Another Sister's Story:The Best Decision I Ever Made
By Sister Theresa Rickard, OP
I've chosen to be a Dominican Sister at a time when many of my peers have rejected the institutional church and don't consider a vocation as a Sister, Brother, or priest a viable option. Many think I'm crazy. For me it's been the hardest, yet best decision I've ever made.
The picture of normal
I was brought up in a middle-class family in the suburbs of New York City, the fifth of six children. My parents are committed Catholics who sent me to Catholic schools, and I felt nurtured and strengthened by my faith. I partied in college and played varsity sports. I was engaged to be married. I run, bike, and love life
I have deep and long-standing friendships with women and men, and I'm close to my family. I'm crazy about my nieces and nephews. I struggle with celibacy, and my heart yearns when I hold a baby. One of our Sisters who taught high school in the Bronx told her students one day, "No, you won't die if you don't have sex. I stand before you as living, breathing proof." However, there are fleeting moments when I wonder.
I believe that being a nun is not about what I have given up. It's not just about sacrifice. If that were the whole story, I would be long gone. A friend of mine once told me, "You don't want to be a nun because all that life is about is none of this and none of that." But I didn't become a Sister to do penance or to escape life. Instead, I became one to engage in life in a fuller way. I have a fire for God and a passionate desire to make a difference in our church and world. I'm energized by being part of something greater than myself.
Why I became a Dominican Sister of Blauvelt Barbara Ann Sgro, OP The Best Decision I Ever Made Sister Theresa Rickard, OP |
I realized that volunteering for a few years in church service was not enough. God was asking me to radically give over my life. At age 26, I finally took the plunge and entered the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt, New York. I began my life and ministry as a Sister in the South Bronx, where I was shaped and formed by the people with whom I lived and ministered. My theological studies and graduate degrees from Fordham University and Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where I received a Master in Divinity, were opportunities to reflect theologically on my experiences and hone my pastoral skills.
The people in the Bronx, whom I served and love, continue to shape my spirit and deepen my compassion. They warmly welcomed me into their hearts and families. They put up with my imperfect Spanish, lack of experience, and pale skin. They taught me about the variety of their cultures, and invited me to bless their children and listen to their stories of brokenness and their dreams for a better future. The Latinos served me rice and beans; the West Africans shared cola nuts with me and explained their tribal customs. I became minister, healer, godmother, confidant, friend and most important, Sister.
By word and deed
Presently I am a staff member of RENEW International and as such visit parishes throughout the US. Prior to that I was a vocation minister for my Dominican Congregation, where I helped young adults grow in their faith and discover ways to serve God. Through my work, past and present, I act as a companion to those who are exploring a call to serve the church by becoming a Dominican sister. I also have a preaching ministry and offer retreats to a variety of people and age groups. In my preparation, I reflect on the community I will be addressing and try to tap into their issues, values and struggles. I share my faith, hoping to connect with their life. My prayer is that a word will inspire and lead them into the process of healing, forgiveness, and to a deeper and more personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
The vows at their best
The vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience that I've embraced and continue to struggle with are vehicles of life for me. Sister Joan Chittister, a noted author, states, "What the world needs now, respects now, demands now, is not poverty, chastity, and obedience; it is generous justice, reckless love, and limitless listening." She does not mean we should abandon our traditional vows, but reinterpret them in a way that makes sense in today's world.
The vows I took commit me to rail against the status quo and what most people in our world value. So I now understand poverty as sharing my life generously with others; I live a simple lifestyle, am committed to ecological stewardship, and have a deep concern for the poor. I believe in chastity as a radical love of God and all God's people, especially the marginalized and oppressed people of our world; and that obedience means attentively listening to God, my church, my religious order, and the needs of God's people.
My vows give me a framework to shed the materialism, consumerism, and excessive individualism that permeate our society. While learning to do with a lot less, I have experienced not deprivation, but freedom and inner peace. I find joy in the simple things of life and continue to discover that more is not necessarily better. The spirituality behind these vows can be helpful to anyone seeking the spiritual life: living simply, loving faithfully, and listening to others, especially the poor.
Excerpt from Spiritual Manifestos: Visions for Renewed Religious Life in America © 1999 Niles Elliot Goldstein (Woodstock, VT: Sky Light Paths Publishing). $21.95 plus $3.75 s/h. Order by mail or call 800-962-4544 or online www.skylightpaths.com. Permission granted by Sky Light Paths Publishing, P.O. Box 237, Woodstock VT, 05091.