Please enjoy this blog entry from Sisters Bernie and Chris, as they continue on their journeys to becoming a Sister of Bon Secours.
We had a tour of the Mother House led by Sr. Yvonne Moreau today.  It was like going back in time walking in the footsteps of the sisters who came before us. 

The creaking of the floorboards brought into existence the realities of the strong and courageous women who took care of the poor, sick and dying.  The walls and the furniture made the past real today. 

The Bon Secours Chapel was the highlight of this two-hour tour.  It was more exquisite and breathtaking than pictures or imagination portray. 

We also had the opportunity to hear the vocation stories of the Peruvian, Irish, and English sisters and shared our stories. 

The fascinating thing we found was that while the stories took place in different places, different … continue reading…

As published on June 4, 2010 in The Weekly Insider, Volume 5, Issue 22 in the Sisters Corner column.

A Commitment to Healing

Flying across time zones, Sister Patricia Eck, C.B.S. saw first hand the devastation left by a Tsunami that left over 250,000 dead in 2004. Representing Bon Secours Health System as part of a delegation from Catholic Relief Services, Sr. Pat Eck as chair of the BSHSI board stood on the expansive flatlands of Banda Aceh in 2005 and realized that no one could have survived the violence of the tsunami that struck Indonesia.

The purpose of the trip was to see first hand how donations helped in recovery and as a witness to tell the story of how CRS relief efforts are doing wonderful works. Three years later in January 2010, Sr. Pat, as Chair of Bon Secours Ministries and as Congregation Leader for the Sisters of Bon Secours stood in the desert heat of Trujillo, Peru as part of a delegation from BSHSI to support the formal launch of a collaborative Infant Mortality Project to … continue reading…

They say the opposite of war is not love…it is PEACE.  And I have to say that this video, actually it is a trailer for an independent film, certainly brings light to how strongly we should be waging a campaign for Peace.  What do you think?

Here is an excerpt from the Global Zero website:
The film is a fascinating and frightening exploration of the dangers of nuclear weapons, exposing a variety of present day threats and featuring insights from a host of international experts and world leaders who advocate the total elimination of nuclear weapons.

Countdown to Zero is a chilling wake-up call about the urgency of the nuclear threat. It tells the striking story of uncertainty, exposing the real possibility of nuclear disaster and revealing the truth behind an issue on which human survival itself hangs.

Recently, Sister Pat Eck (Congregation Leader) and Sister Rose Marie Jasinski (Country Leader) traveled to Lima, Peru for a Cultural Welcome Program. 

Says Sr. Rose:
My time in Peru was very busy but also very blessed.  We had the opportunity to visit many of the ministry sites of the sisters there and were warmly greeted by all.  The children were especially excited to see us and offered gifts, flowers, and entertainment of song & dance. 

Join with others across the USA on July 30 to pray for the gulf oil spill, for the devastated fragile ecosystems, and for a complete response from officials.

“Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God.  Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.”  1 John 4:7

Creator God, we join together with people from across the USA to pray for the Gulf oil spill crisis and its impacts on the people, the water, the land, the fish, and all creation.  Together we cry out with those affected by this unprecedented disaster and we pray for complete resolution that will meet the urgent needs of people in the Gulf region.

Inspire and guide all people who labor tirelessly to contain the oil that has affected lives across the region and beyond.  Give us the means to help the people whose livelihoods are suffering, and give your … continue reading…

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

Yesteday, the Sisters of Bon Secours celebrated one of the Church’s feasts of Mary, the mother of Jesus.  Every year on on May 24th, we gather to celebrate the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians (Our Lady of Bon Secours), patronness of our community.  We’d like to share the following prayer with you taken from our prayer manual.

O Mary, our Mother, we come to you today to thank you for all the favors we have received through your intercession, and to ask you as our Patroness, the Help of Christians, to help us in our vocation to Bon Secours to imitate you in your virtues, especially, your humility, patience, love, prayerfulness and hatred for sin.

 Mary, we come before you as a Congregation dedicated to you, look favorably on our sisters in all the countries where we serve; give us good capable leaders, animate us with … continue reading…

Sister Pat Eck attends the International Union of Superiors General(UISG) Plenary Session May 7-11, 2010 to exchange ideas and experiences on religious life as it is evolving in todays world.

Sister Mary Catherine Rogers, passed away on Wednesday May 5, 2010 following a brief illness.  After completing her novitiate, Sr. Mary Catherine, a graduate of Bon Secours School of Nursing in Baltimore, MD, served in Bon Secours Hospital’s Labor and Delivery,  her department in Baltimore before receiving a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Catholic University of America.

She went on to serve in ministries in Richmond, VA and Grosse, Point, MI. Sr. Mary Catherine later returned to Baltimore just after her 25th jubilee, and in October 1983, she was elected as a councilor to the Congregation Team in Rome, Italy.

Many will remember Sr. Mary Catherine as the Sponsor representative on the Board of Directors at St. Francis Xavier Hospital in Charleston and as Sr. Vice President of Sponsorship at Bon Secours Venice Hospital in Venice, Florida. 

Sr. Mary Catherine was a nursing instructor in the School of Nursing and many a nurse today owe their nursing license to her because  her teaching methods were so thorough. 

She loved the charism of BonSecours.  Sharing … continue reading…

8:30 pm
Saturday, March 27, 2010

Turn your lights out
for 60 minutes!!! 

As a Sister of Bon Secours and as someone who is very conscious about the consumption of our earth’s resources, I would like to ask your participation in this global effort to make a difference.  All you have to do is turn off all your lights for one hour at 8:30 pm (your local time).  Use this as a chance to be creative, and think of something fun to do…like playing board games by candlelight or take an evening walk for one hour.  Each small contribution we make adds up when it is made by the masses.

Earth hour, organized by the World Wildlife Fund, began on a “small” scale in 2007 in Sydney, Australia, with about 2.2 million homes and businesses turning off lights.  By 2009, the effort had expanded to hundreds of millions of participants in over 4,000 cities in 88 countries!  You can only imagine what kind of difference is made in energy conservation, and … continue reading…