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, Pilgrims of Hope,
This is my last Vocations Newsletter. Sr. Anna and I are stepping down and will no longer serve as the Vocation Directors for our Community. It has been a joy for us to serve in these roles and we are looking forward to the next chapter.
If you have questions about discernment to our Community, please contact Sr. Adele Marie and our Vocations Committee at [email protected].
Blessings,
Sr. Charlene
Meet our Jubilee Sisters
We are celebrating the Jubilee of several Sisters in 2025. We had a beautiful Jubilee Sunday on July 27. Be sure to visit our Jubilee page to see the stories of each Sister who was honored and check out our Flickr album to see photos from the special day.
Sr. Theresa Lan Nguyen – 25 years
Sister Theresa Lan Nguyen’s journey to religious life is one of unwavering faith, deep longing, and quiet perseverance.
Her story spans decades, continents, and cultures.
Encouraged by her devout mother, who often expressed her wish that her daughter would become a Sister, Theresa Lan grew up with the image of religious life close to her heart. That desire deepened when Sr. Theresa Lan turned 17. But by then, tragedy and political change had altered her world. Her mother had died unexpectedly and soon after, the Communist government closed the doors of convents, forbidding new vocations.
It would be another 15 years before Sr. Theresa Lan would be able to pursue her dreams, but she made it to the U.S. and found her way to the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon.
Through it all she has answered God’s call with her whole heart.
Visit Sister Theresa Lan’s Jubilee page to learn more about her inspiring journey.
Discernment Opportunities
Questions:
Is prayer always easy for you?
Not Always! Even those in contemplative life (whose ministry is prayer) go through dry spells when prayer seems dull or uneventful. As we grow in our experience of prayer, we learn how to adjust to these changes.
We often depend on the support of our community members or the help of a spiritual director (who serves as a guide) to help us keep praying during difficult times. We try to be faithful even when we don’t feel like it.
Visit Five Formation Steps to learn more about the intentional and patient transition into religious life.
Quotations by Historic Religious Sisters
“The most divine of divine things is to cooperate in the saving of souls.”
Blessed Mary Theresa Ledochowska,
Founder, Missionary Sisters of St. Peter Claver
Servant of God Rose Hawthorne, Founder, Servants of Relief for Incurable Cancer
and daughter of Nathaniel Hawthorne
“I am trying to serve the poor as a servant. I wish to serve the cancerous poor because they are more avoided than any other class of sufferers; and I wish to go to them as a poor creature myself.”
“The Cross is found wherever there are servants of God, and I rejoice to be reckoned among them.”
