Sisters Give Witness of Consecrated Life to Brookewood Girls

On Monday, four sisters from the Community of the Franciscan Sisters of Renewal from New York City gave witness to Middle School and High School students. As some students have not ever met and talked with a sister from an order before, this was a special treat, especially as the sisters spoke directly about vocations. 

The sisters participate in a Franciscan order which models its work and lifestyle after St. Francis, “living the Gospel values in simplicity according to the ideals of Saint Francis as handed on by the Capuchin tradition.” (http://franciscansisterscfr.com/mission1.htm). They have recently opened a convent in Atlantic City, NJ, and have sent four of their sisters out to the mission in order to evangelize and serve the homeless population there. 

The sisters’ visit to Brookewood consisted of a short film about women choosing to become nuns in different orders. The film traced the path the women took to come to their decision while documenting a typical day in the lives of various nuns.

After the film,  the sisters had a Q & A session, and Brookewood students had many questions; some ranged from what their habit meant to why they had short hair to if they had anxiety over their choice. 

After the meeting, many of the students were intrigued. One middle schooler said, “It was really cool to hear about the sisters’ lives because I realized that they actually have fun doing what they do!” 

The meeting prompted a lot of discussion from students about how to pray about their vocations, and how to ask and listen to God’s particular call. One of the big take-aways for the Brookewood girls was how the sisters found peace and contentment when they discerned their own particular vocation, and they reminded students to continue to pray to God about where God wants them to serve. 

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