Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart

NEW NUN SAYS SISTERS ARE ALIVE AND WELL

You no longer see them in long, graceful habits. You can't always pick them out in a crowd. They are no longer staffing schools and hospitals by the dozens. But nuns have not disappeared. They're alive and well and very connected to our world. Ask Jan Kelly, newest Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart.

Sister Janice Kelly says, "I think becoming a nun is incredibly exciting -- for me, for my community, for the Church, and for the world! Because of the great love we are celebrating -- God’s love! I hope that it says to other Catholics, Christians and peoples of various religions that even today, amid chaos, promiscuity, greed, violence and war, God is still present – through those who choose to live counter-culturally, trusting in God’s love and Providence, saying ‘yes’ this day and every day."

Seven years ago, Jan was living in Glens Falls, NY, in her own home, entering middle age, working successfully in a career path. But, she was looking for something more. She was convinced she had a religious vocation. When she looked for the right order to join, she found them in cyberspace. A Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart, Sister Eileen Spanier, answered her request for prayers, and immediately invited her to come to spend some time with the Sisters in Buffalo, NY. The rest, as they say, is history – holy history!

Jan Kelly became Sister Jan when she entered into training to be a Grey Nun in 1999. She studied the religious life by living it. She prayed with the community, studied, and worked in outreach to the poor. She lived with Grey Nuns in New York and Pennsylvania and met the sisters from other geographic areas when they gathered annually for community meetings. She experienced the bitter cold of Buffalo winter and the heat of the Dominican Republic, as she spent time deciding whether to cast her lot with this community of energetic and enthusiastic sisters.

On August 14, 2005, at their Motherhouse in Yardley, Pennsylvania, Jan was accepted as a full member of the congregation, and made perpetual vows -- a permanent commitment to God. Before 150 Grey Nuns, Grey Nun Associates, relatives, colleagues, and friends, Jan pledged to consecrate herself for the rest of her life "to the service and education of the poor and all in need," with the Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart.

"People ask me why I picked this life. I didn't pick it – It picked me!" Sister Kelly observed. "I wanted the kind of happiness I saw in the sisters I met. My family supports my vocation. They would tell you they see in me the peace and joy this life choice has given me."

Jan now wears the Grey Nun ring – a simple silver band with the words, "Jesus, Mary, Joseph" engraved on the inside. The ring for Sisters is like a wedding ring for spouses. It signals a bond, vows, a pledge. Jan says, "I really want to be a genuine public witness of God's love. We don't wear habits. Instead, I want to put on the compassion of Jesus. I want to become the best self God intended for me to be. I want to share the love and charity that our foundress, Saint Marguerite d'Youville, and the Grey Nuns give to the world."

We asked Jan what it is about being a nun that makes it possible for her to give up a career, marriage, and children. She answered, "It's bigger than anything I could say that would make sense. It’s all about relationship, a deep, incredibly alive relationship. It’s about love -- and love changes everything."

Grey Nuns first emerged in 18th century Montreal, taking care of the sick, the poor, orphans, and all those neglected by society. Marguerite d'Youville, their foundress, is widely known in Canada for her heroism and was recognized as a saint by the Church in 1990. Grey Nuns of the Sacred Heart, the U.S.-based branch of Grey Nuns, serve families, children, and young people in schools, hospitals, drug rehabilitation, parishes and prisons from Kodiak, Alaska to Atlanta, Georgia.