It is hard to believe that Sr. Anne Marie Mack has any time left at all to work with such meaningful projects, but alas, God provides the strength, endurance, and passion to provide good help to those in need!  Thank you, Sr. Anne Marie, for your dedication, and for allowing God’s work to flow through you to his people.

More on Sr. Anne Marie:

Sr. Anne Marie talks about her life as a Sister
Honored at the Bon Secours College of Nursing
Speaking out against Human Trafficking
In community with Sr. Vicky

The third and final article in our three-part series:

This is the last in a series of three articles on “Finding Your Purpose in Life”.   Article one, “Discovering Your Gifts” explored personal prayer and opening your heart to listen to God, letting go of your need to control.  Article two, “Finding Your Passion” encouraged you to reflect on your personal gifts and to discover your uniqueness in God’s eyes.  The possibility that God might be calling you to become a Catholic sister, brother or priest was also introduced.  Now, as you experience a deeper communion with God, your heart becomes more receptive to hearing God’s desire for you.  This article will explore how this openness allows you to hear God’s call to service on a deeper level by following in Jesus’ footsteps with the possibility of becoming a sister, brother or priest in religious life.

First of all, you can’t choose what you don’t know!  So if in the course of your prayer time with God you continue to reflect on religious life as even … continue reading…

I regret to announce the sudden passing of Sister Angela “Angel” Neville.”  She will be greatly missed, but her legacy of good help to those in need will surpass the hands of time!
Sister Angela, Bon Secours nurse
Retired nurse
By Frederick N. Rasmussen, The Baltimore Sun

Sister Angela Neville, a former head nurse at Bon Secours Hospital in Baltimore, died July 11 of a coronary embolism at Howard County General Hospital. She was 82.

Angela Neville, one of 15 children, was born and raised in Baltimore. She was a graduate of Seton High School and entered the Congregation of Bon Secours in 1947. She professed her final vows in 1956 at the Sisters of Bon Secours motherhouse in Paris.

She was a Seton High School graduate and earned her nursing degree in 1953 from the Bon Secours Hospital School of Nursing.

Sister Angela served as a staff or head nurse at many Bon Secours health facilities across the nation during her 50-year … continue reading…

Catholic Health World

July 1, 2010
Volume 26, Number 12

It takes vision to realize when good is not good enough.

Sr. Rita Thomas, CBS, had the vision to help transform a regional health system into a leader in cutting-edge care. Throughout her career, she’s fought for justice and discovered creative ways to reach the needy in her community of Portsmouth, Va., and its environs.

As a newly minted director of nursing, she was involved in making sure St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, Va., would not be segregated as originally planned when it opened in 1964. And today, well into her 80s and enjoying an active retirement, she works for the less fortunate and serves on numerous nonprofit boards. A few years ago, she traveled to Peru to assist the Peruvian Sisters of Bon Secours with new programs in their health clinic.

Richard J. Statuto, president and … continue reading…

Article 2 in a three-part series:

Inviting people to use their gifts by becoming a religious sister – How God calls us to channel our passion – Introducing religious life as a viable life option.

Finding Your Passion

Do you sense something missing in life?  Is your work or life situation not meaningful enough despite your accomplishments and possessions?    Could it be that the difference you make when you are helping people in need feels more life-giving than your work week?  Do you feel more authentic when you give of yourself to help others?  PAY ATTENTION!  Perhaps you are being called to find purpose in life in another way, to do more with your life.  These thoughts are ways in which God invites us to be and do “more” by becoming a Catholic religious sister, nun, priest or brother. 

Introducing the idea of becoming a sister, brother or priest may seem extreme to some and may even scare someone away.  Being called was even startling for Mary.  St. Luke writes that she was “deeply troubled,” and asked questions – wouldn’t you?  This calling comes as … continue reading…

James Martin, SJ quickly tell us, “…this book…is not a guide to understand everything about everything (thus the Almost). Rather, it’s a guide to discovering how God can be found in every dimension of your life. How God can be found in everything. And everyone, too.” (p. 7).   Martin, with his typical humorous style, lights up topics on Ignatian spirituality, the role of desire, discernment, prayer, the vows, and more.

If you are exploring (discerning) a vocation, read, Chapter 3 “What Do You Want?” to learn how to recognize your own desires (like road signs) as a path leading you into God. Martin reminds us that “our deep desires help us know God’s desires for us and how much God desires to be with us” (p. 59). Like a skilled surgeon, he pinpoints the fact that our desires are often masked; presenting themselves from time to time as a sense of incompleteness, a longing for connection, and even feelings of vulnerability. At other times we may experience our desires as … continue reading…

New Life in Christ
Submitted by: Sr. Marie Lucille Summers 

I recently attended a day of prayer led by Fr. Joe Breighner and wanted to share these reflections and phrases with all of you.

Who is God?
See God in ourselves.
Know the image of God.
God has a plan for me – a “Larger Plan.”
Chosen people
There is never a time we don’t matter.
Love yourself as a reflection of God.
We channel the presence of God.
God gives purpose to life.
God works through us.
Don’t underestimate the Power of Forgiveness.
Miracle of God – Learn to Trust.
Faith in God.
Live my life in God.
Experience God.
Nurture ourselves – it’s a good thing.
Take one minute a day to release anxiety.
Reflect on the Miracle of Life.
Want what we have – be grateful for what we can.
We are channels of the presence of God.

At the recent graduation of Bon Secours Memorial School of Nursing in Richmond, Sr. Pat Eck and Sr. Anne Marie Mack were honored to be named the first Professors Emeritus of the NEW Bon Secours College of Nursing.  The college will begin accepting applications for the upcoming fall semester.

Read more about Sr. Anne Marie Mack, CBS:
A Sisters Life
Sr. Anne Marie fights against Human Trafficking

Read more about Sr. Pat Eck, CBS:
Ministry in Peru
Press Release: Sr. Pat Eck Elected Congregation Leader
Bon Secours Health System – Chair of the Board
The Gift of Music
“The Emerging Role of Ethics”

The first in a series of vocation articles:

Finding your passion-Using your gifts-How do you recognize the gifts God gave you? How do you understand how to use them? What is your passion? Guidance to the many young people in college and university who are unsure of their current path in life and those already working in various professions who are looking for more meaning in their life.

Discovering Your Gifts

Living the word of God each day by using your spiritual gifts and passion for your faith is a challenging but remarkable way of life.  Letting God truly take over the reigns of your life is a process that ultimately enriches the well being of those whose lives you touch and brings joy to your soul and life.  Learning to ultimately trust God is liberating.

To begin the growth of God’s spirit within, you must first come to understand the passions and spiritual gifts God has given you.  Thus begins a period of reflection and inner searching through prayer, trust in God’s mercy and love for you, and a desire to … continue reading…

God continues to call women to religious life.  God also shares with us, all, the privilege of inviting our friends to listen for the call to service.

A vocation is a “call” to fulfill God’s purpose in life.  It involves Who God desires me to be; How I am to become that unique person; What I am called to do for others in the Church or in the world.  It is nurtured with prayer and a life rooted in God, with the example of generosity set by others and with openness towards God and life. 

The Church encourages us to help each other in our Christian commitments and to consider the possibility that some will best hear and follow God’s call through life as part of a religious community, such as the Sisters of Bon Secours. We need to do what we can to invite others to consider this life style or to ponder it ourselves. 

The Sisters of Bon Secours declared 2010 a Year of Vocations in an effort to support women considering … continue reading…