Sunday Is World Day of Prayer for Vocations Helping
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8 | FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016 | The Observer YOung Observer (Photo provided) Marmion Flannigan Ri es Win Commander’s Trophy Marmion Academy’s Flannigan Ri es Drill Team placed rst in the Homer L. Clendenen Memorial JROTC Drill Meet held at Concordia Lutheran High School in Ft. Wayne, Ind., on March 19-20. Led by this year’s Team Commander John Callahan of Geneva and Executive O cer Jake Miller of West Chicago, Flannigan Ri es won the event for the 11th time, taking the coveted Commander’s Trophy to Aurora for the third YO consecutive year. Units and individuals of the team took additional honors. Helping IN AURORA Rosary SADD Club leads collection for Mutual Ground AURORA—Rosary High School’s Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD) club collected supplies to help Mutual Ground in Aurora in its work with victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse. Rosary homerooms and faculty donated items on a wish list to “fi ll-the-box” for Mutual Ground. The project was part of SADD’s recognition of Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month. In addition, the club also worked to raise awareness by creating public service announcements and leading morning prayer. Mutual Ground is a non- profi t organization providing programs that focus on safety, healing and prevention for domestic violence and sexual assault victims. SADD moderators are Kim (Photo provided) Baleskie and Lisa Sustersic. Rosary students display items collected for a domestic violence shelter Tell us what Works of Mercy your school or youth group is doing. Write to [email protected]. VOCATION CORNER Sunday is World Day of Prayer for Vocations lthough we ought to pray for vocations a plan for the lives of every soul that walks this who either do not know yet what God is calling them to the priesthood and religious life earth. to or don’t even know that they should be striving to everyday, Sunday is a very special day When I was a seminarian, I remember that follow God’s plan in their lives! because it is the annual World Day for complete strangers would frequently come up to me So I ask you to in a special way Prayer for Vocations. It is a day to recall how prayer pray, pray, pray A and tell me that I was in their prayers. This gave me Sunday and know that it would not be a bad idea to has borne fruit in our own lives and to joyfully pay it so much joy and confi dence because I knew that I keep it up Monday and Tuesday and the next day as forward for men and women throughout the world had a whole army of prayer warriors backing me up well. who have yet to discern their call. as I continued forward in my desire to follow God’s Happy World Day of Prayer for Vocations! So too it is a day to be fi lled with gratitude for all will each day. that God has done in our lives. It is a day to thank Sunday you have an opportunity to be a part of — Father Keith Romke, Diocesan Director of Vocations God for creating us out of love and in turn for having this army for billions of people throughout the world, Write to him at [email protected]. The Observer | FRIDAY APRIL 15, 2016 | 9 How will I know? Discernment house helps women hear the call in their hearts By Amanda Hudson | News Editor and in Catholic schools, and that allows 2016 Nun Run agenda “Sometimes people will ask me the sisters to determine their schedule. what is the point of the Nun Run and The annual Nun Run provided by the they met the Franciscan Sisters of The fundraising itself ended up being other vocations events,” says Father Office of Vocations for the Diocese of Perpetual Adoration. a part of the formative process. The Keith Romke, diocesan director of the Rockford headed north to Wisconsin, They also toured the Shrine of Our women discover “it’s not just me and Vocations Office. “My response is March 17-20. Seven women ranging in Lady of Guadalupe and the chapel at Jesus,” Sister Luka says, “It’s me and always the same: without them I might age from 20 up to 43 took part. St. Rose Convent, met with some of Jesus and the Church.” not be a priest as I am a product of our The women and their diocesan the sisters, got up for early morning As they explain their goals to potential summer vocations camps! chaperones first visited the Cistercian (3:50 and 4:50 a.m.) prayers and drove donors, the women must clarify their “I guess you could respond by asking Monastery in Prairie du Sac, Wis., through a surprising couple of miles of story and, Sister Luka adds, it makes why kids go to baseball, engineering, then headed to La Crosse where significant snow. them take the whole process a lot more or art camp seriously. and I think the LEFT, BELOW: “It has worked reason would Another way out very, very be the same: young people well, better than I because it in the Rockford anticipated,” she gives them Diocese learn says. joy and just about voca- maybe they’ll (Observer photos/Amanda Hudson) Four FSGM fall in love with it tions is the sisters staff and enjoy it for annual Here I the Mater the rest of their Am Lord con- Redemptoris lives!” ference offered House of Formation. There This year for 14 years by St. Patrick are six women the seven going through Church in St. participants the process in the annual Charles. this semester Nun Run had (maximum room a chance for seven). to stop at a special place The ministry for considering follows an vocations, academic year, the Mater from September Redemptoris to May, with 15- House of week semesters. Formation in La The formation Crosse, Wis. house also Mary Pat provides: Davies, 23, of n Educational St. Thomas retreats for Parish in Crystal middle school Lake says, “I students and (Photo provided) really liked the Women who took part in the Nun Run this spring pose with sisters at high school formation house. Mater Redemptoris House of Formation in La Crosse, Wis. students to When I went on introduce the Nun Run, I religious life; three years As didn’t know there was something like ago, (it t has worked out very, very formation n Discernment retreats for young that ... It was really interesting to me, became) director, adults that run two to three days, interesting that people there who were ‘Iwell, better than I anticipated.’ a live-in Sister Luka providing direction on how to take not in a religious community, but still program works with the first steps in exploring a possible were being educated in preparation for —Sister M. Luka Brandenburg, formation for college- individual religious vocation; that. It was also very nice they were age women director at Mater Redemptoris House of women working together as a community as n Spiritual direction for college-age who were Formation on any well.” women who are trying to discern in interested particular general what to do in life. MaryMalia Shroka, 22, of Aurora, in, but not needs they Sister Luka also provides consultation who was on this year’s Nun Run saw ready for, religious life. That’s the group have. Each woman has a spiritual service to religious communities upon the house of formation as a “very we’re targeting.” director, seeing an area priest for moral fruitful way to ease (your) way into the request. Usually, she says, the women are formation. discernment process.” The community is at work writing simply too young or not yet mature Initially, the women would pay up a program for dioceses who want While there, the women from the enough to be accepted into a religious room and board and had to get a to begin a similar program, and Rockford Diocese received individual order’s novitiate. job, Sister Luka says, adding that the formation direction from Sister M. Luka they have become a source for up- Some are home schooled and have arrangement, “made it difficult for us to Brandenburg, formation director at a to-date information about religious never lived away from home. What the do what we’re doing.” unique, pre-novitiate formation house congregations all around the country. house of formation does is pre-novitiate She and other sisters went to the that is geared for women who are formation to help the women “get ready National Evangelization Teams (NET) “I tried to kill the aspirancy program discerning God’s call. for convent life,” Sister Luka says. Ministries to find out how they work three times, but it kept coming back,” The Mater Redemptoris House of with people in order to accomplish their Sister Luka says. “God has been “Part of it is having a very structured good in leading us. We’ve been very Formation is a project of the Diocese of lifestyle,” she explains. “They pray ministry. Now the women who come La Crosse and the Sisters of St. Francis to Mater Redemptoris for a year must successful in getting the young ladies with us … have assigned chores … ready to enter the convent.” of the Martyr St. George (FSGM). do volunteer service with Catholic first raise $5,000 for the diocese, which “We spent two and a half years Charities” and take classes in supports and maintains the program. Info: www.altonfranciscans.org/ experimenting … with retreats, “different things that people need to During the year, the women do apostolates/formation education,” says Sister Luka.