Although she does not speak English fluently, language has never been a barrier for Vocationist Sister Lucia Spinelli, who speaks fluently with her heart. Sister Lucia, of Blessed Sacrament Parish, Martinsville, is marking her 60th anniversary in consecrated life and has much to reflect on during her journey thus far.
Thankful. Grateful. Blessed. These three eloquent words encapsulate what Sister Michaelita Popovice’s 60 years as a religious in the Sisters of Mercy order mean to her. “I use that [phrase] a lot,” she said. “It’s true.”
“Amen, Alleluia” was the motto Sister Kathleen McDonnell chose to guide her life when she entered the Sisters of Mercy six decades ago. “Amen means saying ‘yes,’ to whatever God wants and Alleluia means be happy about it,” she explained.
To Christian Charity Sister Mary Martha Garzon, religion is not taught, it is caught from our families and others in our lives. Sister Mary Martha’s family impressed upon her from an early age the importance of prayer and keeping a devotion to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and for that, she could not be more grateful.
For the past six decades, Mercy Sister Kathleen Curnyn has served in many different ministries and as she celebrates her 60th jubilee, emphatically states, “I would do it again. I wouldn’t question. I would enter the Sisters of Mercy and be of service to the people of God.”
When Mercy Sister Lee Ann Amico’s parents learned that their daughter was going to enter the convent, she said her mother told her father, “Let her go and try this. She will probably only last 15 minutes.” This year Sister Lee Ann is celebrating her 60th jubilee as a Mercy Sister, and during the past six decades has accomplished much more than even she could have imagined.
Faith-filled parents and a solid Catholic education may have lit the spark of religious life for Mary Gomolka, but it was sage advice from a priest which set in motion her lifelong love of music and decades of service as a Sister of Mercy.
Mercy Sister Faith Moore credits her God-focused service to the good sisters of Mount Saint Mary Academy, Watchung, who nurtured and formed her during her high school years.
Life as a religious was not something Brother Ray Morris imagined for himself while growing up. In fact, when he chose to attend Rutgers University, the Catholic Center on campus and the Brothers of Hope who minister there were nowhere on his radar.
“No storm can shake my inmost calm While to that refuge clinging Since Christ is Lord of heaven and earth How can I keep from singing? — from “How Can I Keep From Singing?”
