ONE COMMITMENT LED TO ANOTHER

I am a Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word of San Antonio.  In 2016, I joined my congregation to follow a felt call to be a Sister. All the experiences of my life deepened my commitment to God and enabled me to dedicate myself totally to the service of the Incarnate Word.

I grew up in a family of five, in Ireland, a country that experienced oppression by England for many years. My parents had a deep faith. In school, the Mercy Sisters focused on the person of Jesus and the central values of the Reign of God.  Later in my twenties, I felt on fire with indignation about apartheid in South Africa as well as the unjust treatment of Salvadorians by the army.

My first contact with the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word was in the late eighties when I became a lay Incarnate Word Missionary. I was attracted to the program because it invited me to live simply and to commit to a concrete way of creating a more just society through service and walking in solidarity with people who are poor. Consequently, I had the opportunity to serve in several sites in Mexico and the United States, teaching and doing pastoral work.

My 29 years as a lay missionary resonated with the mission of the Congregation. I lived and worked with some incredible Incarnate Word Sisters whose commitment and dedication inspired me. Incarnational spirituality was palpable in their accompaniment of people. With time, through prayer and discernment, I felt the call to become a Sister. As a result, I spent 3 years in formation taking on more the mind and heart of the Incarnate Word in the tradition of our charism.

I celebrated my first profession of vows on August 24, 2019 at the Incarnate Word Chapel, San Antonio, and committed myself, through the power of the Spirit, to be the presence of the Incarnate Word in the world. I experience Religious life both as being rooted in Christ and in ecclesial community. As Incarnate Word Sisters, we ground ourselves in contemplation, while living in community, and from there we live out the mission of Christ in the world.

By Sr. Miriam Bannon, CCVI.