In this episode, Sr. John Mary, FSE, and I mention:
Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist (LEARN MORE)
Archdiocese of Vancouver (LEARN MORE)
Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family (LEARN MORE)
Toward a Theology of the Suffering Body — Jose Granados (READ)
Mulieris Dignitatem — Pope St. John Paul II (READ)
The Archdiocese of Vancouver is extremely blessed to have a wide variety of religious communities present. One of them is the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist, and this is the order that Sr. John Mary Sullivan, FSE, is part of. The mission of the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist is "to restore a sense of the sacred, especially the sacredness of human life, in a world that knows the rupture between the sacred and the secular."
Sr. John Mary works with the Archdiocese of Vancouver in Ministries and Outreach, where she brings together her background in Marriage and Family therapy and counselling with her religious life and theology, and along with her other sisters missioned in Vancouver, she brings about the charism and mission of her community to our city. Together, we talk about the importance and impact her parents' marriage had on her upbringing, her vocation story, and how she and her fellow sisters strive to bring the sacred into the secular.
Listen to our conversation here:
Read through and download the episode transcript here:
"The love that I saw within my parents' relationship — the goodness and the joy — I was starting to experience through the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist who became my sisters." — Sr. John Mary, FSE
Meet Sr. John Mary, FSE
Sr. John Mary Sullivan, a Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist, holds a Masters in Theological Studies from the John Paul II Institute at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., and is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. She earned her Masters in Marriage and Family Therapy at Central Connecticut State University and did clinical work for eight years at the Franciscan Life Center, a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Connecticut. Sr. John Mary currently works for the Archdiocese of Vancouver as an associate director in Ministries and Outreach and is the coordinator for Marriage and Family Ministries.
Sr. John Mary was born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona and brought up within a very close parish community. Her parents modelled for her and her sibling the beauty, joy and goodness of sacramental marriage. She is one of 10 children and was the first girl after six brothers. Coming after six older brothers she has always loved playing sports and is an avid sports fan. She is an aunt to 49 nieces and nephews, who are a great joy to her.
In addition to the strong relationships she has known within her own family, Sr. John Mary has been blessed with strong friendships throughout her life, including friendships with her coworkers and so many others within the Archdiocese of Vancouver.
One of Sr. John Mary’s greatest blessing in her life is her Community, the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. The Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist were founded in 1973 by Mother Rosemae Pender and Mother Shaun Vergauwen. Within her Community, Sr. John Mary has come to know the love of God and the great privilege to be called into serves of God and His people. Through her vowed commitment to God, the Church and her Community, Sr. John Mary has experienced a fullness of life that is a great source of missionary fervour and joy.