Vowed Membership

Who are we?

Mary Frances Clarke, our foundress, was a simple Irish woman who, together with her friends, began our community. Her deep faith in God and her love for the people in her life were always her focus. She was sensitive and kind and her letters often included freeing reminders of God's unfailing love. This spirit of freedom and the importance of relationships became part of the great legacy she left us.

Over five thousand women have entered the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the past one hundred seventy-five years and we continue to be inspired by Mother Clarke's tradition of keeping God at the center of our lives and cherishing relationships.

Our lives are dedicated to "being freed and helping others enjoy freedom in God's steadfast love." (BVM Constitutions #10) We do this today in a variety of ministries that include being educators, advocates for the elderly and underprivileged, hospital and hospice chaplains, prison and parish ministers, and spiritual guides.

In whatever way we feel called to minister, we try to do so in a spirit of joy and sharing in the great abundance of God's love that we find in community. We do so within a circle of friends who help us reach out to others in love.

Personal Stories

Sister Laurian McDonald, BVM
As a child of ten years, I wanted to make children happy and help them to know and love God, as I was learning from my fifth grade teacher, Sister Magdalena, SNDdeN.  Each week when I would climb into the back seat of the parish car and ride with a group of “catechists” to the East side of town to teach catechism to children from the barrio, I was excited and happy to teach them about the God Sister Magdalena loved and whom she wanted us to know and love.  I consider these years of my childhood my first awareness of something I felt called to do, and looking back, I realize it was my initial call from the Lord.

As a BVM of 60 years, I have been invited to live the love and compassion of Jesus; wherever I have responded to his call, I have been his instrument in calling his children to be happy and to love him in each other.  I try to live my life in the spirit of faithful gratitude to the Congregation for its loving support.

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