As initial membership coordinators, we have certainly been aware
of the three-fold focus of the Year
of Consecrated Life (YCL): to look
at the past with gratitude, to live
the present with passion, and to
embrace the future with hope.
BVMs Mary McElmeel (Eugenne) (l.) and Janita Curoe answer student questions at the annual 6th Grade
Vocation Day sponsored by the Dubuque Area Vocation Association (DAVA).
Initial Membership:
Sharing the Mission of Mary Frances Clarke
by Kathy Carr, BVM and Lou Anglin, BVM
For us, the latter two have special
meaning, for they touch the very essence
of what our ministry in initial membership is all about. As we frequently say, “All
that we do in our ministry needs to be
seen within the context of helping others
to discern how God is calling them. We
prayerfully walk with people who are
discerning where God might be leading them and see our role as providing
opportunities for others to come to know
religious life and experience BVM life, mission and spirituality as it is lived today.”
Sharing the mission of Mary Frances
Clarke is central to all we do . . . hoping, yes, that women will be interested
in becoming vowed members, perhaps
become an associate, maybe join us as a
volunteer or be a part of our ministries
for a while. We share our charism as a gift
offered—with no strings attached. What
we do is what all BVMs are called to do . . .
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we simply represent our BVM sisters in a
very focused way of sharing the charism of
Mary Frances Clarke and our way of living religious life in the modern world.
Reaching Out Through Retreats
A major reason for the Year of Consecrated Life is to help all people be more
aware of this vibrant, dynamic way of
responding to God’s call. In our ministry
of initial membership, we have developed
many ways of reaching out to adults and
young adults to help them discern God’s
call in their own lives.
One of our frequent activities is
to assist with week-long “Busy Person
Retreats” at colleges, where we serve as
companions to individual students and
faculty as they seek to grow in their spiritual lives.
These retreats prove to be life-changing for many of those who participate.
As Anna from Clarke University in
Dubuque, Iowa, stated, “I was able to
be completely open and felt comfort-
able sharing my faith and life experiences
with the person who was my spiritual
companion . . . I look forward to it every
year.” And Alison from Loras College
in Dubuque shared, “The retreat and
my continued friendship with Sr. Kathy
allowed me to grow closer to God. I was
able to ask questions about my faith without fear of judgment. I could really open
up about my doubts and through this
process I was able to deepen my faith.”
In addition to offering the busy person retreats at colleges, we also offer them
annually for our own lay staff at Mount
Carmel, Dubuque, providing them with an
opportunity to grow in their own spirituality. Development office staff member Lori
Hesseling shares: “Being part of the busy
person retreat helped me to slow down and
focus on those areas of my life that needed
a little fine tuning. Sr. Kathy Carr was a
delight to share my experience with.”
Another important aspect of our ministry is to co-sponsor two discernment
retreats each year with three women’s con-