Answering God’s Call profiles the life of a priest, deacon or professed religious sister in the Diocese of Columbus.
Sister Bernadette Selinsky, OSF, says she can think of nothing more personally satisfying than joining a religious order of women.
“Becoming a sister seemed like sort of the natural thing to do because of my family background, and I’ve never regretted it,” she said.
“If a young woman thinking of entering the religious life were to ask me about it, I would tell her it’s a beautiful life because you fall in love with God. Your whole life is based on Jesus’ life. This carries you through the good times and the trials of every day and gives you a real sense of dedication and perspective.”
Sister Bernadette, 75, has been a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity for 55 years and is one of three sisters of the Manitowoc, Wisconsin-based congregation serving the Genesis HealthCare System in Zanesville.
Manitowoc Franciscans have been staff members of the hospital and its predecessor, Good Samaritan Hospital, since they were invited to work there in 1900.
Sister Bernadette is the fourth of seven children – four girls and three boys – born to Edward Selinsky, a clerk for the Chicago and North Western Railroad, and his wife, Josephine. The children were raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
Two of Sister Bernadette’s sisters also entered religious life. Sister Mary Jo Selinsky, ANG, helped start A New Genesis community of sisters in Manitowoc. She is retired and serves as a church organist in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Sister Anne Marie Selinsky, OSF, is a pastoral minister in Green Bay. All three of Sister Bernadette’s brothers were seminary students.
“It seemed like whenever our church was open, we were there,” she said. We prayed the rosary and went to daily Mass, and naturally that had an impact on all aspects of our lives.”
As Green Bay residents, the Selinskys considered the Green Bay Packers a big part of their lives. “We lived the Packers during football season,” she said. “I grew up two miles from Lambeau Field and saw many Packer games.
“I still remember once when I was sitting behind a goal post and catching a football which went into the stands during pregame warmups.”
After attending grade school in Green Bay, she continued her education 45 minutes away at Holy Family Academy and Holy Family College in Manitowoc. She professed her first vows as a sister in 1967 and her final vows in 1972 and graduated cum laude from college as a music major in 1977.
“My first assignment as a sister was to teach music at (now-closed) St. Willibrord School on Chicago’s south side,” she said. “What struck me most in that first assignment was the responsibility I suddenly had, teaching music to every grade and trying to see what fit each age group best.
“It was also a big step to be living in an urban neighborhood where there was enough crime that we had to have bars on the windows. We were two blocks from a police station, so sirens were part of everyday life. That was a real eye-opener.”
Sister Bernadette spent one year in Chicago and continued as a music teacher for 18 years in Green Bay and Kaukauna, Wisconsin; Santa Barbara, California; and Yuma, Arizona, and then decided to change careers and become a chaplain.
She received three years of chaplaincy training, some of it at the former Mount Carmel West Hospital in Columbus, was in Zanesville at Good Samaritan for part of 1991 and 1992, and then returned to Manitowoc for a four-year period at Holy Family Hospital before coming back to Zanesville in 1996.
“I always felt called to hospital work. When I realized that sisters were serving as hospital chaplains, the pull became stronger,” she said. “I’ve been fulfilled by this work, and it’s especially rewarding when people are able to share deeply what’s going on inside them.
“It’s also been a very good experience to see the friendliness of people and to work with people of different faiths, particularly since I grew up in a mainly Catholic background.
“The most challenging part of being a chaplain was being available through the night. I never knew when I’d be called out of bed, but it would happen once a week, sometimes twice or more. I never had enough sleep, but I’m catching up on it now that I’ve been semi-retired for five months. I still work half-time at the hospital and sometimes distribute communion on weekends.
“What I do as a chaplain hasn’t changed that much over the years, but health-care delivery has changed immensely. It has become more complex. At the same time, patients and their families have become more knowledgeable, with higher expectations for their care.”
Sister Bernadette said that although it’s troubling that the number of women religions has declined steadily in recent years, she’s mainly focused on fulfilling the role God has given her.
“What will happen to religious congregations in the future concerns me on one hand, but it doesn’t on the other,” Sister Bernadette said. “Ultimately, it’s up to how God helps us shape the future. If we’re meant to grow, that’s fine, but if not, there’s a time and place for everything. We don’t know the future.”
“Especially these days, things are so in flux that it’s more important to live from one day to the next doing the work God has entrusted to us and keeping open to God’s vibrant Spirit speaking to everyone.”