Thirty young women interested in or discerning a religious vocation attended the annual Marian Dinner on Nov. 8 at Columbus St. Andrew Church.
Sisters from 13 religious orders were represented at the annual event, which is sponsored by the diocese and open to individuals in grade eight through college.
Bishop Earl Fernandes welcomed the 70 people in attendance and said, “I’m very happy that all of you are here, especially the young ladies who are discerning a vocation, but also for all those sisters who have already consecrated their lives to Christ, the bridegroom.
“We have all different types of sisters here, so you have an opportunity to really get to know them, to understand their whole way of life, and to understand why in one point in time they decided to enter religious life.”
Congregations represented were the Apostolic Sisters of St. John; Bridgettine Sisters; Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm; Children of Mary; Daughters of Holy Mary of the Heart of Jesus; Dominican Sisters of Peace; Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist; Dominican Sisters of the Immaculate Conception Province; Daughters of Mary Help of Christians (Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco); Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Kerala (India); Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Pondicherry (India); Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity; and Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.
Each of the orders has sisters working in the diocese in a variety of ministries.
Attendees participated in the Liturgy of the Hours prayers with the sisters before dinner. Religious from several orders spoke briefly about their charisms, and Bishop Fernandes offered some remarks.
“Your path will be different from their path,” the bishop said. “But God continues to call. He calls, and He sends.”
Each order set up an information table and sisters mingled with anyone interested in learning about their work.
“More and more groups of sisters are coming (to the diocese), and I hope you get to know some of those present,” Bishop Fernandes said. “Get to know them, where they’re from, get to know what their life is really like.”
Among the parishes and schools represented at the event were Columbus St. Andrew Church, Columbus Our Lady of Peace Church, Hilliard St. Brendan Church, Columbus St. Stephen the Martyr Church, Columbus Ss. Augustine & Gabriel Church, Chillicothe St. Peter Church, Columbus St. Thomas More Newman Center and Columbus St. Francis DeSales High School.
Also in attendance was Father Stash Dailey, the diocese’s vicar for religious who oversees the orders of sisters and priests serving in the Diocese of Columbus.