Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity 60th jubilarian, Sister Bonita Moran, originally from the Diocese of Marquette, MI, shares a bit about herself, life as a consecrated religious and a precious teaching memory.
I was born to Aldia and Joseph Morin on June 26, 1931 the third child of four. I joined the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity in Manitowoc in August, 1950. My older sister, Sister Pavel followed me to Holy Family Convent a year later.
The Franciscan Sisters came to teach at our parish school, St. John the Baptist, in Marquette, Michigan in 1945 when I started high school. That is when I met Sister St. Francis Wenzel after the Sorrowful Mother Novena on a Friday night. She was very patient, friendly, pleasant and helpful. I now have the honor of living with her at St. Francis Convent in Manitowoc.
When the Bishop said my name is to be Sister Bonita I had no idea what “Bonita” meant. Later in the day I found out that it means “good” in Spanish, showing the goodness and the purity of Mary. With my great love for our Blessed Mother I call on her often. She has helped me through many good years.
I am very grateful for the thirteen years of teaching second and third graders, for seven years of 
homemaking and forty years of working with the elderly. My 60 years of serving Christ has been in the helping of others whether children or the elderly.
One year when I was in Church with second graders for First Confession, a little boy came out of the confessional crying. I couldn’t imagine what happened. I took him aside to find out what Father said to him. Father said he should say three Hail Mary’s. “But, I only know one.” I had him say the Hail Mary that he knew. “Now say another one; that makes two.” “Now say another one.” “What does that make?” He said, “Three.” His face lit up with a big smile. Now he knew what Father had told him to pray. Every year after when I prepared the children for First Confession I told them about the three Hail Mary story.
We invite you to ponder your own call from God in our next Franciscan Vocation Discernment Retreat, May 17-19, 2013. Click here for more information.
