Responding with courage and personal sacrifice to the call of Christ in the Church, our foundresses lived out their desire to become women of prayer, community and service
SSMO Constitutions, Article 1
Dear Friends,
Summer Blessings! May this be a time of refreshment and renewal. I am delighted to share that we hosted two “Come and See” retreats and had three young women visit us on each of those days. We hope that these six women will return for more visits.
We are anticipating our exciting Community events of the summer – Jubilee, Perpetual Profession, Retreat, and Community Days when the whole Community gathers for meetings and fun. Later issues of this newsletter will share information about an unusual event this summer, The Eucharistic Revival, which
will take place in Indianapolis later this month.
Blessings,
Sr. Charlene
Meet our Sisters – Sister Diana Jean Neumayer
Sister Diana Jean will be celebrating her 25th Jubilee on Sunday, July 28.
Sister Diana Jean grew up in Southern California and entered the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon after raising her family. She has an amazing story of unwavering dedication to her parents, children, grandchildren and Sisters.
Visit the 2024 Jubilee page to see her video and read more about her journey of unwavering dedication and joy.
Discernment Opportunities
Opportunities with SSMO
Here are a few first-hand opportunities for women who are considering a commitment to religious life to learn more with our Sisters.
Additional Opportunities
There are several ways to increase your knowledge and experience of religious
life this summer – praying, reading, encountering, visiting, and asking questions.
Questions about Discernment
What resources do you recommend for my discernment?
“VISION Vocation Guide” (magazine) and VocationNetwork.org are valuable resources for discernment articles and videos. Interactive features on the website include Community Search, Vocation Calendar and
Vocation Match.
The SSMO Vocations webpages also provide insight into discernment and formation as well as events, FAQs and key terms for discerners.
Did you Know?
Interesting facts about members who entered religious life from 2003 to 2018:
Myth: No one is entering religious life anymore.
Fact: Approximately 70 percent of religious communities have had at least one person in formation since 2009. Nearly 20 percent have had two or more people in some stage of formation. Today’s numbers are different from the large numbers that entered religious life through the 1950s and 1960s. Many people use that period as a comparison.
Historically, the smaller number of entrants seen today is normal for religious communities. In recent years, more than 200 men and women per year have professed perpetual vows to join dozens of different communities.
Even more begin the formal application process. 400-500 U.S. men and women each year begin the entrance process through a period of serious discernment.
