Section:
vocations
Sister Patricia Kerezsi, OSF
How did you come to know the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia?
Having been born in Aston, the town in which the congregation’s motherhouse is located, I’ve had a link to the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia from the start. My first connection to the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia was in the first grade—I remember Sister Frances Clark and her Irish brogue at St. Frances de Sales School in Lenni, Pennsylvania. It was there that I won a spelling bee and, when asked to choose a prize, I passed up toys for an 8” x 10” photo of St. Francis.
What strengthened your vocation?
During my high school days, I volunteered at Assisi House, the congregation’s retirement residence. I was there when I found out that my father had died—and remember finding comfort and support from the sisters there, Sister Rosa Mystica among them. It’s that “at-homeness” and sense of welcome I feel in the presence of the sisters that has strengthened my vocation.
The Power of Prayer
In 1990, I had an experience that brought me closer to God and made me appreciate the power of prayer. My sister-in-law, in labor delivering a baby girl, experienced life-threatening complications. I relied on prayer and on the Franciscan women I was closest to—I felt a strong sense of God and the power of prayer.
How did you know that you wanted to become a member of the congregation?
When the congregation began the Companions in Ministry program, it seemed a natural next step for me to become a companion. In 1992, as a Companion in Ministry, I joined Sister Florence Hee ministering for two years at a school in West Virginia. It was the companion program that gave me the opportunity to come inside the building, to see what a sister’s life was like, because I would never have thought it was the life for me. But by being invited to liturgy and by becoming a part of Area Chapter #41 (one level of governance in the congregation), I had the opportunity to see what the life was about.
In 2002, I finished a program at Neumann College in Pastoral Counseling. During the program, students were encouraged to know themselves before attempting to help others. It was this process that helped me have the courage to make the decision to enter the congregation.
