Things have changed since the days of veils

By Joanne Flemming
Compass Correspondent

	S p e c i a l   S e c t i o n : Vocations Awareness Week 2004
	• Bridging the Gap by Bishop David A. Zubik --     'Many are called:' Let's all be vocations directors  • Profiles of the men who became priests last year     Just what kind of men become priests today?  • Angels in the 'Hood'     Chicago outreach changes lives for inner city people  • How one person made a difference for a seminarian     Support can make all the difference for those     discerning a vocation  • Deacon candidates should show background of service     'Deacons are not simply created by ordination'     • Sidebar: Deacon eligibility  • Joining a religious community is a process     Years of discernment follow a gentle invitation     • Sidebar: Signs of a call  • Norbertine finds that God is always there     God comes to us in many ways, including in the flesh  • Editorial -- Our vocations     One of our callings as Catholics is to look for and     encourage call to the priesthood

So you think you want to become a Sister?

If you attended parochial school before Vatican II, you may remember classmates who entered the convent after grade school or high school.

Groups coming in then were large. Sr. Laura Hrindak of Green Bay recalled that there were 30 in her 1967 class when she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph-Third Order of St. Francis for the first time at 17.

Formation was more regimented, and everyone wore habits, said Sr. Debra Weina, vocation ministry director for the Sisters of St. Joseph. She entered the Stevens Point-based community in 1980.

Adaptations

Today, formation in many communities is adapted to the individual woman entering, and many Sisters wear secular dress. Even the terms for the various stages in formation have changed in many communities. There are less "aspirants" and "postulants," but more "pre-candidates" and "candidates," said Sr. Weina.

A candidate today is likely to begin her formation in the home-like setting of a House of Discernment like Villa St. Clare in Green Bay, where Sr. Rita Schmidt is Candidate Director.

The Sisters of St. Joseph opened Villa St. Clare in 2002 in the former 17-room rectory of Annunciation Parish. Three sisters make up the core team. Besides Sr. Schmidt, these include Sr. Geraldine Smurawa and Sr. Hrindak. There are currently two candidates - Marge Kalina and Patricia Torrefranca.

Discernment houses

Sr. Weina explained that the Sisters of St. Joseph began considering houses of discernment years ago, when space used at their Stevens Point motherhouse was needed for retired sisters. The community chose to open its first house in Green Bay, said Sr. Schmidt, because the order was founded, in 1901, in Green Bay and has always "had a presence" here.

The order also considered the kind of resources, such as colleges, that the Green Bay area provides. The Sisters of St. Joseph are now thinking about opening houses of discernment for Chicago and Cleveland, Ohio, where they also have ministries.

There are several stages on a woman's journey to final vows, Sr. Weina said. A commission of sisters helps her screen inquiries about the order. There are personal visits; she may visit the motherhouse on "come and see" weekends or even for a week.

What Sr. Weina wants is to hear a woman say, "I feel like I have come home. I feel comfortable with the community. I want to know more about your charism (personal ministry work)."

According to Sr. Schmidt, the Sisters of Sr. Joseph are looking for women who are "faith-filled and mature, who have an understanding of life and compassionate hearts. They understand the mission of the church in bringing goodness, justice and peace to our world."

"They must have a sense of balance between prayer and independent living," added Sr. Weina.

Lifestyle changes

As a candidate, Sr. Hrindak said the one of the challenges she faced is living on a budget. What they earn is pooled with other residents at the house of discernment, and each has a small amount for personal expenses.

Sr. Hrindak added that community life is more than just living together. "It's a oneness," she said. "It's ... having the same philosophy and spirituality."

In addition to informal spiritual growth and regular meetings with the candidate director, candidates participate in the monthly, Inter-Community Pre-Novitiate Program held in Racine with other religious communities and including both women and men. Meetings cover topics such as community building, wellness, conflict resolution, and multicultural experiences.

Candidacy is also a period of evaluation, Sr. Weina said. The candidate learns if the community is right for her, and the discernment team and other leaders in the order look at how well she is doing. When the time is right, a candidate may become a novice.

(For more information about the Sisters of St. Joseph and Villa St. Clare, contact Sr. Debra Weina at P.O. Box 305, Stevens Point, WI 54481-0305 or call (715)341-8457. The community's website is www.ssj-tosf.org. The e-mail is vocations@ssj-tosf.org.)