Tonight at 7:00pm, Sister Pat Dowling, CBS vocation director will launch the Sisters Chat Room for women who are exploring their call to religious life. Featured guest is Sister Chris Webb who will share her story of being called to religious life and how she knew. Sr. Chris is preparing to make final vows November 12 and will be sharing what this means over a four week period with women who exploring their own calling to religious life. To access Sisters Chat go to our home page and click on Sisters Chat. Instructions for logging on are found on the Chat Room page. Hope to see you on Sisters Chat!

The Spirit calls us to be co-dreamers…to be co-creators.
by: Sister Elaine Davia, CBS

It is amazing what a garden teaches one about community life as a Sister of Bon Secours:

It takes a lot of preparation and tending to keep it healthy and fruitful;
And the need for creativity, to tend and care in organic ways that don’t pollute or contaminate;
It’s the variety of colors, shapes and sizes that make it so beautiful and successful;
And the plants need to be rotated to continue to produce healthy fruit;
Some of the most beautiful flowers have really thorny spines (ouch);
A healthy garden attracts LOTS of life and visitors;
Some of the visitors have a real sting…but essential for pollination and growth of fruit;
Some visitors are quiet and inconspicuous, but necessary for healthy soil (e.g. the worms);
Some of the regulars appear to do nothing but add beauty;
Some just wait till the right moment then ruin the veggie (e.g. stink bugs and eggplant fleas);
There are rare, special visitors (e.g. a praying mantis and a hummingbird);
And of … continue reading…

“] MARRIOTTSVILLE, Md. Sr. Alice M. Talone, CBS, celebrates 50 years with the Sisters of Bon Secours. Born in Bryn Mawr, Pa., Sr. Alice attended St. Colman’s Grade School and Villa Maria Academy and is a graduate of Bon Secours Nursing School in Baltimore. She received a B.S.N. from the University of Pennsylvania and M.A. in pastoral ministry from Trinity College in Washington, D.C.

Sr. Alice has served as a nurse, pastoral associate and patient advocate, working for many years at Bon Secours Hospital in West Baltimore. In the Congregation, she has served as vocation director and, most recently, president of the Sisters of Bon Secours, a position she held until 2009. She is also a member of the Bon Secours Health System’s board of directors and its committees.

The Congregation of the Sisters of Bon Secours, a religious congregation of Roman Catholic women founded in Paris in 1824, brings compassion, healing and liberation to those it serves, especially those … continue reading…

“] MARRIOTTSVILLE, Md. Sr. Katherine Ann Durney, CBS, celebrates 65 years with the Sisters of Bon Secours. Born in Wilmington, Del., she attended St. ThomasLore & Bayard Grade School and Wilmington High School. Sr. Katherine Ann graduated from St. Francis School of Nursing in Wilmington and received her nursing home administrator license in 1977. In 1987, Sr. Katherine Ann became a certified pastoral care chaplain and ministered to patients and residents in Bon Secours
health facilities. She is now retired and volunteers at Bon Secours Assisted Living facility in Norfolk, Va.

The Congregation of the Sisters of Bon Secours, a religious congregation of Roman Catholic women founded in Paris in 1824, brings compassion, healing and liberation to those it serves, especially those who are sick, suffering, poor or dying. Whether in health care, education or social services, in hospitals, senior care facilities, clinics or parishes, in towns and cities or isolated villages, Bon Secours responds to … continue reading…

Today, the Sisters of Bon Secours celebrate the Feast of Our Lady Help of Christians.  With this prayer, we remember our many blessings and ask for favor where we serve.

Mary, we come before you as a Congregation dedicated to you,
look favorably on our sisters in all the countries where we serve…
animate us with a loving prayerful spirit,
send generous women to us to help us to extend
the healing work of your Son on earth. 
May we be the echo of your “fiat” when God calls upon us.
May we be your goodness to those you wish to aid.
May the Spirit of the Lord help us,
especially in moments of difficulty, to repeat with you,
“Behold the handmaid of the Lord.”

(Prayer for the Congregation; Act of Consecration to Our Lady of Bon Secours)

This summer the Sisters of Bon Secours will be hosting a short-term service project for young, single women, ages 18 to 35, who have a willingness to serve those in need. Project Good Help will be held in July. Volunteers will need to arrive in the evening on Thursday, the 21st and will finish up in the morning on Tuesday the 26th. The women will stay at the Sister’s headquarters in Marriottsville, MD and work in nearby Baltimore city at a community garden, a drop-in center for women, a family support/learning center and a senior housing center.  This will be an excellent opportunity to serve the less fortunate and make a difference in the community.  

During this service opportunity, the volunteers will be able to share their experience with sisters and apply it to their own lives.  Each day will also be bathed in prayer and reflection. 

Interested in learning more?  Click Here for more information about Project Good Help and to access our online PDF application.

 We are happy to share this news of our sisters in Peru.  Amabilia Arriaga Garcia, Joana Castillo Segura, and Yovani Martinez Carbajal took their temporary profession of vows on March 19 in Lima, Peru.  This step in the formation process was approved in January when Sisters Pat Eck and Rose Marie Jasinski, USA country leader, joined other leaders from Peru, France, and Ireland for congregation team meetings at the Sisters of Bon Secours Formation House in Peru.  After accepting the request for the three novices to take their temporary vows, the leaders were able to share the happy news with them in person. 

The three sisters started the formation process as candidates before becoming novices.  The candidacy phase involved the women living with a group of Sisters of Bon Secours while learning about the methods of prayer and discovering their talents and gifts.  After requesting to move to the novitiate phase, they spent two years studying the principles of … continue reading…

Srs. Pat Dowling and Fran Gorsuch attended Baltimore’s Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS) conference January 21-23 to connect with young women and share the mission of the Sisters of Bon Secours.  The conference, also sponsored by the Sisters of Bon Secours, was held in four U.S. cities and attracted thousands of young adults.  College students were invited to learn more about answering God’s call and encouraged to discover all of the gifts and talents God has provided.  This year students from sixteen colleges and universities attended the Baltimore conference. 

Students at the conference were able to hear renowned speakers in the Catholic community speak about important topics including finding fulfillment in life and how to incorporate faith into their busy lives.  In addition, students attended a special pre-screening of Emilio Estevez’s new film “The Way” about hardships, everlasting bonds, and what it means to be a citizen of the … continue reading…

World AIDS Day is celebrated on the first day of December and is dedicated to raising awareness of the AIDS pandemic caused by the spread of HIV Infection.  It is a day to remember those we have lost to this horrible disease, as well as vow to save as many lives as we can, now, and in the future, through awareness and prevention.  In the past decade alone, AIDS awareness campaigns have successfully saved millions of lives worldwide. 

Statistically, we may be saving lives, but until the day that the disease is fully eradicated, the threat remains.  According to UNAIDS estimates, there are now 33.3 million people living with HIV, including 2.5 million children. During 2009 some 2.6 million people became newly infected with the virus and an estimated 1.8 million people died from AIDS.  HIV/AIDS is a threat to men, women and children on all continents around the world.

[caption id=”attachment_4001″ align=”alignleft” width=”200″ caption=”A large, red ribbon hangs between the columns in the north portico of the White House for World … continue reading…

Travel, cleaning, preparation, sleeping arrangements, laundry, and mental anxiety.  And don’t forget the turkey and all of the trimmings.  Add to all of this “normal” Thanksgiving stress the dread and anxiety associated with reuniting with family members who might not share the same religious beliefs or political opinions, or who fester a lifetime of pain and anger and it can make for a LONG day.

What about those suffering from a lost job, economic instability, death of a loved one, or a new diagnosis of cancer?  Tragic, life-altering events don’t just disappear because it is a “special” day on the calendar.  Sometimes, it seems worse during the holidays. 

A woman I spoke to recently admitted that she found it hard to give thanks when everything in her life seemed to be falling apart.  Even though she could find gratitude in the small things like the fact that her car starts when she needs to go to work, and that she has … continue reading…