• Professed 1956
• Current Ministry: Retired -Volunteer Ministry as Coordinator of Hospitality for the Dallas Provincial House Dallas, Texas
• Previous Ministries: Mount Mary College faculty and administration, Milwaukee Provincial Council and General Council leadership, Coordinator of a NAMA (North American Major Area) Project, Associate Director and Mission Integration Director for the Milwaukee Province, retirement and volunteer services

Approaching the age of 75, I began planning retirement from financially compensated ministry. A lesson learned from wise SSNDs was to leave ministry while I still loved the work and before it became a burden. Volunteer service was next on my agenda.

My first commitment was to one of our sponsored institutions, Notre Dame Middle School, an educational institution close to Mother Theresa's heart. It follows her educational philosophy of wholistic education for young women.

Participating in a parish community is important to me so I gave time to St. John Cathedral, where I am a member, contributing time and energy in lieu of financial support. On another day, I served in a food pantry and at a shelter for homeless women and children.

In the midst of these enjoyable situations, I was asked to consider a need: to be a community member in a formation community in our Dallas province and to coordinate hospitality for the provincial house. This meant leaving my present community and friends in the parish and in ministry. However, for one who values community and whose mantra is "Do whatever He tells you," making the decision was simple. I perceived the need to be a personal, Call to Transformation . So here I am in the Dallas province for nine months in a mini-NAMA community of five sisters from three provinces, Dallas, Mankato, and Milwaukee and enjoying a multi-faceted ministry. Added gifts are lots of sunshine and roses, pansies, and geraniums in bloom through the winter!

SSND has provided me with a wealth of experiences in multi-cultural living and ministry at home and around our SSND world. During ten years on our general council, I had the gift of sharing SSND life with Sisters on five continents. I learned much about God's world and the SSND collaboration in enabling people to reach the fullness of their potential, created in God's image, and sharing their gifts in building the reign of God. There is rich diversity in our international congregation woven together through unity. We are relevant and needed in today's world.

I was a late vocation, late in my day, when most entered after high school. Like the person in Francis Thompson's, Hound of Heaven , I tried everything to get away from God's call. I went off to study, traveled, and had a good life, but God kept after me. Finally, at age 25, I gave-in to God's call and have never regretted it. If you are trying to avoid God's call, whatever that may be for you, you may as well give-in because God won't give-up!

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