freely in
response to the call of Christ to the perfection of love and characterized by the making of
public vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
Constitutions (Rule of Life): The basic regulations of a particular religious community
encompassing its daily prayer, order and discipline. An example of this is the Rule of St.
Benedict.
Discernment: When talking about discovering a vocation, discernment means the process
of that discovery through prayer, reflection and discussion as to how God calls each person
to love Him, whether as a priest, a consecrated religious man or woman, a married person
or a single person.
Habit (religious clothing): Before Vatican II Council (1962-1965) almost all Sisters wore
a religious habit which consisted of a veil that covered the hair and dress that was floorlength. Concerning the habit, the Vatican II Council stated, “The religious habit, an
outward mark of consecration to God, should be simple and modest, poor and at the same
time becoming. In addition it must meet the requirements of health and be suited to the
circumstances of time and place and to the needs of the ministry involved” (Perfectae
Caritatis #17). Hence, today religious communities have adapted to clothing that meets this
mandate from the Council.
Hermit: A hermit is a person who has withdrawn from society to a solitary place for a life
of religious seclusion and prayer.
Novice: A man or woman in the second formal stage of becoming a consecrated religious
is called a novice. This stage of the novitiate usually takes one to two years.
4
Nun: Often times the terms “sister” and “nun” are used interchangeably. However, there is
a distinction between terms. “Nuns” are sisters and brides of Christ who are called by Him
to pray and serve the needs of the Church in a more hidden way. They live in cloistered
communities and do not leave their convents for any outside apostolates as sisters do.
Postulant: The first formal stage of becoming a consecrated religious is called a postulant.
The postulancy stage usually takes six months to a year.
Priest: A man is ordained through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Together each man and
the Church discern (discover) whether or not he is called to become a priest. Diocesan
priests are called to serve the people of a particular diocese, like the Diocese of Raleigh.
Men called to be priests in religious orders belong to communities and, in addition to
receiving the Sacrament of Holy Orders, they also take vows of poverty, chastity and
obedience. Depending on the religious community to which they belong, they can serve
any of the Catholic dioceses throughout the world.
Religious Community: The founder of a religious community brings together a group of
men or women who share the same charism and are dedicated to the same mission in the
Church. These are religious communities of priests and brothers and communities of
sisters. The apostolates of the communities vary according to their mission. Those
dedicated primarily to prayer are contemplative communities; those who combine prayer
with apostolic ministries are called active communities.
Religious Life: Priests, brothers or sisters living in communities that embrace the
spirituality, charism and teachings of the community’s founder call their way of life
religious life. Members of these communities follow Jesus through taking vows of poverty,
chastity and obedience. They grow in holiness through their gift of themselves to God and
His people.
Sister: Sisters belong to religious communities and are brides of Christ who are chosen by
Him to love Him and serve His Church like His Mother Mary as virgins and spiritual
mothers. They serve the Church in whatever ways their superiors decide is best, given their
talents and inclinations.
Vocation: Vocation means a call. It is God’s invitation, His call to each person to love and
serve Him and His Church in a particular state or way of life. Each person's vocation flows
from the grace of Baptism.
Virgin: A consecrated virgin is a woman who has been consecrated by the church to a life
of perpetual virginity in the service of God.
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Resources on Religious Life
Links
www.religiousbrotherhood.com
http://www.arlingtondiocese.org/vocations/voc_definitions.aspx
www.catholiceducation.org
www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/educators-and-youth-leaders/lessonplans/upload/what-my-vocation-junior-high-unit-III.pdf - 145k 2012-01
http://www.vocationnetwork.org/articles/show/131
References
Our Sunday Visitor Catholic Dictionary
United States Catholic Conference of Bishops "The Vowed Life"
Catechism of the Catholic Church Glossary
How to Become a Sister, Council of Women Religious Diocese of Raleigh
What is a Sister, The Harper Collins Encyclopedia of Catholicism
What is the difference between Sister and Nun, The Harper Collins Encyclopedia of
Catholicism,
What’s the difference between a Brother and a Priest, Institute on Religious Life
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Heart Stories
Sister Rosemary McNamara, S.U.
(Diocesan Celebration of Consecrated Life, Our Lady of Lourdes Church, Raleigh, North Carolina, February 1, 2014)
Back in 1996, I was living with Sister Barbara Marie at Saint Mary Parish in Wilmington.
That year was also my “third year” – a year of preparation for my final vows. As part of the
preparation I left Wilmington and spent part of Lent and Easter in Zaire. Upon my return
Sr. Barbara and I were in the house when a telemarketer called. Sister Barbara’s father had
a strategy for handling telemarketers. He would ask the caller if they would give him their
personal telephone number so he could call them at home at his convenience – that usually
ended the call. Well one late afternoon I did not follow the Harry Cady playbook and I
agreed to answer a short travel survey which proceeded like this:
Caller: Have you been out of the country recently?
Sister Rosemary: Yes.
Caller: Where did you go?
Sister Rosemary: Zaire.
Caller: Would you recommend it as a vacation travel destination?
Sister Rosemary: No.
Caller: Why not?
Sister Rosemary: War, disease, extreme poverty and a malevolent dictator.
Caller: there was a pause and then she said – I’ll put that under “other.”
The caller paused again and said, “This is not part of the survey but can I ask you why
did you go there?”
Today, I could have given the Mark Zuckerburg response “It’s complicated,” but at the
time I told her, “I went to be with my sisters and their people, and it was a wonderful
experience.”
She then asked, “Are you a nun or something?”
Taking the “or something” as an invitation to parse the technical and canonical difference
between a nun and a sister I said, “Yes, I am a sister.”
She said, “That’s good, I guess. Good luck with that.” And the call ended.
The telemarketer asked a good question: Why did I go there?
- Why did I cross the Pyrenees Mountains on foot?
- Why did I come south to work in the basement of an old brick school building in
August?!
- Why do I now spend late nights, sitting on bleachers, in recital halls, and at the
Campus Ministry Center having conversations with college students?
- And most recently, why did I go to Yaoundé where I had a close encounter with the
Cameroonian military?
Why did Sister Marion McGillicuddy, S.U. go to Covenant House in Times Square well
before it became the “Disneyesque” place it is today? Then it was a scary, dangerous place.
- Or why was she visiting tobacco fields and chicken processing plants when she was
serving in Wallace?
7
Why did Sister Marie Renee Murphy, I.H.M. continue her dedicated service in Catholic
schools in Philadelphia navigating the rough waters of consolidations?
- And then begin a new ministry in this diocese instead of retiring?
Why did Sister Mary Ann Czaja, S.A. ever leave the classroom and Wisconsin to stand in
solidarity with the poor in Greenville far away from community, family, and friends?
And Sister Laura Teresa Downing, I.H.M. Within ten years, why did she go to South
Philly and Reading, to Arlington, Virginia, and then to Cardinal Gibbons High School? It
is not a lack of commitment but rather depth of commitment.
WHY? Because we are apostolic women religious.
Each of us responded to God’s invitation to come, to see, and to follow - each one in a
profoundly personal way.
Each of us experienced the unique charism of our respective congregations as it was
embodied in the sisters we met, the women who inspired us.
Religious life is not generic. It is part of the magnificent mosaic that makes up consecrated
life in the Church - and its charisms are as varied as the colored tesserea in the mosaic.
Last spring, I took a group of students to Nashville during spring break where we
volunteered at a homeless center. During our orientation we met four different sisters who
spoke to us and none of them identified their congregations. Much to the surprise of the
students I was four for four in identifying their communities based on what they said and
how they said it.
While our charisms may not be uniform, they are unified in their evangelical foundations.
They are authentic ways of living out our baptismal consecration, in community, within the
Church.
It is difficult to adequately express their depths and contours. They are subtle. Sometimes
they are as intuitive as “where you can smell your mother’s chicken soup.” But words
matter, so we try to express them.
To the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, the words: love, hope, fidelity,
and divine providence are charged with a specificity of meaning that touches the heart of
each sister.
To minister with simplicity and hospitality resonates in the heart of every Sister of St.
Agnes. And without ever having seen the mission statement of the Tarboro Community
Outreach Center, I would suggest that, either implicitly or explicitly, simplicity and
hospitality are essential elements to the extent that Sr. Mary Ann was involved in its
articulation. The image of, “… not carry great torches that cast a brilliant light in the
church but carrying little lamps which shall enlighten young girls, the poor, and women in
order to make God known and loved through Jesus Christ”– enkindles the fire in the hearts
of every Sister of St. Ursula around the world. It is what gets us up in the morning and
determines how we spend our days.
8
Our numbers and demographics are not important or consequential. There is no creative
power in numbers but there is creative power in our charisms. To the extent that they are
vital, lived in fidelity, and give credible witness in the Church and the world – the Spirit of
God is present. Echoing the prophet Isaiah: “Every day the Lord wakes me, wakes us, to
listen, to listen like a disciple - to give a word of encouragement to the weary” wherever
we may find them.
This is who we are and what we try to live – lives of prayerful discernment – and as our
Holy Father, Pope Francis tells us in his recent papal exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium, to
live lives of missionary discipleship.
When I was a novice, one of Dan Schutte’s songs spoke to me of this journey, this amazing
adventure I had begun, and it still speaks to me today:
Drawn by a dream
Lured by a love,
Pilgrim companions,
As friends on a journey
We come through the
storm,
Pass through the fire,
Hungry yet hopeful,
Sustained by the love
of the Lord.
And thanks be to God for
this inexpressible gift!
Pictured with Bishop Michael F. Burbidge are jubilarians Sister Marion McGillicuddy, S.U. (70 years),
Sister Mary Ann Czaja, S.A. (50 years), Sister Marie Renee Murphy, I.H.M. (50 years),
Sister Rosemary G. McNamara, S.U. (25 years), Sister Laura Teresa Downing, I.H.M. (10 years).
For more information on Women Religious of the Diocese of Raleigh go to
http://www.raleighcouncilofreligious.org/
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Consecrated Religious Women
Who Have Served the Diocese of Raleigh
(An asterisk* denotes communities presently serving in the Diocese)
Since the early 1800’s over 80 religious communities of women have served the Diocese
of Raleigh. Look over the listing below, and then do the activities at the end of this
section.
Sisters - Adorers of the
Most Precious Blood, A.S.C.
Columbia, Pennsylvania
Congregation of the Most Holy Rosary
of the Third Order of St. Dominic, O.P.
Newburgh, New York
Calced Carmelite Nuns of the
Ancient Observance, O.Carm.
Province of Allentown, Pennsylvania
Daughters of the Church
Rome, Italy
Discalced Carmelite Nuns, O.C.D.
Allentown, Pennsylvania
Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, S.C.
Mount St. Joseph, Ohio
Sisters of Charity of Montreal (Grey Nuns),
S.G.M., Montreal, Canada
Daughters of Jesus, F.I.
New Orleans, Louisiana
*Daughters of St. Mary of Guadalupe, D.S.M.G.
Puebla, Mexico
*Daughters of Wisdom, D.W.
Islip, New York
Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, S.C.N.
Nazareth, Kentucky
Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and
Mary, S.N.J.M., Los Gatos, California
Sisters of Charity of St. Joseph, S.C.S.J.
Emmetsburg, Maryland
Sisters for Christian Community, S.F.C.C.
Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, S.C.
Greensburg, Pennsylvania
Sisters of Christian Unity
*Sisters of Divine Providence, C.D.P.
Allison Park, Pennsylvania
*Sisters of Charity of Convent Station, S.C.
Convent Station, New Jersey
Sisters of Christian Charity, S.C.C.
Mendham, New Jersey
Daughters of the Charity of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, F.C.S.C.J.
Littleton, New Hampshire
Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul,
D.C., Emmetsburg, Maryland
10
Dominican Sisters, O.P.
Racine, Wisconsin
Congregation of St. Catherine of Siena, O.P.
St. Catherine, Kentucky
Adrian Dominicans of the Most Holy
Rosary, O.P., Adrian, Michigan
*Congregation of St. Catherine de Ricci, O.P.
Media, Pennsylvania
Dominicans of the Immaculate Conception,
O.P., Quito, Ecuador; Toulouse, France
Sisters of the Holy Cross, C.S.C.
Rockville, Maryland
Sisters of the Third Order Regular of St.
Francis, O.S.F., Allegany, New York
*Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy
Franciscan Sisters of the Atonement, S.A.
Garrison, New York
Sisters of the Holy Union of Sacred Hearts,
S.U.S.C., Falls River, Maryland
Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure
Heart of Mary, F.H.M., New York, NY
Glenmary Home Mission Sisters of
America, G.H.M.S.; Glenmary, Ohio
Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, F.M.M.;
Bronx, New York
*Madonna House
Franciscan Sisters for Colored Missions
Baltimore, Maryland
Sisters of St. Francis, O.S.F.
Glen Riddle, Pennsylvania
Maryville, Missouri
Sisters of the Third Franciscan Order,
Minor Conventual, OMC
Syracuse, New York
Sisters of St. Francis of the Congregation
of Our Lady of Lourdes, OSF
Sylvania, Ohio
Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Family,
OSF, Dubuque, Iowa
*Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia, OSF
Cross, C.S.C., Notre Dame, Indiana
Combermere, Canada
Madre Pie Sisters
Ovada, Italy
*Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart
of Mary, I.H.M.; Immaculata, Pennsylvania;
Monroe, Michigan, Scranton, Pennsylvania
Little Sisters of the Assumption, L.S.A.
Province of United States
Little Sisters of Jesus, L.S.J.
Baltimore, Maryland, Rome, Italy
*Institute of the Sisters of Mercy of the
Americas, R.S.M., Belmont, North Carolina;
Merion, Pennsylvania
Sisters of Mercy, R.S.M.
Charlotte, North Carolina
Aston, Pennsylvania
Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi, OSF
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mission Helpers of Sacred Heart, M.H.S.H.
Baltimore, Maryland
Missionary Benedictines of Tizzing
Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis of
Assisi of Penance and Charity, O.S.F.
Tiffin, Ohio
Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate Heart
of Mary, I.C.M., Arlington, Virginia
Sisters of Our Lady of Charity of the Good
Shepherd, R.G.S., Louisville, Kentucky
Missionary Servants of the Most Blessed Trinity,
M.S.B.T., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
11
School Sisters of Notre Dame, S.S.N.D.
Baltimore, Maryland
*Congregation of Sisters of St. Agnes, C.S.A.
*Sisters of Notre Dame,
Chardon, Ohio
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of
Boston, C.S.J., Brighton, Massachusetts
Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur,
S .N.D.deN., Province of Baltimore
Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, C.S.J.
Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania
Sisters of Our Lady of Wisdom,
Ovada, Italy
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph of
Newark, C.S.J., Newark, New Jersey
Sisters of Presentation
Newburgh, New York
Sisters of St. Benedict, O.S.B.
Ferdinand, Indiana
Bismarck, North Dakota
S.N.D.
Oblate Sisters of Providence, O.S.P.
Baltimore, Maryland
Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
Sisters of St. Joseph of St. Mark, S.J.S.M.
Colmar, France
Sisters of Providence, S.P.
Holyoke, Maryland, Terre Haute, Indiana
*The Congregation
Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-theWoods, S.P.
Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana
*Sisters of St. Ursula, S.U.
Religious of Christian Education, R.C.E.
Milton, Massachusetts
of the Sisters of St.
Louis, S.S.L.,Woodland Hills, California
Rhinebeck, New York
Society of Catholic Medical Missionaries
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary,
R.S.H.M.; Beziers, France
Tarrytown, New York
Society of the Sisters Faithful Companions
of Jesus, F.C.J., Portsmouth, Rhode Island
Missionary Sisters Servants of the Holy
Spirit, S.Sp.S., Techny, Illinois
Ursuline Nuns of the Roman Union, O.S.U.
Eastern Province, Bronx, New York
Servants of Mary, O.S.M.
Omaha, Nebraska
*Sisters of St. Joseph
The Poor Servants of the Mother of God,
S.M.G., London, England
*Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament of
12
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Nigeria, S.B.S.N.
Activities
1. Name the countries or states where the consecrated religious sisters came from to serve the
Diocese of Raleigh. ________________________________________________________
2. From what state were the most consecrated religious sisters sent?
3. How many religious communities of sisters are still serving in the Diocese? ___________
4. Select any three of the religious communities above. Find out what their initials mean.
13
Consecrated Religious Men
Who Have Served the Diocese of Raleigh
(An asterisk * denotes communities presently serving in the Diocese)
Since the early 1800’s over 30 religious communities of men have served the Diocese of
Raleigh. Look over the listing below, and then do the activities at the end of this section.
Order of St. Benedict, O.S.B.
Belmont, North Carolina
Order of Carmelites (Carmelite Fathers),
O. Carm., Washington, District of Columbia
The Cistercian Order of the Strict
Observance (Trappists), O.C.S.O.
Spencer, Massachusetts
Congregation of the Religious Brothers of the
Third Order Regular of St. Francis, O.S.F.
Brooklyn, New York
Third Order Regular of St. Francis of
Penance, T.O.R. - O.S.F.
Province of the Sacred Heart
*Order of Friars Minor, O.F.M.
*Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Marie
Province of the Most Holy Name of Jesus,
New York, New York
Mission, C.I.C.M.
U.S. Province, Arlington, Virginia
*Franciscan
Consolata Society for Foreign Missions
(Consolata Fathers), I.M.C.
Somerset, New Jersey
*Glenmary Home Missioners, G.H.M.
Order of Preachers (Dominican Fathers),
O.P.,Metairie, Louisiana
Friars of the Atonement, S.A.
Garrison, New York
Cincinnati, Ohio
Priests of the Congregation of Holy Cross,
C.S.C., South Bend, Indiana
Fathers of St. Edmund, S.S.E.
Colchester, Vermont
*Congregation
Order of Friars Minor, Capuchins,
(Capuchin Friars), O.F.M.Cap.
*Society of Jesus (Jesuit Fathers and Brothers),
*Order of Friars Minor, Conventual,
S.J.; Maryland Province, Baltimore Maryland
New York Province
(Conventual Friars) O.F.M. Conv.
Province of Immaculate Conception of the
Blessed Virgin Mary, Rensselaer, New York
Society of Jesus (Jesuit Fathers), S.J.
Missouri Province; New Orleans Province
Congregation of the Mission,
(Vincentians), C.M., Eastern Province
Germantown, Pennsylvania
St. Joseph Society of the Sacred Heart
(Josephite Fathers), S.S.J., Baltimore,
Maryland
14
of the Holy Ghost (Holy
Ghost Fathers), C.S.Sp., American Province
*Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette,
M.S.; Province of the Immaculate Heart of
Mary Attleboro, Massachusetts
Society of Mary (Marianists), S.M.
Province of Cincinnati, Ohio
Congregation of the Fathers of Mercy,
C.P.M.
South Union, Kentucky
Oblates of Saint Francis de Sales, O.S.F.S.;
Legionaries of Christ, L.C.
Wilmington-Philadelphia Province, Darby,
CT
Society of the Catholic Apostolate
(Pallotine Fathers), S.A.C.
*Congregation of the Passion,
(Passionists), C.P.; Eastern Province
South River, New Jersey
Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer
(Redemptorist Fathers), C.SS.R.
Baltimore, Maryland
Congregation of the Priests of the Sacred
Heart of Jesus, S.C.J.
United States Province
Brothers of St. Francis Xavier, C.F.X.
Sacred Heart Province, Kensington,
Maryland
*Congregation of the Religious Third
Capuchins, Our Lady of the Sorrows, T.C.
San Jose Province
15
Missionary Servants of the Most Holy
Trinity (Trinitarians), M.S.S.S.T.
Arlington, Virginia
Congregation of the Mother Coredemptorix,
C.M.C.
Missionaries of the Company of
Mary (Montfort Missionaries), S.M.M.
Ozone Park, New York
*Missionary Congregation of the Blessed
Sacrament, M.C.B.S.
Oblates of Mary Immaculate, O.M.I.
Northern Province
Activities
1. Name the countries or states where the consecrated religious priests and brothers came
from to serve the Diocese of Raleigh.
__________________________________________________________________
2. From what state were the most consecrated religious priests sent from?
__________________________________________________________________
3. How many religious communities of priests/brothers are still serving in the Diocese?
___________________________________________________________________
4. Select three of the religious communities above. Find out what their initials mean.
16
Gratitude for the Past (1924 ~ 1964)
1820-1924 Before the Diocese of Raleigh
1820 Establishment of Diocese of Charleston includes North Carolina, South Carolina and
Georgia
1862 Sisters of Mercy from Charleston nurse victims of yellow fever in Wilmington
1898 Nazareth Orphanage opened by Father Thomas Price
1907 Dominican Sisters of Newburgh, New York staffed Catholic School in Newton
Grove
1924 The Diocese of Raleigh is established
1925 Passionist Fathers preach using some Pullman cars converted into chapels and
establish three mission churches in New Bern, Washington and Greenville
1926 Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, staff schools in New Bern,
Washington and Goldsboro
1928 Josephite priests staff St. Monica Parish, Raleigh
1939 Maryland Province of Society of Jesus staff Holy Cross Parish, Durham
1945 Redemptorist priests found St. Alphonsus Parish and School, Wilson
1952 Bishop Vincent Waters decrees the end of segregation in all Catholic parishes
1956 St. Ann School, Fayetteville, open as the first integrated school in North Carolina
1959 Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters open Mother of Mercy High School, Washington
1965-2015
Passion for the Present
2016-2055
Hope for the Future
17
Gratitude for the Past (1924-1964)
From its humble beginning as part of the Vicariate Apostolic of North Carolina, to the present
day, the Diocese of Raleigh has been blessed by the presence and ministry of varied communities
of religious brothers, priests, and sisters. Erected in March 1868 from the Diocese of Charleston
(which had been established in 1820 to cover all of North Carolina, South Carolina, and
Georgia), the Vicariate Apostolic of North Carolina encompassed the entire state. At the time of
its founding, the Vicariate was served by 16 priest religious.
In 1910 eight counties were carved out to form the Territorial Abbey of Belmont (Burke,
Catawba, Cleveland, Gaston, Lincoln, McDowell, Polk, and Rutherford counties). Bishop Abbot
Haid, who already was the Abbot of Belmont and Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina, added a
third title, Abbot Ordinary of the Belmont Abbey Nullius. From 1910 to 1924 the headquarters
for the Vicariate remained in Wilmington while the headquarters for the Abbatia Nullius was in
Belmont.
By June 1910, when the Vicariate became the Territorial Abbey of Belmont, the number of priest
religious had grown to 28; 127 women religious had also begun serving this Vicariate. The
Diocese of Raleigh was officially erected on December 12, 1924, and by 1944 saw its number of
priest religious increase to 59, and women religious grow to 238.
The religious communities represented in our Diocese have been numerous. From the
Redemptorist Priests who served at Holy Redeemer in Newton Grove (now named Our Lady of
Guadalupe), to the Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Immaculata, PA, from the
Jesuit Priests and Brothers, to the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, our Diocese has
been graced with many different religious orders. Many of these men and women religious came
to our Diocese to serve in mission work, specifically in historically black missions, parishes, and
schools. The girls’ orphanage in Belmont, as well as the Nazareth orphanage for boys (outside
of Raleigh), were also served by women religious—particularly the Sisters of Mercy.
Certain individuals have played a particularly prominent role in the growth of our Diocese,
among them Right Reverend Leo Haid, O.S.B., and Fr. Michael McInerney, O.S.B. In 1887, Fr.
Haid (serving as first Abbot of Belmont Abbey), was appointed Vicar Apostolic of NC; he was
consecrated Bishop in 1888. Drawing on the architectural expertise of Fr. McInerney, Bishop
Haid oversaw the design and construction of many of our early church buildings. Though
Bishop Haid did not live to see his request granted, he is credited with having petitioned Rome to
establish North Carolina as a Diocese.
Women Religious have also made an invaluable contribution to the life and growth of the
Catholic Church in our state. Sisters of Mercy from Charleston, South Carolina, moved to
Wilmington in 1862 to care for victims of the Yellow Fever epidemic. In 1869, this same order
of sisters opened the “Academy of the Incarnation” (now named St. Mary’s School). These
Sisters are also credited with opening schools in the western part of our state, including: St.
Patrick School (Charlotte—1888), Sacred Heart Academy (Belmont—1892), and Sacred Heart
18
School (Salisbury—1910). The Sisters of Mercy (Belmont) is the one community of women
religious working in our state whose motherhouse is also located here.
Both the orphanages in Belmont, North Carolina, and Raleigh, North Carolina were staffed by
the Sister of Mercy of North Carolina. The last five years of the Catholic Orphanage on Nazareth
Street in Raleigh, North Carolina were served by the Sisters of Notre Dame, Chardon, Ohio.
Other communities of women religious also answered the call to serve in North Carolina. The
Religious of Christian Education opened St. Genevieve of the Pines Academy Asheville, in
1908. Equally prolific, the Dominican Sisters of Newburgh, New York, staffed the Catholic
School in Newton Grove in 1907, founded Sacred Heart Academy (now the Cathedral School
and Cardinal Gibbons High School) in Raleigh—1909, and began Immaculata School in Durham
in 1909. In 1926, the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton, PA, staffed
St. Joseph’s School, New Bern, for “colored children.” This school had been opened by Father
Thomas Frederick Prince in 1887 and was staffed by lay people until the I.H.M. Sisters came. In
1927 they also founded schools serving black children in Goldsboro and Washington, North
Carolina, as well as another New Bern school (St. Paul’s) and a school in Raleigh (St. Monica’s).
Sources: Tar Heel Catholics by William F. Powers, 2003
The Diocese of Raleigh: An Overview by Monsignor Gerald L. Lewis, 1999.
19
Saint Katharine Drexel, S.B.S.
Foundress:
When Founded:
Place Founded:
When Canonized:
Patron Saint of:
Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament
1891
Bensalem, Pennsylvania
2000
Racial Justice, Philanthropists
Why St. Katharine Drexel was chosen for this Diocesan resource
Mother Katharine not only visited locations within the diocese, but provided the initial, and in
some cases, on-going funding for several locations and works. At St. Joseph Catholic School in
New Bern, where she visited in 1910, Mother Katharine helped to pay for repairs and
furnishings, a teacher’s salary, Christmas gifts for the children and a new addition to the school.
She assisted in building St. Thomas Church, Wilmington, North Carolina.
Several Churches in the Diocese display a picture of Mother Katharine. At Our Lady of
Guadalupe, Newton Grove, the parish hall is named after Katharine Drexel, who provided funds
for the parish. The Mission Church in Maple, North Carolina is also named after St.
Katharine Drexel.
St. Katharine Drexel’s Story
Catherine Marie Drexel was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1858 to an investment
banker, Francis Anthony Drexel, and his wife Hannah. Her family was extremely wealthy, and
her uncle had founded Drexel University in Philadelphia. Catherine’s mother died five weeks
after her birth, and she and her older sister were sent to live with their aunt and uncle for two
years until their father re-married. A younger sister was born shortly thereafter.
Drexel’s parents were great philanthropists. The girls were educated in the home and twice a
week the family distributed food, clothing and financial assistance to the poor. From the family’s
visits to the western states, Catherine developed a particular interest in the plight of the American
Indians. Sadly, her stepmother died in 1883 and her father died in 1885. When her father died,
Catherine and her sisters inherited a fortune that would be worth approximately $400 million
today. The girls contributed funds to the St. Francis Mission in South Dakota to aid the Native
Americans there.
In 1887 the sisters traveled to Rome and met with Pope Leo XIII to ask for missionaries to staff
the Indian missions they had been supporting. What surprised Catherine was that the Pope
challenged her to become a missionary herself.
In 1889 Catherine ignored marriage proposals she had received and gave herself and her
inheritance to God through service to Native and African Americans by entering the Sisters of
Mercy Convent in Pittsburgh. She took the name Mother Katharine when she professed her
vows and established the Sisters of Blessed Sacrament. After three and a half years of training
21
she and her first group of sisters opened a boarding school for sisters in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
Her commitment to Native Americans resulted in 50 missions established for them in 16 states.
Mother Katharine was similarly inspired by the injustices forced on African Americans. In the
midst of the South’s Jim Crow laws and the country’s anti-Catholic sentiment at the turn of the
century, she established her most famous foundation. She bought an abandoned university
building and founded what would become Xavier University, the first educational institution of
its kind for African Americans in the United States. Segregationists did all they could to thwart
her efforts, but she persisted and established 13 Catholic schools in 13 states, 40 mission centers
and 23 rural schools for African Americans. Mother Katharine visited the Diocese of Raleigh,
giving particular attention to a small group of African American Catholics in Newton Grove,
North Carolina.
Mother Katharine Drexel died in 1955 at the age of 96 at the Sister’s Motherhouse in Bensalem,
Pennsylvania, which is just outside of Philadelphia. Thousands of visitors make a pilgrimage
each year to visit her shrine and pray at her tomb.
Sources: The Catholic Encyclopedia
NC Catholic Newspaper, St. Katharine Drexel left her mark on NC Church,
by Reverend James F. Garneau, V.F., Ph.D., July, 2000
Activities
1. Research and complete a report on the Drexel family of Pennsylvania.
2. Imagine that you have the means to embark on a significant philanthropic journey.
a. List three causes to which you would like to make contributions.
b. Explain how that funding would make a difference.
3. Create a collage illustrating Saint Katharine Drexel’s patronage (philanthropy and
racial justice).
4. Research the current status of Xavier University and the extent to which St. Katharine's
influence is still felt there.
5. Interview someone who attended a Catholic school opened prior to the integration of schools
in the South. What information did you find?
6. Make a donation to the Office of Black and Indian Missions in Washington, D. C.
22
Father Thomas Frederick Price
Founder:
When Founded:
Place Founded:
Canonization Cause Opened:
Special Devotion:
Maryknoll Priests and Brothers
1911
Ossining, New York
2012
St. Bernadette of Soubirous
Why Father Thomas Frederick Price was chosen for this Diocesan resource
Thomas Fredrick Price was born in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1860. He was the first to be
ordained for service in the Vicariate of North Carolina. Known as the “Tar Heel Apostle” for his
zeal in converting North Carolinians to Catholicism, Father Price also co-founded the Catholic
Foreign Mission Society of America, better known as the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers who
evangelize throughout the world. His cause for beatification is currently underway.
Father Thomas Frederick Price’s Story
Father Price developed a real connection with the priests of his parish (St. Thomas) in
Wilmington. Bishop James Gibbons, newly appointed first Vicar Apostolic of North Carolina,
made the parish his headquarters and took a special interest in Price. Young Price often served
Mass for Gibbons and sometimes traveled with him on business across the state. When he
confided his interest in being a priest to Father Mark Gross, the parish priest, arrangements were
made for him to enter the seminary. In 1876 he sailed for Catonsville, Maryland, to attend Saint
Charles Seminary. His journey was unsuccessful; the "Rebecca Clyde" was involved in a
shipwreck. Price believed the Blessed Virgin intervened on his behalf and spared his
life. Indeed, he entered the seminary in 1877, graduating in 1881. After attending St. Mary's
Seminary in Baltimore, he was ordained to the priesthood in 1886. Unfortunately, his parents
did not live to see their son become ordained to the priesthood. His first assignment was mission
work in the eastern part of North Carolina.
Soon he was appointed pastor for the few Catholics living in the area around Asheville, North
Carolina. He remained there for a few years. Then he embarked on a statewide evangelization
journey. His approach was heavily influenced by a famous Paulist priest, Father Eliott. In 1898
he established Nazareth Orphanage. He believed that if he helped the disenfranchised in the
area, he would ingratiate himself with the locals, thereby enhancing his prospects for
evangelization. Then, in 1902, he opened Regina Apostolorum, a preparatory seminary for those
who would lead the home missions. He directed and taught in that institution until 1909.
Price's dream was to establish a seminary for American young men to prepare them for mission
work in foreign countries. Another priest, Father James Anthony Walsh, shared that
vision. Consequently, the two of them traveled to Rome for an audience with Pope Pius X to
23
gain his approval for their new venture. Permission was granted. While in Europe, Price visited
Lourdes for the first time and had a spiritual experience so profound it shaped the rest of his life
and inspired a particular devotion to Our Lady of Lourdes and Bernadette Soubirous.
Upon returning to the United States, he arranged for the purchase of property at Ossining, New
York to become the site of the American Catholic Foreign Mission Society (Maryknoll). He
toured the country to gain financial support for Maryknoll. By 1918 Father Price and Father
Walsh were ready to begin the first foreign missions in China. Father Walsh ultimately became
the chief administrator. Father Price was able to realize his dream of becoming one of the first
Maryknoll missionaries, although his health was declining and he had difficulty with the Chinese
language.
Father Price died in Hong Kong in 1919. His body was later transferred to the cemetery at
Maryknoll, New York. He edited two books, Bernadette of Lourdes and The Lily of Mary.
Sources: http://www.dioceseofraleigh.org/content/father-thomas-frederick-price
Catholic Encyclopedia
Activities
1. Visit Cardinal Gibbons High School in Raleigh, which was named for Father Price's early
mentor.
2. Research the beatification/canonization process.
3. Make a pilgrimage to Nazareth Street in Raleigh to view the site of the orphanage founded
by Father Price.
4. Invite a seminarian to address your school or parish group.
5. Create a timeline of the growth of Catholicism in the Diocese of Raleigh from 1900 to the
present.
6. Research the story of Bernadette Soubirous and the documented miracles of Lourdes.
7. Travel to Wilmington, North Carolina, and visit the town where Father Thomas Price was
born.
24
Heart Stories
Sister Damian Marie Jackson, OSF, MA
Thoughts of becoming a Sister of St. Francis of Philadelphia began to take root in
my heart sometime after my graduation from high school. Actually, God spoke to me
in the words of others who recognized the “signs” of a vocation before I did. My
friend’s mother said, “Give that engagement ring back. You are meant to be a
Sister.” A co-worker said, “When are you going to stop putting it off and contact the
Sisters?” I listened and was professed in 1954.
1954
One of the unexpected joys in my life was being invited to serve in
Before Vatican
the Diocese of Raleigh. After I received my M.A. in Religious Studies
II Council
at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia, people
started seeking me out for spiritual companioning. Eventually, I left teaching and
after weeks of discernment and prayer it became evident that God was calling me
to retreat ministry. This led to coming to the Diocese in 1983.
One of my most rewarding experiences as a woman religious was when I was
given the opportunity to channel my creativity in generating new ideas for
spiritual growth programs, retreats and service to people who considered
1979
After Vatican II
themselves spiritually poor. This happened at Avila Retreat Center in Durham.
Council
Serving others is a privilege. Now my service to others is a “Ministry of Presence.”
My mother taught me a life lesson when I was seven years old. My family didn’t have much as
far as material things go. There was a bakery nearby that sold big bags of broken up cake. One
day Mom said, “Go to the bakery and get a bag of cake.” My sisters and brother sat around the
kitchen table waiting for the treat. Mom tore open the big, brown bag and they dove in for a
variety of pieces. I didn’t. I looked up and asked ‘Are we ever going to have a whole cake like
everybody else?” Mom looked at me and said, “Someday we’ll have a
whole cake but it won’t be as much fun. Look in our bag, we have so many
different kinds and colors of cake.” After that day I never really wanted a
whole cake.
I have had a big bag of colorful, beautiful pieces of cake throughout my
Religious life and that best describes the source of my joy.
2014
25
A Glance at the Past
The Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart
Prior to the sisters (1954) there was little formal religious instruction for
public school children. In most places the Pastor was charged with the task of
teaching religion classes. Some parishes had the generous help of the sisters
who taught in the Catholic Schools, which meant double duty for them.
It was the charged to the Mission Helpers that they establish the Confraternity
of Christian Doctrine (CCD) throughout the state. First from Farmville, then
from Farmville and Charlotte, then from Farmville and Statesville and finally
from Winston-Salem they traveled to parish after parish to set up a CCD
program. First they taught the children, but simultaneously they taught adults to teach religion. As
soon as sufficient adults were trained they would move on to a new parish. For most of their fifty
years in North Carolina there were eight Sisters with four in each house. They had formal teacher
training at centers across the state. It took thirty hours of methods and thirty hours of doctrine to
get a certificate, and every lay teacher was urged to be certified. It was an amazing network and it
worked!!!
Along with Bishop Waters they established a summer bible school college volunteer program. Girls
from various Catholic colleges would come to North Carolina for six weeks. They had about two
weeks of training and orientation and then they went to parishes to which they were invited to
conduct Bible Schools. This program ended about 1963. Bishop Waters also had the Sisters start the
“Mary Missioner Program.” These young ladies volunteered for an entire year to work with the
Mission Helpers in their two centers. They worked in the smallest missions in the most rural areas.
Two Mission Helper Superiors General came from the Mary Missioner program.
Pictures from Dianne Young who was a Mission Helper
(first picture, last person on far right)
Source: Monsignor Gerald Lewis
26
A Glance at the Past
First Holy Communion, Immaculate Conception School, Clinton, NC (1958)
First Faculty at Holy Spirit School, Jacksonville, NC (1962)
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Passion for the Present (1965 ~ 2015)
The Past
1924 - 1964
Post Vatican II
1965 - 2015
1965 Vatican II Council ends and calls religious to a renewal of their Charisms and
their lifestyles
1966 Oblates of St. Francis de Sales arrive in the diocese
1972 The Diocese of Charlotte is established
1978 Madonna House is established in the Diocese
1980 Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn staff Saint Peter, Greenville School
2002 Daughters of Saint Mary of Guadalupe and Missionhurt priests and brother come
to serve the Hispanic people
The Future
2016 - 2055
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Passion for the Present (1965-2015)
While more than 80 orders of women religious and 30 orders of men religious have served in
North Carolina at some time or another, certain orders have played a particularly prominent role.
The Carmelite nuns, who for a decade had inhabited a contemplative community in Durham,
departed in 1966. The Sisters of Mercy are another group of women religious who have made
and continue to make a significant contribution to the Catholic landscape in North Carolina.
Preceding all other women religious in the state by 35 years, the Sisters of Mercy made up the
largest community of women religious in our state by 1999. For more than a generation, the
North Carolina Sisters of Mercy operated all of the Catholic schools, hospitals, and orphanages
in the state.
Also among the predominant women religious in the state, the Congregation of the Servants of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary (I.H.M.) of Scranton, Pennsylvania have made tremendous
contributions. They have been ministering in the Diocese since 1926 and at one point were the
largest community of religious women serving. It was these women who initially came to North
Carolina to educate black children, eventually establishing schools in Goldsboro, Greensboro,
New Bern, Raleigh, and Rocky Mount.
Working throughout their time in North Carolina as nurses, teachers, administrators, religious
educators, social workers, pastoral administrators, pastoral associates and social justice
advocates, “active” women religious communities have proven more durable than contemplative
communities (i.e., those communities whose focus was service through prayer). In general,
religious sisters were sought to staff Catholic schools, whereas religious order priests were
recruited to serve in ministry to African-Americans. With the exception of the Belmont Sisters
of Mercy, the communities of women religious that have served in North Carolina have all come
from other states — invited here to serve in varied mission work.
Following the Second Vatican Council, the mid-60s was a time of upheaval— in the world and
in North Carolina. Many orders of women religious were embracing reform, and this included a
switch from wearing habits to wearing secular clothing. This change in practice did not sit well
with Bishop Vincent Waters, who, in 1971, wrote letters to the Superiors General of
communities of sisters and the Superiors of religious orders of men working in North Carolina
with clear instruction to return to their traditional attire. Even though most sisters complied with
the Bishop’s order, they were not too happy about this inflexible ruling from the Bishop.
Some sisters left the Diocese over the dress code matter. This included the sisters of the
Religious of Christian Education community serving at Asheville Catholic High School. Rather
than be engaged in conversation on this issue, Bishop Waters arranged to have the Sisters of
Mercy replace the non-conforming community of sisters in Asheville. A similar exodus
occurred among the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, who were serving
at Blessed Sacrament Catholic School in Burlington, as well as at St. Ann’s and St. Patrick’s in
Fayetteville.
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Whereas women religious were heavily involved in establishing and serving in schools and
hospitals, religious order priests were predominate in forming parishes. Of particular note are
the Jesuits and the Glenmary Missioners, who are credited with establishing Catholic parishes
particularly in the far western and southern counties of the state. Key Jesuit priests in this history
include Father Andrew Graves, SJ, and Father Jeff Burton, SJ, both of whom served in the
mission territory of Hot Springs, North Carolina. The property that originally served as a house
of study for newly ordained Jesuits, continues today as a Jesuit House of Prayer. This retreat
center, adjacent to the Appalachian Trail, ministers to hundreds of Catholics each year. A
similar transformation occurred in Durham. What is now Avila Retreat Center for years
functioned as a Benedictine Monastery.
Also serving in the western part of the state were the Glenmary Home Missioners and the
Glenmary Sisters. In 1954, the Glenmary Missioners began serving in the state’s westernmost
counties, based in Murphy (Cherokee County). The two-fold focus of this community of men
religious was to invite converts to the faith and to establish a Catholic presence for transplants to
the area. “What must be emphasized is that, at no expense to the diocese, Glenmary built
churches, formed congregations, and allayed anti-Catholic sentiment in the most remote section
of the state” (Powers, p. 371). True to their goal, each Glenmary parish established in North
Carolina was developed to the point of self-sustainability and then turned over to the Diocese.
On a path parallel to the I.H.M. sisters, the Mission Helpers of the Sacred Heart were invited to
the state to establish religious education programs for Catholic children attending public schools.
They formed such programs in a number of cities, including Charlotte, Farmville, Henderson,
and Winston-Salem. The basic plan was to form these religious education centers and staff them,
at the same time training lay ministers to eventually take over as catechists.
In addition to serving the mission populations of blacks in the state, men religious have been
instrumental in ministering to the increasing Hispanic population. Of particular note is the
Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Similarly, in 1996 the Franciscan pastor at
Immaculate Conception (in Durham) began serving Latino immigrants. Clearly, this is a vital
ministry, as it is estimated that there are 240,000 Hispanic Catholics living in our Diocese today.
The Diocese of Raleigh: An Overview by Monsignor Gerald L. Lewis, 1999.
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Religious Communities of Women
Currently Serving in the Diocese of Raleigh
Congregation of the Sisters of St. Agnes
Founder and Foundress: Father Casper Rehl, Mother Agnes Hazotte, Francis Haas
Year and place founded: 1858, Barton, Wisconsin
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1982 (Catholic Social services; Director of homeless
shelter, food pantry and soup kitchen)
Charism: Education and care for others
Motto: Behold, what I long coveted I now hold safe
Feast Day: January 21 (Feast of St. Agnes); Special Days: August 15 (Assumption of
the Blessed Virgin Mary), March 19 (Saint Joseph), September 6 (Founder’s day) and
October 4 (Saint Francis)
Currently serving: Tarboro Community Outreach
Number serving: One
Additional information: http://www.csasisters.org
Daughters of Saint Mary of Guadalupe
Founder and Foundress: Fr. Luis Gonzaga de la Torre y Baeza; Mother Rosario Avila
Campos and Mother Dolores Oropeza y Neve
Year and place founded: 1888, Puebla, Mexico
Year order arrived in Diocese: 2002 for Hispanic Ministry
Charism: To spread the love of Jesus through an active and a contemplative life; being
witnesses of this love through the education, catechesis and the mission. Having our
Blessed Mother Mary as a Model of a consecrated woman; choosing to serve the poor
and to adore Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. Respect the clergy.
Motto: “Nothing is the sacrifice that we made for the sake of our beloved Jesus, to offer
health, comfort, talents, beauty, strength and even the life to extend the Reign of Jesus
and Mary our Mother, in the world.” “My daughters, do not be discouraged in the work
that you begun.” “Take care that all your actions have the seal of Jesus’ spouse.”
Community prayer: “Oh! Virgen Santísima de Guadalupe…”
Feast Day and celebrations: December 12 (Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe);
November 7 (Birthday of the Founder)
Currently serving: Saint Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother Parish (Greenville NC); Saint
Therese Parish (Wilson) and other parishes of Tar River Deanery
Number serving: Three
Additional information: Facebook: “Hijas de Santa Maria de Guadalupe”
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Daughters of Wisdom
Founder and Foundress: St. Louis-Marie Grignon de Montfort and Blessed Marie
Louise- Trichet
Year and place founded: 1703, St. Laurent Sur Sevre, France
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1977
Charism: We are called in community to seek and to contemplate Divine Wisdom,
present in a world that hungers for meaning, justice and compassion. We seek to bring
the message of Jesus Incarnate Wisdom, to people experiencing injustice, violence,
poverty, oppression, especially women and children.
Motto: Dieu Seul (God Alone)
Feast Day: February 2 (Foundation day); Special Days: April 28 (St. Louis Marie de
Montfort feast) and May 7 (Blessed Marie Louise de Jesus)
Currently serving: Greenville, NC (Retired)
Number serving: Two
Additional information: www.daughtersofwisdom.org; www.fdlsagesse.org
Sisters of the Holy Cross
Founder and Foundress: Blessed Basil Anthony Mary Moreau
Year and place founded: 1841, Le Mans, France
Year order arrived in the Diocese: 1954
Charism: To meet the needs of the times
Community Prayer: The Seven Dolors, a prayer similar to the Rosary that reflects on
the Seven Sorrows of Mary.
Feast Days: September 14 (Feast of the Triumph of the Cross), September 15 (Feast of
Our Lady of Sorrows), January 20 (Feast of Blessed Basil Moreau), January 7 (Feast of
Saint Andre Bessette, a Holy Cross Brother
Currently serving: A Place for Women to Gather, Raleigh, North Carolina
Number serving: Two
Additional information: www.cscsisters.org www.womengather.org
Sisters of Mercy of the Americas
Founder and Foundress: Catherine McAuley
Year and place founded: 1861, Dublin, Ireland
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1983 - 1984
Charism: Union and charity and service to the poor
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Motto: Suscipe
Feast Days: December 12 (Foundation day); September 24 (Feast of Our Lady of Mercy)
and November 11 (Catherine’s anniversary of death)
Currently serving: Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh
Number serving: One
Additional information: www.sistersofmercy.org
Sisters of Notre Dame
Founder and Foundress: Saintt. Julie Billiart; Sister. María Aloysia Wolbring; Cofoundress: Sr. María Ignatia Kuhling
Year and place founded: 1850, Coesfeld, Germany
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1972
Charism: A deep experience of God’s goodness and providential care
Motto: “How good is the good of God.” (St. Julie)
Feast Days: March 25 (The Annunciation of the Lord); May 13 (Feast of St. Julie
Billiart); October 1 (Foundation day) and the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ the
King.
Currently serving: Our Lady of Lourdes School and Cardinal Gibbons High School
Number serving: Three
Additional information: http://www.sndchardon.org;
www.facebook.com/SNDChardon; www.youtube.com/user/SNDChardo
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Immaculata
Founder and Foundress: Fr. Louise Florent Gillet and Mother Teresa Maxis
Year and place founded: 1845, Monroe, Michigan
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1973-1996, 2008 - present
Charism: love, creative hope and fidelity
Motto: Tota Pulchra Est
Feast Day: December 8th, Feast of the Immaculate Conception, Founder’s Day, Nov.
10
Currently serving: Cardinal Gibbons High School, Our Lady of Lourdes Parish, and the
Catholic Diocese of Raleigh
Number serving: Six
Additional information: http://www.ihmimmaculata.org; Facebook: Sisters Servants of
the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Immaculata, Pennsylvania
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Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton
Founder and Foundress: Theresa Maxis Duchemin, IHM and Louis Florent Gillet, CSsR
Year and place founded: 1845; Monroe Michigan USA
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1926
Charism: In the passionate spirit of Saint Alphonsus Ligouri, we joyfully participate in
the redeeming love of Jesus which impels us to proclaim the Good News of God’s
unconditional love for all. We embrace Mary, the first disciple as our model of a life
rooted in God.
Motto: Salve Regina
Feast Days: December 8 (Immaculate Conception); November 10 (Founder’s day);
October 15 (Teresa de Avila) and August 1 (St. Alphonsus Ligouri).
Currently serving: Butner (St. Bernadette); New Bern (St. Paul) and Raeford (St.
Elizabeth of Hungary)
Number serving: Two
Additional information: www.sistersofihm.org; www.facebook.com/sistersofihm;
www.twitter.com/sistersofihm
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Monroe
Founder and Foundress: Fr. Louise Florent Gillet and Mother Teresa Maxis
Year and place founded: 1845, Monroe, Michigan
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1974 Burlington; 1976 Greenville
Charism: The liberating mission of Jesus, urged by the love of God to respond to the
most serious needs of our time, we pursue justice, peace and sustainable ways of life.
Motto: Together with those who share our vision and values and in solidarity with those
who are made poor and marginalized by existing structures, we choose to move forward
with profound trust in the power of the Spirit living the liberating mission of Jesus Christ.
Feast Day: November 10 (Founder’s day); December 8 (Feast day) and the last Saturday
in July (Jubilee day)
Currently serving: Ministry of therapy and spiritual direction in the triangle area and
Spiritual Formation at Duke Divinity School.
Number serving: Two
Additional information: www.ihmsisters.org http://www.ihmsisters.org/
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Society of St. Ursula
Founder and Foundress: Anne de Xainctonge
Year and place founded: Dole, France in 1606
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1984
Charism of the order: Education of girls and women, especially the poor
Motto: Jesus Christ is my life. To extend His reign is my only ambition
Feast Day: December 8 (Renewal of vows), June 8 (Death of Foundress) and June 16
(Foundation day)
Currently serving: Wilmington (Basilica Shrine St. Mary and UNCW Campus
Ministry) and Jacksonville (Infant of Prague)
Number serving: Five
Additional information: www.societyofstursula.org; www.linwoodspiritualctr.org
Sisters of St. Louis
Founder and Foundress: Fr. Louis Colmar (1760-1818), Louise Humann (1766-1836),
and Fr. Louis Bautain (1796-1867)
Year and place founded: June 23, 1797, Feast of the Sacred Heart, in Strasabourg,
France
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1992
Charism: Ministry is one of education and outreach to all people, but especially to the
local African American and Hispanic communities
Motto: “Sint Unum” – “Grant Lord Jesus that their hearts may be one, just as you and
your Father are one.”
Feast Day: Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Patron, St. Louis, King of France
Currently serving: St. Charles Borromeo, Ahoskie and St. Anne, Scotland Neck
Number serving: two
Additional Information information: http://stlouissisters.org
Sisters of Saint Joseph of Chestnut Hill, Philadelphia
Founder and Foundress: Jean Pierre Medaille, SJ
Year and place founded: October 15, 1650, LePuy, France
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1960’s
Charism:. Our mission calls us to “live and work so that all people may be united with
God and with one another.” Our charism flows from this mission- we are called to
inclusive love of all without distinction and to be a unifying and reconciling presence to
the “dear neighbor” (all God’s people and all creation) so that All May Be One.
Feast Day: St. Joseph’s Day , March 19, Founders Day: October 15
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Currently serving: Retreat Ministry, Spiritual Direction, Facilitation, Group Process
Design and Strategic Planning
Number serving: Two
Additional information: www.ssjphila.org
Sisters of St. Francis, Philadelphia
Founder and Foundress: Mother Mary Francis Bachmann with the guidance of Saint
John Neumann
Year and Place founded: 1855, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1960’s
Charism: Peace, Justice, Reconciliation
Currently Serving: Ministry of Presence – Durham, North Carolina
Feast Day: October 4, Founder’s Day April 9
Number serving: One
Additional information http://www.osfphila.org/
Dominican Sisters of Philadelphia (now Dominican Sisters of Peace)
Founder and Foundress: Lucy Eaton Smith
Year and place founded: Albany, New York, 1880
Charism: Retreat Ministry
Feast Day: St. Dominic, August 8
Currently Serving: Ministry of Presence, Durham, North Carolina
Number serving: One
Additional information: http://www.oppeace.org
Sisters of Divine Providence
Founder and Foundress: Bishop Wilhelm Emmanuel von Ketteler and Mother Marie
de La Roche
Year and Place founded: September 29, 1851 – Mainz, Germany
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1994 – Adult Formation (10 years), 2001 Pastoral
Ministry/Faith Formation – English/Spanish Communities
Charism: Trust in openness to the providence of god through compassion, justice and
peace
Special Prayer: “We Exalt Your Providence O Lord, and we commit ourselves to making
Your providence more visible in our world
Feast Day: Trinity Sunday, Founder’s Day: October 29,
August 1 – Anniversary of death of founder Mother Marie de La Roche
July 13 – Death anniversary of Founder Bishop Ketteler
Currently serving: Immaculate Conception Clinton, San Juan Diego, Ingold, NC
Number serving: two
Additional information: www.cdpsisters.org
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Madonna House Apostolate
Founder and Foundress: Catherine de Hueck Doherty
Year and Place founded: 1947, Combermere, Ontario, Canada
Yar order arrived in Diocese: 1978/Prayer-Listening House
Charism: “Arise—go! Sell all you possess. Give it directly, personally to the poor.
Take up my cross (their cross) and follow Me, going to the poor, being poor, being one
with them, one with Me.” (This is the first paragraph of our way of life, our “Little
Mandate.”
Motto: Restore all things to Christ
Feast Day: May 27-Foundation Day. Special Days: February 14-Harlem Friendship
House Foundation Day; October 15-Toronto Friendship House Foundation Day;
May 1-St. Joseph the Worker; August 15-Feast of the Assumption; December 14Anniversary of Catherine’s death (1985)
Currently serving: Raleigh
Number serving: Three
Additional information: www.madonnahouse.org
Sisters of Charity of Convent Station, New Jersey
Founder and Foundress: St. Elizaabeth Ann Seton
Year and place founded: 1809, Emmitsburg, Maryland
Currently serving: Shalotte, North Carolina
Number serving: Four
Additional information: http://www.scnj.org/
Sister of the Blessed Sacrament of Nigeria
Founder and Foundress: Sister Catherine Okechukwu
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1992
Currently serving: Raleigh, North Carolina
Number serving: Two
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Activities
1. Review the listing of religious communities of women and find where each is currently
serving in the Diocese. If you could serve with one of these communities, which one
would it be and why?
2. Each community has a website. Research one community that might interest you. Tell
your teachers, classmates, family or friends what you found. What surprised you?
3. Each community has a special feast day in which they have a celebration of their
founder/foundress or a patron saint. Write to one of the communities on their Feast Day
and thank them for their service.
4. Interview one of the sisters. Find out why she chose to consecrate her life to Jesus and
live a community life.
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Religious Communities of Men
Currently Serving in the Diocese of Raleigh
Glenmary (Home Missioners of America)
Founder: Father William Howard Bishop
Year and place founded: 1939
Year order arrived in Diocese: 2004
Charism: To provide Catholic nurture to small mission churches; to evangelize the
unchurched, to work ecumenically with other Christians and other churches; to provide
social outreach to the poor and marginalized; to work for justice and the integrity of
creation and to keep the local mission connected to the larger church.
Special Prayer: The Home Mission prayer
Feast Day: October 19 (Feast of the North American Martyrs)
Currently serving: Bertie County (Holy Spirit Church in Windsor); Washington County
(St. Joan of Arc in Plymouth)
Number serving: Three
Additional information: www.glenmary.org
Congregatio Immaculati Cordis Marie
Founder: Reverend Theophile Verbist
Year and place founded: 1862, Scheut, Belgium
Year order arrived in Diocese: 2002 for Hispanic Ministry
Charism: Missionary Ad-Extra (To live one’s own country)
Motto: One Heart, One Soul (Cor Unum et Anima Una)
Feast Day: November 28 (Foundation day); other special days: December 25, Feast of
Immaculate Heart of Mary
Currently serving: St. Eugene, Wendell; Our Lady of the Rosary, Louisburg; ECU
Newman Center and the Catholic Center
Number serving: Five
Additional information: http://missionhurst.org http://scheutmissions.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CICM
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
Founder: Blessed Louis Brisson through the inspiration of Mother Mary de Sales
Chappuis
Year and place founded: 1875, Troyes, France
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1966, through the invitation of Bishop Vincent S.Waters
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Charism: To live Jesus according to the spirituality of St. Francis de Sales and the
example of the founder, Blessed Louis Brisson.
Motto: V+J (“Vive Jesus” – “Live Jesus”)
Celebrations: Solemnities: January 24 (St. Francis de Sales), October 12 (Blessed Louis
Brisson); Feasts: January 10 (St. Leonie Aviat), August 12 (St. Jane Frances de Chantal),
October 16 (St. Margaret Mary Alacoque) and November 21 (Annual Renewal of Vows)
Currently serving: Buxton (Our Lady of the Seas Parish); Durham (Holy Infant Parish);
Fayetteville (St. Anne Parish and St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish); Kitty Hawk (Holy
Redeemer by the Sea Parish and Holy Trinity by the Sea Mission in Nags Head); and
Wilmington (Immaculate Conception Parish).
Number serving: Seven
Additional information: www.oblates.org
Conventual Franciscans
Founder: Saint Francis of Assisi
Year and place founded: 1209, Assisi, Italy
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1935 Parochial ministry
Charism: Minority – Gospel living
Special Prayer: Cantical of the creatures, Peace prayer
Feast Days: October 4 (Feast of St. Francis); August 12 (Portiuncula); Feasts of the
Franciscan saints (St. Clare, St. Anthony, St. Bonaventure, St. Maximilian Kolbe, etc.)
Currently serving: Burlington, Siler City, Durham, and Chapel Hill
Number serving: Ten
Additional information: http://www.franciscans.org/en/
Order of Friars Minor (Franciscans)
Founder: Saint Francis of Assisi
Year and place founded: 1209, Assisi, Italy; 1901, Holy Name Province, New York
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1950’s with the renewed presence in the late 1980’s
Charism: To live the Gospel of Jesus Christ
Motto: Love of God, love of all God’s creation, human beings and all living creatures.
Feast Day: October 4 (Feast of Saint Francis)
Currently serving: Raleigh (Saint Francis) and Durham (Immaculate Conception)
Number serving: Six
Additional information: www.hnp.org www.ofm.org
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Congregation of the Passion (Passionists)
Founder: Paul of the Cross
Year and place founded: 1720, Italy
Year order arrived in Diocese 1925 Preaching throughout the state; 1930’s to 1964
established 3 mission churches in New Bern, Washington and Greenville; returned to
Greenville in 1987 until 2013.
Charism: Preaching the Passion and keeping alive the memory of Christ’s sufferings
Prayer: We preach Christ Crucified
Feast Days: October 20 (Saint Paul of the Cross); Solemn Commemoration of the
Passion (Friday before Ash Wednesday); February 27 (St. Gabriel Possenti); September
15 (Our Lady of Sorrows); November 21 (Presentation of Mary).
Currently serving: Sacred Heart Cathedral, Raleigh, and Vident Hospital, Greenville,
NC
Number serving: Three
Additional information: www.thepassionsits.org; www.passiochristi.org;
www.passionistcharism.worpress.com; Facebook: The Passionists: St. Paul of the Cross
Province.
Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette
Founder: Philbert de Bruillard - Bishop of Grenoble, France
Year and place founded: 1852, Grenoble, France
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1976 to Roanoke Rapids.
Charism: Reconciliation
Motto: Prayer, penance, zeal. Our lady of LaSalette reconciler of sinners pray for me.
Feast Days: Feast of Our Lady of LaSalette is September 19th
Currently serving: St. Mildred, Swansboro and St. Stephen the First Martyr, Sanford.
Number serving: Three
Additional information: http://www.lasalette.org/about-la-salette/apparition/ourhistory/907-la-salettes-in-early-1900s.html
The Society of Jesus (SJ)
Founder: St. Ignatius of Loyola
Year and place founded: 1540, Paris, France and Rome, Italy
Year order arrived in Diocese: 1939. The first Mass at Holy Cross Parish in Durham
was by Fr. John A Risacher, S.J. on December 5, 1939.
Charism: It aims to bring people closer to God and more deeply into the world — with
gratitude, passion, and humility — not away from it. Ignatius called on the Jesuits to be
"contemplatives in action." Jesuits and their lay collaborators work with people in many
walks of life, such as education and business.
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Motto: Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam (For the Greater Glory of God).
Feast Day: July 31, the Solemnity of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Currently serving: St. Raphael, Raleigh, St. Therese, Wilson
Number serving: Four
Additional information: http://www.mdsj.org; http://www.sjweb.info
The Franciscan Friars of the Atonement (SA)
Founder: Fr. Paul Wattson
Year and place founded: 1898, Graymoor, NY
Charism: Reconciliation, healing, and At-One-ment of All
Motto: “At-One-ment”
Feast Day: July 9, the Feast of our Lady of the Atonement
Currently serving: St. Andrew the Apostles, Apex
Number serving: Three
Additional information: http://www.atonementfriars.org
Activities
1. Review the listing of religious communities of men and find where each is currently
serving in the Diocese. If you could serve with one of these communities, which one
would it be and why?
2. Each community has a website. Research one community that might interest you. Tell
your teachers, classmates, family or friends what you found. What surprised you?
3. Each community has a special feast day in which they have a celebration of their
founder or a patron saint. Write to one of the communities on their Feast day and thank
them for their service.
4. Interview one of the brothers or priests. Find out why he chose to consecrate himself to
Jesus and live a community life.
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Saint Francis de Sales
Founder:
When Founded:
Place Founded:
Year Canonized:
Patron Saint of:
Feast Day:
Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary
1610
Chantal, France
1665
Journalists, Writers, Deaf
January 24
Why Saint Francis de Sales was chosen for this Diocesan resource
St. Francis de Sales is known for his gentleness and his practicality in living a life of holiness.
His book, Introduction to a Devout Life, is a model for us on how to live our lives. He helps us
to see that God can be found in the here and now, in the present moment. Additionally St.
Francis de Sales is a model for good, wholesome spiritual friendship with women and men.
St. Francis de Sales’ Story
Francis de Sales, the eldest of six brothers, was born into the aristocratic Sales family
in France on August 21, 1567. Educated by the Jesuits, he focused his studies on rhetoric and
the humanities at the college of Clermont, Paris.
Francis emerged as a talented preacher, a champion of the poor, and an intuitive man with an
uncommon gift for understanding souls. He was a prolific writer in French, Italian and Latin.
His most famous book is Introduction to the Devout Life. In it he counsels lay people about
choosing charity over penance as a means of living a truly spiritual life. He also authored A
Treatise on the Love of God.
At 35 years of age, Francis became Bishop of Geneva. While administering his diocese he
continued to preach, hear confessions and catechize the children. His gentleness was a great in
winning souls to God. He practiced his own axiom, “A spoonful of honey attracts more flies
than a barrelful of vinegar.”
He founded the women’s Order of the Visitation with St. Jane Frances de Chantal in 1610. The
members were ordered to live cloistered lives by the archbishop. He also established an Oratory
of St. Philip Neri, although the foundation did not survive his death in December of 1622.
Francis de Sales was beatified in 1661 by Pope Alexander VII and canonized four years later.
He was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius IX in 1877. His feast day is celebrated on
January 24th, the day of his burial.
Francis de Sales took seriously the words of Christ, “Learn of me for I am meek and humble of
heart.” As he said himself, it took him twenty years to conquer his quick temper, but no one ever
suspected he had such a problem, so overflowing with good nature and kindness was his usual
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manner of acting. His consistent meekness and sunny disposition won for him the title of
“Gentleman Saint.”
The Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales were the first congregation to adopt his spirituality in
the 19th century. The Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales (O. S. F. S.) was founded in 1866.
The Oblates of St. Francis de Sales (O. S. F. S.) were later founded by the Blessed Louis Brisson
for men.
Source: Catholic Encyclopedia
Activities
1. Saint Francis de Sales had a great love of God and neighbor. Do one act of kindness for
someone without them knowing that you did it for them.
2. Discuss why St. Francis de Sales is the patron saint of the deaf.
3. Francis de Sales has many spiritual sayings. Go to the website and find your favorite quote.
Consider posting it on your desk or on your mirror at home.
https://www.oblates.org/dss/francis/thoughts.php
4. Write a rap or song about the life and gifts of St. Francis de Sales.
5. Find out what it means to be a “Doctor of the Church.” How many “Doctors of the
Church” are there? How many are women and how many are men?
46
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal
Foundress:
When Founded:
Place Founded:
Year Canonized:
Patron Saint of:
Feast Day:
Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary
1610
Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France
1767
Widows, Forgotten People
August 12
Why St. Jane Frances de Chantal was chosen for this Diocesan resource
St. Jane Frances de Chantal is a model for all mothers, but especially those who must overcome
great difficulties at an early age. Instead of despairing, she trusted in God. St. Francis de Sales
helped her through this difficult time. With their spiritual friendship, together they founded the
Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary Sisters.
St. Jane Frances de Chantal’s Story
Born in Dijon, France in 1572, Jane Frances de Chantal was the daughter of the President of the
Parliament of Burgundy. She became the bride of the Baron de Chantal at 20, but she suffered
tremendous losses very early in her life. Her mother, stepmother and her first two children died.
When Jane was 28, her husband was killed in a hunting accident. Her happiness was shattered
when Christophe was killed in a hunting accident. Before he died, her husband forgave the man
who shot him, saying to the man, “Don’t commit the sin of hating yourself when you have done
nothing wrong.” The heartbroken Jane, however, had to struggle with forgiveness for a long
time. At first she tried just greeting him on the street. When she was able to do that, she invited
him to her house. Finally she was able to forgive the man so completely that she even became
godmother to his child.
She was, therefore, left a widow with four children and a broken heart. In her despair she took a
vow of chastity. Jane emerged as a savvy business woman, efficiently handling the considerable
estates of both her husband and father-in-law while also attending to the needs of the poor by
providing medicine and funding.
The Baroness met Francis de Sales, then Bishop of Geneva, during Lent of 1604. A great
friendship developed, and he became her spiritual mentor. She had embraced a life of piety;
therefore, with de Sales’ support and having provided for her children, she left for Annecy where
she would establish the Congregation of the Visitation in 1610.
The Congregation stood apart from other orders of the day in that it accepted women regardless
of age or poor health. It also distinguished itself through public outreach. Unlike other orders,
its members did not lead cloistered lives.
Jane’s business capabilities served her well even here, and she received countless donations from
the aristocratic women of France. At the time of Francis de Sales’ death in 1622, the order had
13 houses. Vincent de Paul served as her spiritual director following de Sales’ death. Chantal
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outlived her son and two of her daughters. She died at the Visitation convent in Moulins at the
age of 69. She left may spiritual writings and is buried next to St. Francis de Sales.
She was beautified by Pope Benedict XIV in 1751 and canonized by Pope Clement XIII in 1767.
The order she founded had 164 houses by that time.
Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia
wwwCatholic.org
Activities
1. Participate in a discussion about St. Jane Frances de Chantal exhibiting attributes of a strong
leader.
2. Design a holy card for those who have lost spouses, parents or children.
3. Discuss how St. Jane Frances de Chantal's early losses shaped her life's path.
4. Visit a local nursing home, paying particular attention to those residents who seem to have
been forgotten.
5. Research the relationship between St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal.
How did their friendship give glory to God? How do your friendships give glory to God?
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Heart Stories
Sister Anne Heath, RSM
I grew up in a fairly religious family with value placed on service to others and family prayer.
We often prayed the rosary, attended daily Mass when possible and I attended Catholic school
beginning with Kindergarten. I have a cousin who is a priest and
was a role model for me. I met the Sisters of Mercy at age six when I
attended day camp. I fell in love with them because they were so
human, friendly and kind. By high school, when I got serious in
thinking of entering religious life, I knew exactly where I would go.
My father died when I was young and my mother raised my older
brother and me to be independent and strong in our convictions. My
brother and I left home on the same day, leaving our mother alone
for the first time since she married! He went to serve in the Army in
Viet Nam and I to enter the Sisters of Mercy.
I taught elementary school in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and Richmond, Virginia, and after I
received a master’s in Pastoral Studies from Fairfield University, Connecticut, I came to Apex,
North Carolina, to serve as a director of religious education in August 1986. I worked with the
Friars of the Atonement; we shared our charisms and worked well together.
After 14 years at St. Andrew’s in Apex, I left to obtain a master’s in social work (MSW) at the
Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. In 2002 I returned to Cary and began to
work with Catholic Charities in the Cary Office.
I love ministering in the Diocese of Raleigh and have been here more than half my religious life.
Being a religious for 48 years has been a very rewarding experience and I feel blessed to share a
faith journey with so many wonderful people. My pastoral experience at St. Andrew’s was rich
with areas of sharing faith and being with people in both good times and sad times. The people
of the Diocese of Raleigh and St. Andrew’s are an extension of my community because these are
the people who love and nurture me and worship with me. Now, as a therapist with Catholic
Charities, I am able to continue that journey with adults and children who seek guidance and
help in everyday life.
At one point in my life here, I was a foster parent with Catholic Charities and cared for newborns
awaiting adoption. I must say that experience gave me a new perspective on family life that I
never would have imagined. I continued that experience later after Catholic Charities no longer
had that need and I cared for 79 babies over 16 years. I feel blessed to have been able to provide
love and care to God’s smallest creations. I learned a great deal during those years and gained a
new found respect for parents.
I believe my joy comes from being with others, whether I was teaching them in elementary
school, guiding them in faith formation or now serving as a therapist. I feel God’s love through
each person I meet and I feel honored to have worked with and known them. That is my joy and
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that alone keeps me going. I see the face of God in each person. God called and I listened! I
count each day as a blessing. My mother joyfully sent me off to the Sisters of Mercy and I am so
grateful for her support and encouragement. I hope that I am living the life that God called me to
live with joy.
Heart Stories
Father Robert Ippolito, M.S.
As a Catholic priest and member of the Missionaries of Our Lady of LaSalette, I came late in life
to do Immigration Law. I finished my very first course from North Carolina State on April 11,
2011 and was certified by the Department of Justice as a Board of Immigration Appeals
Accredited Representative in September of the same year. This allows me to do all immigration
work legally while working for the Catholic Charities Immigration Offices in Raleigh, Sanford,
and other cities that we visit.
Many people call or come to my office every week. I
have decided to do U visas (victims of crimes who can
obtain legal residence) and 601A waivers (when
someone has unlawful presence but is married to a US
citizen), things which were generally not done by nonprofits in eastern North Carolina. And, of course, I
have adjudicated over 800 Deferred Action for
Childhood Arrival cases (so called Dream Act
eligibles) which is a great immigration benefit for
those who qualify. It has given me great pleasure that
Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Raleigh has taken
the lead in doing this in the eastern part of the state.
One 18 year- old who obtained his Deferred Action work card actually turned out to be eligible
for a Permanent Resident card. I got his father citizenship (he already had a resident card), then
was able to petition for his son to return to Mexico, obtain a visa, and enter the country legally.
Because the son obtained his card before he was 18, he did not have any unlawful presence so he
could return to Mexico without fear of not being able to rejoin his family. He will be able to
become a citizen in four years.
I am presently working with a mother from Guatemala whose four children (ages 3 to 10)
recently arrived here in Sanford to join their mother. Their journey was a compelling one, not
beyond what you can read in the papers every day or see on television. It is a great feeling to be
able to help those who are most vulnerable: the marginalized, the poor, and those who have no
one really to be their advocate.
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A Glance at the Present
Madonna House
Bishop Vincent Waters invited Madonna House to come to the Raleigh Diocese. The
community accepted the invitation, but no consecrated religious arrived. When Bishop Joseph
Gossman became Bishop he discovered the acceptance letter of the community in his files.
Bishop Gossman then flew to Combermere, Ontario, Canada, to ask Catherine Doherty, the
foundress "Where is my house?" Madonna House was opened in 1978.
Madonna House is a house of hospitality. It is a place where people are received, not on their
education, not on how wonderful they are, or what they do for a living. They are received
simply as people and they are loved.
Theresa Davis listening to
someone in need of prayer.
This is accomplished even
with a broken leg!
So much happens at Madonna House,
a prayer and listening house around
the kitchen table.
Friends help prepare for
the solemn feast of Easter.
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
During the Second Vatican Council, Bishop Vincent S. Waters met with Father William
Buckley, the Superior General of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. A friendship developed
and Bishop Waters invited the Oblates to come to minister in the Diocese of Raleigh.
In January of 1966, Father Joseph Maule, O.S.F.S., became the first pastor of St. Barnabas
Church in Arden, near Asheville. The Knights of Columbus Council in Arden is named the
Father Joseph Maule Council in memory of the first Oblate of St. Francis de Sales to serve in the
Diocese of Raleigh.
The Oblates came to Durham four years later when, in 1970, Bishop Waters established Holy
Infant Parish. Father Edward Friel, O.S.F.S., was named the first pastor. The Oblates continue
to minister at Holy Infant Parish. Since 1966 more than fifty Oblates of St. Francis de Sales have
engaged in a variety of pastoral and educational ministries throughout North Carolina, from the
western mountains to the Outer Banks.
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Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Monroe, Michigan
For over three decades the IHM Sisters from Monroe have been pioneers in various ministries
serving the Raleigh Diocese. It all began when Bishop F. Joseph Gossman wrote to the
Congregation in Monroe in the mid 70’s asking for Sisters. In God’s gracious providence,
through the years, the sisters have served in various capacities in the Diocese of Raleigh in
Burlington, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Greenville, Wilmington, Southern Pines and Newton
Grove. The longest serving Monroe IHM in the diocese is Sister Chris Gellings, who in 2014,
continues her 38th year of involvement in the Raleigh Diocese. Presently she serves on the
Council of Women Religious, has a private counseling practice and offers spiritual direction.
Sister Evelyn Craig, an ecumenical spiritual director, has helped to found the Friends of Christ
School for Christian Spirituality in Chapel Hill that is offered by/with all religious
denominations. In 2015 this will be her third year at Duke Divinity School in Spiritual Formation
with first year Divinity Students. Both Sisters Chris and Evelyn are active members of Newman
Catholic Parish at UNC Chapel Hill.
Monsignor John Wall,
Sister Christine Gellings, I.H.M., and
Sister Evelyn Craig, I.H.M.
(Newman Center, Chapel Hill)
Pictured below are examples of the ministry of education in which Jesuit priests are
engaged. Jesuits have served the Diocese of Raleigh since 1939.
Society of Jesus, S.J. (Jesuits)
Fr. Bob Reiser, SJ walks with students
from St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City, NJ.
52
Scholastic Pat Nolan, SJ is tutoring students at
Xavier High School in Chuuk, Micronesia
Since the 1980’s the Sisters of St. Ursula have served the Diocese of Raleigh. This past
summer the Sisters of St. Ursula celebrated the 200th anniversary of their founding.
Sisters of St. Ursula – 200th Anniversary Celebration
During the Fourth of July weekend, the Sisters of
St. Ursula gathered for the bicentennial celebration
of their foundation in Tours, France.
The sisters chose the theme: Liberté - Fidélité –
Mobilité (freedom for service). Sisters of St
Ursula, clergy, and friends gathered from Belguim,
Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, France,
India, Italy, Ivory Coast, South Africa, Switzerland
and the United States to celebrate their new
beginning after the French Revolution. It was a
time of great joy and thanksgiving.
Nazareth Orphanage
Sister Mary Lois Cecile Thompson, SND (pictured)
served as the director of Nazareth Orphanage during the last five years until the orphanage
closed in 1976.
The orphanage was housed in
one wing of the old Catholic
Center on Nazareth Street.
53
Cardinal Gibbons High School
Founded in 1909, Cardinal Gibbons High School’s success was possible due to the selfless
dedication of both religious and lay educators. In 1972 Sr. Mary Teresita, SND, became
principal with 70 students. Today the school boasts enrollment of 1430 students.
Sister Mary Teresita, SND
1972-1976
Br. Michel Bettigole, OSF
Principal, Cardinal Gibbons High School
1994-2006
Present day Cardinal Gibbons H.S. - Edwards Mill Road, Raleigh, NC
Women Religious currently serving on the staff of Cardinal Gibbons High School are
Sister Mary Jean Korejwo, SND; Sister Janet Schemmel, SND; Sister Laura Downing, I.H.M.
54
Hope for the Future (2015 ~ 2055)
The Past
1924-1964
The Present
1965-2014
2015-2055
A more intentional “Vocation Culture” is predominant as a result of the
Year for Consecrated Life.
Families provide greater assistance to those children discerning vocations.
2018 Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral is dedicated.
Father Thomas Fredrick Price, M.M., is named a Saint.
2024 Diocese of Raleigh Celebrates 100th Anniversary.
Many new communities rise up in response to the needs of the Church.
55
What Will the Future Hold?
Through the years, God has called men and women to dedicate themselves entirely to Him in
loving service to the Church. These communities live intensely the witness of the Gospel.
The future of religious life will involve discerning with the guidance of the Holy Spirit how to
best respond to the signs, needs and challenges of the our times.
On February 2, 2014, the World Day of Consecrated Life, Pope Francis stated, “Every
consecrated person is a gift for the People of God on a journey. There is much need of their
presence, that strengthens and renews the commitment to spread the gospel, to Christian
education, to charity for the most needy, to contemplative prayer; the commitment to a human
and spiritual formation of young people, of families; the commitment to justice and peace in the
human family.”
Pope Francis further said, “It is necessary to value with gratitude the experience of consecrated
life and deepen the knowledge of different charisms and spiritualities. We must pray, so that
many young people respond ‘yes’ to the Lord who calls them to consecrate themselves wholly to
Him for disinterested service to their brethren.”
In looking to the future, we pray that Mother Teresa of Calcutta and Father Walter Cizeck, S.J.
are proclaimed saints. Also pictured in this section are postulants, novices, junior professed
sisters, and seminarians of the religious communities of men and women who currently serve the
Diocese of Raleigh. We are grateful to God for their generous response to God’s call and we
pray for them as they continue to discern the vocation that God has called them. May their
witness inspire us in the vocation that God has called each of us.
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Mother Teresa of Calcutta
Foundress:
When Founded:
Place Founded:
Year Beatified:
Feast Day:
Missionaries of Charity
1950
Calcutta, India
2003
September 5
(in Mother Teresa’s local Diocese)
Why Mother Teresa was chosen for this Diocesan resource
Mother Teresa was chosen for this resource because she is such a model for responding to God’
call. Initially she served as an educator, but she continued to listen to God deep in her heart. She
heard God’s call to serve the poorest of the poor. We are challenged to listen for God’s voice to
determine what God wants us to do with our lives. We pray that someday soon she will be
named a saint.
Mother Teresa’s Story
The woman the world calls Mother Teresa was a model of selflessness who founded the
Missionaries of Charity, a Catholic order dedicated to helping those who suffer most. Over the
last half of the twentieth century Mother Teresa and the Missionaries tended to the poor, the
orphans, the lepers, AIDS sufferers and the dying in over a hundred countries.
The youngest of the three surviving children of Nikola and Dranafile Bojaxhiu, Agnes Gonxha
Bojaxhiu was born in Skopje, a predominantly Muslim city in the Balkans, on August 27, 1910.
The family was not poor. Her brother has said they were actually "well off" as Nikola was in a
successful construction partnership and was heavily involved in local politics. The family's
financial status changed drastically, however, upon Nikola's death in 1917.
There is a lack of clarity about when Gonxha originally decided to commit to religious life.
What is certain is that at eighteen years of age, she traveled from her native Yugoslavia to
Dublin, Ireland to become a novice with the Loreto Sisters, an order of missionaries and
educators founded in the 17th century to educate young girls. She was attracted to this
community because they had missions in India. She took her first vows in 1931 and received the
name Sister Mary Teresa, after St. Therese of Lisieux.
Sister Teresa took her first vows as a Sister of Loreto in 1931. By the time she took her vows,
she had settled in a convent in Calcutta where she taught in the convent schools. In 1935 an
exception was made for her to teach beyond the confines of the convent at St. Teresa's. She took
her final vows in 1937 and became "Mother Teresa."
For nine years Mother Teresa served as the principal of St. Mary's convent school, but on
September 10, 1946, (referred to now as Inspiration Day) she experienced a "call within a call."
She was traveling to a retreat in Darjeeling when she was inspired to leave the convent and
dedicate herself to helping the poor. She had to petition the Archbishop of Calcutta to leave the
57
convent walls and serve the poor in the streets. Her petition was met with resistance. Finally, in
1948, Pope Pius XII granted permission for her to live as an independent sister. She immediately
purchased three white saris with blue stripes along the edge and three pairs of sandals. She
wanted to look as much like those she served as possible. After obtaining some medical training
from the Medical Mission Sisters in Patna, India, Mother Teresa began her work in the slums of
Calcutta at age 38.
She started by teaching the illiterate children. Because she had no teaching supplies, she began
by drawing letters in the dirt. Eventually, she acquired a small hut and transformed it into a
classroom. She offered what medical help she could to the families of her students. Soon she
had ten of her former pupils helping her and contributions of food, clothing, medical supplies
and money grew to the extent that she was able to help huge numbers of the suffering. She
founded the Missionaries of Charity on October 7, 1950. The order has thrived over the years
creating homes for the dying, treatment centers and hospitals for lepers, refuges for the aged,
alcoholics and street people.
The scope of their work is tremendous. Mother Teresa worked tirelessly for more than 50 years often in poor health. On September 5, 1997 Mother /Teresa died. She did so knowing that the
work of the Missionaries would continue into the 21st century.
Sources:
A Biography About Mother Teresa, the Saint of the Gutters by Jennifer Rosenberg
A Retreat With Mother Teresa and Damien of Molokai, Caring For Those Who Suffer by Joan
Guntzelman
Activities
1. Name three virtues that you think Mother Teresa possessed. Which one would you pray for to
have as a part of your life?
2. When Mother Teresa was traveling to a retreat in Darjeeling, she heard a very special call
that would change her life. How can you better listen to God’s voice in your life?
3. Why do you think so many people in the world know the name of Mother Teresa and
that they have such a respect and love for her?
4.
During this Year of Consecrated Life, what is one way that you could imitate the life of
Mother Teresa?
5. Re-read the story of Mother Teresa offered here. What surprised you about her life?
6. Research the community of the Missionaries of Charity. How many Sisters are in the
community now and in how many countries do they serve?
58
Why Father Walter C
Father Walter Ciszek, S.J.
Birth date:
Released from prison after 23 years:
Year Canonization Process began:
Books authored:
November 4, 1904
October12, 1963
2012
With God in Russia
He Leadeth Me
Why Father Walter Ciszek was chosen for this Diocesan resource
Although not a founder of a religious community but member of the Society of Jesus, Father
Walter Ciszek’s story is one that is so compelling that it is included in this resource. Shortly
before he died, Father Walter Ciszek, an American Jesuit, told the prioress of a Byzantine
Carmelite monastery in Pennsylvania to pass on some advice to her novices. He said, "If they
want to have peace at the end of their lives, tell them to do God's will every day. Tell them to
give God's will their absolute best." His extraordinary life has been the source of inspiration for
so many Jesuit novices who have been called to serve.
Father Walter Ciszek’s story
Walter Ciszek was born in 1904 in Shenandoah, Pennsylvania, to Polish immigrants. A
stubborn, tough kid who often initiated fights, he surprised his father when he announced his
plans to
become a priest. Although his father disapproved, Walter left on foot and entered a junior
seminary in Michigan. While there, he took on the most difficult disciplines. Warned of the
detriment that could result from the physical risks he took — such as consuming only bread and
water during Lent —Walter declared he knew what he was doing. He thrived on challenges. It is
perhaps his attraction to all things difficult that drew him to the Jesuits. He read the biography of
St. Stanislaus Kostka who, as a teenager, walked five hundred miles to join the Jesuits. Walter
identified with this but knew joining the Jesuits would require a measure of obedience of which
he was in short supply. Finally, he joined because it would be so difficult for him.
In 1929 he volunteered to go to Russia during his novitiate. At that time the Soviets were
sentencing the clergy to prison terms and closing seminaries. He left for Rome and studied at the
Pontifical Russian College and, in 1937, was ordained in the Byzantine Rite. Three years later
he managed to gain access to Russia in a boxcar of Polish laborers headed to a lumber camp.
He worked long and hard in the camp but he was disheartened because he found it impossible to
carry out the duties of his ministry. The Communists were atheists and the Catholics in the camp
dared not speak of their faith. Eventually, he was accused of being a spy and was sent to
Lubianka Prison in Moscow. He was starved, isolated and interrogated for five years. At one
point, beaten down by the threats, the drugs and the brutality, he told his oppressors he was
spying for the Vatican. Afterward, he was filled with shame. His "confession" did not stop the
cruel treatment, and Ciszek realized that during the relentless persecution, he had relied on
59
himself and not on God. Once this realization caused him to give himself over completely to
God's will, he was able to cope and he could not be broken. Because he would not submit to the
them, the Soviets sentenced him to 15 years of hard labor in the Siberian Gulag.
Although the conditions of his captivity were terrible, Father Ciszek was at peace because he was
able to perform his priestly duties, although in secret. He baptized, heard confessions, said Mass,
served communion, tended to the sick and the dying, delivered homilies, and facilitated retreats.
When his actions were discovered he was punished with the heaviest of workloads, but he
survived because he knew he was doing God's will.
In 1955, he was discharged from the Gulag early because he had surpassed his work quotas. He
was not, however, allowed to leave Siberia. He went from city to city ministering to the local
Catholics and in each city he was hounded by the police. In 1963 (after Ciszek managed to get a
letter to his sister in America), President John F. Kennedy and his brother Robert negotiated the
release of Ciszek and an American student in exchange for two Soviet agents. Upon his return to
the United States, Father Ciszek worked at the John XXIII Center at Fordham University until
his death in 1984. Remembered for his kindness and humility, he continues to inspire those in
the Society of Jesus because his life is so representative of the mission to serve. He is the author
of With God in Russia and He Leadeth Me. Ciszek Hall for Jesuits in "first studies" at Fordham
University is named in his honor.
Source: http://www.jesuit.org/blog/index.php/2012/11/jesuit-father-walter-ciszek-a-life-in-service/#
Activities
1. Consider reading one of the two books that Father Water Ciszek wrote.
2. What do you think gave Father Ciszek hope during the twenty-three years he was in prison?
What gives you hope in hard times?
3. Would you consider Father Ciszek a hero? Why? Who are some of the people in your life
who are models of heroism for you?
4. Research the names of all those in the Society of Jesus who have been named saints.
5. Father Ciszek is known as a “Servant of God.” Would you consider praying for his cause of
canonization?
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Heart Stories
Sister M. Laura Teresa Downing, IHM
The first time I thought of religious life was in 5th grade, my only year of Catholic schooling
before college. I remember it occurring as a fleeting thought that I was going to “be like Sister
Aedan,” my principal. I didn’t understand what the thought meant and I was not interested in
religious life so I didn’t pay it a whole lot of attention.
In hindsight I see how everything fits together, though. Around that time I started to have a real
interest in Catholicism – I loved the saints, especially St. Maria Goretti— I wanted to be a
missionary courtesy of Maryknoll Magazine: my most
treasured possession was my “Mary Medal” (aka Miraculous
medal); the highlight of my year was being in the Living
Stations of the Cross at my parish; and, I kind of liked going
to church (most of the time)…but none of that really stood
out because I grew up in a really Catholic neighborhood
where my experiences and interests were not unique. It bears
mentioning that I have an aunt who is a Sister of Mercy, but
her status as a sister was always secondary to the fact that she
was perhaps my favorite aunt. I’m sure I knew she was a
sister, but I rarely gave it much thought.
I would occasionally have thoughts of religious life over the next several years – some at very
inconvenient times like while on dates – but I didn’t pay much attention. They weren’t that
strong and only seem significant to me now in hindsight. I believe that other people started to
see it in me though. I remember vividly my youth minister asking me if I had ever thought about
“being a nun.” I was in 10th grade and he was driving a van full of kids back from service at a
soup kitchen…when he asked I screamed “No!” and he swerved into another lane on the
road…all of the kids in the van acted as if he almost killed us, but we were never in any danger.
I do like to tell people that denying my vocation almost killed me, though! Truthfully, I didn’t
really start to think about religious life in any sort of real way until my freshman year of college.
I went to Immaculata College, which was an all girls school run by my congregation – now
we’re co-ed and a university. I remember just being taken by the sisters…by how happy and
peaceful and human they were. I was also surrounded by many other girls my age who were
discerning and everything just felt like a perfect fit…everything. So I met with different sisters
to learn more, met with a vocation director and a spiritual director and prayed A LOT. After
about three years of thinking and praying, I decided to enter. Logistically it just worked for me
to enter after my junior year of college, so I entered on September 8, 2001. I was received as a
novice in 2002, made first vows in 2004 and made final vows in 2009.
The decision to open a new mission in Raleigh was announced at a congregational meeting in
October, 2007. During the presentation by our administration, sisters were asked to consider
volunteering to go to Raleigh. I remember feeling immediately as if this was something I should
do and that sense was confirmed when one of my friends leaned over and said “Laura, you have
61
to volunteer. It has your name written all over it.” So I wrote a letter volunteering for the new
Raleigh mission, never expecting that I would be sent because I figured that I was too young.
Much to my surprise, I received a phone call from a sister on our Council in January asking me if
I was still willing to go to Raleigh and to teach at Cardinal Gibbons?
I LOVE working with young people. I have always enjoyed being a classroom teacher, but I
think my real passion is working with young adults as they develop their relationship with Christ.
I have had some really cool experiences of leading retreats, running
mission trips and working with young people on developing their
prayer lives…I have even gotten to work with a few as they returned
to the Church or discovered that God may be calling them to be a
priest or a religious. I am so humbled by the ways that God has used
me and kind of excited to see what He has in store for me next.
My favorite story is about one of my all-time favorite students
converting back to Catholicism after years of being a nihilistic
Atheist and of my ongoing friendship with him now. The thing is, it
isn’t my story to tell and it is too recent to be fair game.
Christ is the source of my joy. I love my vocation. I love my religious community. I love my
ministry, but it only makes sense in light of my relationship with Christ and His Church. A very
wise sister that I used to live with would frequently say that JOY is really an acronym for: Jesus,
Others, Yourself. I don’t think she could be more correct.
Where is Sister Laura?
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Heart Stories
Sister Maria de los Angeles Sanchez-Abris, DSMG
How did we get here? In 2002, Father Michael A. Butler, pastor of Holy Redeemer by the Sea in
the Outer Banks, North Carolina saw a need to invite religious sisters to serve the Hispanic
population in the area by providing religious education and training to the leaders of Holy
Trinity, Mission of Holy Redeemer Parish, Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Father Butler inquired at
the Diocese of Raleigh about which religious congregations in Mexico might be interested in
coming to tend to the needs of the Spanish speaking population in this part of the country. The
Hispanic Ministry Office provided Father with the address and telephone number of my
Congregation, Daughters of Our Lady of Guadalupe, in Puebla, Pue. Mexico.
Father Butler then traveled to Puebla, Mexico, and asked the Mother General Superior and the
Sisters of her Council for some sisters of the congregation to carry out this task with our
Hispanic brothers and sisters. The counselor sisters, along with the mother superior, heard the
call to serve the needs of our immigrant brothers and sisters in foreign lands, and the invitation of
Father Butler to give this new service to those who are looking to the Lord. On November 4,
2002, a few months after Father’s visit, Sister Arcadia Rivera Gutierrez and I, Sister Maria de los
Angeles Sánchez Abris (Angie), in the company of Mother Gudelia Sánchez Vélez, General
Superior of my Congregation, arrived at the Diocese of Raleigh.
The big challenge for me to come to this country was to learn to speak the English language. Can
you imagine going to another country where you may need to speak a different language instead
of your own? How do you feel when somebody talks to you in a language you do not understand
and you have no idea what the person is telling you? It was not easy and it took a long time to
learn to write and to speak the English language. However, I was happy to come to this country
and do what I could to serve my brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.
For five years Sister Arcadia and I lived in the Outer Banks, serving most of all the Spanish
speaking brothers and sisters — sometimes helping them with translation issues, but the majority
of the tasks were to evangelize them by using the teachings of the Church and teaching about the
Bible, Sacraments, and the Christian life.
In 2009, I started to serve in Saint Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother, Greenville, as the Director
of Religious Education.
I am grateful to God our Father because all of the years I am serving in this Diocese of Raleigh I
see how the family of God are growing in faith, in love for Him, and in their responsibility to
transmit the faith of the Church to all our brothers and sisters in Jesus Christ.
I am very grateful to our Lord Jesus because He still makes miracles among us in opening the
hearts of all my brothers and sisters who are thirsty for the Word of God. They look for Him in
every event of their life, in every activity, work, and relationship in their daily lives.
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In all the parishes I worked I found a family, a real family. I am still missing all of those from
other parishes who are part of my life, but God’s will has me here at Saint Gabriel of the
Sorrowful Mother serving my big, big family that he is giving me in this wonderful parish today.
Only God knows where I am going to be tomorrow or in the future doing His will. I am very
happy to be here, sharing the faith I learned and learning from the Church, to be with all my
brothers and sisters God has given me as a wonderful gift of His love.
My community served the following parishes and missions from November, 2002 to June, 2009:
Holy Redeemer, Kitty Hawk; Holy Trinity, Nags Head; Holy Family, Elizabeth City; Saint
Katharine Drexel, Maple; Saint Anne, Edenton; All Souls, Columbia.
Sister Arcadia Rivera Gutierrez was the Pastoral Administrator of St. Joan of Arc, Plymouth,
from 2009 to 2012. She returned to Mexico in 2012.
Sister Claudia Pérez González, was working in Saint Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother Parish
from 2009 – July 2014. She returned to Mexico in August 2014.
Presently we are three sisters working at St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother, Greenville, and the
Parishes in the Tar River Deanery.
Pictured are Sister María de los Ángeles Sánchez-Abris, Sister Claudia Pérez González, Sister
Martha Alvarado-Moreno and Sister Angélica María Arce Cuatlaxahue
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Heart Stories
Sister Mary Patrick Sabisch
My name is Sister Mary Patrick Sabisch of the Blessed Trinity S.s.E.W. I am a sister of the
Community of the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word, in Birmingham, Alabama. I am from the
parish of St. Mildred in Swansboro, North Carolina.
When I was in High School, I attended a Diocesan retreat, where I met Sister Laura Downing of
the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. It was at that time I felt the call to
religious life. Over the next three years, I discerned my vocation to religious life. Confession,
Eucharistic Adoration, and the prayers of the Blessed Virgin Mary were essential in my
discernment process. My parents, sister, and parish supported me in my discernment, which
helped me to be able to explain the call to religious life to my fellow students at school. In 2010,
I met the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word, and I attended one of their retreats. In 2011, I
entered the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word and one year later I received the religious habit
and a new name, Sister Mary Patrick of the Blessed Trinity. On August 15, 2014, on the
Solemnity of the Assumption, I made my First Profession of Vows.
Some of the aspects of religious life I enjoy most are that we live with and for God. We are in an
environment in which we can always live in God's presence and unite ourselves with Him in
prayer. We witness this aspect of our life to the world, in which this loving union is sadly
lacking in the lives of many. I also enjoy the fraternity of community life; it is a joy to live with
other women who are also striving for holiness. The last aspect I would like to share with you
about religious life in our Community is the religious habit. I love the joy that I experience when
a person stops me in public to ask for prayers or just to tell me how they were taught by sisters,
whether they are Catholic or not. The religious habit is an excellent way to evangelize without
saying a word; and people are drawn to the habit.
Our Apostolate comprises the ministries of Catechesis and Retreats. We host retreats throughout
the year with priests from all over the country who give spiritual conferences. You can find our
full retreat schedule at http://www.sisterservants.org/ . We also devote much time to prayer and
we study our Catholic Faith, so we may as Saint Peter tells us: "Always be prepared to make a
defense to anyone who calls you to account for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness
and reverence." 1 Peter 3:15
I made my First Profession of the Vows of Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience on August 15,
2014. It was one of the greatest days of my life because on that day I became the Spouse of
God. I cannot describe the joy of being the Bride of Christ and to know, that from before I was
born He wanted to be my spouse. Through the vows I am able to give myself completely to
God, and this is what gives me the deep joy Our Lord promises "that my joy may be in you and
that your joy may be full." John 15:11
I would like to thank Mother Mary Gabriel and the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word. I also
would like to thank my family, Most Rev. Michael Burbidge, the Sister Servants of the
Immaculate Heart of Mary, and St. Mildred parish.
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Hope for the Future
Postulants, Novices, Temporary Professed Sisters, Seminarians
Sisters of St. Louis - Novices
Novices from Ghana
Sister Vincentia Armankwah,
Sister Augustina Amo-Broni,
Sister Michelle Ankrah
Sister Mary Boatemaa
Sisters of St. Joseph, Philadelpia – Temporary Professed Sisters
Sister Colleen Gibson, SSJ
Sister Constance Murphy, SSJ
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Immaculata
Pictured left to right:
Sister Kathryn Teresa Clemmer, Second Year Novice
Sister Stephanie Gabriel Tracy, First Year Novice
Amanda Russell, Postulant
Sister Christina Marie Roberts, Second Year Novice
Sister Caitlin Rose Blum, First Year Novice
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Sister Servants of the Eternal Word
On Friday, August 15, 2014, Sister Mary Patrick
Sabisch of the Blessed Trinity pronounced her
vows in the community of the Sister Servants of the
Eternal Word. Their Mother House is in
Birmingham, Alabama. Pictured with Sister Mary
Patrick are her parents, Robert and Francine
Sabisch.
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
Pictured above is the most recent ordination of the Oblates of St. Francis De Sales. The ordination
took place at St. Thomas More Church, Allentown, Pennsylvania, June 2013, by Bishop John Barres,
Bishop of Allentown. Fr. Ed Ogden, O.S.F.S, who served as a deacon at Immaculate Conception
Church in Wilmington, North Carolina, is next to last on the right.
Sisters of Notre Dame
Nicole Varnerin, a postulant, is 24 years old and is a graduate of Case
Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio in the field of electrical
engineering. She works at The Cleveland Clinic doing research with stroke
patients.
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Missionhurst - CICM Seminarians
These seminarians are now doing their internship program in the
United States.
Leoyd Ongki Sanggaria, Indonesia - St. Patrick Church,
San Antonio, Texas
Yosep Sandi Manggau, Indonesia – St. Eugene, Wendell, North
Carolina
Sonny Aryanto, Indonesia - St. Bonaventure, San Antonio, Texas
Eric Imbao, Philippines – St. Bonaventure, San Antonio, Texas.
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Monroe, Michigan
Candidate
Audra Turnbull
Novices
Sister Melini Sabrina
IHM
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Sister Barbara O’Neill
IHM
Sister Diane Brown
Sisters of the Holy Cross Novices
First-year Novices
Sister Ribha Mynsong, India (left)
SisterTeresa (Luxmi) Rebeiro, Bangladesh (middle)
Sister Cynthia Godia Bienaan, Ghana (right)
Second-year Novices (left to right)
Back row: Sisters Shadkmenlang Kharahnoh, India; Laura Guadalupe Tiburcio Santos, Mexico;
Rani Gumej, Bangladesh; and Martha Nambi, Uganda.
Front Row: Sisters Nobina R. Marak, India; and Elurebel Mynsong, India
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Daughters of Saint Mary of Guadalupe
Postulants from Mexico
Sister Ana Laura Tenorio Ojeda
Sister Ma. Del Rocío Castro Zúñiga
Sister Alejandra Rangel Salgado
Novices from Mexico
Sister Rosa Flores Martínez (Not shown)
Sister Josefina Negrete Ortiz
Sister Teresa Ortega Díaz
Sister Nora Cecilia Ortiz Márquez
Sister Lucero Jacquelin Hernández Silva
Sister Margarita Concepción Notario Flores
Sister Mariana Santiago Muñoz
Novices and Postulant from Africa
Sister Delfina Quicuca Figueira
Sister Teresa Augusto Méndez
Aurelia Kafeca Tchipala (center)
Sisters of St. Ursula
Novices from Democratic Republic Congo
Helene, Francine, Madeleine (Mado)
-missing is Marie Romaine
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Activity…..Looking Forward
In the future there will be new needs in the Church that religious communities will respond
to in order that the faithful may be served. This activity invites you as a group or as a class
to design your own Religious Community. An example has been provided for you.
Invite your own Religious Community to serve the needs of the Church for the future. Include:
 Name of Your Congregation
(e.g., The Daughters of St. Monica)
 Principle ministry or work
(e.g., Evangelization to invite people to return to the Catholic Church like St. Monica
prayed for her son, Augustine to return to the Church)
 Name the Founder/Foundress
(e.g., Your Name)
 Symbol of your congregation
(e.g., picture of Our Lady of the New Evangelization)
 Saint that will serve as your model
(e.g., St. Monica)
 Your congregation motto
(e.g., “In great joy we follow the Lord Jesus”)
 Where will your congregation live and serve
(e.g., We will live in the poorest areas of North Carolina and go door-to-door inviting
people to come to the Catholic Church.)
 What will your congregation wear?
(e.g,. We will wear a simple blue dress, small crucifix, ring and sandals)
 What day of the year will be your community’s feast day be celebrated?
(e.g., Feast of St. Monica, August 27th)
 Religious practices which are part of the community rule
(e.g., We will go to Mass every day and pray the Rosary before the Blessed Sacrament.
Tell others about your newly founded community ~
 Design a brochure including a logo with the above information
 Create a YouTube advertising your community
 Write an “elevator conversation” (30 seconds) about your community
 Create a full page article/advertisement for the NC Catholics.
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Additional Resources
1. Additional Saints Who Were Founders/Foundresses
 Saint Francis of Assisi
 Saint Ignatius of Loyola
 Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini
 Saint Clare of Assisi
 Blessed Father Louis Brisson, O.S.F.S.
2. Church Documents on Consecrated Life
3. Lesson Plans from United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB)
4. How to Promote Vocations in your Family
5. Additional Information on Sisters, Priests, Brothers – Diocese of Raleigh
6. Religious Retirement Fund
7. Year of Consecrated Life Theme Song – Wake Up the World With Dawning Joy
8. Making a Plan to Celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life
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Saint Francis of Assisi
Founder:
When Founded:
Place Founded:
Date Canonized:
Patron Saint of:
Feast Day:
Franciscan Order
1209
Assisi, Italy
1228
Animals, ecology
October 4
Why Saint Francis of Assisi was chosen for this Diocesan resource
Saint Francis is one of the most loved saints in the Church calendar. He is a model of poverty
and simplicity and many people are attracted to his love of animals and creation. Our present
Pope has taken the name of Francis for his own. He is the first Pope to do so.
There have been and are many priests, brothers, sisters and lay people who claim St.
Francis as their patron and model.
The Story of St. Francis of Assisi
Giovanni di Pietro de Bernardone was the son of a prosperous cloth merchant. Born about 1181,
he was one of several children and his early life was typical of a young man of wealth.
Although he was educated by the local priests for a time, he was not a particularly good student
and did not complete his education. Nicknamed Francesco by his father, he was indulged by his
parents. A popular young nobleman, he was handsome, dashing and high spirited. He was a big
spender, but even then he seemed to have a sincere compassion for the poor.
Francis became a soldier. During a brief period of illness while in battle he contemplated the
emptiness of his life and thought about eternity. Once recovered, however, he sought glory on
the field of battle. A dream he had before going into battle of a large hall of armor marked with
the cross was interpreted by him as a sign of victory. Anther dream during a second illness
directed him to return to Assisi. He eventually abandoned his worldly goods, preached in the
streets and rebuilt dilapidated churches.
On a pilgrimage to Rome he aligned himself with the poor at St. Peter’s Basilica. In 1208 upon
hearing the day’s Gospel that the disciples were to possess neither gold nor silver, nor anything
considered an accommodation, Francis discarded everything – even his garments – and began to
wear a tunic of coarse wool and “beast color.” He tied it with a rope and traveled the countryside
preaching penance, love and peace.
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He founded the Order of Friars Minor, the Order of Poor Clares and the Order of Brothers and
the Sisters of Penance (called the Third Order). He traveled to Egypt in 1219 hoping to convert
the sultan and bring a peaceful end to the Crusades. Because the Franciscan Order had grown to
such proportions that his original organizational structure no longer served its purpose, Francis
returned to Italy to reorganize the Order.
He is credited with arranging the first Christmas nativity scene. In 1224 he received the
stigmata, thus becoming the first person to experience the wounds of the crucifixion of Christ.
Francis died in October of 1226 while listening to a reading of Psalm 140.
Activities
1. Draw a picture of the symbol that best represents St. Francis of Assisi for you.
2. Create a collage to illustrate St. Francis of Assisi's love of animals
3. Find out more about the meaning of a “stigmata.” What other saints experienced the wounds
of the crucifixion?
4. Read and paraphrase Psalm 140.
5. Find out the meaning of the Franciscan cross. Share your findings with a friend.
6. Gain access to a Franciscan priest and interview him about how the order distinguishes
itself.
7. Make a true sacrifice of a prized possession to the poor.
8. Find out how many religious communities are named after Saint Francis of Assisi.
9. Read the Canticle of the Sun. Write your own Canticle of the Sun.
10. If you do not have a nativity set in your home, find out how you can purchase one. Let it be
a reminder of how much God loves you.
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Saint Ignatius of Loyola, S.J.
Founder:
When Founded:
Where Founded:
When Canonized:
Patron Saint of:
Feast Day:
Society of Jesus
1540
Paris, France and Rome, Italy
1622
Soldiers and Educators
July 31
Why St. Ignatius of Loyola was chosen for this Diocesan resource
St. Ignatius of Loyola is highlighted by the Diocese of Raleigh during this Year of Consecrated
Life because of his conversion, his Spiritual Exercises and his teaching on discernment. Pope
Francis is a Jesuit priest and leads the Catholic Church with the Ignatian charism. Also, the Jesuit
priests are known for education and for their allegiance to the Pope.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola’s Story
Inigo Lopez de Loyola was born to a noble family at the castle of Loyola in Cipuzkoa, Spain in
1491. He adopted the name Ignatius because he felt it would be more widely accepted and
understood by foreigners. He was reared by the local blacksmith’s wife after his mother died
following his birth. Because he was an aristocrat, he had a preoccupation with fame and the
martial arts. He was a proud knight who enjoyed dueling to the death until a cannonball severely
wounded his legs in 1521.
During his period of recuperation he read Ludolph of Saxony’s “De Vita Christi”, a commentary
on the life of Christi and on the Gospels. That text changed his life.
He sought to devote his life to selfless labor and to following the example set by Francis of
Assissi. He hoped to travel to the Holy Land to convert non- Christians. He made the journey;
however, he was not permitted to remain there very long. He went to the university and obtained
a master’s degree after 7 years.
In 1534 he assembled six of his companions (Francis Xavier was among them) whom he had met
at University. Only one of them was a priest. Ignatius of Loyola was the creator and first
Superior General of the Society of Jesus. Known as Jesuits, they served the Pope as
missionaries.
Ignatius was a true mystic. He centered his spiritual life on the essential foundations of
Christianity- the Trinity, Christ, the Eucharist. His spirituality is expressed in the Jesuit motto,
ad majorem Dei gloriam – “for the greater glory of God.” In this concept, obedience was to be
the prominent virtue, to assure the effectiveness and mobility of his men. All activity was to be
guided by a true love of the Church and unconditional obedience to the Holy Father, for which
reason all professed members took a fourth vow to go wherever the pope should send them for
the salvation of souls.
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Invested with the title of Father General, he sent his companions as missionaries throughout
Europe. They created schools, colleges and seminaries. His Spiritual Exercises was published in
1548. His Jesuit Constitutions was adopted in 1554. The latter was the framework for
organization of the Jesuits. It stressed absolute obedience to the Pope and all supervisors. At its
heart was the Jesuit motto, “for the greater glory of God.” He vigorously opposed the Protestant
Reformation. Before his death in 1556 he dictated his life story to his secretary. It was kept in
the archives for 150 years.
Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia
AmericanCatholic.org
http://www.ignatianspirituality.com/ignatian-voices/st-ignatius-loyola/
Activities
1. Interview someone who received a Jesuit education to determine how it has affected his/her
life and the choices that he/she has made.
2. Research the martial arts in 16th century Spain.
3. Research what “Ignatian Spirituality” means.
4.
Research and report on the life of St. Francis Xavier who was a Jesuit priest.
5. Develop a power point presentation on the life and teaching of St. Ignatius.
6. Discuss the Jesuits' motto, "for the greater glory of God." What would your motto be?
7. Find out how many Jesuits there are in the United States. Where do they serve?
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Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, M.S.C.
Foundress of:
The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus
When Founded: 1880
Place Founded: Italy
Year Canonized: 1946
Patron Saint of: Immigrants and Hospital Administrators
Feast Day:
November 13
Why was St. Frances Xavier Cabrini chosen for this Diocesan resource
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini was a missionary who left Italy to come to America to provide major
support and assistance to the Italian immigrants. Mother Cabrini is a model to us as we care for
the immigrants who come to our country today. She was the first citizen of the United States to
be canonized by the Roman Catholic Church.
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini’s Story
Frances Cabrini was born prematurely in the province of Lombardy, northern Italy in 1850 to a
family of farmers. The tenth of eleven children, Cabrini was always frail. Her spirituality
surfaced early because her parents’ faith was strong, and her father often told the children stories
of the great missionaries. Early on, Cabrini wanted to follow their path, especially that of the
missionaries in China. She applied for admission to several religious orders, but she was denied
admission because of her poor health.
In 1863 she entered a school run by the Daughters of the Sacred Heart. She remained there until
her graduation five years later. Her time there fulfilled her as she shared the Christian life of a
convent where the Sacred Heart was the focus of devotion. Cabrini longed to join the Daughters
of the Sacred Heart, but because of concerns about her health, she was told by Mother Giovanna
Francesca Grassi, “You are called to establish another Institute that will bring new glory to the
Heart of Jesus.”
Upon receiving her diploma to teach she taught in a private school established by one of her
sisters. In addition to teaching, she dedicated herself to serving the poor. She would also teach
in the public school for three years.
In 1874 the administrators of the diocese asked her to move to Codogno to direct the House of
Providence, a girls’ orphanage being poorly managed. Cabrini obliged, and with the five women
who were teaching there began her novitiate. She added Xavier to her name in honor of Francis
Xavier, who had evangelized the Orient.
Although she sought the Pope’s approval to pursue mission work in China, his wish was for her
to travel to America to help the Italian Americans who were migrating there in large numbers.
Cabrini traveled to New York City with six other Sisters. She founded an orphanage in West
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Park, New York. She founded hospitals in New York and Chicago. She was naturalized as a
United States citizen in 1909. She is responsible for 67 institutions in the United States, South
America and Europe. After her death in 1917, the Missionary Sisters realized her dream of being
missionaries in China.
Activities
1. Research the number of Italian immigrants who came to the United States in the late 1800's.
2. Research Frances Cabrini’s journey from Italy to the United States. Write a script about it
and then act it out.
3. St. Frances Cabrini ministered to the Italian immigrants in the United States in her day.
What is the largest population of immigrants in our country today and how can we help
them?
4. Write a prayer that could be used in the devotions of present day immigrants.
5. Research where the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus minister today in our
country.
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Saint Clare of Assisi
Foundress:
When Founded:
Place Founded:
When Canonized:
Patron Saint of:
Feast Day:
Poor Ladies (Sisters of St. Clare)
1212
Assisi, Italy
1255
Eye Disease, Good Weather, Telephone
August 11
Why St. Clare was chosen for this Diocesan resource
St. Clare of Assisi is recognized by the Diocese of Raleigh during the Year of Consecrated Life
because of her alliance with St. Francis of Assisi, her promotion of Franciscan theology and her
love of the poor. She was the first woman to author a monastic rule - the Rule of Life.
St. Clare’s Story
St. Clare was born in Assisi to Court Favorino Sciffi and his very devout wife, Ortolana, in 1194.
Ortolana had made pilgrimages to Rome, Santiago and the Holy Land. So devout was she that
later in life she and two of her daughters entered Clare’s monastery. Always devoted to prayer,
Clare rejected her father’s wish to marry a wealthy young man when she was 12. At age 18 she
embraced the teaching of Francis of Assisi and on Palm Sunday she left home to enter the
convent of the Benedictienous near Bastia. Although her father attempted to abduct her, Clare
and her sister, Agnes, moved to San Damiano with several other women and formed a
community that was referred to as the “Poor Ladies.” The house Clare formed joined a group of
religious houses. Damiano became the most important house in the order, and Clare was its
leader. The sisters lived in the enclosure, and their lives consisted mainly of manual labor and
prayer.
Initially, Francis led the order himself; however, in 1216 Clare accepted the role of abbess of San
Damiano. So committed was she to imitating Francis’ way of life that she was sometimes called
“alter Franciscus”, another Francis. He was her spiritual guide and father figure. It was she who
tended to him at end of his life.
Clare aggressively promoted the expansion of her order after the death of Francis. She was
especially protective of the Franciscan theology of joyous poverty in imitation of Christ’s life.
She wrote the Rule of Life- the first monastic rule known to have been authored by a woman.
That Rule was confirmed as the governing rule for the Order of Poor Ladies by Pope Innocent IV
in 1253. Clare died 2 days after that confirmation. The order was renamed the Order of Saint
Clare in 1263.
Unlike the Franciscan friars, whose members moved around the country to preach, Saint Clare's
sisters lived in enclosure, since an itinerant life was hardly conceivable at the time for women.
Their life consisted of manual labor and prayer.
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She was canonized in 1255 by Pope Alexander IV. Her feast day is August 11th. She is the
patron saint of eye disease, good weather, laundry and telephone. She is the patron saint of
television because it is said that when she was too ill to attend Mass, she was able to see it and
hear it on the wall of her room.
Sources: Catholic Encyclopedia
www.catholic.org
Activities
1. Define "joyous poverty." Think of someone you know who is poor yet remains joyful.
2. Research and describe monastic life.
3. Write a prayer which is a tribute to St. Clare's love of the poor.
4. If you are a female, would you consider taking the name “Clare” as a Confirmation name?
Why?
5. We hear a lot about St. Francis of Assisi. How can you make Clare of Assisi better known?
6. Consider a way that you could serve the poor in imitation of St. Clare of Assisi.
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Blessed Louis Brisson, O.S.F.S.
Founder:
When Founded:
Where Founded:
When Beatified:
Feast Day:
Oblates of St. Francis de Sales
1875
Troyes, France
December, 2011
October12 (in local diocese)
Why Blessed Louis Brisson was chosen for this Diocesan resource
Attentive to the signs of the times and in obedience to Your will, Blessed Louis Brisson founded
the double family of the Oblate Sisters and of the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales. Confident in
your providence and joyful in hope, Louis Brisson knew as a good father, how to make himself
all things to all people. We pray that someday Father Brisson will be made a saint.
Blessed Father Louis Brisson’s Story
Born in Plancy, in the Champagne region of France, on June 23, 1817, Louis Brisson was
ordained a priest in the Diocese of Troyes in 1840. Assigned to teach religion and sciences in
the boarding school of the Visitation monastery, he was, himself, an ingenious inventor; among
his works is an astronomic clock, one so accurate that it was later studied by NASA
engineers. But Fr. Brisson's greatest work would be a divine invention!
As chaplain to the Sisters of the Visitation monastery, Fr. Brisson encountered there the religious
superior -- Mother Mary de Sales Chappuis -- who would orchestrate the prelate's life work as
founder of two religious institutes: the Oblate Sisters of St. Francis de Sales and the Oblates of
St. Francis de Sales. It was she who prevailed upon Fr. Brisson, after decades of discussions and
three miraculous interventions, to establish the group of priests that St. Francis de Sales had
intended to found centuries before.
As director of the Catholic Association of St. Francis de Sales, Fr. Brisson established four
boarding schools, where young female factory workers would be kept safe and would grow in
their religious education. This work would lead to the foundation of the Oblate Sisters, with St.
Leonie de Sales Aviat, in 1868.
A year later, Fr. Brisson accepted the request by the bishop of Troyes to oversee the College
Saint Bernard. This educational work led to the foundation of the Oblates in 1872.
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Fr. Brisson died on February 2, 1908. His mortal remains, along with those of St. Leonie Aviat,
lie in the crypt of the motherhouse of the Oblate Sisters in Troyes, France.
 The process for his canonization was officially opened, in Troyes, in 1938.
 December 19, 2009, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the decree affirming his life of heroic
virtue and bestowing on him the title of "Venerable."
 December 19, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI authorized the promulgation of the decree
attributing a miracle to his intercession, after which Fr. Brisson was beatified in Troyes
on September 22, 2012. He now bears the title "Blessed."
Activities
1.
Visit the website dedicated to Blessed Louis Brisson to learn more about his life.
http://www.louisbrisson.org/
2. Read about the miracle attributed to the intercession of Blessed Louis Brisson.
http://www.franz-sales-verlag.de/brisson2012_en/artikel/index.html
3. Discuss the following quotes of Blessed Louis Brisson in relation to the Church in the world
today:
 “The present system aims at pushing God out of all areas of public life; they even
want to prevent people from using the name of God – but for profane purposes. God
ought to disappear from all our customs and habits. In the Oblates on the contrary the
good God shall have a say in everything.” (Chapter 1891)
 “In all our activities God must be included. This gives us the true direction, the true
way which every soul must follow. This is the true purpose for which we should
strive, the true purpose for which we should steer. Turning towards God blesses all
our actions.” (Chapter 1894)
4. Blessed Louis Brisson was a visionary about seeing the need to involve the youth in the life
of the church. How can your parish increase the participation in the life of the parish
community?
5. Invite an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales priest to give a parish mission or annual retreat to
your parish. You can contact the Oblates at: https://www.oblates.org/.
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Church Documents on Consecrated Life
Universal Documents
Catechism of the Catholic Church, No. 871-945 on Religious Life
Perfectae Caritatis Pope Paul VI
Decree of Second Vatican Council on Religious Life
Papal Documents, Homilies, and Addresses
Redemptionis Donum
1984 Apostolic Exhortation Pope John Paul II to men and women religious on their consecration in the
light of the mystery of the redemption.
Vita Consecrata Pope John Paul II - Apostolic Exhortation of Pope John Paul II on the Consecrated Life
and its Mission in the Church and in the World, 1996.
Address at Vespers to Priests, Religious, Deacons, and Seminarians Pope Benedict XVI on the occasion of
the 850th anniversary of the foundation of the Shrine of Mariazell, Austria, Sept. 8, 2007
John Paul II, Homily for the first World Day of Consecrated Life, 1997
John Paul II, Homily for the II World Day of Consecrated Life, 1998
John Paul II, Homily for the III World Day of Consecrated Life, 1999
John Paul II, Homily for the IV World Day of Consecrated Life, 2000
John Paul II, Homily for the V World Day of Consecrated Life, 2001
John Paul II, Homily for the VI World Day of Consecrated Life, 2002
John Paul II, Homily for the VII World Day of Consecrated Life, 2003
John Paul II, Homily for the VIII World Day of Consecrated Life, 2004
Benedict XVI, Homily for the X World Day of Consecrated Life, 2006
Benedict XVI, Homily for the XIII World Day of Consecrated Life, 2009
Other Magisterial Documents
Essential Elements in the Church's Teaching on Religious Life
1983 Document of the Sacred Congregation for Religious and for Secular Institutes “Essential Elements in
the Church’s Teaching on Religious Life as Applied to Institutes Dedicated to Works of the Apostolate”
Fraternal Life in Community
1994 document of the Congregation for Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
The Service of Authority and Obedience
2008 Instruction of the Congregation for Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life.
Starting Afresh From Christ
2002 Instruction of the Congregation for Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life. “Starting Afresh
from Christ: a Renewed Commitment to Consecrated Life in the Third Millennium”.
Rejoice - Letter for the Year of Consecrated Life
2014 Letter to Consecrated People on the Occasion of the Year of Consecrated Life from the Magisterium
of Pope Francis
Taken from Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious
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LESSON PLANS http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations/educators-and-youthleaders/lesson-plans/index.cfm
Elementary School
 To Make God Known, Loved and Served - A Vocations Curriculum (Grades K-5). . .
 Lesson Plans for National Vocation Awareness Week (Grades K-8)
 Word Search on Holy Orders
 Preschool Last Supper Coloring Sheet
 Pre-school Lesson Plans
 Grades 1-3 Vocation Lesson Plan
 Grades 4-6 Lesson Plan
 Grades 4-6 Crossword on the Sacrament of Holy Orders
 Vocation Glossary
 Vocation Tree Resource and Lesson Plans. . .
Junior High and High School
Vocations: Answering God’s Call. . . is a student text published by Saint Mary’s Press that is in conformity with the
Catechism of the Catholic Church and the USCCB's Curriculum Framework.
To Make God Known, Loved and Served - A Vocations Curriculum (Grades 6-8)
What is My Vocation is a great Junior High curriculum made available to us by the Archdiocese of Chicago. You are
welcome to use the following resources found in these pdf files:
 What is My Vocation - Curriculum for Junior High Students - Unit I
 What is My Vocation - Curriculum for Junior High Students - Unit II
 What is My Vocation - Curriculum for Junior High Students - Unit III
 What is My Vocation - Teacher Edition
Archdiocese of Cincinnati
 Junior High Lesson Plan on Priesthood
 Junior High Priest Saints Quiz
 High School Lesson Plan
 Bible Quotes on Priesthood for Teens on the Priesthood
National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry
 Priest, Brother, Sister, Deacon Interview Night
Life Teen Lesson Plans: Life Nights
 Lesson Plan on Discovering One's Vocation
 Lesson Plan on God's Call for Each of Us
 Lesson Plan on the Universal Call to Holiness
 Lesson Plan on Discernment
 Lesson Plan on Discernment and Community
 Lesson Plan on Hearing Christ's Call
 Lesson Plan on Consecrated Life
 Lesson Plan on Holy Orders
 Lesson Plan on Holy Orders - 2
 Lesson Plan on Priesthood
 Entire Vocations Semester Adult Faith Formation
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How to Promote Vocations in Your Family
1. Speak of Christ in the home: Speak often of Christ in terms that endear your children to him. Let his
name be part of the family vocabulary.
2. Pray for your children’s vocation: Pray for your children and for whatever vocation God is calling
them to, and teach them to do the same. The greatest and deepest wish of every parent for a child is
that he or she discovers and does God’s will for his or her life. This is your child’s greatest guarantee
of happiness, and your major concern. Prayer is necessary, since there will always be the tempting
mirage of an easier way shimmering invitingly on the horizon for your child.
3. Pray as spouses for your children: Find a prayer that you can say as husband and wife asking the
Lord to consecrate your family to him and to the Mission he has for you. Some couples compose
their own prayer and pray it regularly. If a couple can pray together the witness of united prayer
speaks untold volumes to the children.
4. Pray with your children: Nighttime prayer is a natural time to teach prayer to children and to develop
in them this important habit. When you pray the meal prayers, use a variety of prayers and prayer
forms including spontaneous prayers from the heart. Teach them how to bring their concerns and
needs to Jesus in prayer. They will learn only what you model for them.
5. Teach Bible Stories: Especially when the children are young introduce them to the hundreds of
stories in the Bible. Begin with a children’s Bible and give them Bibles through the years that
correspond to their understanding of the Faith.
6. Teach the Lives of the Saints: Help your children grow, according to their age, in their relationship
with god and knowledge of their faith. The lives of the saints are a great source of inspiration for
children—and adults.
7. Teach Devotion to Mary: Many families pray a decade or the whole Rosary as part of their prayers at
home. Teach your children how the Rosary is like a photo album of the life of Jesus, Mary, and the
Apostles. By meditating on the Mysteries we come to reflect on the Mysteries of Jesus’ Life and
Mission and how he calls us to an ever deeper discipleship and mission with him in community with
others.
8. Bless your children: A custom we had as children was to have our dad bless each of us children at
night with holy water. He would make the sign of the Cross on our forehead with the words “God
bless you” and then he would say our names. This ritual went on for many years. You will find this a
wonderful way of integrating parental love and affection with spirituality. It would also be good to
have a holy water font somewhere in the house where the children can bless themselves and be
reminded of their baptism and commitment to Jesus.
9. Speak to your children openly about God’s Call for them in their lives: Remind your children often
that God has created them in his image and likeness. He loves them so much as his son or daughter.
As our Creator he designed each of us for a purpose. Invite them to pray about God’s Call for their
career—what they are to do with their life as well as their state in life—whether God is calling them
to Marriage, Single Life, Priesthood, or Consecrated Life. Teach them how to allow the Lord to
make the Call in our lives.
10. Enthrone your family and home to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. By having a picture or statue of the
Sacred Heart in your home you witness your faith to those who come to visit, but more than that you
are reminded as a family that Jesus is the center of your family. It is common for families to have
pictures of family members displayed in their homes. The same should be true about our spiritual
family. Place a crucifix in the rooms. Have several statues of the Blessed Mother and the saints
throughout the house.
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11. Teach your children to love the Mass: I cannot remember a time in which my parents purposely
missed Mass. This witness impressed upon me that how essential it is to come every Sunday to
receive Jesus who said, “Unless you eat my Body and drink my Blood, you have no life in you.”
Even if you are on vacation, especially when you are on vacation take your children to Mass.
Dorothy Day, who served the poor in this country for forty-five years used to say that at Mass
during the Consecration it was as if the Lord was saying to her, “This is My Body broken for you.
Will you let your body be broken for Me and for others today?” At the Consecration of the wine it
was as if he said, “This is My Blood poured out for you. Will you let your blood be poured out for
Me and for others today?” If we understood the Mass from this perspective, would we ever miss?
Or could we ever say it is boring?
12. Teach your children the importance of conversion through regular Confession: If a person cannot
apologize, it will be very difficult to grow in friendship or intimacy with others. Similarly, if we do
not learn how to reconcile ourselves with God through the Sacrament of Penance(Confession),
there is a level of intimacy with the Lord which we will not attain. Model for your children the need
for this Sacrament by your own practice.
13. Pay special attention to your children’s use of the media: It is especially important to monitor your
children’s access to the internet. Give them reasons for limitations and teach them responsible use
of this medium and all media. For as good as the internet can be, it can often lead young people
astray. Internet pornography tragically is becoming epidemic among people of all ages. Spiritually,
it divides their hearts and they cannot grow in prayer or friendship with the Lord thus making it
impossible to discern one’s vocation in life.
14. Camps and Retreats: As your children get into middle school, introduce them to camps and retreats.
Young people need more and more integration of faith with experience within a faith community.
In our Diocese we have the Adventure Camp and so many other retreats and rallies for every age
group. These experiences help the young people to move beyond the family and parish experience
of Church and to grow in their awareness that we are a universal Catholic Church.
15. Enable participation in outreach, service, or missionary work: This participation is very important
for young people. It is here that they will see how much Christ and the Church call them to move
beyond themselves to serve the needs of others. They will begin to understand how much they have
received and how much they are being called upon to give in return. This can include visiting the
elderly in nursing homes or helping aged relatives or neighbors. Later this can include mission trips
to soup kitchens or other missions. Through the Diocese there are mission trips to Peru, Mexio,
Lourdes, Africa and more.
16. Don’t push, but don’t be silent: Do not push priesthood or consecrated life on your children, but
don’t be silent either. Answer questions and at times, bring them up yourself and raise possibilities,
but do so always with a sense of freedom and love. Talk openly and support the possibility of your
child choosing to be a priest or sister. Look for opportunities for your children to visit a seminary or
convent. They can only learn to love that which they know.
17. Write a letter or card to each of your children at least once a year at a special occasion in which you
share with them your unconditional love and also share something of your faith and your prayer
that they continue to listen to and follow God’s call for them in their life.
18. Speak positively about bishops, priests, and consecrated persons: Your respect for those in the
Church will witness to your children the need to respect those dedicated to God’s service and to the
spiritual mission of the Church. We live in an era of anti-authority. Showing respect to those whom
God has given to guide us in the Church will go a long way to teach your children how to respect
your own parental authority, as well as to teach them how to place themselves under the mission of
God in their lives.
Monsignor Joseph Hirsch. Used with permission from the Diocese of LaCrosse, Wisconsin.
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Religious Priests in the Diocese of Raleigh
Albemarle Deanery:
Reverend Alfred J. Smuda O.S.F.S.
Our Lady of the Seas Parish
Buxton
Reverend Donald Baribeau M.S.
Saint Mildred Parish, Swansboro
Reverend Dr. William F. Walsh O.S.F.S.
Holy Redeemer by the Sea Parish
Kitty Hawk
None
Reverend Michael J. Kerin G.H.M.
Holy Spirit Parish
Windsor
Reverend Dominic Thomas M.C.B.S.
Saint Bernadette Parish, Butner
Cape Fear Deanery:
Reverend John E. McGee O.S.F.S.
Immaculate Conception Parish
Wilmington
Newton Grove Deanery:
Piedmont Deanery:
Reverend Briant Cullinane O.F.M., Conv.
Blessed Sacrament Parish, Burlington
Reveredn Paul D. Lininger O.F.M. Conv.
Blessed Sacrament Parish, Burlington
Fayetteville Deanery:
Reverend Vincent Rubino O.F.M. Conv.
Blessed Sacrament Parish, Burlington
Reverend John J. Kelly O.S.F.S.
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish
Fayetteville
Reverend Michael Antonacci O.S.B.
Saint Thomas More (In residence)
Chapel Hill
Reverend Stephen E. Shott O.S.F.S.
Saint Ann Parish, Fayetteville
Reverend Michael Lasky O.F.M.
Newman Catholic Center, Chapel Hill
Reverend Robert F. Ippolito M.S.
Saint Stephen the First Martyr Parish
Sanford
Reverend William J. Robinson O.F.M.Conv.
Newman Catholic Center, Chapel Hill
Reverend Hector LaChapelle M.S.
Saint Stephen the First Martyr Parish
Sanford
New Bern Deanery:
Reverend Jeffrey Bowker L.C.
Infant of Prague Parish
Jacksonville
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Reverend Brad Heckathorne O.F.M. Conv.
Duke Campus Ministry, Durham
Reverend Michael Martin O.F.M., Conv.
The Duke Catholic Center, Durham
Reverend William J. McIntyre O.F.M.
Immaculate Conception Parish, Durham
Reverend Charles J. Miller O.F.M.
Immaculate Conception Parish. Durham
Reverend Matthew Monnig, S.J.
Student at Duke
In residence at St. Raphael, Raleigh
Very Reverend Justin Kerber C.P.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Raleigh
Reverend Joseph Kalu Oji C.S.Sp.
The Igbo Community, Durham
Reverend David McBriar O.F.M.
Saint Francis of Assisi Parish, Raleigh
Reverend Andrew Santamauro O.F.M. Conv.
Holy Cross Parish, Durham
Reverend Steven R. Patti O.F.M.
Saint Francis of Assisi, Raleigh
Reverend Christopher Van Haight O.F.M.
Immaculate Conception Parish, Durham
Reverend Martin M. Tran Van Ban C.M.C.
Our Lady of LaVang (Chaplain to the
Vietnamese community), Raleigh
Reverend Gerald Waterman O.F.M. Conv.
Catholic Campus Ministry Elon University
Elon
Reverend Joseph Madden O.F.M. Conv.
Our Lady of Guadalupe Friary, Pittsboro
Reverend Jacek Krzystof Leszczynski
O.F.M., Conv. , Saint Julia, Siler City
Raleigh Deanery:
Reverend David Fitzgerald S.A.
Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish, Apex
Reverend Thomas Gumprecht S.A.
Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish, Apex
Reverend Joseph Madden O.F.M. Conv.
Saint Andrew the Apostle Parish, Apex
Reverend Bruce Bavinger S.J.
Saint Raphael the Archangel Parish, Raleigh
Reverend Gerald R. Blaszczak S.J.
Saint Raphael the Archangel, Raleigh
Reverend Phil Hurley S.J.
Saint Raphael the Archangel, Raleigh
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Very Reverend Edward R. Wolanski C.P.
Sacred Heart Cathedral, Raleigh
Reverend Ryan Z. Carnecer C.I.C.M.
Saint Eugene Parish, Wendell
Reverend Johanes Raharjo C.I.C.M.
Saint Eugene Parish, Wendell
Tar River Deanery:
Reverend Nsongolo Baswekundola C.P.
Pitt Memorial Hospital, Greenville
Reverend William G. Quigley C.I.C.M.
Catholic Student Newman Center at ECU
Greenville
Reverend Alberto Ortega T.C.
Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish
Rocky Mount
Reverend Paul W. Brant S.J.
Saint Therese Parish, Wilson
Religious Brothers in the Diocese of Raleigh
Albemarle Deanery:
Raleigh Deanery:
Brother Jack Henn, G.H.M.
Holy Spirit Parish, Windsor
Brother William Martyn, S.A.
St. Michael the Archangel Church, Cary
Brother Curt Kedley, G.H.M.
Holy Spirit Parish, Windsor
Brother Eric Dwayne Fernandes, OFM
St. Francis of Assisi Parish, Raleigh
Consecrated Religious Women
Currently Serving in the Diocese of Raleigh
~ Who We Are ~
~Where We Are ~
http://www.raleighcouncilofreligious.org/
Click/visit the web address above to view the names and pictures of the Sisters that are currently
serving in the Diocese of Raleigh. Consider sending them a card of thanks and letting them
know that you are praying for them.
A Partial Listing of Women Who Have Entered Religious Life
from the Diocese of Raleigh
Sr. Mary Shea, D.C.
Sr. Ann Marie Teder, S.N.D.
Sr. Melissa Hester, I.H.M. St. Monica Parish, Raleigh
Sr. de Montfort Babb, I.H.M. St. Monica Parish, Raleigh
Sr. Maryla Farfour, I.H.M. St. Mary Parish, Goldsboro
Sr. Angela Mary, I.H.M. Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Rocky Mount
Sr. Jane Hardison, I.H.M. Washington, NC
Sr. Bertnadette Zaytoun, I.H.M. St. Paul Parish, New Bern
Sr. Immaculate Mary, I.H.M. Windsor, NC
Sr. Evelyn Shedan, OP, Raleigh
Sr. Dolores Jackson, OP, Newton Grove
Sr. Carolyn McWaters, RSM, Havelock
Sr. Clare Joseph, OCD St. Mary, Wilmington
Sr. Victoria Sabsich, S.s.E.W., Havelock
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Religious Retirement Fund Collection
– First/Second Weekend in December
Each year the collection for the Retired Religious Priests and Sisters takes place at Mass during
the first or second weekend in December. We are very happy to report that last year the Diocese
of Raleigh contributed $175,398.67 to this fund, and total of $4,084,916.98 since it’s beginning
in1988.
Background Information
The National Religious Retirement Office coordinates the annual national appeal for the
Retirement Fund for Religious and distributes financial assistance for retirement needs to eligible
religious institutes. The National Religious Retirement Office and the Retirement Fund for
Religious are sponsored by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, Council of Major
Superiors of Women Religious, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, and United States
Conference of Catholic Bishops. NRRO strives to support, educate and assist religious institutes
in the United States to care for their elderly and frail members now and in the future. NRRO
aims to:
1. Raise funds for retired religious;
2. Help religious institutes realistically assess their current retirement needs and implement
planning;
3. Educate religious institutes to allocate assets realistically;
4. Develop educational tools, programs, services and resource materials that enable religious
institutes to address retirement wisely.
Since the Retirement Fund for Religious (RFR) was launched in 1988, the mission has always
been to help religious communities meet the needs of the current day while preparing for the
ones to come. Through the generosity of Catholics across the nation, nearly $28.4 million was
donated to the annual RFR collection in 2013. This support is critical, not only because it helps
ensure quality care for more than 35,000 women and men religious past age 70, but also because
it helps religious communities find ways to fund retirement while sustaining mission and
ministry. The needs of senior religious and their communities remain profound. Still, we trust in
God’s plan, praising his goodness in providing for the present day and looking to the future with
hope. To all who cooperate in this plan through gifts, prayers, or advocacy, heartfelt gratitude is
extended.
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Planning Sheet
Individual, Parish, School Plan to Celebrate the Year of Consecrated Life
The space below is provided for your planning on how you will celebrate this special year that
Pope Francis has proclaimed. The segments are divided into three –month periods.
Sunday, November 30, 2014 – Opening of the Year of Consecrated Life
____________________________________________________________
December, 2014 – February, 2015
____________________________________________________________
March, 2015 – May, 2015
____________________________________________________________
June, 2015 – August, 2015
____________________________________________________________
September, 2015 – November, 2015
____________________________________________________________
December, 2015 – February, 2015
____________________________________________________________
February 2, 2016 – Closing of the Year of Consecrated Life
____________________________________________________________
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