and Read Why She Loves Being a Sister of St. Francis
A Sister of St. Francis for almost ten years now, I made final vows three years ago. When I think of my life as a Sister of St. Francis, I feel a deep sense of gratitude because in many ways I feel that my whole life has led me to this congregation. All of my experiences and all of my relationships have led me on a path that ultimately has brought me to live my life as a Sister of St. Francis of Philadelphia.
 |
| Sister Mary Beth (center) with (left to right) Sister Maggie Gannon and Sister Colleen Collins. |
As a nurse, I have had the opportunity to work in many areas within the healthcare field. Before I became vocation director, I was a school nurse at Overbrook School for the Blind in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Our students were between the ages of three and twenty-one years old. I feel so blessed to be there because in many ways the children taught me and showed me the many faces of God. They may have handicaps and disabilities but their determination and courage in the face of adversity always inspires me.
I began my journey with the Sisters of St. Francis as a Companion in 1990. I spent a year in the Dominican Republic with the sisters as a lay volunteer. We were working in the rural mountains in a town called Tenares. It was there amidst the stark contrasts that I felt a sense of God's presence and a deepening call to a life dedicated to serving God in a more committed life. There was such poverty there and yet such a sense of gratitude that the people carried in their hearts. Their lives were very simple, living in one- or two-room houses with dirt floors but there was such beauty in nature and in the people and their relationships with one another. I am so grateful for my experience there and all that I learned from the people about faith and God and love.
"All of my experiences and all of my relationships have led me on a path that ultimately has brought me to live my life as a Sister of St. Francis of Philadelphia."
I have been very blessed in my life. I was brought up in a very loving and close family. The youngest of five children, I have many nieces and nephews and now grandnieces and nephews. When I would watch my parents (married for sixty-two years), especially in their later years, I was always deeply touched by their love and fidelity to one another, to their family and also to God. In their own simple way, they showed that their love for one another was rooted in God and their love for God was rooted in their love for one another and their family and friends. I can say with conviction that it is because of my parents' love and example of their own faith relationship with their God and with one another that I am a sister today. They have been the best teacher for me and have witnessed so beautifully for me what God's love is all about.
There are also many sisters who have witnessed for me by their lives and examples what this life is all about. I have learned so much and my life has been so enriched by the many sisters especially our elderly sisters who in their quiet way speak volumes about faithfulness and love. One of the greatest gifts that I feel being a member of this congregation is the sense of relationship and the sense of being part of something greater than myself. Whenever we gather together as a community, whether it is for vows or jubilee or even a funeral, one can sense the bond that we share and the sense of sisterhood. When my dad died recently, there were so many sisters who attended his funeral Mass. At the beginning of the liturgy, they all came to the front of the church and sang the Blessing of St. Francis. It was so beautiful and so touching. At a time of such grief for my family and me, we felt as though we were being held by all of their support and love. It truly was a gift!
"One of the greatest gifts that I feel being a member of this congregation is the sense of relationship and the sense of being part of something greater than myself."
In the Gospel Jesus tells us, "The gift you have received, give as a gift." I feel very blessed to be a Sister of St. Francis and have received so many gifts. I hope that I can give back all that I have received to those with whom I minister to and with. I, like St. Francis, feel the words that he spoke within his own heart:
"This is what I wish, this is what I seek.
This is what I long to do with all of my heart."
