This special and final episode sees the return of Sr. Beth Fitzpatrick, who previously featured in her own episode “A House of Prayer: A Conversation with Sr. Beth Fitzpatrick, O. Carm.” Sr. Beth, as the Archdiocese of New Orleans’s vicar for religious life, served as a creative steward on the Flourishing Sisterhood project and podcast. She and Claire Gallagher, the Flourishing Sisterhood project manager, provide insight into the production of the podcast, and their heartfelt experiences listening to each sisters’ story. As it is the final episode, they express their gratitude for the listeners, the sisters who participated in the podcast, and all those who offered their support along the way.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Julie Marsh, a Sister of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who tells us about the roads she followed, with God’s guidance, that led her to religious life. Prior to her entry into the sisterhood, Sr. Julie worked as a music therapist across the street from the Sisters of the Presentation. Fate brought her closer to the sisters, which led to her entering their congregation in 1986. She became a university campus minister and formation director for her community. In 2014, she was invited by a fellow sister for a mission in Louisiana. After taking time to discern whether the invitation was right for her, Sr. Julie made the decision to move down south. She is now the Director of Operations for the non-profit organization Hotel Hope in New Orleans, an emergency shelter for women facing houselessness.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Kathy Overmann, a Daughter of Charity, who explores the ways in which she has served individuals in the margins across the midwestern and southern U.S. Sr. Kathy first discerned her vocation following her high school graduation when she felt God calling her to a life of service. She has wholeheartedly involved herself in ministries which require her to reach people through compassionate and empathetic dialogue. Through her missions, she has found the importance of embracing our shared humanity. Sr. Kathy feels confident and comfortable speaking to people of all walks of life. She says that she tries to see the presence of God and Jesus in each person she encounters throughout the day. Before returning to New Orleans for her most recent ministry, she was missioned in Chicago, Illinois, at Marillac St. Vincent Family Services, helping senior citizens during the pandemic. Now, Sr. Kathy volunteers five days a week at the Harry Tompson Center to provide for unhoused New Orleanians.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Leah Couvillion, a School Sister of Notre Dame, who shares her global missionary experiences. Sr. Leah heard her call to religious life as a fourth grader, and became particularly infatuated with the potential of becominga foreign missionary. Her formation experience was unique: at just fourteen years old, she embarked on a journey of independence—leaving Louisiana for St. Mary of the Pines in Mississippi, a school for young women aspiring to be sisters. At school, she grew close with the other aspirants as they grew spiritually and emotionally alongside one another. She fulfilled her childhood dream of becoming a global missionary by ministering in Mexico from 1985 to 1996 and in Pakistan from 1999 to 2001. Her ministry in the United States has revolved around working with Spanish-speaking parishes in Texas and Louisiana. She has specialized in language instruction, since receiving her bachelor’s degree in Spanish and her master’s degree in Spanish Literature. In addition to being a language instructor, Sr. Leah has trained catechists and flourishing religious leaders across the globe.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Susanna of the Little Friars and Little Nuns of Jesus and Mary. She is from Sicily, Italy, and has been a part of her community for ten years. Currently, she is the Servant Superior of the formation house in the Houma-Thibodaux region. In her youth, she frequently attended mass with her grandmother, and was told Bible stories in place of fairy tales at bedtime. As a teenager, Sr. Susanna’s connection with the Church weakened as she attempted to discover what would bring her absolute joy. In college, she majored in philosophy and sought answers to her questions about life, death, and true happiness. She would find the answers through God. Sr. Susanna says that she has always been a “very radical kind of person,” which fits well with the radical evangelical poverty that her community embraces. The community, nonetheless, provides for their underprivileged parishioners.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Marie-Therese of Jesus Crucified, a Sister Servant of Jesus Crucified, who tells the remarkable story of her discernment. Her entire family experienced a reversion around the time Sr. Marie-Therese was eight years old. Following the birth of her younger brother, her mother endured a serious depressive episode, but God used this experience to bring the family back to the Church. In her teenage years, she carried out a radical act of love which led to her entering religious life immediately after graduating high school. First and foremost, Sr. Marie-Therese’s life as a sister is grounded in Eucharistic devotion and prayer, which provides sustaining grace through her active ministry life. Among many other missions and acts of service through her community, she accompanies others in offering their pain and struggles to the Lord through redemptive suffering, provides proper burial for the underprivileged through the community’s Bonne Mort Society, and provides love and support for local disadvantaged girls.
Trigger Warnings: brief mention of child death.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Giuliana Maria of the Most Blessed Sacrament, our youngest podcast guest and a novice with the Sister Servants of Jesus Crucified. As a self-proclaimed “wild child” and a romantic, Sr. Giuliana “reached for the sky” while growing up in the mountainous region of Colombia. As a teenager, she pursued a relationship she thought would lead to marriage and her ultimate happiness. The relationship did not last, but as a result, Sr. Giuliana began to explore her passion for the Church and helping others with a group of friends. She started attending weekly mass, and ministering to the neighborhood children. The friend group’s efforts were soon noticed by the Missionaries of Charity. Her ministry work would create opportunities for her to attend World Youth Day 2019 in Panama and a charismatic renewal retreat in Mexico. Both experiences were a part of Sr. Giuliana’s discernment. Her perspective on the sisterhood is unique as a young woman from Columbia called by God to St. Martinville LA, to the Community of Jesus Christ Crucified, an active-contemplative community rooted in redemptive suffering and meeting the needs of the poor and most vulnerable through their various missions and apostolates.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Celeste Larroque, a Sister of the Eucharistic Covenant. For twelve years, she was taught by the Sisters of Mercy in her small Louisiana town, which instilled in her the importance of religious women fulfilling their purpose through their missions. As a young adult, Sr. Celeste entered a convent which opened her up to the concepts of community and prayer life. In the early 80s, Sr. Celeste, with four other sisters, founded her current congregation, with a focus on the importance of a Eucharistic charism, after a period of discernment and discussion with their diocese. For over forty years, Sr. Celeste has ministered in civil and social services, as well as in congregational leadership. Most recently, she has ministered as the Diocese of Lafayette’s Delegate for Religious. Sr. Celeste says that she carries her family, her charism, her spirituality, and her congregation everywhere she goes in life; these essential parts of her identity have helped her to cultivate a positive and compassionate attitude in her ministry.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
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This episode features Sr. Anne Flanagan, a Daughter of St. Paul, who talks about the importance of religious sisters in media-based ministry. As a teenager, her discernment with the Daughters of St. Paul was sparked by a fateful encounter with a sister at the Pauline bookstore in Metairie, Louisiana, who told Sr. Anne it was the Pauline mission to “put the media at the service of the Church.” Since entering her congregation, her ministries have taken the form of multimedia approaches to sharing and living the Gospel. Her book Come To Me - Living The Nine First Fridays won First Place in the “Prayer” category at the 2024 Association of Catholic Publishers and the Catholic Media Association Book Awards. Previously, she created the music section for the Vatican’s Jubilee website in the 90s. Author of several books, Sr. Anne was also the decade-long editor of My Friend, a children’s magazine. Not only a wordsmith, but a songstress, she has sung in the Sistine Chapel Choir. On social media, she is known as @nunblogger, where she has cultivated a large following.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Regina Marie Fronmuller, an Ursuline Sister, tells us about her dedication to service and sharing in religious life. Generosity was a value instilled in Sr. Regina Marie from a young age by her family and the Church as she partook in the care of her relatives, neighbors, and greater community. Although she had initially considered becoming a nurse with her penchant for hospitality, ultimately Sr. Regina Marie pursued religious life. She was drawn to her congregation because of their invitational nature and prayerfulness. Her name in religious life connects her to her great-aunt, Mother Regina, who was also an Ursuline sister. As a religious sister, she has been a teacher and encouraged creativity in students of all ages by developing art programs and departments. After moving from Illinois to Louisiana, Sr. Regina Marie’s ministry has focused on the Saint Bernard Project, an organization dedicated to helping families recover after natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Beth Fitzpatrick, a Sister of Mt. Carmel, who discusses her lifelong connection to her congregation. On a walk with her mother and sisters, she expressed her awe in front of the Mt. Carmel motherhouse at just five years old. Her love of Carmelite prayerfulness made her feel right at home. Sr. Beth took time to carefully discern her vocation, and the path her life would take. She made the definitive decision to go to the university of her choice before entering religious life, knowing that she would eventually become a sister. As she told one of her mentors, “if I lose my vocation that easily, then I don't have one.” Sr. Beth, who was taught by Dominicans and Carmelites before receiving her master’s degree from Notre Dame University, and studying at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley, says that her spirituality has been informed by each congregation from which she has had the pleasure of learning. In religious life, Sr. Beth has been a high school home economics and religion teacher, a GED teacher at Hope House in the St. Thomas Housing Development, formation director for the congregation, leader of her congregation from 2005 to 2013, and the Archdiocese of New Orleans’ Vicar for Religious.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Long Hoang, a Daughter of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary, who is from Vietnam. During her teenage years, Sr. Long experienced struggles in life and in faith. After this “storm” of wrought emotions, a rainbow led her to a place of peace and safety. She says there was not one single experience which led her to the sisterhood, but multiple stops along the way. When she was just seven years old, Sr. Long had prayed to become God’s spouse and to be of service to him. After growing up across the street from a Daughters of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary convent, and being taught catechism by the sisters, she participated in “Come and See” retreat with the Vietnamese sisters. Once she moved to the U.S., she had a second “Come and See” experience at the New Orleans convent which helped to solidify her discernment. In her fourteen years as a religious sister, Sr. Long has been heavily involved in youth ministry. She has taught students in pre-k and confirmation classes, led metanoia retreats for young people, conducted the only Vietnamese children’s choir who sings in English for Mass, and counseled young women in their discernment.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Mary Martha Moss, a Daughter of St. Paul from Houma, Louisiana. Sr. Martha grew up in an interdenominational family, and did not attend Catholic schools in her youth. In high school, she found herself and many of her peers wanting to live the faith as young people, even within a more secular environment. When she was sixteen, a catechism teacher introduced her to the Daughters of St. Paul. The sisters wrote her letters up until her first year at Louisiana State University. Through these letters, visits to the convent, and her time helping at the Pauline bookstore, she discerned her call to join the congregation. In religious life, Sr. Martha has gone door-to-door sharing Pauline publishings during her first mission in New York, authored four books, been the Local Superior for the San Diego convent, and currently hosts the morning offering through her Facebook Live program called “Pause for Prayer.” Her favorite part of ministering has been being available to people in all of her ministry settings.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Cecilia Oluchi Dimaku, a member of the Nigerian congregation Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She entered the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus just four years after the formation of the congregation, following the Nigerian Civil War. Sr. Cecilia, whose family survived the conflict, says that her vocation is one way she expresses her gratitude for God’s providence in her life during the war. As a member of an interethnic and intertribal congregation, she has learned from their motto, “unity in diversity.” Sr. Cecilia has been in New Orleans since 2005, after being missioned with the Sisters of the Holy Family. Her ministry has included counter-trafficking activism and congregational leadership positions while in Nigeria and Italy; as well as spiritual direction for adult converts and administrative work for St. Mary’s Academy while in New Orleans.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Dorothy “Dot” Trosclair, a Dominican Sister of Peace. She entered religious life as a Sister of the Eucharistic Missionaries of St. Dominic; growing up in the suburb of Harvey, Louisiana, she took particular notice of the presence of the Dominicans in her everyday life. Early into her ministry, Sr. Dot taught religion in rural Louisiana parishes to children in non-Catholic schools. During the integration of schools in the 1960s, she and her fellow sisters campaigned against the specific injustice of being forced to segregate their ministry and outreach. Through her ministry, she has made a practice of “looking for life in the cracks” to help her through moments when she has witnessed injustice and inequity. Sr. Dot learned the art of spiritual direction in San Pedro Pescador Parish in St. Bernard, Louisiana. Now, she shares her gifts as the Director of the Archdiocesan Spirituality Center.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. John Mary Jackson, a Sister of the Holy Family. In second grade, Sr. John Mary knew that she was being called to the sisterhood from a young age, when she would craft poster boards into habits to play dress-up. From playtime to taking her vows, Sr. John Mary entered religious life following her high school graduation in 1961. She has been a religious sister for over sixty years now; in that time, she has been a principal in the United States and Belize, the formation director of her congregation, and a fiber artist. Based on her and her fellow sisters’ many years of experience, Sr. John Mary says that “the sap is still green.” She is confident that the older sisters keep an evergreen attitude when it comes to following their vows to God, and serving their communities.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Theresa Huyen Nguyen, a Daughter of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. Sr. Theresa and her family sought refuge in New Orleans after the Fall of Saigon in 1975. As a young girl, she was surrounded by Holy Rosary Sisters in her faith formation courses. The sisters provided a comforting presence in her early life, which piqued her initial interest in the sisterhood. Since entering religious life, Sr. Theresa has been an educator in the U.S. and Thailand, and an advocate for young people’s mental health. In her years teaching and administrating, she has become close with her students. This includes a young boy in Thailand whom she beat in a paper ball soccer game, who now has children of his own. She says that when he comes to the U.S. there is always the prospect of a rematch.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Thank you to our Loyola University New Orleans student interviewers for this episode: Charlotte Berg and David Israel.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Charlotte Rubit, a Sister of the Holy Family, with seventy-five years of experience in religious life. At just fifteen years old, she made the decision to enter the sisterhood. In the 60s and 70s, Sr. Charlotte’s ministry focused on desegregating schools across the Western and Southern United States, in areas with deep racial prejudices. Outside of her courageous work in education, Sr. Charlotte has taken several pilgrimages to Holy Sites in Europe and the Middle East. Through her travels, Sr. Charlotte and her fellow pilgrims have witnessed miracles, including the Blessed Mother in Medjugorje, which grounded her spirituality.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Bonnie Kearney, a Religious of the Sacred Heart. She explores how her philosophy of “broad Catholicism” has permeated through her ministry. She has been missioned both domestically and internationally – from her hometown, Chicago, to Bali, Indonesia. At one point, Sr. Kearney even applied for the Peace Corps, while keeping her role in religious life under wraps. After turning down an offer for Armenia, Sr. Kearney was sent on a mission to Louisiana. In New Orleans, Sr. Kearney worked with groups of young people at Duchesne House, a ministry dedicated to addressing the city’s needs post-Hurricane Katrina, from 2007 through 2019. Since the house’s closure, she has continued to minister in New Orleans as a congregational member of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and International Shrine of St. Jude and serves as a group facilitator for the Flourishing Sisterhood certificate program at Loyola University New Orleans.
Trigger Warnings: mentions of medical trauma and death.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Thank you to our Loyola University New Orleans student interviewers for this episode: Leila Jones and Duy Do.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
This episode features Sr. Mary Ann Culotta, a Dominican Sister of Peace, who made the decision to enter religious life on the night of a high school dance held at her parish, St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church. In her early years in religious life, she taught second graders and worked within Dominican schools. Sr. Mary Ann’s ministry for the past twenty years has been focused on dream work and spiritual direction, helping others discover how God might be speaking to them, whether sleeping or awake.
Trigger Warning: Brief mention of child death.
The Flourishing Sisterhood Project is supported by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation’s Catholic Sisters Initiative. The podcast is produced by the Loyola Institute for Ministry and retained by the university’s Digital Humanities Archive.
Thank you to our Loyola University New Orleans student interviewers for this episode: David Israel and Charlotte Berg.
Music and sound effects provided by distressbear and t2audio through Pond5.
