Two Nashville Dominicans, both teachers at St. Croix Catholic School in Stillwater, Minnesota, visited St. Joseph Catholic Church in Hayward for a March 21 Bethany Brunch. Arriving the evening prior, from left, Sr. Mary Judith and Sr. Teresa Joy were welcomed by all at the parish fish fry. (Submitted photo)
Jenny Snarski
Catholic Herald staff
The third diocesan Bethany Brunch was held at St. Joseph Parish in Hayward on March 21 with guests Sr. Teresa Joy, O.P. and Sr. Mary Judith, O.P., who teach at St. Croix Catholic Elementary School.
The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, commonly known as the Nashville Dominicans, travelled from Stillwater, Minnesota, one day early, arriving in time to attend the parish fish fry.
“Our fish fry is attended by a lot of community members, since it’s run by former restaurant owners,” said Laurel Eyer, the Hayward cluster’s director of youth faith formation, who organized the sisters’ visit to Hayward. “The presence of two young religious sisters in their habits created a naturally evangelizing vibe.”
Eyer said before the sisters had even walked through the door, a man with a big smile asked the sisters to bless his food as he carried his dinner in to-go containers. Sr. Teresa Joy recognized the joking tone, Eyer said, “but took advantage of the moment to pray out loud with the gentleman right then and there.”
Word travelled quickly that the sisters were willing to pray with people. A woman in a wheelchair asked the sisters to pray over her, which they did, stepping among the line of people waiting to buy their meal tickets. Praying over this woman for the easing of her neck pain and the comfort of her soul, those in line extended their hands, joining in the sisters’ prayer. Similar scenarios followed over the course of the evening.
Eyer hosted the sisters at her home overnight and returned early for morning prayer in the adoration chapel before the young women arrived for the primary event, the Bethany Brunch.
The diocesan initiative was introduced to increase the visibility of female religious life, especially among young adult women. Eyer said that women are formed in their vocation “whatever it may be, by the maternal care and spiritual guidance of sisters and nuns.”
Unlike St. Andrew Dinners, organized for young men who are more particularly considering the priesthood, Bethany Brunches are open to all young adult women – single, dating and married – as an opportunity to grow in community with one another and benefit from the friendship and faith of women religious.
This is now the third Bethany Brunch hosted by the diocese; the first two took place in Rice Lake and Hudson.
“As with the previous brunches,” Eyer said, “young women joined us from all over the diocese and beyond, with one coming from Eau Claire.” Every state in life was represented, and although it was “a small crowd of eight,” Eyer felt that led to comfortable conversation.
The event began with Mass in the adoration chapel celebrated by associate pastor Fr. Karunakar Madanu, who expressed his deep love for religious life. Adjourning to brunch, attendees found tables that had been set with what Eyer described as “care and class.”
“The food was delicious, but more significant was the conversation,” she added. “Each table chatted comfortably for an hour before the cue was given to move to the couches.”
From there, Sr. Teresa Joy gave a brief but dense talk about the vocation of women.
“We are all called to be daughter, sister, bride and mother,” she said.
Eyer commented how, without knowing it, sister’s chosen topic aligned with this year’s diocesan women’s retreats.
“God must really want us to hear that this year,” she reflected.
Some highlights from the talk included Sr. Teresa Joy’s best friend’s young daughter being deeply anchored in her identity as a beloved daughter of God. She shared an anecdote how when asked if she is a pumpkin, or a peanut or anything else, she stomps her feet and defiantly responds that she is “Lucy Princess!”
Sister recounted her discernment process, simultaneous with her best friend’s discernment of marriage. The experience brought the two friends even closer together, even though their paths seemed to be diverging. They still enjoy a close friendship of mutual openness, respect and encouragement.
Turning to her current calling-within-a-calling as a third-grade teacher, Sr. Teresa Joy said she has banned her students from asking, “What if?” this or that scenario. What she urges instead is to live in their present reality instead of wondering about things that are not immediately before them. For her adult listeners, she encouraged similarly not worry about what God’s specific calling is in the future, but to focus on follow God in the reality of each day’s now.
Eyer said they were encouraged to be rooted in Scripture to learn the Father’s voice. “By immersing ourselves in his word, it becomes much easier to hear him speaking in our lives, or to identify when he is not speaking,” she commented.
The presentation ended with the sharing of a list of all of the times that Jesus speaks directly to women in the Gospels. Sr. Teresa Joy invited participants to put their own names into those passages and listen for how God was speaking to each of them personally.
There followed a time for personal prayer in the adoration chapel. After the event concluded, a few went to get ice cream in downtown Hayward. Eyer shared that they encountered two of the parish’s catechumens at the ice cream shop, a third-grade girl and a 12th-grade boy.
The young girl looked with surprise at the sisters and asked why they were dressed “like that,” in their full habits. Eyer said that Sr. Mary Judith answered simply, “I am married to Jesus, and I dress like this so that everyone knows that Jesus is my husband.”
Eyer felt the short visit, which amounted to fewer than 24 hours in total, was “amazing. The presence of religious sisters really does elicit something beautiful in the people they encounter.
“Our small community in Hayward was so blessed to have them with us,” she emphasized. “We hope that this blessing will continue in our diocese with many more Bethany Brunches in the future in many other small towns like ours.”
Eyer also mentioned the “unique blessing” their community has of the two religious sisters who live on the Lac Courte Oreilles reservation and have served the Native community for decades.
“They also bring immense joy to our community,” she said.
Noting the local Catholic community’s great respect for Sr. Felissa and Sr. Mary Rose, both School Sisters of Notre Dame, she added that having the young sisters in habits “brought a fresh wave of curiosity about modern religious life and encouragement for the future of the church.”
Abby Landwehr, a diocesan employee helping with the Bethany Brunch initiatives, added, “Whenever the Lord entrusts his brides to our communities, we receive a profound blessing. The presence of both spiritual mothers and spiritual fathers brings a tangible richness to the care of the flock.”
