Sister Jane Theresa Hulak, C.R.
When I was a young teenager, I felt I had a vocation to be a sister. I shared this with my friend, Stephanie. She told me that I wouldn't be accepted because I didn't have an education. I told myself that if I had an opportunity to enter, I would. When I was 17, I traveled to Canada from Poland. I forgot about my vocation for a while. When I was 19, I went to church every Sunday, and stayed after Mass praying for a good husband. A priest noticed me, and asked, "Did you ever think of entering the convent?" I told him yes, but that I heard I wouldn't be accepted because I didn't have an education. He told me, "You can do many things in the convent without an education." He told me to pray for a week, and then come to him and tell him if I still wanted to enter. I did as he asked, and then told him I wanted to be a sister. He wrote two letters of recommendation to two separate communities. One community answered first, and as I was getting ready to join them, I began thinking that I didn't really want to enter there. I felt called to enter the Sisters of the Resurrection. Father wrote again to the Superior of the Sisters of the Resurrection in Montreal, Canada. A few weeks later she wrote that I could come to them. I traveled by train for three days from Saskatoon to Montreal. The first time I met a Sister of the Resurrection was at the train station. I spent several months in Montreal as a candidate, then went to Rome, Italy, for my formation training, as a postulant, novice, and a junior professed sister. I professed final vows in Castleton, New York. I was then missioned to Saint Savior Nursey in New Bedford, Massachusetts, where I remained for many years. I worked as a cook, and I loved my ministry! I realized that God had in fact answered my earlier prayer - Jesus turned out not only to be my "good husband" but my BEST husband!
Sister Ann Elizabeth Norton, C.R.
I grew up in a small town in Spencerville, Ontario, Canada. I attended St. Laurence O'Toole Catholic Church and went to Catholic elementary school, where I was taught my lay teachers. I didn't see a religious sister in a habit and veil until much later, so the idea of becoming a sister never occurred to me. I always loved my Catholic faith and was very involved in the life of my parish, wherever I lived. After high school, I went to university, graduated as a teacher, and then lived in the Toronto area, teaching in Catholic schools for quite a few years. I continued to be very involved in parish life in the RCIA program, in sacramental preparation, and in music ministry. A priest at my hometown parish taught me how to pray and I began spending hours in silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament.
One Saturday, at the invitation of a fellow teacher, I attended a Catholic Women's Breakfast. As I got out of my car, a sister in a habit and veil stepped out of the car beside me. I have never really been able to put into words what happened in that moment, but it was as if something inside me went "Click!" I was never the same after that encounter. I had a great conversation with her but denied any interest in religious life when she asked me. I wasn't ready to think about that.
The following summer I attended a Catholic educators' conference in Steubenville, Ohio, and was amazed to meet so many young and joyful religious sisters in habits and veils. I became friendly with one sister in particular, which led to more questions about religious life. When people asked me if I was considering becoming a sister, I always said no. On the inside, however, a war was beginning in my heart and soul, and I began to wonder if I was indeed being called to religious life. I struggled with this question in prayer for several months. Finally I was ready to hear what Jesus had to say. In the silence of my heart in prayer, I heard Him say, "I want your life, and I want all of it." Despite the obstacles, I knew I had to answer this call. Eventually I realized that Jesus was offering me a great gift by calling me to the life that would make me as happy as I could possibly be on this earth, and would be my easiest and surest path to Heaven, to eternal happiness with Him. Once I understood this, I could move forward in my discernment with joy and peace.
As teaching has always been an integral part of who I am, I looked for somewhere to live out my religious vocation while remaining in education. God led me to the Sisters of the Resurrection, when I saw one of the sisters profiled on the back of Columbia magazine. I spent a long time talking to the Vocation Directress, and decided to visit for a weekend. The first time visiting their Provincial House in June 2007, I knew I was home. I experienced the joy of the sisters! I loved their life of prayer, daily Mass, Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, the Rosary, and Meditation. I was very impressed with the tender care given to the senior sisters in the convent. This was a place where Jesus was loved and adores, and where the teachings of the Gospel and the Church were sincerely being lived out.
All my previous doubts and fears were gone. I never looked back. I kept visiting. I read all about Blessed Celine and Blessed Alice. I became an Affiliate, and finally, on October 5, 2008, on the Feast of Saint Faustina (one of my favorites), I entered the community as a Postulant. I became a Novice in 2009, professed First Vows in 2011, and Final Vows in 2016. I can honestly say I have never been happier. I know that this is where I am supposed to be, according to the plan of the God who created me for this life. My advice for young people? Never be afraid to do what God asks of you. He knows better than you know yourself, and He loves you more than I can express.
Sister Margaret Therese Hoban, C.R.
At sweet 16, I was met by two joyful Sisters of the Resurrection in my nearby country church in Ireland. Their brother, a priest, was celebrating Mass. After Mass, one of the sisters simply asked me if I would like to be a sister, and I answered, "yes." (Where did that come from?) The next question was: Would I like to go to America? The thought thrilled me, as I had cousins in Chicago.
Upon returning home from church, I relayed to my mother the encounter with the sisters, and my answer to them. She was in disbelief! I simply told her that the sisters would be visiting my parents to tell them the "good news"! My parents were in shock, but nonetheless, were happy that they would have a daughter as a sister - a nun!!
Following the visit, I went in "haste" on my bike to buy a dress and shoes, and to say my goodbyes to relatives and neighbors. Within a few weeks my parents and siblings said their goodbyes at the train station where I met the sisters. We were on our way to the convent in England. I was there until a few other girls arrived. Then preparations began for the trip to New York! The voyage lasted five days on the Queen Mary.
Upon our arrival in America, another girl and myself were taken to our nearby convent in Yonkers, New York. Soon after we were assigned to work at our nursing home in Amsterdam, New York. We looked forward to being in the novitiate, which was a year later. Everything was so new and it was a time of becoming acclimated to our new surroundings. In spite of this "upheaval" in my life, being warmly welcomed and accepted were a great support and comfort to me. Becoming and learning to be a Sister of the Resurrection was a gradual process. And I'm happy and pleased to say that God has "planted" me here and I have "blossomed" in my 80's!
Sister Marie Pappas, C.R.
I was born in Hell’s Kitchen. It’s a section of New York City on the west side. My parents were divorced when I was an infant and my non-Catholic dad had custody of me. It’s hardly a setup for a religious vocation, right? Added to this circumstance, my dad placed me in the care of a Protestant woman. Thus, in my early years I attended the Dutch Reform Church. At this point I’m still not in an ideal situation for a call to religious life . . . except nothing is impossible with God! The Protestant woman who cared for me married a Catholic man and she converted to the Catholic faith. Clearly, love changes everything. From that point on I began attending Catholic School. As I got a little older, my father decided he was able to raise me himself and when he did, I insisted on continuing my education at a Catholic school. Dad was a humble taxi-cab-driver-become-restaurant-owner. Despite the cost, he said yes to Catholic education. I attended Saint Clement Mary School on West 49th Street where I was instructed by the Sisters of the Resurrection. As they say, “the rest is history!” I love being a Sister of the Resurrection. We Sisters of the Resurrection say, “Because God loves us, we pass through the cross and death to Resurrection and Glory.” I myself also say, “God writes straight with crooked lines!” If I could live my life all over again, I’d do exactly what I’ve done. What an amazing grace to be called by God to love Him with my whole heart and to serve His people!
Sister Eva Marie Zajkowski, C.R.
I attended Saint Joseph's Elementary School where I was taught by the Sisters of the Resurrection. I later attended the city's public high school. Religious life was never on my mind! After high school I entered the work arena. In time I felt drawn to devoting time to deepening my spiritual life. Thus I began attending daily Mass during Lent and Advent, and soon I went to daily Mass all year round. I also did spiritual reading on a regular basis. At this point I was about 21 or 22 years old. I still had no thought of religious life. But in time, I began to give it some thought; NEVER REALLY SERIOUSLY!! Until one day, a Jesuit priest asked me at the end of my confession if I ever thought of becoming a nun. I don't know why, but I said yes. The next day I met with him and from then on my life entered a new phase. There were many ups and downs, yeses and nos, but under Father's on-going direction, I gave my "yes" to the Lord. I was 23 years old. I didn't know it at that time, but the HOLY SPIRIT WAS AT WORK and so also was the BLESSED MOTHER!
Sister Teresa Grace Baillargeon, C.R.
When I was 12 years old, I sent a letter to "Dear Abby" asking, "Is it normal for someone my age to want to be a nun?" I waited weeks, even months, for "Dear Abby" to answer my letter; but she never did. In time I realized the answer had to come from within me, not from some famous advice columnist.
I came from a practicing Catholic family, growing up in the small town of Newmarket, New Hampshire. I attended Catholic school for 1st and 2nd grade, but then went to public schools thereafter. My uncle was a priest and he was a great role model for me. He was a happy person who loved what he did. That made a great impression on me. I enjoyed attending daily Mass during Lent and Advent, and praying the rosary with my family. But I kept my desire to be a sister a secret - who would understand the desires of a teenage girl? Towards the end of high school I told my parents of my wish to become a religious sister. But they wanted me to go to college and work for a living first. So I was obedient to them. However, the idea of being a sister never went away, but my goal was to finish college and get a job. I finally graduated with a degree in Accounting and went to work for the federal government. I had a great car, my own apartment, and lots of money. Over time, I could tell that something was missing. God was calling again. In 1990 I left New Hampshire for Albany, New York, to make a big career move. At that time, I said to God, "Now leave me alone. Give me a year." Never give God a time frame! One year and one week later, I was back in New Hampshire and my brother Vic asked me if I still thought of being a sister. He told me I'd make a great one. Wow! Affirmation! That gave me the energy to go back to New York and seek God's will for my life once and for all.
I spoke to various sisters and priests, and eventually attended a Diocesan Vocation Day in August 1991. There I met the vocation director for the Sisters of the Resurrection. She exuded such joy! Whatever it was she had, I wanted. And so my journey took its most important turn - I began to visit the Sisters of the Resurrection on a regular basis and it felt as if the void I had felt so many years ago had been filled! I entered the Community in 1992 - in my heart, it was FOREVER! I have never looked back!
Sister Rosemary Ann Cuneo, C.R.
My vocation story is quite simple. God was always part of my family life, from my earliest years. I learned through example and a good Catholic education to recognize God in my day, and to rely on God for all that happened to me and to my family. In grammar school, I realized through various social service activities that I wanted to spend my life helping people. I knew this to be something I would need to do in my life. As I grew older and approached graduation from high school, I began to explore ways to do this. The simple thought came to me: "Why not help people as a Sister?" I tried to dismiss the thought, but it kept coming back to me over the course of many months, even when I did not want to think about it. My logical question was: "If I do not want to think about this, WHO is putting this thought in my head? Is this God trying to get through to me?" I knew I would not be happy until I answered that question for myself, and I did not want to spend my life wondering if God had tried to invite me to a life as a Sister, but I did not answer or try to find out the answer. Fast forward after 50 plus years in religious life, and what do you think I did with that question? Well, it may seem obvious, but though I did enter the Sisters of the Resurrection in 1966, I entered to find out the answer my heart sought. This entailed some of the following:
- I was attracted to the Sisters of the Resurrection because of the joy and sincere lives they seemed to live. They were friendly, kind, and approachable. They were as I had interpreted it at that time, "down to earth." Although I had also known two other religious communities, I was drawn to the spirit that the Resurrection Sisters witnessed each day through my high school years.
- After entering the Community, I learned about the spirit which was the driving force of the Sisters of the Resurrection. Their FOCUS was intensely on the Triune God and the driving force that captured me was the HOPE they carried into everything they did, knowing that JESUS CHRIST IS RISEN and that He is always with us. This was immensely powerful to me. It has become my life-force for all I do and all I am. I see this spirit or charism as a gift to our contemporary world that is so much in need of knowing the presence and power of the Risen Christ
- I learned how to deepen my prayer life as I became increasingly familiar with the Community, and I learned specifically what offering oneself to God through the vows of chastity, poverty and obedient meant. I lived as a Novice for one year and then pronounced my First Vows. For five more years, I renewed my vows, and in 1973, I professed my Final Vows as a Sister of the Resurrection. In 2018 I celebrated my 50th Jubilee of Religious Profession.
My ministry has been vast through all these years. I have taught all grades from K through high school, and I have taught in college and adult education programs. I have worked as a campus minister at two colleges in New York for 12 years, and I have also served as Pastoral Associate at two diocesan parishes. I have always believed that "God has written my resume" because each of these assignments were proposed by a need that the Community saw and asked me to fulfill. I loved all I had been asked to do, and I could see God's hand in everything throughout the years. Just recently I have begun work with Special Needs children, and I am in the midst of obtaining certification to continue to serve in this way. God is good!
When I look back upon these years, I laugh inwardly and outwardly when I think of my original plan to "help people." I have had the grace to help thousands of people in my life and though I may not have always succeeded, God knows my intention. This desire still burns within me and I am grateful for the graces God gives to me to continue to help and love others.
If one were to ask me if my life is fulfilled, what do you think I would say? There is a reason God has created each of us. I am grateful that I found out the reason that God created me! Although this may all seem a bit sugar-coated, please know that just as in any life, the cross does come to those in religious life, too. Sometimes the illness or the death of loved ones shakes me; sometimes a personal weakness or my sinfulness discourages me; sometimes my efforts in my ministries have seemed to be failures. It has not always been easy, but we do not walk this life alone. The Risen Christ lifts us up and carries us! He has taught us how to take up our cross to follow him. He accompanies us each step of the way, and leads us to the Resurrection he has promised to those who love and believe in Him. As the familiar spiritual hymn says so beautifully, "How can I keep from singing?"
