I will be tuning into Oprah tomorrow if I can, since she will feature a second episode exploring the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan, who are bursting at the seams with young vocations.
Here is a link to their congregation.
http://www.sistersofmary.org/index.php
And here is a link explaining the Oprah show's coverage:
http://www.wordonfire.org/WoF-Blog/WoF-Blog/November-2010/Television-Domincan-Sisters-on-Oprah-tomorrow---a.aspx
If you go to either of the links, you can watch an excerpt from the previous Oprah show which has introduced so many to this order that has over 100 sisters whose average age is 28. I have heard first-hand from people who know them that they are deeply joyful women.
What does this have to do with me? Well, as a Catholic some of my greatest heroes and inspirations are nuns or religious sisters. To me they are neither stereotypical, nor a dying race. They are real people who are strong, bold, faithful, compassionate, loving, and beautiful.
They are two religious sisters I witnessed laboring to bring God's love, day-in and day-out, on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation. They are a religious sister I know who lives full-time in a home of women with developmental disabilities. They are the young friend of my friend Charles, who has become a nun and taken a new name. They are Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who picked 40,000 dying "untouchables" off the street and helped them to die with dignity and love. They are St. Therese of Lisieux, "The Little Flower" who has touched millions of lives with her simple example.
As Christians, we are all playing on the same team (or at least we should be!). Each vocation, as a mother, a father, a single person, a husband, a wife, a priest, a deacon, a religious brother, or a religious sister is of inestimable value. At a time when the vocation to being a religious sister may not be as visible, I am heartened that Oprah is taking time to show its continued vitality. Check it out!
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