Sister Cecelia Cosgrove (Sister Ann Christopher)- 50th Jubilee

Written on: April 19, 2015

Sister Cecelia Cosgrove (Sister Ann Christopher), one of nine children of Edward and Margaret Cosgrove, met the Grey Nuns at D’Youville College in Buffalo, New York.  She learned from her father how to ‘fix things’ around the house and has been an asset to whatever convent or house where she has lived.  She began her ministry in education as did most Grey Nuns, spending time in Atlanta and at Bishop McDevitt High School in the Philadelphia area before beginning studies in mental health counseling at St. Paul University, Ottawa.  For more than forty of her fifty years as a Grey nun, Ceil has been actively engaged as a counselor and spiritual director in the Diocese of Buffalo, New York, most of those years in private practice.  She also served as Counselor and Formation Consultant at Christ the King Seminary.  In 2006, she began offering her service as both counselor and spiritual director to her sisters at the Motherhouse in Yardley which she visited monthly for a week.  She presently serves on the Leadership Council of the Grey Nuns and as Treasurer of the Congregation.

All of my ministries have meant something special to me. Educational experiences led me to the ministry of Mental Health Counseling where I was able to help people discover their blessed selves, new freedom and health. Through my ministry of Spiritual Direction, I had the privilege of being with individuals as they sought ways to discover God more profoundly.  I believe we are all called to be people of compassion; a quality meant to be given to ourselves and others.  Every time I have identified myself as a Grey Nun of the Sacred Heart, I have been challenged to grow in the understanding of this profound call to be a compassionate woman.  Jubilees are about the blessings received that make it possible for life to go on, for faithfulness to endure, for gifts to be received.  I have been blessed to be a daughter of St. Marguerite d’Youville, a woman who showed us how to be steadfast and courageous, concerned for others, unafraid to take risks and in love with God.  With my community, my family and my friends, I look forward to thanking God who is the Source of all compassion and the grace of Marguerite.

This entry was posted in Our 2015 Jubilarians and tagged: Bishop McDevitt High School, Christ the King Seminary, counselor, D'Youville College, Sister Ceil Cosgrove, spiritual director, St. Marguerite d'Youville