"Maybe today, someone in this very church feels called to religious life or the priesthood. Be courageous like Mary and Blessed Marie-Rose! ... Together, as Gospel Women, we will continue to make a difference!"
Sr. Susan Wells, SNJM: joy in final vows
Sr. Susan Wells, San Bernardino, California, professed her Final Vows on December 8, 2007. Here are her reflections, which she read during the ceremony:
Our readings today offer us a glimpse of the lives of two women of faith. When the young Mary responded YES to God's messenger, she could not have imagined where her YES would take her. And when Eulalie Durocher and with the help of her two companions, founded the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus and Mary over 164 years ago, I am sure she never imagined that her YES would be followed by the YES of thousands of other Holy Names Sisters who continue to serve in North, South and Central America, Africa, Asia and beyond.
Their YES goes to the very heart of what it means to be a Gospel woman. Their YES, spoken boldly in times of uncertainty, have given us the clearest example of how we are to be as followers of Jesus, in a faith community and as women religious in the 21st Century.
For we too, live in uncertain times; and we need their example. Here in our Parish community of Our Lady of Hope, we have been asked to let go of what was familiar to us, and say YES to build not just a new church building, but a new community of faith. Some of us prefer to hold on to the past as a way of avoiding the change,but we can look to Mary, who gave up her very body in order that Jesus might become the incarnate Word among us. Will we have that same courage?
And in our Holy Names community, we have merged five provinces, forming one new Province. Our YES means that we too must let go of the familiar. Will we have the same courage that Mary and Blessed Marie Rose had? Will we have the same audacity as the 12 Holy Names Sisters who left Canada in 1859 and immigrated to the United States to meet the needs of the times? Some of them only spoke French. But their audacious YES forged a legacy of excellence in education that is still flourishing nearly 150 years after the sisters arrived in the United States and then continued on to other parts of Canada and beyond. In fact, the history of the Sisters of the Holy Names is a history of Gospel Women responding YES to God's call, wherever it might take us.
Today, the tradition continues as I say YES, like so many women before me. But why do I commitment to religious life and to this SNJM community? The answer for me is because I know in my heart that this is where God desires that I serve. And each day, God continues to affirm me in my call to live a life consecrated to God as a Sister of the Holy Names. Above all, God has affirmed my decision by the immense joy I experience in professing publicly and living fully the vows of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience. I embrace and fully live these vows, because they enable and empower me to serve God by doing my part in building up the Reign of God in my lifetime. These vows continue today, as they did 100, or 1000 years ago, to be a countercultural profession, rooted in love of God. These vows enable those of us who profess them to stand in solidarity with those on the margins and be the prophetic voice, calling people to conversion and transformation. So often, people have said to me, "How could you give up so much?" But my response is that I have not given up so much, rather I have been given so much. The vows, indeed my life consecrated to God, have given me more freedom than I could ever imagine. Freedom to love fully, share freely and listen with the ear of the heart to all that God desires for me, for my congregation and for the world. But all of this does not just happen. It happens because I am in a community, with one heart (the Heart of Jesus).
My YES today and every day signifies that my love for GOD is enough! And today, I follow proudly in the footsteps of so many other women who also said YES. Maybe today, someone in this very church feels called to religious life or the priesthood. Be courageous like Mary and Blessed Marie Rose! Join your YES with mine and that of the hundreds of other sisters who will stand to renew their YES in just a few moments! Together, as Gospel Women, we have and will continue to make a difference!
The vow ring that I just received was worn for 56 years by a sister who died almost one year ago. Sr. Mary Faith Clarke was truly a Gospel Woman who touched the lives of so many people. By receiving her ring today, my YES means that the Holy Names Sisters will continue to bring God's love to those most in need. My YES today, means Sr. Faith's legacy of hope for the future of our congregation lives on in me.