First profession

Two sisters made their first profession of vows as a St. Mary Sister, a religious community based in Bismarck living a consecrated life in the model of St. Dominic. The public was invited to witness their profession on July 22 at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit during a Mass celebrated by Bishop Kagan.
 
At the profession of vows, a woman does not “make herself into a religious sister,” rather she acknowledges the grace that has been given to her to live out the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. She allows herself to be consecrated to God and publicly answer His call.
 
Two sisters— Sr. Maria Bernadette and Sr. Mary Elizabeth—shared their experiences in receiving the call to religious life.
 
Sr. Maria Bernadette Neel was born and raised in a Protestant family in Tennessee in a city near Memphis. 
 
“Growing up I attended a small classical Christian school which shaped the way I thought and spoke, Sr. Maria Bernadette shared. “I had a strong background in Biblical studies, logic, philosophy, Latin and similar subjects due to that. I believe all these studies prepared me for the convent even though I would not have even fathomed being called to religious life back then. For college I went to Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey and received an undergraduate degree in engineering management with a master’s in system engineering. This was not a religiously affiliated school but had a strong Newman group on campus that I became involved in during my junior year of college.”
 
During this time, Sr. Maria Bernadette began exploring the Catholic faith for the first time and ended up converting in 2021.
 
She shared, “While I was in RCIA the thought kept on nagging at me, what if I am called to be a religious sister? At the time, religious life was not what I wanted or thought I would be doing with my life. I had always thought that I would work a corporate job, get married and have a family, but the thought of religious life would not go away which was telling considering I had never met a religious sister before.”
 
Possessing little knowledge of religious life prior to exploring it herself, she was intrigued by the idea of monks and nuns giving their lives to serve God but, to her, that was ancient history.
 
“The one thing I have realized in my time of being a religious and discerning religious life, is that you really cannot understand the gift that being a religious gives until you encounter them giving that gift in your own circles,” sister said. “Frequently, we make assumptions about religious, what they do with their time, the help they do or do not need, the work they do or do not do, and frankly most of those assumptions are wrong and need to be revised. When you encounter a religious in person you see that they are normal people who are doing their best to live radically for Jesus and bring others to Him. They are not holier or more special for being called to this life but are simply embracing a life dedicated to serving the Church so that they can support the other vocations in the Church more fully. The Church needs every vocation—marriage, priesthood and consecrated life, and they all work together to form the beautiful structure of the Church.”
 
Sister Maria Bernadette was attracted to the St. Mary Sisters due to the emphasis on teaching truth. As a convert, a search for the truth really encompassed much of her conversion process, and she wanted to be able to share all the beautiful truths of our faith with others. A phone call with Mother Mary Joseph helped her see things more clearly.
 
“By the end of the call, I felt at peace and ready to pursue the next steps,” she said. “It came as no surprise to me that the Lord would call me to a newer community as I had been involved in entrepreneurship throughout college, so even though some people might see it as a risk, I saw the Lord working in this little community and opening the door for me to join their mission. It is not a risk, but an opportunity to act in faith.”
 
She entered the convent two years ago in August 2023 as a postulant. She was given the habit by Mother Mary Joseph and the name Sr. Maria Bernadette. The name calls to mind Our Lady of Lourdes, to whom she has a great devotion. 
 
“When she chose the name for me, it was symbolic of the Lord giving me a new name as He did in the Old Testament when He changed Abram’s name to Abraham,” sister said. 
 
Receiving a new name shows a commitment to a change in life and of further consecration to the Lord and His work.

“The wonderful thing about the convent is that it is like a ship, each person has an important part to play in the day to day running of the convent no matter how small their role might seem to the world,” sister explained. “So, entering the life, you know that no matter what tasks you are given, it contributes to the overall mission of the institute. It is an amazing feeling to know that the convent could not run if you were not there doing laundry or doing class preparation or whatever other tasks are needed. It also is striking because you are with people who are genuinely trying to become saints just like yourself, so there is a built-in support system where everyone holds each other accountable but also has each other’s backs. It is encouraging to know that whatever you need, there are always people there for you, whether you are sick in bed, having a bad day or just got the best news of your life, the sisters are there to share in your joy, sorrow, suffering and pain.”
 
Leading up to the profession of vows on July 22, Sr. Maria Bernadette was excited about the chance to finally solidify her commitment to serving Christ in this life. 
 
“The vows ceremony is, for us, our wedding ceremony,” she shared. “In it, we unite ourselves fully to Christ as His brides in the presence of the Church, so everything leading up to it is like a wedding day. You sew a new habit, rehearse the liturgy and contain the excitement of the approaching day.”
 
Sister Maria Bernadette shared that there was an overwhelming sense of grace during the ceremony and a knowledge that religious life is for the whole Church. 
 
“The profession was not about Sr. Mary Elizabeth and me; it was about the gift of religious consecration—it was a reminder that everyone in the Church is called to give themselves to Christ and grow in holiness,” she said. “We are all made for heaven and that is what religious life is meant to show.”
 
This fall, Sr. Maria Bernadette will pursue a Master of Education at the University of Mary which will enable her to be certified by the state of North Dakota to teach grades five through high school in the Catholic schools in this region. 
 
The other sister who made her first profession has North Dakota roots. Sr. Mary Elizabeth McFadden grew up in a Catholic family in Killdeer, attending school there before earning a Bachelor of Arts in English, Philosophy and Catholic Studies from the University of Mary.
 
She first experienced a desire for religious life at age 15 after attending her first Cor Christi Institute at the University of Mary. 
 
“That desire didn’t line up with what I had planned for my life, so I tried to ignore it,” she said. “Yet, the desire kept returning, and after developing a prayer life in college, I pursued the desire for religious life. However, the path this pursuit of religious life was not going the way that I wanted, and doors were closing, so I filed it away as something worth trying but not for me. It wasn’t until a few years later, while I was working at a parish, that I finally surrendered to the desire for religious life and allowed Jesus to lead the way.”  
 
Reflecting on her initial thoughts of religious life, she said that, even though she was raised in the Church, she wasn’t very familiar with the vocation. 
 
“Today, I see religious life for what it truly is and what the Church teaches religious life to be—a great gift from God to the Church as a sign to what every single person is called to be in heaven,” Sr. Mary Elizabeth shared. “We are all called to be completely united with Christ in heaven, to be given entirely over to Him. And I have been given the great gift to live that now, and the responsibility to help others to recognize and respond to their call to holiness. This gift is daunting, humbling and more beautiful than I could ever put into words, but the gift of religious consecration is truly the greatest gift in my life.”  
 
She was initially attracted to the St. Mary Sisters because of the structure and rigor of the life, as well as the rich patrimony of the choral office, study and education given through St. Dominic de Guzman. 
 
“When I came to the convent for a visit, I had an immense sense of being at home and deep peace and joy that helped me to see the beauty of the life,” she said. “I had a feeling that I needed to move forward, and Mother Mary Joseph allowed me to apply and then accepted me as a postulant.”  
 
She entered the convent Dec. 27, 2022. She was given her new name and habit then. 
 
“Though, who I was prior to the convent is still a part of me, as a religious, my life is no longer my own and the new identity I have received in religious life comes with a new name,” shared Sr. Mary Elizabeth.
 
She boldly proclaimed that the time of being a St. Mary Sister is “the best of my life. Now, our life is rigorous and demanding, but I get the great gift of spending myself each day for God, for my own salvation and the salvation of others. Not only that, but I get the great gift of living with women who are focused on the same goal—to become saints. This life is a pure, unmerited gift; and though somedays may seem hard, prayer may be dry and the rising bell may feel extra early, I still get to live it all for Christ as His bride, and it is greater than anything I could have ever imagined for myself.” 
 
She shared that leading up to the profession vows on July 22 was surreal and the reality was more than she could comprehend. 
 
“I was incredibly excited for the moment,” she said. “To be able to offer myself to Jesus and to be consecrated by Him and for Him, to hand over all my possessions, my person and my will to Him, so that by His grace, I can be conformed more closely to Him, is a great gift and I was excited to give Him my own ‘fiat.’”  
 
She said the actual vow profession was a grave and humbling experience.
 
“One of the most moving moments was when sister and I made our prostration after Communion,” Sr. Mary Elizabeth said. “We threw our scapulars over our heads and then prostrated while the bishop blessed our scapulars. We only do this at first profession as a sign of death to self, and the next time our scapulars will be thrown over our heads is when the mother general closes our caskets. I love that my vowed life on earth will be bookended by that simple gesture.”  
 
Sister Mary Elizabeth will study for her license to teach school in North Dakota working toward final vows in approximately five years. 
 
“I am not sure exactly what the future will hold or where the Lord will take the St. Mary Sisters, but all I know is that it will be the most beautiful adventure,” she said.