Florida Catholic | Vocations On The Menu At Convent Cookout

Vocations on the menu at convent cookout

Girl Scouts learn about religious life during visit to Franciscan Sisters convent.

MARLENE QUARONI | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 04.18.08

Sister Ann McDermott, center, of the Franciscan Sisters of Penance and Christian Charity, sings with members of Girl Scout troops from St. Bartholomew Parish in Miramar during the Scouts’ visit to the Hollywood convent April 5.
MARLENE QUARONI | FC

HOLLYWOOD | Thirteen Girl Scouts from troops 392, 411 and 501 sat in the living room of a Hollywood house listening to Sister Ann McDermott describe life as a Sister of St. Francis of Penance and Christian Charity.

“This is a Tau cross,” said Sister McDermott. “It symbolizes the Franciscan order. It represents our habit, since we no longer wear habits.”

The Girl Scouts came to the convent, which looks like any other house on the block, as part of a series on careers and at the invitation of Sister McDermott, who renewed her vows during the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life Feb. 2 at her home parish, St. Bartholomew in Miramar.

Three of the altar servers that day, who are also Girl Scouts, asked Sister McDermott about her life as a nun. She invited them to her home April 5 for a discussion of religious life, followed by a barbecue.

Kaitlyn Tingum, 13 and Nicole Bugay, 14, listen as Sister Ann McDermott tells them about life as a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Penance and Christian Charity.

MARLENE QUARONI | FC
Kaitlyn Tingum, 13 and Nicole Bugay, 14, listen as Sister Ann McDermott tells them about life as a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Penance and Christian Charity.

Sister McDermott gave the girls a tour of the house, explaining that a dining room had been converted into a chapel. She showed them the office/guest room and pointed out each of the sister’s bedrooms. Sister McDermott’s had a homey touch, a sign with the words “Ann Avenue” written on it, which a lay ministry associate gave her.

“I thought nuns weren’t allowed to watch television and use computers,” said Jessica Cook, 15. “I learned that they are like everyone else. They have cell phones and iPods, too.”

The girls watched a video created as part of the 100th anniversary of the order’s establishment in the United States. It described the charitable and educational ministries of the order, whose motherhouse for the eastern U.S. province, called Stella Niagara, is located near Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Built in 1908, the motherhouse is the administrative center for one of 10 international provinces and five missions, whose members follow the way of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, as well as of the order’s Dutch foundress, Mother Magdalen Damen.

“Any questions?” asked Sister McDermott after the video concluded.

Alicia Doan, 18, a senior Scout from Hallandale High School who says she wants to be a firefighter, asked if the nuns receive a salary

“We receive paychecks from the Archdiocese of Miami,” said Sister McDermott, who directs special projects for the lay ministry office. “We then sign them over to the motherhouse. We don’t do what we individually want to do. We discuss our needs together, in community. Then we ask for the motherhouse to cover our needs.”

Sister McDermott and two of those living with her, Sister Caroline Golden and Sister Claudia Steger, entered religious life just after high school. Sister Maria Elena Larrea, however, a medical doctor, took her vows in her early 40s. She was educated in Cuba and worked helping the poor in the Dominican Republic and other areas, but felt that something was lacking in her life.

“You can’t put a price tag on the desires of your heart, the call of God,” said Sister Larrea, who now works for hospice in outreach and community education. “What happened to my medical degree? Well, it’s hanging on the wall.”

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