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News & Features

Four women from different walks of life find religious life has intense appeal
archived from: 2003-09-19
by: John Franko

On Nov. 1, Sylvia Tullius will begin a new chapter in her life when she enters the candidacy program for the Sisters of St. Francis of Millvale.

She will continue in her job as a business analyst for Mellon Financial Corp. but will live in community with sisters at Raphael House in Pittsburgh’s West End neighborhood.

“I’m very happy and very much at peace,” she said of her decision.

Tullius, 52, is one of a number of women in formation programs across the diocese. For most of them, religious life is a second vocation. But they all possess the deep spirituality of those who have come before them.

Tullius said she has always been active in her parish of St. Clare of Assisi in Clairton. She was on the pastoral council and worked in the religious education and youth ministry programs.

But she realized there was something lacking in her life.

“I didn’t know what God was asking of me,” she said.

Her parish was staffed by the Capuchin Fathers who are familiar with the teachings of St. Francis. It was through them that she was led to visit the community last October. There, she met Sister of St. Francis Patricia Rogan, diocesan delegate for religious, who has come to mentor her.

Tullius’ resolve was strengthened during a January mission, and by July she knew that community life was what she wanted.

“I’m very excited about it,” she said. “Nov. 1 can’t come fast enough.”

She will take part in various community activities during her candidacy. If she continues with her formation, she will move on to a novitiate and then to temporary and permanent vows.

Tullius said she would like to go back to school for theology in order to work in faith formation.

She said her family initially feared being separated from her, but she pointed out that many of the restrictions against family contact have been relaxed over the years. She said she has appreciated the support of religious sisters and priests.

Tullius said the key to discerning a vocation is reflection, adding, “Pray and watch for the signs. They’re there.”

Sister Irene Margaret Ellis, 35, jokes that she entered “lockup” when she began her novitiate for the Sisters of the Holy Spirit in West View last month.

A former member of Holy Innocents in Sheraden, she said she grew to love the community while working at Marian Manor in Green Tree.

“Every time I left, I found reasons I had to go back there,” she said. “I had to be a part of that.”

The sisters recognized that her devotion went beyond a paycheck, and they questioned her about a desire for religious life.

“I guess they saw it, but I didn’t,” she said. “God chased me down.”

She also consulted with her pastor, Father Donald Buchleitner.

The ninth of 13 children, Sister Irene Margaret said that reaction among her family was initially mixed, but they have warmed to the idea.

She took part in a one-year affiliate program, followed by a candidacy year in which she moved in with the community but kept her job.

A large part of her novitiate will involve seclusion from the outside world, but she will participate in a number of activities. They include tutoring first-graders and working with kindergarten kids at St. Agnes in West Mifflin.

A typical week can also find her meeting with her director, talking with and doing crafts with older members of the community and working at the Martina Spiritual Center adjacent to the motherhouse.

She enjoys listening to the older sisters.

“I think they get a lot from me, but I get so much more from them,” she said. Sister Irene Margaret said that while she worked at Marian Manor she realized she had a gift of working with geriatric patients. She would like to continue to work with them in the future.

“I always thought that I was doing God’s work, but now it’s in an intimate way,” she said.

She said the novitiate year is designed to bring her even closer to God, and she wants to live it out in a “real” way. She doesn’t answer the phone and she limits her television viewing to watching the news. She has even given up watching the sports segment.

“I believe in it,” she said of the seclusion. “That’s what makes it so much more special.”

Sister Irene Margaret said she still sometimes struggles with the question of self-worth in serving God, but she has been inspired by the dedication of the community members toward each other.

“It’s a beautiful thing,” she said. “I feel privileged to be part of it.”

Sister Mary Lou Shimshock, 52, was received into the novitiate program for the Sisters of St. Joseph in Baden on Sept. 8. She said she chose the community because of its commitment to reconciliation and unity.

“It shows in everything they do,” she said.

She was working as an operating room nurse in Westmoreland County when she realized she wanted more meaning to her life. She wanted to help people in a deeper way.

Sister Mary Lou entered another community in 1998, but she realized it wasn’t for her. She was introduced to the Sisters of St. Joseph and began meeting with a vocation director in 2001.

“I knew it was the right fit for me,” she said.

She said it was hard to give up a house and a car, but she knows she did the right thing.

She said living in a community program at Trinity Convent on the motherhouse grounds in Baden during her candidacy drew her even closer to community life.

“It’s truly about sharing your life, your prayer and your struggles. “The life I experienced there was fantastic.”

Sister Mary Lou is living at a formation house in Pittsburgh’s Morningside neighborhood. Her days find her doing respite care ministry at the Orr Center in Pittsburgh’s East Liberty neighborhood or serving as an aide at St. Raphael School. She also visits with older sisters in the community.

She said those considering a vocation should be open to talking to religious and sharing their joy. She said its important to remember that it isn’t about our plans. It’s about God’s.

“I really do believe that it’s just allowing yourself to be open,” she said. “God’s grace does come.”

Sister Susan Merrie English, 57, is a novice for the Benedictine Sisters in Ross Township. She’s also the mother of six and the grandmother of six.

“I didn’t think I had an option,” she said of her vocation.

She has a doctorate in education and was a professor at Indiana University of Pennsylvania when she began to take a closer look at her life.

She moved into the motherhouse in May 2002 and completed her candidacy year. She was accepted as a novice in the beginning of June. She enjoys the community aspect, especially the set times for prayer.

Sister Susan Merrie said it was hard to give up her credit cards, car and cell phone, but the feeling of loss didn’t last long. She noted she has also benefited from the support of family and friends.

“It’s not the common thing for a college professor to do,” she said.

Her morning activities include classes in theology, and Benedictine history and rule. She spends the afternoons doing domestic house duties and preparing the chapel for liturgies and services.

“I’m very happy,” she said. “I’ve not had a moment’s doubt since I’ve been here.”

Those interested in exploring religious life can contact the diocesan Department for Consecrated Life at 412-921-5800, ext. 13.

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