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

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 a remote possibility, it is time you found out what it is like to live the life of a religious sister, brother or priest. To begin this process visit http://www.vocationnetwork.org/directory  to learn of different religious orders available to you.  You can also talk to a parish priest or a diocesan or community vocation director, if you already know a Catholic religious order.  Take the initiative to visit the website and Facebook page of several orders that are of interest to you and then contact a vocation director for that religious community or diocese.

They will be open and receptive to an initial discussion.  Most people feel it a bit daunting to make that first connection. All kinds of questions run through their head. What will they be like to talk to? Will they think it absurd that I would consider religious life?  Will I be able to fit in? What if I don’t like it? Will they pressure me into joining?

Their answers may surprise you because religious vocation directors are very easy to talk to and very welcoming. They are happy to meet with you and share their experiences. They will be great listeners as you share your journey.  They will spend time in prayer with you and introduce you to other members of their community. They can assure you that they were also apprehensive about fitting in when they first began to explore the possibility of becoming a religious. The process to become a vowed religious involves many discussions with several communities to be sure you have all you need to make a decision that is best for you and for the community. After your initial contact with them, if you wish to explore things further the next step is to visit the community or to go to one of their  “come and see” weekends to learn more about religious life in a relaxed atmosphere where you will be joined by others who are also exploring religious life.

When talking with religious sisters, brothers or priests during a “come and see” weekend you will discover that their life is filled with opportunity to grow in their relationship with God, in their personal life and, in the development of their life in ministry. It is not at all unusual for a religious to be given tremendous opportunity within their community to develop the gifts unique to them in serving God’s people.  They find personal fulfillment throughout life in their ministries.  For a sampling of stories from one community of religious sisters click here.

Your first glimpse of life in community can be a real eye-opener as you experience the community members’ bright minds, quick wit and the joy they feel in the path God has called them to.  They, like everyone else, come in all shapes, sizes and personalities and are eager to express their special gifts in serving those in need of God’s grace and comfort.  Religious life also affords them a rich prayer life and a tremendous sense of support from their community members.  They are also very close to their family and to their friends outside the community that they have come to know over the years. They don’t lose that strong bond as a religious.  They gain another family!

About the Author: Sister Pat Dowling is the Vocation Director of the Sisters of Bon Secours, an international congregation of Catholic Sisters engaged in active ministry.  Bon Secours was founded in the early 1800’s in Paris, France with 12 young women answering God’s call to help the sick and people who were poor. Nearly 200 years later, Bon Secours Sisters have expanded to seven countries and continue to create religious communities worldwide that focus on the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of people, as well as, guiding women interested in how to become a nun. For more information on the Sisters of Bon Secours visit http://BonSecoursVocations.org or email: CBSvocations@bshsi.org.

Link to Article One: Discovering Your Gifts

Link to Article Two: Finding Your Passion

Sr. Angela Neville, CBS

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 career.

She had been head nurse at Bon Secours Hospital in Baltimore, Villa Maria Nursing and Rehabilitation Hospital in Miami, Bon Secours Hospital in Methuen, Mass., St. Mary’s Hospital in Richmond, Va., and at Bon Secours facilities in Darby, Pa., and Rosemont, Pa.

From 1992 until retiring in 2003, Sister Angela was on the activities staff at Maria Manor Nursing and Rehabilitation Hospital in St. Petersburg, Fla.

After moving to her order’s provincial house in Marriottsville in 2006, Sister Angela worked at My Brother’s Keeper, a West Baltimore soup kitchen.

Sister Angela enjoyed compiling scrapbooks documenting her life after entering her order.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday in the chapel of her order’s provincial house at 1525 Marriottsville Road, Marriottsville.

Surviving are four brothers, Joe Neville, John Neville, Maurice Neville and William Neville, all of Baltimore; and three sisters, Betty Messick of Catonsville, Elle Mechlinski of Baltimore and Theresa Zeitofer of Marriottsville.

July 1, 2010

Volume 26, Number 12

Sr. Rita Thomas, CBS, accepts the CHA Lifetime Achievement Award

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 chief executive of Bon Secours Health System in Marriottsville, Md., says Sr. Thomas takes a stand for right and has devoted her six-decade career to fulfilling the system’s promise of delivering “Good help to those in need.”

“She’s always seeing the next thing,” says Sr. Patricia Eck, CBS, chairperson of the Bon Secours Health System board of directors. “She’s always been a forward thinker and a dynamo. She will encourage and challenge you to be the best person you can be.”

For all her contributions through five decades in health care and almost seven in her congregation, Sr. Thomas is a 2010 recipient of CHA’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The award celebrates leaders who have mentored others in Catholic health care and have inspired the larger community.

Frankly, such attention makes Sr. Thomas uncomfortable. She deflects credit for her many accomplishments upon those with whom she has collaborated during her long career.

“We don’t do anything alone,” says Sr. Thomas. “You know, I’m very limited. If I’ve had any success, it’s being able to work with people who are brighter than me. I respect them and give them the latitude to use their gifts.”

“That is classic Sr. Rita,” says Bob Aston, president of TowneBank in Norfolk, Va., and former board chair of Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System. Sr. Thomas is past president of the board of the Suffolk, Va.-based system, and she remains active as a board member. Aston counts himself among the numerous board members, employees and area residents mentored by Sr. Thomas.

“Her leadership style is one of seeing no barriers,” Aston says. “She is a great motivator of people and a great believer of bringing a team together. She’ll say, ‘Oh, I didn’t do it,’ but she’s the one who is always trying to get you to expand your thinking — not just to consider what’s around the next bend, but what’s 100 miles down the road.”

Sr. Thomas arrived at Bon Secours Hampton Roads Health System in the Chesapeake Bay area in 1983. A year later, she guided Maryview Hospital’s transition from diocesan community hospital to member of the Bon Secours Health System. She helped grow the hospital into a regional health care center. Maryview is in Portsmouth.

Along the way, Sr. Thomas helped establish preschool immunization programs and a community clinic. She has served on the boards of many civic and charitable organizations.

Sr. Thomas was elected provincial of the U.S. Province of the Sisters of Bon Secours in 1973, a role she filled for six years. During her tenure, she established the national position of health care coordinator and formed the Bon Secours Health Care Commission, laying the foundation for what is now Bon Secours Health System, an organization of more than 21,000 caregivers across seven states. She served as chairperson of the Bon Secours Health System board from 1994 to 1996.

In her every role, Sr. Thomas has championed the core values of the Bon Secours sisters — compassion and justice.

“We were called to serve the sick and dying and to give healing and wholeness. We give those we serve the knowledge there is a God who loves them,” Sr. Thomas explains. “As we move forward, it’s extremely important that we don’t lose sight of why we are here. We got into Catholic health care not as a business. We are carrying on the ministry of Jesus. It is important for us to advocate for the poor and the marginalized, and educate the next generation of leaders in Catholic health care.”

Sr. Rita Thomas

Sr. Thomas has a keen business acumen that has facilitated the system’s expansion to serve the needy and meet the community’s growing demands for health services, Aston says. She helped establish assisted living and long-term care facilities as well as the Bon Secours Heart Institute and the Bon Secours Surgical Weight Loss Center.

Born in Baltimore, Sr. Thomas started her career as a nurse, working in obstetrics and geriatric care. Those experiences influenced her approach as an administrator, says Sr. Eck.

“She loves patient care and understands that every decision an administrator makes can either help or hamper caregivers,” says Sr. Eck.

Sr. Thomas says she didn’t choose a career in health care administration — it chose her.

“I found out that while I enjoyed my clinical experience, the administrative part of the work suited me,” Sr. Thomas says. “I like to get things done. I like the satisfaction of having goals and working towards them. I like working with people.”

Her friends marvel at her energy, affectionately calling this petite fan of tennis and interior design “the Energizer Bunny.”

“She is small in size and has a seemingly soft demeanor, but she is huge in terms of her vision, her energy level and her ability to make things happen,” says Aston. “I think those who don’t know underestimate her, but she has this tenacity to push forward.”

Copyright © 2010 by the Catholic Health Association of the United States

For more about Sr. Rita Thomas, please check this out:

• Sr. Rita receives prestigious award
• Sr. Rita gets a lifetime
• Caring for our four legged friends (pg. 17)
• Sr. Rita visits Peru

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 a surprise to many.  Most people can not envision themselves as a religious and most likely don’t know about the richness of a Catholic religious life vocation.  Many think themselves unworthy of such a calling.  Yet, women and men would not have been guided to explore this life had God not known what they would find there.   For people with the courage to respond, it becomes a calling they will never regret answering.  

How can you understand what God is calling you to do with your gifts when this unsettling feeling keeps surfacing?  First, this feeling is how God gets our attention – it’s a nudge to peak our interest.  Find time and space for private prayer where you can talk with God about these feelings and the purpose for your life.    

Seeking your path through prayer will open the doors to a deeper understanding of the meaning of life and, with time , clarity will show the path God wishes you to choose.  The most exciting part of our life here on earth is the uniqueness God has planned for each individual life.  True fulfillment of your purpose in life is reached by building an ever deepening personal relationship with God.   To accept God as your guide, you must open yourself up to God’s graces.  As you move through this experience you realize the great love you are being gifted with. It is a love that has always been there for you. You will begin to understand God’s special call for you to love others as God loves you.

Devoting your entire life to God’s work ultimately requires living with God at the center of your life.  The journey is filled with challenges as you gradually become the truest self God created you to be.  It’s not always easy, yet living in tune with God’s desires for you ultimately leads to joy and happiness.  This journey fills you with unbelievable love and quiet resolve in using your special gifts in a liberating, healing and compassionate way. And, you will be filled with a sense of belonging in community as you pray together.

The life of a Catholic sister, nun, priest or brother can take many twists and turns but one thing you can count on is that the purpose of your life as a religious will become very clear as God inspires you to help others.  As told in the Bible, St. Luke spent most of his life following St. Paul and the other disciples as a doctor spreading the good news.  Little did he know he would go on to write the books of Luke and Acts which make up almost one third of the New Testament. Following God’s guidance can take you on many unexpected and exciting journeys. 

As you explore your purpose in life, continue to place your faith in Christ, and understand the significance of your decision to walk with Christ.  When in prayer with God, always remember to stop and listen. Christ will reveal himself to you when you are ready. God has given everyone a passion for life, and will use yours to make a better world, if you allow him to.   Consider becoming a Catholic sister, brother or priest. 

About the Author: Sister Pat Dowling is the Vocation Director of the Sisters of Bon Secours, an international congregation of Catholic Sisters engaged in active ministry.  Bon Secours was founded in the early 1800’s in Paris, France with 12 young women answering God’s call to help the sick and people who were poor. Nearly 200 years later, Bon Secours Sisters have expanded to seven countries and continue to create religious communities worldwide that focus on the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of people, as well as, guiding women interested in how to become a nun. For more information on the Sisters of Bon Secours visit http://BonSecoursVocations.org or email: CBSvocations@bshsi.org.

Link to Article One: Discovering Your Gifts

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 moments of joy, clarity, or a sudden attraction to holiness. 

It’s a great read and provides a practical ‘how-to guide’ in addressing every day questions we ask ourselves, “How do I know who I’m supposed to be” “How can I face suffering?” “How can I be happy?” “How can I find God?” “How do I make good decisions?”

Bon Secours Chapel, Marriottsville, MD photo by Sunshine E. Monk

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.

Pictured from left to right: Sr. Pat Eck, Susan Bodin, Dean of the School and now Dean of the College, Sr. Anne Marie Mack

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”

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 follow God’s lead.

God wants to have an intimate relationship with you. God is fully aware of your inner passion, spiritual gifts, and the challenges you face in opening your heart to God’s guidance. When you pray, understand that God wants you to know Him on a more intimate level. As you begin to open up your heart to this experience, praying and longing for the will of God to be present in your actions, you must also spend time listening for God’s voice within you. Many occurrences throughout the Bible point to the fact that God reveals God’s own self in a secret and quiet place. To understand Gods plan for our lives, we must open our hearts to quietly listen and then follow what our heart is saying to us.

Every day we must place our self in God’s hands, letting God guide us in our actions with others in our jobs as well as our relationship with friends and family and for those in colleges and universities with their classmates.

Learning to place our complete trust in God is sometimes hard to do.  As we learn in the book of Job, the how’s and why’s of God’s actions are beyond our understanding, but it is by following God’s will that we receive every blessing.  It is in following God’s will through our emotional pain, that we experience spiritual growth and redemption. Following God’s will is discovered in the deepest part of your heart by listening to your life and trying to understand what your life is truly about.

Letting go of the pieces of our lives we don’t want God to have control of can be confusing and uncomfortable.  However, as you depend on God more and more for strength and guidance, your passions and purpose in life will be liberated.  Your confidence in your decisions on life’s journey will grow and you’ll experience a deep sense of peace.  Asking not, “What ought I do with my life?” but, “Who am I? or, What is my true nature?” are the essential questions that lead to answering vocational questions.  If we walk this earth to be the gifts that God created, then what will bring our deeper selves peace and joy?  Frederick Buechner says a true vocation is, “the place where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep need.”

As we learn in James 2:17, faith without works is dead. We can say we believe but if we do not trust God’s desires for us even when in doubt, our faith will not grow.  Acting upon God’s desires for us takes a combination of listening quietly in prayer and putting our faith into action.   God will even provide you opportunities to have significant impact on people’s lives as Jesus continually draws you into a deeper personal relationship with God.

Being afraid of the unknown is a major factor in the hesitation to surrender your life to God’s calling. Losing your comfort level and not really knowing what God will do with you is difficult to take on.  God has revealed through the Word, (John 3:16) that we are to surrender our gifts so that God can refine them and give them back to us wholly and fully within our hearts to share with others and the world.  God will indeed liberate your soul.  Opening your heart to God may lead to wonderful surprises you could never have dreamt of.       

Pray and listen for God’s guidance in finding and using your passions and spiritual gifts.  Trust that God will use them and follow God’s calling when you hear it.  Enjoy a faith filled life rich in love and human kindness.  Best of all, enjoy an intimate and inspiring walk of faith with God as your constant companion!

About the Author: Sister Pat Dowling is the Vocation Director of the Sisters of Bon Secours, an international congregation of Catholic Sisters engaged in active ministry.   The Bon Secours Community was founded during the early 1800’s in Paris, France, answering God’s calling to help the sick and people who were poor. Nearly 200 years later, Bon Secours Sisters have expanded to seven countries and continue to create religious communities worldwide that focus on the physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs of people, as well as, guiding women interested in how to become a nun. For more information on the Sisters of Bon Secours visit http://BonSecoursVocations.org or email: CBSvocations@bshsi.org.

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 religious life.  Creatively raising awareness about religious life, we are finding new ways to identify, invite and build relationships with women who may consider a vocation with the Sisters of Bon Secours. 

Several times a year the Sisters welcome single, Catholic women who want to learn and explore religious life during Come and See weekends.  Participants talk with and share reflections, prayer, liturgy and leisure with sisters.  Women are also welcome to visit at other times throughout the year.   

Please help us extend this invitation to women by encouraging them to consider it.  Resources to share: www.BonSecoursVocations.org, 1-877-742-0277, or email at CBSVocations@bshsi.org.  The Sisters of Bon Secours would love the opportunity to talk with you or those you refer.  Please keep us in mind and in your prayers throughout this Year of Vocations!