SPEAKER_00 0:07

Welcome to Beyond the Beacon with Bishop Kevin Sweeney, a podcast of the Diocese of Patterson, New Jersey. Join us for weekly conversations about our Catholic faith, and together let's strive to live a life of faith, hope, and love. I'm Jay Agnish, Communications Director for the Diocese, and with me is Bishop Kevin Sweeney. Bishop Kevin, how are you today? I'm good, Jay. How are you? Doing just fine. What what's new? What's uh kicking?

SPEAKER_04 0:32

Yes, yes, yes. Where are we? Assumption College for Sisters in Danville, right? Yes. Uh indeed. Right next door to Morris Catholic High School. And uh, we are in the president's office. That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_00 0:45

Gracious enough to let us set up in here. So um we are so Sister Marie Pauline Demick is to your right bishop. She's the president of Assumption College for Sisters, and Sister Teresa Bruno is the academic dean of the college. So thank you.

SPEAKER_04 1:08

Sisters. Sister of charity. Christian charity. Christian charity, right. In uh Mendum. Mendum, right, right. Mendum Condensation, right next door. Right next door. Right, right, right. Um well thank you so much for for being with us and for giving us this opportunity. I've been wanting to uh since I came to the diocese, I've been telling everyone. I think we're this is uh unique and certainly in the United States, uh, for a college just for sisters, and we'll hear more about uh some of the history and uh the role of the sisters who are with us today, and then we'll have a chance to hear from some of the students, right, who are studying here. Um but we're grateful for the work of Assumption College for Sisters. And as Sister Marie Pauline mentions on her letter on the website, uh the you have a lot of support from your board and uh um Angelo Sanson the head, right, and all the members, and uh um look forward to having a conversation so more in our diocese can know. I think um many in our diocese know about the work of Assumption College, but I think many more need to know, right?

SPEAKER_01 2:07

Right. We're often called the best kept secret among uh colleges and universities, I think.

SPEAKER_04 2:13

We're trying to change that a little bit, right? To get the good news out of the case. Absolutely. Yes, awesome.

SPEAKER_00 2:17

And we're so we're actually on the I guess the campus of Morris Catholic High School, right? And this is the former uh this building is the former convent for which order is it? For our order.

SPEAKER_01 2:28

For your order, sisters of Christian charity. We taught since the beginning of Morris Catholic, we have taught there. I think this is last year was the first year we didn't have anybody there.

SPEAKER_04 2:39

Uh but you certainly have a presence as we have a presence now as I've been there to celebrate mass. It's wonderful to see all the sisters from Assumption College there, often in the first row and representing uh many nations.

SPEAKER_01 2:50

Uh so yes, it's yes, we get there as often as we can. Right, right.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Well, great. We're gonna get into it all, but first we're gonna open up in prayer, right?

SPEAKER_04 2:58

We're recording today on the feast of Saint Rita. Um yesterday was the feast of the Mexican martyrs, um, Krista Margallanis and companions, and we just celebrated Pentecost. And uh I'm uh happy for um the uh gift of I think that St. Pope Fran that Pope Francis has given us uh in um uh Mary, Mother of the Church, the new kind of feast. It's been a title's been around for a while, but having it as on the day after Pentecost is so uh beautiful because she certainly uh gave us our Lord as Mother of God and uh first disciple and there at the cross and resurrection and holding the apostles together, especially I think between the ascension and Pentecost, when that couldn't have been too easy for her when she was there when the Holy Spirit came at Pentecost. And now, thanks to Pope Francis, we celebrate her as Mary, Mother of the Church on um the day after Pentecost. And I was blessed to uh celebrate um a um uh profession of final vows of one of the uh Carmelite sisters at uh at the monastery in Marstown, the uh um uh the beautiful vocation uh to a life of prayer. Um so uh uh so that was a wonderful uh opportunity for me to have that uh to be able to do that, especially on the Feast of Mary Mother Church. So let's place ourselves in prayer in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. And as we give thanks to God for the gift of this day, the gift of our faith and families, the gift of our diocese of Patterson, the work of the sisters and uh the work of Assumption College for Sisters here in Denville, we ask God's blessing, and we continue to ask the help and intercession of Mary, our blessed mother and the mother of the church, as we pray. Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death. Amen. Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

SPEAKER_00 4:59

All right, well, so why don't we begin? So, Sister Marie Pauline, so who who is behind you there? Who is that in that photo there? Why don't you tell us about her?

SPEAKER_02 5:20

Wow, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 5:20

And um yeah, she she came here to America because of the Kultur Kampf in Germany. The um Prussian government was closing all her schools. And so she had gotten letters from the pastors here in uh Pennsylvania, and so she answered and said, Yes, we'll send sisters in 1873. We came here to America. Is that right? Not to Mendem. Okay. We actually one of our first places was the Bronx.

SPEAKER_04 5:50

Is that right?

SPEAKER_01 5:51

Oh yeah, and then we went to uh Wilkes Bear. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:57

So the Yankees play in the Bronx and their farm team plays in Blue Ferry, Pennsylvania. But sisters of Baltimore Orioles fan, right? And sister Teresa uh I took the Phillies with me wherever I went. Growing up in Camden, right?

SPEAKER_01 6:13

Oh well, yeah. Yeah, so Bishop, you're at a loss here.

SPEAKER_04 6:16

Yes, Phillies and Orioles, you're at a loss. Okay. And Mets. And Jay is uh as we call him sometimes it's a very important thing. And Sister Teresa, um uh you grew up in Camden and when did you enter the I entered in 1973?

SPEAKER_06 6:32

I was a late entrance into but that's okay. I worked in Camden with uh Bishop Chechio. Oh wow, I was in that diocese for a while, and then I I went to the College of St. Elizabeth. That's how I got to know those sisters, our sisters. And so uh then I entered in 73, and 51 years later here I am still working hard.

SPEAKER_04 6:52

And uh so Sister Marie, uh maybe just a little bit about so uh they went to the Bronx and ended up in Mendem.

SPEAKER_01 6:59

No, no, uh that was one of the first schools that we opened uh in 1873. Okay, but they went to Wilkes Bear.

SPEAKER_04 7:07

Oh, okay.

SPEAKER_01 7:08

Okay, and then uh they started a um well they found uh the motherhouse, the first mother house was in Wilkes Bear. Okay, and then from there they spread out to different places. And uh I believe it was they also went to um Louisiana, New Orleans.

SPEAKER_04 7:26

Okay. And um I believe the Holy Spirit uh uh through the um uh sisters of charity at um at St. Elizabeth's College, um there was discernment that led to um a college just for to educate sisters, is that right? Was that in the 50s? The the the that was that was the Christian charities. Right, uh right. Oh yes. Uh oh no, Seton Hall. I'm sorry, I was thinking. We were Seton Hall. Right, right. But they were Seton Hall also.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

We were we were uh connected with Seton Hall in the beginning.

SPEAKER_04 7:59

Okay, and it was then the Sisters of Christian charity uh discerned.

SPEAKER_01 8:04

Well, no, not exactly, but uh we were connected with uh Seton Hall and we were called Assumption Junior College at that time. And then we got approval from the state of New Jersey and incorporated it there, so we started Assumption College for Sisters, and that was in uh 1953. Actually 1961, really. And um and then we've been here ever since from its origins, was it the intention to train sisters? The intention was our our mother foundress, Lessa Pauline, believed that her sisters needed to be professionally and educationally trained to teach. And she was very clear about that with the sisters when she first began the community. So when we started Assumption College, we we did the same thing. Our sisters in the eastern province all went to Assumption College to get their AA degree, and then we went on to other people.

SPEAKER_04 9:05

And when did you start to welcome international sisters?

SPEAKER_01 9:09

Okay, the first time we ever welcomed an international two international sisters were from Vietnam in 1968. Sister Cecile, who was the president at that time, got um uh uh information from a bishop in Vietnam asking if these two sisters could come and study at the college. I was I was a postulant or novice at the time. No, I was an aspirant at the time. So I was even younger. Okay. So um, and uh I can remember they came to the world.

SPEAKER_04 9:41

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

And then and then we didn't have any more until I guess the late 90s.

SPEAKER_04 9:46

Okay. Really?

SPEAKER_01 9:47

Uh that big impact.

SPEAKER_04 9:49

At some point, then a decision was made. And the I love the motto, right? Um Teach a sister touch the world. Touch the world, right? So now, since the 90s, I guess, uh sisters from you can give me some of the countries. I know you mentioned Vietnam, I know Africa, um, Central America. Central America. Central America. Uh they come here to um receive that education which your founders bless Pauline uh identified as being so important for ministry, right? For service for ministry. Uh and then they training here, and then they the idea is they'll return home often often for the year.

SPEAKER_06 10:24

They get educated.

SPEAKER_04 10:25

Yes. Four years.

SPEAKER_06 10:26

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_04 10:27

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 10:27

They're usually here for four years, is that well first if they're here for two years. Well, they're here for three, because the first year, uh Bishop, the first year is yeah, getting them used to the language and culture and things like that. But then the second and third year is when they get their content courses.

SPEAKER_02 10:44

Okay.

SPEAKER_06 10:44

After that, we get them ready to go into four-year colleges to get their BA degree, and some even get their MA degree.

SPEAKER_02 10:52

Wow.

SPEAKER_06 10:53

And so then, but we the significant piece here is we only take the sisters who we know who are going to go back to their country and teach, work in their communities or minister so that it that that's how they touch the world, yes.

SPEAKER_04 11:08

Yes, right, right, right. And train others, bring some so that they can train the teachers there in their country.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

And some of them go back and teach English.

SPEAKER_00 11:16

Exactly. They do. So how how do these international students even hear about the college?

SPEAKER_01 11:24

Well, well, uh there's a whole process that I do here at the college where I connect with we we've done we've had so many sisters from different communities come that I can choose who I would like to have. So if I want some Vietnamese sisters, I will write to a general superior and say, Do you have two sisters? We also get letters. I get letters asking because they hear about us from other sisters in their in their uh countries. And so they'll write to me and say, you know, think of us, uh, the sisters of Providence, uh, you know, the sisters of uh Saint Teresa, um, and you know, and ask.

SPEAKER_04 12:05

And you usually have how many in residence uh in the course of a year? We always like to have twenty to fill the house. Right. And um the question I think as some might be asking is how is it funded, right? And uh I know your gala every year is uh a big part of it. I know there's a lot of generosity of the people here in our diocese of Patterson.

SPEAKER_01 12:26

We have extremely generous friends and benefactors that give money to the college. The gala, of course, is a really big it's our biggest and only fundraiser.

SPEAKER_06 12:37

And we also have the Christmas appeal. And and well, yeah, and we have that Giving Tuesday. Yeah, but that gala is the biggest.

SPEAKER_04 12:49

Uh and uh um uh and be seated at different tables. And I think for so many of our parishioners, you you see it, I guess, all the time. But um uh how it connects us as a church, right? As a universal church, and uh and and and we learn from uh the sisters who come to us, right, in terms of their culture and uh language and traditions, and and and uh I think uh having uh we had some experience of the church in Nigeria, um I think the masses in Nigeria are a little different from the masses that we saw here, right? Oh, yes. You get some of that flavor at Massier, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_01 13:25

I often I often think that when they're at mass and everything is like they must be so blowing with you know and with your spirit. And and uh at graduation this year, it was beautiful it was wonderful because it was so joyous that the last song that they sang, um uh it was in African We are marching in the light of God, okay. We are marching in the light of God. Well, they started their little movement and even the sisters, the Salesian sisters, the novices, they were doing it with them because they also got their certificates. Oh, right, okay. Okay, for uh theological studies, and oh it was it was just great. They they practically uh sacheted all the way down the aisle. It was wonderful. It was wonderful.

SPEAKER_06 14:16

You know, they direct the music, they sing, they have drums, they I don't know what noise Savio made. I mean, it's just marvelous.

SPEAKER_04 14:25

As I've seen a few times, I mean they're coming from their own experience and they have to leave their families and uh and how what a change it is for them. But then they're living in community with sisters from five other or seven other countries and cultures and languages, and that must be a challenge for them.

SPEAKER_01 14:44

That's a challenge. It's a challenge, and they'd be the first to say that. It's a challenge. It takes some patience.

SPEAKER_04 14:50

Because right now we have determination. Sorry.

SPEAKER_01 14:53

I I never realized that you know when you think of Africa, you think of it as one big country. It's not.

SPEAKER_02 14:59

No, right.

SPEAKER_01 14:59

Um we have sisters from four different countries in Africa, and then of course Vietnam.

SPEAKER_02 15:05

Right, right.

SPEAKER_01 15:06

And then when we had sisters from Guatemala and El Salvador, it it was another mix of culture. Right, right. And then us, the Americans.

SPEAKER_00 15:16

I'm guessing the food must be fantastic around here.

SPEAKER_01 15:21

It is different.

SPEAKER_06 15:22

It is, it is different. But even the Vietnamese, some are from the different sections of Vietnam, and they have a little tiny different way of doing things. Right, right. But you know, I think it's interesting. They will get along. I mean, they do, they they think they have their moments, but like we all do in community. But they do.

SPEAKER_04 15:40

It's it's and again, when it when the experience of prayer must be um really powerful, right? I mean I've had mass here a few times and experienced myself, but you get to see it, I guess, every day, right?

SPEAKER_01 15:50

They have mass, they pray Vespers together every day, and that that's a unique experience. When the first time that I went there, um Sister Violet, she loves to sing. So she'll start off with some chant of the psalm, and it's amazing how everybody picks up the chant, you know, and uh they sing it. And the Vietnamese sisters they might sing a magnificent in in Vietnamese, you know. So it's it's really beautiful, Faith. It's really, it's nice. It's a nice I like it, it's a nice experience.

SPEAKER_04 16:23

And uh uh and you teach by example, right? Because uh uh Sister Charity and Sister Christian Charity working together side by side, right? Uh with the support of your communities, right? Absolutely it's not just they send you here and they say good luck, right? There they have your back.

SPEAKER_06 16:37

Well, you know, it is the support of our communities because two of our third years who wanted to go somewhere for, I guess, uh maybe about five weeks, they came to me and they said, Uh, could we go to your house? Well, I live in Seaton House, a little house down the hill. So I said, I guess so. So I called one of our nuns, Sister Roberta, who runs our mother house, and she got in touch with Sister Maureen Sean the Sea, who said, Oh yeah, they can come. They just go there. But then they help with the older sisters, they carry trays. If somebody's sick, they there are two sisters from who were third years, just graduated. So I mean, and the sisters love them. You know what I mean?

SPEAKER_04 17:15

Something I've learned in my time here at Patterson. I I'm sure I I don't think I was just attentive to it enough in Brooklyn because in Brooklyn we certainly had many priests that came to us from other countries and who were serving in parishes. But it struck me when I became bishop, um, Christmas, Easter, some, you know, um when when you it's a holiday and you can't go home, right? Right. We're just so uh I went home to my, you know, we'd have Mass on Christmas or Easter and then I'd go home and be with my family. But they're not able to do that, right? And that's it. You're not able to do that. That's not easy.

SPEAKER_01 17:45

No, no. Well, at Christmas time, we celebrate Christmas here, right after they take uh final down final exam final exams in in December. We celebrate with them and uh the friends that they have made here are so generous, they give them so much. Oh, right, right. So it's like it's like a they're very close to St.

SPEAKER_06 18:07

Mary's Parish people.

SPEAKER_01 18:08

Yes, yes, wonderful, and uh they have friends from Long Valley that come and bring gifts and oh it's amazing. And we had somebody, one of our um board members, her husband dressed up like Santa Claus and came in. It was a big it was a big thing. And one of our um invited them to go out to a restaurant in the evening. So it was a lovely thing.

SPEAKER_04 18:31

I think Monsignor Gino takes them out every once in a while as well or brings them to the cathedral as that. To the cathedral, they yeah and is the mom is the mom his mom?

SPEAKER_01 18:38

His mom teaches here. She teaches it. Great, great teacher.

SPEAKER_05 18:41

She's been here for a long time. Yeah. She's here long.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

So they they enjoy, and then right after that, they go off to wherever they go for Christmas for the rest of the holidays, and then come back in January.

SPEAKER_05 18:55

Great, great.

SPEAKER_00 18:56

All right. Well, before we invite two of the students on, is there anything else you'd like to share about the college or your sister?

SPEAKER_04 19:02

If anybody wants to help support, I'm sure they could go to the website. Is that right? That's right.

SPEAKER_01 19:06

You can go to the website, um Assumption College. Could email me if you want to do something special for the sisters at president atacs350.org. And and uh that would be wonderful.

SPEAKER_04 19:19

Sister Marie, you were planning to be president for a long time, right? Sister Joseph Spring, how long was she for she was 14 years.

SPEAKER_01 19:28

I don't think I'll make it to 14.

SPEAKER_04 19:31

You came for a few months, is that right?

SPEAKER_01 19:33

I thought I was only staying until December. I was doing a favor to the community when they asked me, and I said, only till December. And then when I got here, she couldn't resist us. Yeah. And sisters, you know, I knew the sisters, they told me later, they said we were praying for an SEC. We want an SEC. You know, so I said, How could I not? How could I not? And um I loved it at the villa, but you know, I've been in many places that I can't say that I've ever not liked wherever I've been.

SPEAKER_04 20:08

So that's when we learn the phrase the Lord works in mysterious ways.

SPEAKER_01 20:12

This is a wonderful mission. You know what? He gives you the strength, he gives you the strength, and you just have to trust in him that all shall be well.

SPEAKER_04 20:18

That's right. And sister, you've been here seven years?

SPEAKER_06 20:20

Uh uh eight. Eight. It's a wonderful mission, it really is. What led do you remember what I do, I know exactly what happened here. I I was teaching at the College of St. Elizabeth before when uh well, and then uh the sisters, well, we didn't have a job anymore. And so um I didn't have a job anymore, anyhow. So I was on my way to visit my family in Florida, and uh one of the sisters was driving me and her car phone rang, and it was uh the major superior calling saying she wanted to talk to me, and I thought, oh what does this mean? And it was Sister Joseph calling to say she needed an academic dean. Would I did I want the job? And I said, I'm on my way to Florida for vacation, and I said, I'll see you when I get back. Well, that was it.

SPEAKER_04 21:04

When I got back, and we can make maybe do a whole other episode on this, but uh getting transcripts from international. I can only imagine that we know we'll save that for another time.

SPEAKER_06 21:14

Yeah, another time, another day.

SPEAKER_04 21:17

You need a few miracles in it to get that done, I'm sure.

SPEAKER_01 21:20

I mean, really, it was said but it gets done. But sister does a fantastic job of getting them into the colleges, getting scholarships for them, getting places there at the college. They're going to the United States.

SPEAKER_04 21:32

Wonderful, wonderful. Well, thank you both sisters. You'll be in our prayers and uh thank you for what you're doing for our diocese, and you allow our diocese to do something for the whole church, and and we thank in a special way the board and all those benefactors who support you and the sisters and the work here at Assumption College.

SPEAKER_06 21:49

But you'll be in our prayers too, Bishop.

SPEAKER_04 21:51

Sorry?

SPEAKER_06 21:51

You'll be in our prayers too. Thank you very much. Thank you. Absolutely, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 21:55

Thank you both for for being on, and we're gonna pivot over to a couple students so. Don't go anywhere, we'll go right back. Thank you. Thank you. Okay, so we are back, and we have with us a couple students from the college. So why don't we introduce them? So we have Sister Violet Lemla, and we have Sister Teresa Lon Wynn. And can you uh welcome? Thank you for coming on. Can you tell us what order you're both a part of?

SPEAKER_04 22:28

Sister Violet. Your community.

SPEAKER_08 22:31

Okay, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to share with you about my community and about myself. I am a sister of St. Teresa of the Child Jesus of Boya. Cameroon in Africa.

SPEAKER_04 22:47

Boya is a place in Cameroon?

SPEAKER_08 22:49

Yes. It's a diocese in Cameroon. Okay. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 22:55

And uh I just celebrated on Monday uh the final profession of a Carmelite sister in uh in the Moristown in the monastery in Morristown. Um so the uh say the name of the community again.

SPEAKER_08 23:08

Sisters of Centres of the Child Jesus of Boy Cameroon Cameroon.

SPEAKER_04 23:14

And who was who is your founder?

SPEAKER_08 23:16

Or foundress our founder is was a millhill missionary, Bishop Joss Pedas. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 23:26

Mill Hill mystery, a mill uh millhill um community uh missionary. Where's Mill Hill? Do you remember?

SPEAKER_08 24:15

I don't remember, but this they are a society and is found in Cameroon. They are priests.

SPEAKER_04 24:21

Yes, I I've heard of the Mill Hill Fathers, right? Sometimes they are founders.

SPEAKER_08 24:24

Yeah, he was the bishop then. He founded us at the time.

SPEAKER_04 24:28

And what year do you remember? Do you know? Um do you know when the community was founded? What year?

SPEAKER_08 24:35

Oh 1963.

SPEAKER_04 24:37

1963. June 2015. Okay.

SPEAKER_07 24:39

And sister thanks.

SPEAKER_04 24:41

Sister, your name again?

SPEAKER_07 24:43

Uh my name is Lan Wynn.

SPEAKER_04 24:44

Sister Lan, yeah.

SPEAKER_07 24:45

Right. And I'm a sister of the congregation uh Mary Queen of Peace from the south of Vietnam.

SPEAKER_02 24:54

Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 24:54

Sometimes they will call like Highland of Vietnam. Okay. With many mountains.

SPEAKER_04 25:00

And uh the sisters of Mary Queen of Peace. Yes. So you have a connection with the Irish. Um, my parents were born in Ireland, and when the Blessed Mother appeared in Knock in Ireland, uh, she appeared as the Queen of Peace. Okay. Um was your community founded and who was the founder or foundress?

SPEAKER_07 25:21

Uh my congregation is founded in uh 19 uh, yeah. And my uh father is the Bishop Paul Leon Set, a French bishop.

SPEAKER_04 25:33

Okay. Yes. And um growing up in Vietnam in your family, uh uh uh the I think the it's not a huge population, Catholic population of Vietnamese, right? But those who are Catholic are very strong Catholics, I believe. So did you grow up in a Catholic family and how did you uh discern the call to religious life?

SPEAKER_07 25:56

Oh yeah, I grew up in a Catholic family, but actually my grandparents is not non-Catholic, but then when he uh got married, my uh grandmother, so he he will she converted him.

SPEAKER_04 26:14

And your parents?

SPEAKER_07 26:15

Um yeah, all my parents are all Catholic. Right. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:19

Do you have any brothers and sisters?

SPEAKER_07 26:20

Yeah, I have six siblings, including me.

SPEAKER_04 26:23

What number are you?

SPEAKER_07 26:24

I'm the second child.

SPEAKER_04 26:26

Second, great.

SPEAKER_07 26:26

Yes.

SPEAKER_04 26:27

Uh and what led you to hear the Lord's call to religious life?

SPEAKER_07 26:32

Actually, at that time I was at uh grade twelve, yes. And I saw so many poor people and they need help, and so many of them didn't know who is God, and they maybe like they they cannot feel the love uh from others. And sometimes they feel very depressed in their life. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 26:58

They was the church trying to help, or did you see religious who were trying to help?

SPEAKER_07 27:02

Oh, at that time not many helped from the church. And it's very uh difficult for the church or for the Catholic or for the priest can help the poor because maybe some reason about politics, culturally, right?

SPEAKER_04 27:16

Oh, and politics also, right? Right. Um and Sister Violet, right? Uh uh did you grow up in a Catholic family and how did you discern or hear the call to religious life?

SPEAKER_08 27:28

I grew up in a very strong Catholic background. Yeah, very strong. Cameroon is it a largely Catholic country or uh I can say 50% of the population is Catholic or Christian. Okay, right. Yes. But for your family was very strong Catholic. Yeah, very strong Catholic. So yeah. I grew up in the Catholic family. Uh we are five. We are six, five boys and a girl, and that should be me. So my mom was a chorister in church, and normally she goes to church for rehearsal, and sometimes she goes with me since I was little and I could not stay in the at home with my brothers. I love to go with her. And I love singing, like I really admire to see reverend sisters or other choristers singing in church. And the sisters at the time in my locality, like they could sing the psalms very well in church, and I really loved that. And I was like, oh my god, I could really be like one of I could be like them too, so that I could sing in church and help others to pray well, and that is how I God can speak to music and you heard the call to music, is that right?

SPEAKER_04 28:49

Exactly. Yeah, yeah. Um, my dad was one of eight uh seven boys and one girl. The girl became a nun. Wow, that's right. How did your parents react when you told them you wanted to enter religious life?

SPEAKER_08 29:07

My mother was cool with it, but her sisters were like, hmm, you're the only girl, how will you go? But like, as God will will it, like I just had to go. And something that I saw it as a kind of a blessing to the family, yes, because the ver the very year I made my first vows, that is 2019, my elder brother gave birth to twins, all girls.

SPEAKER_04 29:32

So like it's a double birthday. Two girls, yeah. Look at that. Two for one, we say yes. And sister, how did your family react when you said you were interested?

SPEAKER_07 29:42

Uh, first of all, my my mother didn't agree because at that time I have four younger siblings and they are all small, so my mother and my help. Yeah, so uh I at that time I decided not to go. And uh after I finished my uh university, so I entered a convent and they all agree with that. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 30:10

They were happy then, huh? Yes.

SPEAKER_00 30:12

So, uh, Sister Lon, you are in your second year here at ACS, and Sister Violet, you're in your third year. Maybe you can share with us how how in the world you came to to be here and and attend the the college year. How did you hear about it and how did you wind your way here?

SPEAKER_08 30:30

I would say that it's a mystery.

SPEAKER_04 30:34

We've talked with Sister Marie Pauline about God works in mysterious ways, right?

SPEAKER_08 30:39

Yeah, the Lord works in mysterious ways. To me, I see it as a mystery because normally I was serving in a local community in my home uh country, and one day I just received a mail from my superior, and I was I saw Assumption College Resistance and some documents to fill out. I was like, what's all this? What is it all about? And she said, Yeah, you can call me when your chance so that we can talk about it. And I'm like, What code? What is it all about? This is just three years in religious vows, and and I just I feel like let me just see exactly what we're doing.

SPEAKER_04 31:14

You entered in 2019, is that right? And then you 2022, is it that you heard?

SPEAKER_08 31:18

I made my first vows 2019.

SPEAKER_04 31:21

Okay, yeah, right.

SPEAKER_08 31:23

So my superior talked to me about Assumption College for sisters. I had to fill the application form, and she said, you know, you have to go study, yeah, and stuff like that. So that's how I found myself here.

SPEAKER_04 31:36

So far. So far, so good.

SPEAKER_07 31:40

Very good. Yeah. For me, it was a big surprise. Yeah, I didn't know anything about this school, but my uh superior found some information and they wanted us, uh uh, especially me, to come here to uh uh um pursue a higher education so that I can after that I can come back to my uh community uh to serve the poor and the miserable.

SPEAKER_04 32:10

As you heard the call, right? Originally to the call to serve the poor. Uh maybe either what would you say was the biggest surprise coming to the United States?

SPEAKER_07 32:21

Uh for me, personally, I I didn't think that I can have a big opportunity to come here to study. What's that?

SPEAKER_03 32:31

Opportunity, the opportunity, yes, yes, yes.

SPEAKER_07 32:34

Yes, and moreover, I think uh I'm not good enough to go. But maybe that's God's will. And I just obey my superior and come here to study. Yes, and so far it's a good now.

SPEAKER_04 32:48

Very good. Surprise?

SPEAKER_08 32:51

Yeah, it was it was a very big surprise to me because in my group, my other sisters, I used to just tell them, I just love to serve my people in Cameroon, like just the local people and just work with them. It's so nice and so uh very is so fulfilling working with them. But if my spirit said that I should go, it's so surprising to me. And I'm like, my mother was like, Hey, are you serious? Is this a prank or something? So I said I know they said I should go and study so that I can come back and serve the people better. So yeah, that's how I found myself.

SPEAKER_00 33:26

So the other sister, Sister Marie, Pauline, and Sister Teresa mentioned um the merging of the different cultures. Is it a bit of a culture shock when you when you first come, or is it exciting to get to know new people and new cultures or an adjustment? Or how would you maybe respond to that?

SPEAKER_08 33:44

At the beginning, it was when coming to America is something exciting. To me, I don't know how others take it because it was really exciting. Yes, I'm coming to meet new people to learn new things. But coming to live with others, it was a kind of a cultural shock. What I will be excited and happy about, or take it as a joke. She might not take it as a joke, and I'm like, ah, this thing is just simple. Why are you serious? So it was a kind of a cultural shock to me. But as time is going on, like we are enjoying each other's company, and it's kind of nice, like very diverse. That I have to learn some stuff in Vietnamese, Zambia, and other cultures, and America and stuff. It's so beautiful, and I really love it. And I'm very happy that my congregation gave me the opportunity to explore all of this. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 34:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 34:34

How's it been fitting in with the others? Uh learning other languages, uh, another language? Well, uh the sisters um uh each have their many have their own first language, right? And now uh studying English and um uh trying to learn from one another, uh it's it must be a different challenging transition.

SPEAKER_07 34:55

It's a big difficulty.

SPEAKER_04 34:57

And you live together, right? The 20 of you are 18 of you, right?

SPEAKER_07 34:59

And you know the United Nations. Yeah. Well about the the culture. It's also a shock to me, you know. Yeah, because uh Vietnamese people are likely a little bit reserved and and Americans are so open. Yeah, and you know, when I come and everybody uh welcomed me by a hug, yeah, that's really hard. Yeah, and the way they uh behave to other people, like really politely. Yeah, I love that the way. Yeah, if you're happy to be here and especially to live not just with the Americans but with African sisters in many countries in Africa.

SPEAKER_04 35:44

And you had to get used to a new kind of food.

SPEAKER_07 35:47

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I can eat African food.

SPEAKER_04 35:49

Have you had pizza?

SPEAKER_07 35:51

Yeah, I love it now.

SPEAKER_04 35:54

Uh we were talking earlier with the sisters, um, the experience of prayer, uh, to be from so many different I I mean, you know, we use that word Catholic, right? Universal, but uh when we have the opportunity to appreciate that the mystical body of Christ, right? We just had Pentecost, right? Yes and that on that day they all understood in their own language, and 2,000 years later here we are, and here you are living with those from different nations and and praying together. That must be a a powerful and I hope wonderful experience.

SPEAKER_08 36:22

Yeah, very beautiful. I I see it very beautiful and enriching, like, because you I have to live with others with different spirituality and different ways of looking at things, and we get to the chapel, like we have one prayer, like it's universal, like we all said, it's Catholic. And it's really beautiful, and I think I enjoy it very much and very inspiring. If I have to leave now back to my country, I don't think I'll be the very person that came back to the city.

SPEAKER_04 36:56

The one who left, right, right, right. Yeah, it's a good thing.

SPEAKER_07 37:01

Uh you know, about prayer. I I have uh very interesting experience about prayer, especially when we pray together with different cultures like that. And I I have once attended uh like a praying hour in um uh Maya House, maybe near the Saint Mary. And this was so beautiful with many religions.

SPEAKER_04 37:27

Yes, yeah, yes, right.

SPEAKER_07 37:29

Um Prayer for Peace, right? Something like that.

SPEAKER_04 37:33

And uh oh interreligious, right, Catherine? Yes, right, right. Uh the um the liturgy, the mass in the United States, it's a little is this exactly the same as in Cameroon as in the Vietnam?

SPEAKER_08 37:47

So the difference is no, it's it's not like it's different. It's the same mass. It's the same as just a way of expression, it's a little bit more like how long is mass in Cameroon? Oh, Sunday mass is two hours, three hours, yeah. Two hours, yeah, like it was that was another cultural complaint, no complaints, yeah. That was another cultural shock for me that I have to go for a Sunday mass, and in less than an hour we are back. I feel like oh yes, it seems I told my superior that I feel like I went for morning mass today, like it doesn't feel like a Sunday mass to me because you know in Africa we sing, you know, dance, and then I go somewhere, people are just serious, and I'm like, what is happening? And I'm like, what is happening? One person is singing and the others are just quietly meditating and praying. In Africa, it's a whole congregation, like if entrance, everyone is singing and dancing, the gloria, like it's so lively. So I'm getting used to the American.

SPEAKER_04 39:06

And Vietnam is a little different from Cameroon, I guess, right?

SPEAKER_07 39:09

It's different because like uh like they said uh the liturgy is the same, but the way they express it differently. Like us, uh we are quite um uh serious. Yeah, no dancing. No dancing and especially no clapping. Oh no, yeah, uh you know, at least in here when I attend a mass in here, I see that now when they uh sing hallelujah, at least they they clap the hands. No, not not in Vietnam. You're quite serious, right?

SPEAKER_00 39:40

Right, right. And how long is the homily in at some of the the homily in Cameroon?

SPEAKER_08 39:47

It depends on the occasion, but in normal Sunday masses, it will take like 15 to 20 minutes. Okay, yes, mostly dancing and singing, that's kind of like you know the glory are you're supposed to die, the holy, holy, hallelujah, the entrance procession. It's just kind of everybody is in offeratory, it's another it's another offery, offering, right? Yes, yes. Yeah, another one, like dancing dance. You could you can stay in church for an hour just for that.

SPEAKER_00 40:22

And you and you brought some of I hear from what I hear, you've brought some of the singing.

SPEAKER_08 40:26

Yeah, I love singing, so I have to teach the sisters some of the stuff. And has it caught on? Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 40:35

I was sharing at uh you do that at the gala in a beautiful way as a group, right? Uh and uh I know you're prepared for that. And uh you do you have a choir and and or is the whole college the choir, right? The whole college, everyone participates in the city. Yeah. Yeah. Um and uh uh uh another experience of the church, um the generosity of of of those who uh support Assumption College. I presume you've seen or have an idea of that, right?

SPEAKER_08 41:03

Yeah, yeah. That is all one thing. Uh I I don't know how to put it, like appreciate so much about Americans. They are so generous. Like they don't know me. But they are just generous to this person, they don't know how she's from Vietnam, they are just generous, they just want to see someone sent to school and being educated and something like that. Like, I really appreciate so much. They are so so generous and very kind to us.

SPEAKER_04 41:34

Uh for myself, I so many generous people that and but it's coming from faith, right? It's uh it's their faith and action. Uh, and if they can support a sister or a place like Assumption College, it's because Jesus there is is asking them to love, right? Um you've seen that as well, sister.

SPEAKER_07 41:50

Yeah, you know, I really I'm really moved by their kindness because you know, every year we will change the people when we finish uh three years, then we come back and another will come and they they they don't care that who is that they they just yeah, they just support us because welcoming us right that's okay.

SPEAKER_04 42:13

Yeah, and God will bless them. Uh and uh and the sisters of Christian charity uh here as your hosts. Um uh they they do a great job as well, huh?

SPEAKER_08 42:23

Yeah, they're so wonderful too. Very kind to us. Like, sister, what do you like our needs? We don't need to bother our superior back home. We have to just ask them, sister, I don't have this, this, this, and like they just write it for us. They are so kind to us, they treat us like their own. Like we are one of them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_07 42:42

Sometimes I I call her like my mother, my sister, my mother, my friend.

SPEAKER_04 42:49

And and um, I'm sure you know we don't have to go into great detail, but um, to be half the world away um from home and family, uh, you need that sometimes, right? Because uh it's not easy to be away from from home and family for that long, right? Yeah, yeah. Um sometimes maybe uh uh your family will end up watching the uh podcast. You can send them a link. You want to say hello to them or to give them a little message or something? Uh not to put you on the spot. Sister, maybe say a word in Vietnamese too.

SPEAKER_07 43:23

If you're someone, say hello to the my my family, my parents. Oh my goodness. I can't believe hunting to sum up women saying the canchi and jungle com we gone.

SPEAKER_04 43:51

And please tell them that I said thank you for coming, and we said thank you for that they let you come here because you're a blessing for us.

SPEAKER_07 43:58

You can say that and then boom, go dinday the house up uh, and sister to your family in Cameroon, what would you want to tell them?

SPEAKER_08 44:14

Oh, out of the young jim con this lan more ven, but when kijum the when the e mo boon riki shiki said thank you on our sisters we had done fen ayong ji bear when kijung for then sunjim tell them they did a great job raising. Yeah, when yakiny chunki and foyong ji, been fei. Yes.

SPEAKER_04 44:58

Thank you, thank you, and thank you to your families uh for your vocations and uh and for trusting us to uh have you here with us. And again, we thank Sister Marie Pauline, who's there, and all the the the administration and the board and and everyone who makes this um college the wonderful place that it is. Um but uh but thank you and keep up the hard work. I know you still have classes to do, right? You still summer classes as well, right? Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_00 45:22

Thank you. Thank you so much for being on. Um what a pleasure. And before we uh end the episode, Bishop, anything you'd like to comment on with the college or anything that came up today or and uh if there are some young women out there listening, tell them to be open to God's call, right?

SPEAKER_04 45:40

That religious life is a beautiful vocation, right?

SPEAKER_08 45:43

Yes, yes, okay. Oh that okay, to everyone out there who is open to God's call. Open to God's call, I would say you should be patient with yourself and be compassionate towards yourself and be open to the voices around you, and more importantly, to be open to that wisdom of God that whispers in your ear. And you know, discerning really vocation is a gradual process, and don't be too hard with yourself, and you can be one. It's not very difficult, just a gradual process and trust the process, trust that God is doing it and it will work for you.

SPEAKER_07 46:26

Thank you.

SPEAKER_04 46:26

Thank you, Sister Villa.

SPEAKER_07 46:28

I have a short sentence like this. Just be awake and reply when he calls you, because everything he will take care of it. You don't need to worry anything.

SPEAKER_04 46:42

Just say yes to the call, right? Yes, I guess. And they can see you're happy, right? Then thanks be to God. So uh thank you, sisters, so much for being with us. Please pray for me and for Jay and for uh our diocese, and uh, and we'll be praying for you.

SPEAKER_07 46:56

Yeah, absolutely. And thanks for having us today.

SPEAKER_04 46:59

My pleasure. Thanks, sister. Thank you. Thanks, everybody. God bless. Have a great day.

SPEAKER_00 47:04

Jay's gonna be thank you for joining us. Please subscribe, comment, and leave a positive rating. Get to know us better by following Beyond the Beacon on Facebook or Instagram. Email questions and podcast topic ideas to beyond at pattersondioces.org. Discover our other podcasts, Coffee with Cupkey and the Paul Street Journal. See you next time.

SPEAKER_04 47:26

Thanks, everybody. God bless you.