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 Sr.
Cathleen Ryan, OP
(Sr. Mary Campion)
Golden Jubilarian
50 years (July 9, 1956)
Sr. Cathleen Ryan shares that the seeds of her vocation were planted from within her family at a young age. Her parents were very active in the Church and generous with their time in her home parish. Remarking on her parents' deep commitment to the Church and to their Gospel values, she summarizes, "They showed their faith with their lives." This year, Sr. Cathleen celebrates 50 years of herself witnessing to the faith with her own life as a Dominican Sister.
In the 1950s, when Sr. Cathleen came to St. Mary of the Springs, many Sisters entered religious life right after high school. But her life took a different path. "I always had a 'leaning' toward religious life, but I just wasn't ready after graduation," she explains. "I needed a chance to age a bit I guess." After high school, she went to business school and then spent several years in the fast-paced worlds of real estate and advertising.
Sr. Cathleen admits that she never wanted to be a teacher initially, an obstacle that she feels she needed to address before coming to a congregation that was largely a teaching community. But then, over an after-party conversation at a diner with friends, she realized that more important factors were calling her to St. Mary of the Springs. The ideals she saw in the Sisters who taught her – love of God, love of people, love of life, a spirit of hospitality, a down-to-earth attitude, an openness and a willingness to be present to those they served – ultimately drew her to the Congregation.
Sr. Cathleen did become a teacher initially, and enjoyed the experiences she had teaching in various locations in Ohio and New York. But, as for most Catholics and Catholic institutions, Vatican II was a changing point for Sr. Cathleen, she says. "I had a new vision of what the Church could be and how I could work to bring that vision to reality," she explains. She felt called to address the challenges of Vatican II, particularly emerging ideas on lay leadership and women in the Church. She began working in parish ministry and completed a Masters degree in Religious Studies in support of her new apostolate. This new ministry brought her to Our Lady of Mercy parish (Plainsville, CT) for ten years and St. Catherine of Siena parish (Preston, CT) for nine years.
Since her official retirement, Sr. Cathleen has remained active, working in a part-time bereavement ministry and volunteering as an ESL tutor for immigrant women. In all that she does, she remains passionate about her faith and committed to her vision for what the Church can be. |
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