Tags
discernment, nuns, Roman Catholic Church, Sisters of Providence, Sisters of Providence-Mother Joseph Province, Sr. Bea LaFramboise, Vocations, women religious
Sister Beatrice LaFramboise has been a Sister of Providence for 45 years and is presently doing vocation ministry for her community. Sister Beatrice visits Catholic schools, youth and young adult conventions and rallies to share about the life of Catholic sisters today. She also has a deep care and love of ministry to the homeless and those in need.
Working with other Sisters of Providence vocation ministers these past six years has been a time of continued growth while learning new skills, meeting youth and sharing my vocation story with them. I have tried to be creative in how to meet the youth of today. It is through classroom visits as well as through the Vocation Rally held each year in the Portland-Beaverton, Oregon, area.
The Vocation Rally is a fun-filled day for sixth graders to meet priests, sisters and brothers through a variety of activities such as singing, listening to a presentation about the call to religious life, and hearing a panel of people in religious life (a priest, a brother and a sister) share their personal stories. The rally also includes many displays presented by the various religious communities participating.
Another way that I meet youth is through youth conventions, where I have been able to give presentations about spirituality, discernment and prayer. I usually hang out by the display tables, where there are lots of brochures for different religious communities of women and men. By doing that I have a chance to mingle with the youth, ask them questions and listen to hear what is important in their lives. The night before the Seattle Youth Convention is an excellent time to meet those working behind the scenes. We stuff the bags for participants with a name tag, buttons, T-shirts and programs.
One other avenue for me to meet youth is through the One-Week Experience sponsored by the Archdiocese of Seattle. It is held in the summer and 20 students live together, learn about forming community and do community service. With my sleeping bag, an apron and my organizational skills, I prepare the meals for the youth, chaperones and team leaders. On one of the evenings I give a vocation presentation. Since the youth already have met me during the week, they are more comfortable to ask questions about “the life of a sister.”
The youth have the world in their hands. Together, we can make a difference. I pray and hope that the youth today will see and experience a sense of what community life is about and realize that there are lots of possibilities for them to share their lives with us.
