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Sisters renew commitment to service
By Ambria Hammel, The Catholic Sun
November 15, 2007
Some 600 sisters in 23 states and three foreign countries marked the 175th anniversary of their order this month by renewing their vows.
In Phoenix, 11 Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary committed themselves to a vowed life of faithfulness to God, one another and the poor during a Nov. 1 Mass celebrated by Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted at Xavier College Preparatory.
“I thought it was a beautiful and fitting presentation,” said Sr. Barbara Fernandes, BVM. “I’m a Xavier grad so this means a lot to me.”
Sr. Barbara was one of four Xavier alumnae-turned-nuns who renewed vows. She said the renewal gave her a sense of awareness of all those religious women who had gone before her.
“And to be in the presence of these young women and know that they are the future, it was very appropriate,” said Sr. Barbara, a teacher’s assistant at St. Theresa School.
Senior Christine Sperco found the celebration inspiring. She said she always heard about the sisters, known as the BVMs, but didn’t understand the differences between religious orders. That difference became clearer last month when she celebrated Mother Clarke Day with the BVMs at Xavier.
The day honored Mary Frances Clarke, who founded the American order in 1833. She learned even more during the jubilee celebration, including their contribution to Catholic education in the diocese. The sisters founded Xavier and four other diocesan schools.
“I was just thinking how much of an impact they made on the school,” Sperco said after the anniversary Mass. “Three of the strongest women at our school were standing up there.”
Bishop Olmsted called the sisters “a great legacy of women serving the Church.” They seek holiness and seek “to bring others to appreciate the great work of God’s Spirit among us,” he added.
“We are women who have been touched by God’s steadfast love,” the sisters said as they renewed their vows. As a response to that love, the sisters vowed a lifetime of poverty, chastity and obedience while serving the poor.
Sr. Joan Fitzgerald, BVM, Xavier principal, and Sr. Lynn Winsor, BVM, vice principal, said they were very pleased with the ceremony.
For Sr. Joan, the music sung by the student choirs brought back memories of her early days in the convent when she first learned the songs. BVM sisters wrote some of the songs the students performed during the Mass.
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