We are a Dynamic Group…
Sister Joan Egan

When I was received into the School Sisters of St. Francis, I felt as if a significant piece of the puzzle of my life had fallen into place. That part of my personal searching was over, and it was almost surprising how peaceful I felt. Giving full credit to every one of the women who have or continue to live a vowed life in the School Sisters of St. Francis, I am proud of who we are, and I am proud to be one of our members. We are a dynamic group. We grow each day, and it is humbling for me to realize that the personal actions of each individual sister directly influence society's perception of our identity. In a spiritual sense, I am enriched again and again by the intimate moments in which faith is shared. This is something for which I had hungered all my life.

I bring to our community both wisdom and insight gathered from a wide array of life experiences. Being a woman religious is part of what constitutes the essence of Joan Egan. A significant part of my religious vocation encompasses lifelong commitment to uncovering my own spiritual identity as I interrelate with others. This involves looking at my gifts and talents as well as my capabilities and limitations. I know myself to be a healer, and living as a vowed religious facilitates opportunities for me to extend this gift to others.

I see our entire community as a large "nesting place," so to speak; a place to nurture and be nurtured; a frame of reference in which one both finds and gives comfort, encouragement, strength and hope in a manner which propagates physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health to self and others.

My family—especially my children—have always been verbal about their wishes to see me happy in my life. Yet, I believe that after I was received, they had their fears that I would change drastically in some way that would make them feel uncomfortable. They held to stereotypes of religious that dated back to the 1960s. Their love for me allowed them to be able to support my decisions and actions as I moved through the steps of formation and began to live as a vowed religious. I have quietly allowed my life as a School Sister to speak for itself, where any of my loved ones are concerned.

The values we share in the SSSF community prioritize the deepening of each person's interior life. The focus in our lives on spiritual development is always a consideration that is lived out and shared. The richest source of nourishment for my contemplative nature I have found within my community relationships, for as unique and different as we School Sisters may be, the single factor influencing our respect and reverence for one another is knowing that growth in spirit is what we desire. Achieving soul growth is an accomplishment that each person among us is serious about. This is the "cement" that bonds us together, and it is the aspect of "community" which most comforts and strengthens me.

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