Sister Anne Marie Lom,OSF, Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity serving as a spiritual director at St. Raphael Parish, Oshkosh, WI, shared this talk at a Soup and Sermon parish program in which speakers were asked to answer the question: Why Am I Catholic? Note: Beginning on Ash Wednesday Sister will be directing an on-line Lenten Retreat. Expect to hear more about this on Franciscanized World in the coming weeks.
“Lord, to whom would I go?” In the John’s gospel, chapter 6, Jesus is teaching his followers about the Eucharist. Some leave because this is too hard, doesn’t “fit” right, may not seem logical, or some may have had other reasons. I can sympathize with the ones who left.
Over the years of my religious life, I had approximately 60 women my age leave my class as we went through high school, our beginning of formation, and eventually prepared for perpetual vows. Over the years of my Catholic faith, I have had friends and family members leave the practice of the Catholic faith and go to another faith tradition. Many of those times I asked myself, why do I stay? Why do I stay in this Catholic Church and why do I stay a Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity? For me, the two experiences, being Catholic and being a sister in my congregation are closely linked. That may not be true for all sisters; it is true for me. Read more.
