CELEBRATE your VOCATION
Pray for Vocations

The Felician Sisters pray that the youth of today have the courage to say “yes” to God in whatever life vocation they choose. They also invite the youth of today to consider a church vocation because they treasure their own vocation received from God.

CHILDREN’S VOCATION PRAYER

You are an awesome God. You call me to follow you. Open my mind and heart to your love. Lead me on the path you want for me and fill me with your peace. Amen.

YOUTH’S VOCATION PRAYER

God, our Father, you call each of us by name and gift us with a mission and purpose: to fulfill your will on earth as it is in heaven. Show me the path to holiness that you desire of me. Give me the courage to say “yes” to follow your Son Jesus in a more personal and radical relationship. I ask this through Jesus Christ your son, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and the intercession of Blessed Mary Angela.

ADULT’S VOCATION PRAYER

God, our Father, we ask you to call forth young people to live the Gospel in justice and truth, to radiate joy, to share their diverse gifts with all humanity, and to be about the mission of Jesus in the Church. We ask this in the name of Jesus the Lord.
(Approved by Adam Cardinal Maida, Archbishop of Detroit, August 4, 2004)


Sister Mary Joanne Suranni
25 years of Religious Life (2007)
In living out my religious vocation I am most grateful
…to God that I can be a daily reminder of His love for others
…that I continue to discover God’s gifts to me and to use them to serve others
…for the many opportunities I have to deepen my spiritual life

My Vocation Story
by Sister Mary Joanne Suranni, CSSF

When I look back at how God called me to religious life, I am touched by a deep awareness of how God allowed the events of my life to unfold and how God allowed me to discover His love at work in my life. I heard God’s call to be a religious sister when I was a high school student growing up in the small town of Batavia, New York. When I attended elementary school, the Sisters of Mercy played a large role in my faith formation at St. Joseph Parish. As I moved into my high school years at Notre Dame High School, the Felician Sisters continued to guide me on my spiritual journey.

As I became more acquainted with the sisters and experienced different aspects of religious life, I began to feel at home with the thought of accepting religious life as my life’s vocation. At the end of my freshman year in college, I sought entrance into the Felician Congregation and was accepted to the first year of preparation for religious life (postulancy).
Twenty-five years later, I am still discovering God’s goodness and love as it unfolds in my life. I can say that it has not always been an easy journey, but it has been one of tremendous growth. There have been many blessings and many challenges in living out my vocation and God has done infinitely more for me than I could ever ask or imagine would be possible.

(Sister Mary Joanne Suranni is currently ministering as an elementary school teacher in the Diocese of Buffalo. She is a member of the Felician Sisters Vocation Team in Buffalo as well as the historian for the Immaculate Heart of Mary Province.)

Sister Barbara Marie Juszkiewicz
36 years of Religious Life
Resting in God's embrace in the beauty of creation ...
Finding God in the darkness of doubt and pain ...
God speaks to my heart ..
Calling me to abandon in trust ..

My Vocation Storyby Sister Barbara Marie Juszkiewicz, CSSF

Ever since I was a young girl, I’ve wanted to be a religious sister. Early on in life, I sensed myself called by God to live in awareness of God’s presence and to serve by building up the Kingdom of God. I longed to contribute to the growth of justice and peace in our world so that the poor and needy would be treated with dignity and respect. I sought to learn from the prophets of our time – Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, Martin Luther King and Cesar Chavez.

I came to know sisters from a few different religious communities. I was taught by Mercy Sisters in our parish elementary school. I corresponded by letter with a sister who was a member of the Daughters of Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland. I became acquainted with Felician Sisters through my family. My parents were taught by Felicians in elementary school and my cousin is a Felician Sister. I had the opportunity to attend my cousin’s final profession ceremony at Villa Maria Convent.

Upon graduating from high school, I said “yes” to God’s call and entered the formation program (called postulancy) of the Felician Sisters. Through a balance of prayer and service to God’s people, I continued to grow in my vocation during these past thirty seven years. I am grateful for the original call to religious life and since then the daily call to a deeper and deeper relationship with God and God’s people.

(S Barbara Marie Juszkiewicz ministers to God’s people in the Diocese of Buffalo as a spiritual director, a moderator for the Secular Franciscans, and facilitator of faith sharing sessions at Villa Maria College.)