Sister Marietta holds a six-month-old Jamaican baby. The baby and his mother will be two of the seven members of the first family to move into the new construction.
“Working with Marian is great because we have complementary gifts,” explains Sister Marietta. “I could never begin to do what she does. She’s a lot more organized, a lot more efficient in the office, a lot better with details than I am. She’s a great co-worker. We do a lot of collaboration. It’s easy. We ignite each other’s creativity. She’s very easy to work with. She is a real gift and I am so grateful for her presence here.”
As co-director of Ursuline Partnerships, Sister Marietta is involved with the spiritual formation and enrichment of the Mount Saint Joseph associates. She provides prayer experiences and reflections that will enhance their spiritual and personal growth. “I do this in the context of the regional meetings, on the web page, where I write monthly reflections, and in our newsletter, Update,” she explains. “One of the things I love about the ministry is the opportunity it gives me to walk with the associates as they respond to their baptismal call and continue to develop their gifts and deepen their own spirituality.” She continues, “There’s something very special about being with associates in times of grief and illness. We visit the funeral home and go to funerals of associates and of their family members. When an associate is in the hospital or confined at home with a serious illness, we visit and pray with them.”
Sister Marietta talks with a Jamaican woman as the woman washes her clothes on the front porch of the Manchester Infirmary.
On the brighter side, she adds, “Associates have gifts to share with us, too. It’s a wonderful feeling when associates come to see that what they are doing in everyday life is ministry and that they are building the kingdom of God. The charism of Angela is being carried on by our associates. The relationship of sisters and associates is a mutual relationship. The enthusiasm and involvement of the associates always give me a boost. My own life has been enriched by the ways associates share their gifts and life experiences.”
“My ministry to the alumnae has mainly consisted in helping plan the alumnae weekends, planning and leading prayer throughout the weekend, and helping with the publication of The New Mount,” she adds.
Sister Marietta helps unload sand and gravel to be used to make concrete along with Father Jason McClure, pastor of Saint Michael parish in Sebree, and volunteer Matt Monsour, coordinator of technology for the Diocese of Owensboro.
Sister Marietta is also director of postulants — women in the first formal stage of becoming Ursuline sisters. “As director of postulants, I live in a local community with the woman who is discerning her call,” she explains. “I help her to experience life as it is lived by the sisters on a daily basis. The postulant is a part of our prayer, meals, and all the things that make up our life together. Here she gets a realistic look at who we are as community and is given the support she needs to continue to discern her call. The discernment is mutual. The community, too, has to decide if we are a fit. It is my responsibility to facilitate these opportunities. In addition to the community aspect I also meet regularly with each woman one on one. For me it is a privilege to walk with someone in this stage of her journey.”
Karen Siciliano of Springfield, Illinois, is a participant in the contact program — an exploration time prior to postulancy — of the Ursuline Sisters of Mount Saint Joseph and may soon become a postulant under Sister Marietta’s direction. “As a woman longing to embrace Ursuline life more deeply and more completely, I have found Sister Marietta a tremendous gift,” Karen says. “By her life, her prayer and her very being, Sister Marietta has enriched my understanding of what it means to be a daughter of Angela in our world today. As Sister Marietta and I have worked to unfold my Ursuline vocation, her witness has heightened my desire to live as an Ursuline Sister of Mount Saint Joseph.