June 24, 2015

By Deacon Kevin Mastellon
Staff writer

Watertown - Suanne thinks her first desire, perhaps ambition, to be a religious sister came when she was in kindergarten.  Patty is certain, “I was 4.” 

Remarkably the two women, from very different backgrounds, have now arrived in the community of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Watertown; their childhood calls to a life of prayer and service answered.   They have chosen consecrated life. Both are now in their mid-40’s.

Brasher Falls native
Suanne Johnson grew up in Brasher Falls, the eldest of four children. She received a teaching degree from Potsdam College and landed a teaching job at Salmon River Central School.  She had a house, a car and a great job teaching English.  She taught eight and tenth grades over 12 years and she was happy; but not completely.
She acknowledges falling away from “church” for a while, frustrated by some of the things going on in the 1980’s.  But then she started returning to Mass and reading more about the Catholic faith. She listened to the voices pushing her to consider again the kindergarten whisper of a religious life; a notion that returned to her consciousness regularly. 

The final nudge came during Holy Week. “I had been fighting this call my whole life and so I said, ‘Ok God, I think I’m ready. If you really want me to be a sister then OK, now’s your chance’. (laughter) It sounds ridiculous now but you know what? The next thing I know I’m in a convent.  Everything just fell into place.”

From Westchester County
Patty Urbinelli was raised in Mamaroneck, Westchester County, the younger of two children. She received her degree from St. Bonaventure University in Allegheny, NY, with a major in accounting and a minor in theology.

In 2000 Patti moved to North Carolina and “actually had left the Catholic Church. I’d been away for several years at that point,” she said.  She tried some other congregations, including a Methodist church which was “very entertaining, but it was lacking something and the something for me was the Eucharist.”

The death of Saint Pope John Paul II and some other signs brought her back to the Church and when she was able to receive Eucharist again she says she cried.  “I had never felt so complete.”

Patty was working for Duke Energy, a regulated gas and electric utility in North Carolina that was facing merger.  Everyone knew there would be some buy-outs. Asked by a colleague what she would really like to be doing if money was no object, she responded, “I would give my life fully to serve God,” and her friend asked why she was not doing it.

She had a house, a car and a great job but she could not think of anything else for the next several weeks. All the excuses she could offer did not answer the question, “Why are you not pursuing a life of service to God?”
She started searching the internet for information about religious communities and found the Sisters of St. Joseph in Watertown through a service provided by Vision Vocation Network called Vocation Match http://www.vocationnetwork.org/match. It was one of the hits among a total of 80 or so that matched her criteria. She chose Watertown and the community was receptive.

The journey
The journey these women have travelled to begin a life dedicated to serving Christ and the people of God is overly simplified in this article.

Sister Suanne Johnson has taken first vows.  She completed her Novitiate year in Chicago and returned to be assigned to Augustinian Academy of St. James Minor Church in Carthage.

Sister Patricia Carmella Urbinelli was received into the Novitiate of the community on April 10 this year.  She will begin her novitiate in August in Concordia Kansas.

The fact that each has answered the call at this stage in their lives is not all that unusual.

The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) at Georgetown University reports, “The average age of responding religious of the Profession Class of 2014 is 37. Half of the responding religious are age 34 or younger. The youngest is 24 and the oldest is 64.”

The research demonstrates that more men and women are waiting until after their collegiate days, and in many cases until after their college debt has been satisfied, to turn to a religious vocation.

Sister Suanne noted that in the middle of the 20th century many women in particular found opportunities as teachers or nurses a major attraction to consecrated life.  Today the attraction is to service but it is also to the opportunity to be contemplative and prayerful.

Come and see
Both sisters were introduced to the Sisters of St. Joseph in Watertown during a Come and See Weekend.  Sister Suanne recommends one to any woman even mildly interested in considering religious life. “You have to take a step. I said to God, ‘OK I’m ready’, but if you don’t take the step, God has nothing to work with.”

Sister Patty agrees. “When I left here, I did not want to leave. I knew before I left that I wanted to come back.  But I waited about a month before contacting Sister Gregory (Sr. Mary Gregory Munger SSJ) again because I wanted to make sure that feeling never went away. And, it didn’t.”

First steps
A parish pastor or associate, a religious sister or brother acquaintance or member of the parish staff is a good one to chat with about your interest in a clerical or religious vocation.  CARA reports those who have responded prepared for their Profession of Vows in a number of ways:

“Nearly all (91 percent) regularly participated in some type of private prayer activity before they entered their religious institute. Seven in 10 participated in Eucharistic Adoration or prayed the rosary before entering.

More than six in 10 participated in retreats or spiritual direction before entering. Many were active in parish life before entering their religious institute. Four in 10 (42 percent) participated in youth ministry or youth group.

Almost a third participated in Catholic campus ministry or a Newman Center. One in five participated in World Youth Day and/or in a young adult ministry or group.”

Sisters Suanne and Patty would endorse all the above.