| Uniontown, PA - They came from Arizona,
California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, New Mexico,
New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia in a Life Quest - three days
of sharing in the life of the Sisters of St. Basil the Great and to
reflect on their own calling. They arrived eager to meet their prayer
partners and they left with a deeper connection to the Community and
each other. “It was wonderful to see how all of these women, from
various age groups and walks of life, were able to come to experience a
strong sense of community in such a short time,” said Sister Jean Marie,
OSBM, Vocations Directress. “They had such respect for each other and
inclusion.”
Sister Jean Marie’s hopes for the weekend were simple: “to share our
life in community as Sisters of St. Basil, with the hope and prayer that
if God was calling them, they would be open and receptive to respond to
that call.” She also hoped to open the Sisters to a new generation of potential
candidates for religious life and their dreams and visions for that life.
The reality far exceeded her expectations. All of the Sisters participated
in some aspect of the weekend - from planning and serving as prayer partners
with the visiting women to speaking at the session and sharing their own
personal stories of discernment.
“I had a spiritual renewal just preparing for and going through that
weekend,” Sister Elizabeth Jane Tepley said. |
|
Sixteen women from 12 states gathered at Mount St.
Macrina at the end of March to consider a vocation to religious life.
The planning team for the discernment weekend included Sister Barbara
Swindells, OSBM front row, far left), Sister Elizabeth Jane Tepley, OSBM
(front row, second from left), Sister Jean Marie Cihota, OSBM, Vocations
Directress (front row, far right), Sister Barbara Jean Mihalchick, OSBM
(back row, far left), Sister Celeste Strohmeyer, OSBM (back row, fourth
from the right) and Sister Ruth Plante, OSBM, Provincial (back row, far
right).
Participants in the discernment weekend
address the different stages of development of a Basilian Sister, from
an Inquirer, Affiliate and postulant to Novice, Junior Professed Sister
and ultimately a Perpetual Professed Sister. In the photo (left to
right) are: Amanda Pettit, Affiliate Cathy Baranko, Sister Elizabeth
Jane Tepley, OSBM, Sister Barbara Jean Mihalchick, OSBM, Sister Celeste
Strohmeyer, OSBM, and Sister Petronilla Puhak, OSBM.
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