At a Mass celebrating those in religious life, Sydney Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP said that when Catholics think of ‘shepherds’ they usually think of bishops and priests, yet there is a broader shepherding in which all the faithful share, particularly the religious sisters, brothers and priests who have built much of Australia’s religious and social infrastructure, reports The Catholic Weekly.
“Many of us were blessed to have known and been influenced by them,” he said.
Sister Disciples of the Divine Master with Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP. PHOTO: Patrick J Lee/Catholic Weekly.
Following the annual Mass for Consecrated Life at St Mary’s Cathedral on April 26, The Catholic Weekly spoke to four religious sisters and brothers celebrating jubilee years: Sr Cecilia Joseph Dulik OP, Sr Josapha Lergessner SSPS, Sr Anna Pham thi Ngat FMA, and Fr William Goldman CSsR. Between them, they have 185 years of service to the church.
Sr Cecilia Joseph, who is celebrating her 25th year with the Dominican Sisters, entered the community in 1999 in Nashville, Tennessee, after completing two years of university, and later moved to Australia. In Australia for about half of her religious life, she is the principal of St Peter Chanel Primary School in Regents Park.
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Sr Cecilia Joseph said she was in Year Three when she first felt God was calling her, a feeling which persisted throughout high school.
“No matter how much I wanted the call to be something different, no matter how much I, maybe, tried to run away from it, in little ways the call kept increasing,” she said.
“I knew I had to explore what that call might mean and the implications of it, and it became really clear that, in visiting particularly our community, that this was the place where I could be the happiest version of myself and the holiest version of myself.”
Sr Lergessner, who is celebrating her platinum jubilee at the age of 94, hails from Brisbane and decided to join the Sisters of the Holy Spirit to help the poor and sick.
She learned how to cook, clean, and garden, and was eventually sent to India, where she would later learn to drive, how to speak and write in Hindi, and critical skills such as teaching and midwifery.
Indore in Central India, she took care of orphans, those with leprosy, and other people on the edge of society, forming life-long bonds with the people in her care, especially the orphans, who she considered her children.
Coming back to Australia in 1999, Sr Lergessner continued her volunteering, learning massage to better tend to women in Silverwater Prison, befriending detainees in Villawood Detention Centre.
“I believe in what I call ‘missionary moments.’ To me, I feel I can be on mission any minute,” she said. “Even talking to you right now can be my mission.”
Fr Goldman, who is celebrating his 40th year of profession with the Redemptorists, grew up on a farm in Uralla, and said he first considered religious life in high school but it wasn’t until years later he decided it was for him, spurred on by his parish priest.
“I always remember the confirmation of it for me, it’s different for everybody, it was a Holy Thursday Mass in our parish and something happened and I thought ‘right, I’ve got to give this a go,’” he said.
The majority of his work has revolved around parish missions and making the Word as accessible as possible by holding Masses as specific times and having home visits, but as time has passed this has had to change.
“The ‘preach week’ in the parish had two Masses in the morning for early people, after school, for school, one for mums and children, and then the preach mission at night,” he said.
“Now in our secular world and our economy, both parents are working so going and knocking on the door, there’s no one home … and for preach week people can’t come every night for five nights.”
Fr Goldman’s ministry, which has taken him all around Australia, includes ministry in professional standards and pastoral care, including with Rachel’s Vineyard, a post-abortion ministry.
He said a key part of becoming a member of religious life is spiritual formation and having a thorough understanding of yourself and your talents, but acknowledges it may be a difficult decision.
“If you’re listening to that desire, then you follow it. I suppose the first thing is thinking, ‘Who are the people that attract me to this life?’” he said.
The reception following the Mass for Consecrated and Religious Life. PHOTO: Patrick J Lee/Catholic Weekly.
Sr Pham hails from Vietnam, has been a Salesian sister for 50 years, and joined the convent in 1966 at the age of 13 to get an education, becoming just one of three in her graduating class to continue on to join religious life.
She still keeps in touch with them today, while her missionary work has taken her all over Oceania, including Hong Kong, the Philippines, Samoa, and Australia.
Sr Pham said she was “very grateful” to God for making her vocation clear to her when she was young,
“He continued to journey with me and protect me. That’s my motto for my 50 years as a religious sister is ‘Do not fear me for I’m always with you’, Isaiah 14:10,” she said.
“That really strengthened me and gave me the courage in supply of all the challenges that I met.”
Sr Cecilia Joseph said if someone is considering religious life but are unsure if it is the right fit, to not be afraid because the “adventure is worth it.”
“You might not know for certain but there can be signs along the way that God is calling you to this way of life,” she said.
This article by Tara Kennedy was published in The Catholic Weekly, the publication of the Archdiocese of Sydney.
Here is Archbishop Anthony Fisher OP’s homily for the Mass for Consecrated and Religious Life in Sydney.