Catholic Transcript Online

ENFIELD – Four congregations of women religious opened their doors Jan. 16-17 for the Archdiocese of Hartford’s first-ever Nun Run – a 24-hour experience of sharing, hospitality and prayer for young women exploring religious life.

"It’s an opportunity to help women learn about religious life by visiting different congregations," said Sister Maria Iannuccillo of the School Sisters of Notre Dame. "We offer any help we can give to work with women and help them discern where God is calling them."

The gathering is designed to help young women visit neighborhoods where the sisters live, satisfy their curiosity regarding religious life, experience the community life of vowed women religious, compare congregations of sisters and participate in the sisters’ shared life of prayer and community.

Beginning Saturday at noon, the young women visited the Sisters of St. Joseph’s provincial house in Hartford for lunch, a talk and a tour. Next was an afternoon visit to the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur’s Julie House in Windsor for a prayer service and discussion about their international congregation.

That evening, they traveled to Enfield to St. Joseph’s Residence of the Little Sisters of the Poor for dinner, a talk, evening prayer, an exchange with novices and vocation directors from sponsoring congregations and an overnight stay.

The next morning, they attended Mass at the nearby Felician Sisters’ Novitiate, which they also toured.

"I’ve always thought about religious life, but it’s something I didn’t know anything about," said a 24-year-old woman who asked to remain anonymous. "I’m overwhelmed, but this gave me an opportunity to know more about the sisters and their work."

For Maria Ettienne-Modest, a 27-year-old preschool teacher from Bloomfield, it was a chance to continue her inquiry into mission service.

"It’s been great," said Ms. Ettienne-Modest, who said she first entertained the thought of becoming a religious sister at the age of 6 or 7 and began visiting communities at the age of 15.

"Everyone has been so loving and open to telling us about their life and response to God’s call," she said. "I feel called to missionary work, so I’m particularly interested in international communities.

"I’m looking for a way to give back to God through service," she continued, "and religious sisters do this kind of work from their heart without looking back. It’s hard to find people like that in the world."

The Nun Run was hosted by the Connecticut Vocation Council, a group of 10 congregations created to exchange ideas about vocations. The group has also hosted evenings of discernment and an information table at the archdiocesan Catholic Youth Spectacular.

Sister Maria brought the idea to the council from a colleague in Chicago, where a similar group comprising about 30 congregations has held the Nun Run for several years.

"It’s an opportunity for young women to meet with several communities in a short amount of time, and to help them learn about and discern a religious vocation in a relaxed, fun way," she said. "Plus, it gives vocation directors a chance to get together and share ideas."

Sister Maria said the group hopes to host additional Nun Runs in the future with different congregations and in other areas of the state.

"I’ve been doing this work since the ’70s to raise vocation awareness and to help women discern their vocation," said Sister Therese Vanasse, a member of the Daughters of the Holy Spirit in Putnam.

"A lot of women who come often don’t understand the differences among the congregations," she observed, "so our role is to help them see if it is a good fit.

"We can’t make the decision for them," she noted, "but we can help them discern and understand through prayer and education. They leave these gatherings with a better understanding of how and where God is calling them."

Other vocations directors assisting with the Nun Run were Sister Elaine Betoncourt, a member of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Chambery; Sister Josita Colbert, of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur; and Sister Gabriel Garrett, a member of the Little Sisters of the Poor.