Nuncie
By Sister Julie | July 15, 2008
Here is a picture I’ve been searching for of my Nuncie, Sister Annunciata Grix, IHM.
![](http://anunslife.org/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/annunciata.jpg "Sister Annunciata -- \")
A Remembering Card with the info below is made for each sister who dies.
Began
Life
August 16, 1908
Christian Life
August 23, 1908
Religious Life
January 2, 1930
Fullness of Life
July 9, 2008
“In the evening of life we shall be judged on LOVE.
~ Saint John of the Cross
Some of you have begun sharing about the “Nuncies” in your life — people who mentor you, encourage you, and embrace you for who you are. Write in the comments below about who your “Nuncie” has been.
Topics: IHM, saints and holy people | 6 Comments »
Celebrating Life
By Sister Julie | July 14, 2008
Greetings, friends. I’ve been out and about for the last few days. I was able to make it home for my dear Sister Annunciata’s funeral and burial. Celebrating the Resurrection Liturgy for a Sister is one of the most amazing things — again and again I am reminded by my nuns that though we grieve we celebrate the life of our Sister and her new life in the Presence of God. I miss Nuncie quite a bit. It was great to hear stories about her from the old days all the way up to her last moments.There were some pretty amazing moments while I was home … here are a few of them.
- Outside the closed door of Nuncie’s room is a table with a flower and notebook. Inside the notebook nuns, nurses, staff, and others leave notes addressed to Nuncie about what she meant to them. We do this for all of our sisters.
- We have the wake for our Sisters at the Motherhouse in our chapel. Often sisters will sit vigil with the body at different times during the night and day. I arrived too late for the formal wake, and wanted to be sure to spend some time alone with Annunciata. Early in the morning I walked over to the Motherhouse and into the dark chapel. No one was there. In the back of the chapel was the casket, and on either side of the casket were two beautiful lamps yielding a pink glow. Nuncie wore the blue suit from her Jubilee celebration. I pulled a chair over and just sat vigil with her and talked with her. I pray that she watch over me and the congregation.
- Following the funeral, we got in our cars and headed out the back part of our campus to our cemetary. As we went, we passed by our IHM organic farm. There was a young man working in the field. When he saw the procession, he stood, immediately took off his hat and held it at his chest until well after we had passed by.
- A Sister recounted a story from after Annunciata had died. She had said a prayer to Nuncie and asked her for a sign that everything was okay. Within seconds the bell for the Angelus began ringing — the Angelus is a Catholic prayer about the Annunciation, Nuncie’s namesake. The Annunciation is the story of the angel of God announcing to Mary that she would bear the Son of God.
When I returned home, I happened upon this article about another person’s experience at the funeral of a beloved nun. Be sure to check it out.
Thank God for Sister Matthew and Those Like Her
by Eddie McGuire for the Australian newspaper Herald Sun (July 13, 2008)
Topics: IHM, NUN 101 | 4 Comments »
Nun Currency — Sister Mary MacKillop
By Sister Julie | July 10, 2008
Found this article about Sister Mary MacKillop on Zenit.org
Sister Mary MacKillop Featured on Coin
1st of Inspirational Australians SeriesSYDNEY, Australia, JULY 9, 2008 (Zenit.org) - Australia is honoring Blessed Mary MacKillop, who will likely be the country’s first saint, by featuring her on a collector’s coin.
Senator Nick Sherry, minister for Superannuation and Corporate Law, launched the Sister Mary MacKillop coin Tuesday.
The $1 uncirculated coin is the first of the Royal Australian Mint’s series featuring inspirational Australians, which commemorates unique Australians who have made an extraordinary contribution to the nation.
“As the Australian people’s saint, and someone who could be called Australia’s saint in waiting, Mary MacKillop is a fitting choice for the first coin in the Inspirational Australian series,” said Sherry.
He explained that Royal Australian Mint coin designer Vladimir Gottwald depicted MacKillop as “guiding future generations.”
“Mary was an exceptional Australian woman who stands as an example of great courage, trust and compassion, and as our first saint, she will forever inspire our nation,” said the senator.
Mary MacKillop was born in Victoria in 1842.
She founded the Order of the Sisters of St Joseph, the first religious order to be founded by an Australian.
Under the sister’s guidance, the order established schools and charitable institutions across Australia and was devoted to the care of orphans, neglected children, the homeless, sick and aged. She died in 1909.
Pope John Paul II beatified Sister Mary MacKillop in 1995.
To order the coin go to the Royal Australian Mint.
Topics: news on the nunfront | 1 Comment »
Letter to a Young Religious
By Sister Julie | July 8, 2008
I received this comment/question a little while ago and want to address it front and center because it is an important issue in religious life. It also follows a bit from Sister Susan’s post about Religious Life in the Age of Facebook.
Hello Sr. Julie. This is my first post and I would like to say how much I enjoy reading your blog. I didn’t know where to ask this question, so, I will put it here.
I am the youngest member in my congregation under 40. It’s very lonely at times. The the loneliness is difficult and I only meet with younger members from other congregations sporadically. Sometimes, I really feel like leaving my order because of the loneliness.
I am posting this because I know younger religious read your blog and thought your advice would be helpful. Thanks and God bless!
Dear Younger Sister,
So good to hear from you. I am very sorry to hear that you are having a rough time with feeling lonely. It can definitely be tough when you are the youngest one in a religious community and there’s no one near your age. You are not alone in the sense that other young religious feel the same way. Have you been able to talk about how you feel with a trusted friend in your congregation? Are you able to relate to people your own age outside of the community? For me it was helpful to stay in touch with friends my own age and to get to know colleagues with whom I minister and young people who attend my parish. I know it’s not the same as having young sisters in your own community, but it does help.
I had some struggles with the age thing for the first few years of my life with the community. I always felt (as much my own expectations as others’ expectations) like I had to mirror the religious life of my sisters who lived it as 50, 60, 70+ year-olds. I couldn’t exactly distinguish between what was a characteristic of age and what was a characteristic of religious life. It took time, and the help of wise mentors, to find my way. Not always easily, but authentically and with trust in God, in my Sisters, and in myself.
Never forget that you are a gift to the community and that you have much to offer. They need you there and are open to being changed, “formed” as it were, by you just as much as you are to being changed by them. Spend time with the Sisters who “get” you and who can help you grown in religious life in an age-appropriate way.
A few weeks ago when I was home in Monroe at my IHM Motherhouse, I brought my laptop in with me when I went to visit a dear friend, Sister Annunciata (”Nuncie”), who will be 100 years old in August. She is a light in my life and I can always feel her prayers with me. After chatting for a while, I pulled out the laptop and explained a bit more about my blog and my ministry online. I took her through the blog and read her some posts and comments (wireless Internet at the Motherhouse is totally awesome). She was so happy for me and proud that I was extending gospel hospitality and the IHM mission online. It meant the world to me that she could rejoice in what I was doing even though she herself had never been on the Internet.
It is nuns like Nuncie who see the gift that you are and can encourage it by even the twinkle in her eye. Find your Nuncies and don’t be afraid to let your light shine. Loneliness is definitely a reality, but don’t let it consume you or prevent you from experiencing new kinds of relationships. At the same time, find ways to connect with younger people. And come online and hang out with younger sisters. There are a bunch of us on Facebook too. Perhaps we should form our own online forum just to hang out with and encourage one another.
My prayers are with you, Younger Sister. Please feel free to email me anytime if you’d like to connect — sisterjulie (at) anunslife (dot) org.
Sister Julie
P.S. The idea of having a space for younger religious to congregate online is not a bad idea. If you are 45 and under and interested in this possibility, let me know by following this link: Survey for Catholic Religious 45 and Under. You can also comment below.
Topics: NUN 101, discernment | 15 Comments »
Celebrating Sister Susan
By Sister Julie | July 7, 2008
I am delighted to announce that one of our own blogging nuns, Sister Susan Rose Francois, CSJP, will be professing first vows in October. Sister Susan is currently a 2nd Year Novice with the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Peace and is the author of the popular blog Musings of a Discerning Woman. Sister Susan was one of the first people who linked to my blog, helping me to get started. She’s also one of the nuns behind the web ring (a network of websites) SisterBloggers.
I am very happy for Susan and think it’s way important to celebrate these moments — both for Susan and for religious life! Being a nun is a fabulous way of life and everytime a person commits to the life, it reaffirms my own life choice and my love of God and serving others. I think it is also an inspiration to people to know that religious life is alive and well and continues to be a viable way to live joyfully and radically, to be fully human, to serve God and others.
Be sure to visit Sister Susan’s blog — recently she wrote a great post about an article in America magazine– Religious Life in the Age of Facebook. I highly recommend you read the article and Susan’s post, especially if you are a religious and/or vocation director. (The America article is in the July 7, 2008 edition, available online only to subscribers.)
Blessings to you, Sister Susan, and upon the Sisters and mission of your community.
Topics: news on the nunfront, surfing the net, vows | 11 Comments »
