Ministry Stories
Sister Laura Coughlin
Sister Moonkyung Park
Sister Karen Cunningham
Sister Laura Coughlin
Sister Laura is in her seventh year of ministry at Seton-LaSalle Catholic High School in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. She is the Technology Coordinator and has taught both computer and social studies classes at Seton-LaSalle. For the 2007-2008 academic year, Sister Laura is teaching World Cultures and United States History to sophomores. Additionally, when the snow starts falling, Sister Laura is the Ski Club moderator.
"To me, being a Sister of Charity means that I express my love for Jesus Christ in a direct manner through the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. More importantly, the vows are a reminder that he has chosen me for something both special and sacred. Since God's love is unique for each one of us, not only has God called me, but he has called me to be HERE with this particular order. So my individual calling is meant to be a blessing to the Congregation, and the Congregation, with its many beautiful sisters, is meant to be a blessing to me," said Sister Laura.
Sister Laura was 28 years old when the seed of her vocation was planted on the Tohono O'Odham Indian Reservation in Arizona. She was working as a lay volunteer with two Dominican sisters.
"The experience of community life coupled with a satisfying ministry felt right to me, although I did not act on this feeling immediately and returned to paid employment in Phoenix when the volunteer year came to a close," said Sister Laura.
Three years later, Sister Laura was introduced to Sister Mary Clark, then vocation director for the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill.
"As it turned out, there were eight Sisters of Charity living at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Convent in Scottsdale, quite close to where I was living in an apartment. I was introduced to this local community, and started to join them occasionally for meals and prayer. I felt that the sisters shared a spirit that was right for our times. They were joyful, practical, prayerful, hard-working, and lived out of a deep desire to serve God. I also felt that in many practical ways we-the sisters and I-were like each other," said Sister Laura.
As a result of Sister Laura's call, she lives in a community with six other sisters. She attends Mass daily and endeavors to nurture her prayer life primarily through the reading of Scripture and devotion to Eucharistic adoration, as well as through other means. Teaching is a new career path for her since entering religious life.
"The charism of Charity affects my ministry because of the type of presence that a religious sister has in a school, particularly in this case, because the Sisters of Charity are the sponsoring congregation for Seton-LaSalle. I feel that our charism allows us to be present to both students and faculty in a special way that carries a history of service," said Sister Laura.
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Sister Laura with students at Seton-LaSalle Catholic High School in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. |
Sister Moonkyung Park
Sister Moonkyung Park ministers as a hospital chaplain at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, NY. Prior to entering religious life, Sister Moonkyung found the hospital setting the least desirable place for her to work.
"I could not stand hospital odors nor could I see injured or very sick patients. I had a couple of episodes of passing out at the hospital, not as a patient, but as a visitor. However, I found that when God wills it, the hospital setting could become the most comfortable place for me to minister. How can I not rely on God's Providence?" said Sister Moonkyung.
Sister Moonkyung feels that by being a Sister of Charity she is striving to serve God and His people more faithfully, more humbly, and more lovingly in the pursuit of the Vincentian-Setonian spirituality on a daily basis.
When Sister Moonkyung was in graduate school at Columbia University Teachers College in New York City, she expanded her horizon beyond herself and her materialistic success toward God's love for all humanity-especially those in need-for the first time in her life.
"As a result of this, I became interested in teaching students from poor families in South Korea, not those from affluent ones who used to be my target group before studying in the United States. Since these thoughts were brewing inside me, the doors for me to become a Sister of Charity kept opening," said Sister Moonkyung.
During her last semester at Columbia University, Sister Mookyung began looking for a religious congregation whose main mission was education and a foreign mission in South Korea. The Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill was that congregation.
During her discernment period, Sister Moonkyung visited the motherhouse in Greensburg, PA, the Korean Provincial House in Kwang-Joo, South Korea, and several convents in the United States and Korea.
"Those visits led me to observe that this Congregation looked like a place where God has blended ideally the virtues of the Korean and the U.S. culture. Their prayerful, simplistic, hospitable, intellectual, and service-oriented lifestyle attracted my interest immediately," said Sister Mookyung.
As Sister Moonkyung began to learn the Vincentian-Setonian spirituality, she knew she wanted to serve God by becoming part of the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill, a group of faithful women whose life was completely dedicated to manifest God's love to those in need.
"The charism of Charity always reminds me to see God in all to whom I am sent and to rely on God's love and providence regardless of whatever life brings to us," said Sister Moonkyung.
Sister Karen Cunningham
Sister Karen Cunningham is ministering with the Little Sisters of the Poor as a Development Assistant. The Little Sisters of the Poor have cared for the elderly poor in Pittsburgh, PA, since 1872. Sister Karen's work supports their ministry at Ss. Peter and Paul Home.
"At their home, I witness the beauty, joy, and blessings of the elderly. I value serving the poor and help the Little Sisters stay financially solvent so they are able to continue their mission. I like interacting with the residents, listening to their stories, and encouraging those with financial resources to share with the less fortunate, modeling my actions after Saint Vincent de Paul," said Sister Karen.
Sister Karen felt a strong connection with Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton and was motivated by the phrase, "The Charity of Christ Urges Us." She longed to experience the joy and simplicity of life shared by the Sisters of Charity.
As a result of responding "yes" to God's call, Sister Karen is a vowed religious, embracing a life of prayer and community that nourishes and sustains her enthusiasm and energy for ministry.
"I am grateful to walk the path of many holy, dedicated and genuinely loving women of the Church," said Sister Karen.
According to Sister Karen, living as a Sister of Charity has helped her grow to see Christ in the sacraments, other people, in the poor and suffering, in nature, and in many other aspects.
"Being a Sister of Charity means living the vocation to which God has invited me. By sharing prayer and material resources, supporting justice causes, and connecting with other sisters, I find meaning in what is entrusted to me as charism, as well as integration of my life as a Sister of Charity and as a minister with God's people," said Sister Karen.
Sister Karen, who is often described as warm, kind, and easy to approach, said the charism of Charity affects her ministry daily. Through her work with the Little Sisters of the Poor, she offers compassion to those whom she ministers.
"The love of Christ makes me more inclined to see Christ in others and urges me to care for the poor and vulnerable. The Little Sisters of the Poor say they enjoy working with me and appreciate my dedication to their mission of caring for the elderly poor," said Sister Karen.