2011 – THE YEAR OF THE NUN
I don’t know who decides these “Year of the ___” – but if anyone is looking for a suggestion for 2011, a good choice would be, “The Year of the Nun”.
It’s June already – and the "Year of the Priest" is about to run out .
It’s June already – and the "Year of the Priest" is about to run out .
Some of these "Year of the ____" don't start on January 1st - but most do.
I'm sure those who come up with and plan these kinds of things, weigh various possibilities – like the "Year of the Abused" - or the "Year of the Senior Citizen" – or the "Year of the Volunteer" - or what have you.
I’m proposing 2011 as “The Year of the Nun.”
In this age of calls for transparency, I have to state that my sister Peggy is an nun – better known as Sister St. Monica Costello, I.H.M. She’s a member of the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton, Pennsylvania.
And my dad had 3 sisters who were Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine.
And I received my grammar school education at O.L.P.H. grammar school in Brooklyn, N.Y. by the Sisters of St. Joseph from Brentwood, Long Island, N.Y. They were great vocation promotors for our Redemptorist Congregation. Thank you gals!
In this age of calls for transparency, I have to state that my sister Peggy is an nun – better known as Sister St. Monica Costello, I.H.M. She’s a member of the Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton, Pennsylvania.
And my dad had 3 sisters who were Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine.
And I received my grammar school education at O.L.P.H. grammar school in Brooklyn, N.Y. by the Sisters of St. Joseph from Brentwood, Long Island, N.Y. They were great vocation promotors for our Redemptorist Congregation. Thank you gals!
And in the seminary we had the Grey Nuns of St. Elizabeth from Germany. They cooked for us and they cared for us if we got sick in our infirmary. Thank you gals!
And nuns have built, established and run hospitals, schools, nursing homes, orphanages, and all kinds of centers all over the world – in service to others - down through the years.
When I was stationed at Most Holy Redeemer on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, in the late 1960’s, I went the wake of an old fellow named, “Fred Fisher”. The wake was for 2 nights. He had it in his will and it was paid for. I didn’t get to the Funeral Home till late the second night. When signing in I noticed there were only 2 names in the visitor’s book: two Sisters. I found out that they were part of a group of nuns who visited the home bound. They made sure Fred’s home was clean and he had enough food in his house - each week. The next day at the funeral Mass, there were only 2 people present: those 2 nuns.
I’m a member of the Redemptorists. We have a Sister Community: the Redemptoristines – one of the many communities of contemplative sisters around the world who pray for the rest of us in our world.
Thank you my Sisters.
So those are a few reasons for my vote for 2011 to be the Year of the Nun or Sister.
And nuns have built, established and run hospitals, schools, nursing homes, orphanages, and all kinds of centers all over the world – in service to others - down through the years.
When I was stationed at Most Holy Redeemer on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, New York City, in the late 1960’s, I went the wake of an old fellow named, “Fred Fisher”. The wake was for 2 nights. He had it in his will and it was paid for. I didn’t get to the Funeral Home till late the second night. When signing in I noticed there were only 2 names in the visitor’s book: two Sisters. I found out that they were part of a group of nuns who visited the home bound. They made sure Fred’s home was clean and he had enough food in his house - each week. The next day at the funeral Mass, there were only 2 people present: those 2 nuns.
I’m a member of the Redemptorists. We have a Sister Community: the Redemptoristines – one of the many communities of contemplative sisters around the world who pray for the rest of us in our world.
Thank you my Sisters.
So those are a few reasons for my vote for 2011 to be the Year of the Nun or Sister.
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Pictures on top are from my sister's Golden Jubilee in 2009 - which she is still celebrating. The picture of the 4 nuns up in the right hand corner are 4 I.H.M Scranton Sisters who have brothers in the Redemptorists [Right to left: Sister Mary Kay Faliskie, Sister Chrysta Lerhinan, Sister Mary Rassley, Sister St. Monica Costello]. The statue on the bottom is a statue of my sister when she was younger. The gal in the pinkish redish jacket giving directions in the picture on the left is my sister Mary. The picture of my sister Peggy with a priest is a picture of her with her favorite brother.
For more wonderful information and inspiration on United States nuns and sisters tap tap with your mouse the following: http://www.womenandspirit.org/
For more information about IHM Scranton nuns tap, tap the following site: cwis.marywood.edu/www2/ihmpage/
For more information about the Redemptoristines: http://www.redemptoristinenunsofnewyork.org/
For more information about the Redemptorists: http://www.redemptorists.net/
For more information about the School Sisters of Notre Dame who are here at St. Mary's Parish in Annapolis, Maryland: http://www.atlanticmidwest.org/
I found a web site for the Grey Nuns of St. Elizabeth - not in Germany but in Kazakhstan. If intersted here it is:
2 comments:
Father Andy,
I am an IHM sister and of course, know your sister very well. Thank you for your recent blog, "The Year of the Sister: 2011". St. Monica was right when she stated how proud she is to be an IHM because of our dedication to the people of God, the Church and those long standing traditions and Catholic social teaching and the Gospel that so many women, lay and religious follow -- but, the 'nuns' have held in common for centuries. In a world of turmoil it is nice to know that someone would like to name 2011 the Year of the Nun. While it may never happen, it has been named by you as such, and for that, i am humbly grateful for 'it is enough'. To you my brother Redemptorist, I say thank you for standing with us...thank you to all the brothers and priest religious who do support us. Blessings upon all of us who continue to strive to do the work of God despite our human failings and frailties and amid conjecture and 'threats'. Peace be to you! Sr. Mindy Welding, IHM
This is awesome!! I'm sure you are right about Saint still celebrating...if I recall correctly, she was planing the Jubilee -- or at least looking forward to it --in 1999, when we were at Holy Cross in NJ together.
I l-o-v-e-d your homily at the Jubilee Mass last summer and I believe there would be a number of "Aye" votes if the Year of the Nun were put to a poll. The good news is that, as in the past, the "good nuns" will continue to serve the people of God in varied and powerful ministries, whether someone in Rome or wherever, designates a year in our honor or not -- we've been doing it that way for centuries! Thanks for the vote of confidence.
Sister Gilmary Beagle, IHM
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