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Vocation Stories
Sister Carmel Favazzo
To begin with, my mother, Carmela Favazzo, pulled my sister,
my brother and me out of Catholic School when she had a “fight” with
the Sisters in our Bronx parish of St. Martin of Tours. (They
would not skip my sister from the fifth to the seventh grade).
So I became a “public school” student – right
through Hunter College (when it was an all women’s college)
and graduated from there in 1948. There I majored primarily
in Hispanic Studies coupled with business courses since I thought
that there were better ways to go crazy than to become a teacher!
I worked for three years in the business world prior to entering – and
went from a Spanish firm to an Italian firm and finally to
a French firm.
When I entered in 1951, I was placed in a teaching position
at St. Patrick’s Academy one week after I received the postulant’s
outfit. I concluded that God indeed has a weird sense of humor.
I have been doing some form of teaching since then – with
children, adults, organizations, etc. and have since changed my
mind about the teaching vocation. There is no doubt in my mind
that next to being a parent, a teacher has the noblest profession
and the greatest influence on the life of a student.
How did I go from the business world to the congregation of the
Sisters of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottines)? Via the influence
of my parents, the priests of Mt. Carmel Parish in the Bronx and
a series of retreats. It was in the retreat of July 1949 that the
Lord caught my attention and stayed with me in spiritual direction
until I entered in September 1951. The Pallottine Sisters taught
in the Mt. Carmel School (and so did my sister, Connie Feeney)
and in the end the Lord brought us together in the concrete response
to the calling to be a religious.
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Sister Mary Clement
The usual story
You’d like to hear my vocation story? I warn you, I arrived
here by a different path than many others. Typically, a story might
go like this: a young girl goes to Catholic school or is involved
in a Catholic parish and gets to know the Sisters working there.
She likes them, she likes the life they lead, the work they do;
she feels a call from God to be like them, so, when she finishes
high school, she joins the group, receives an education and follows
them in their good works, serving the Lord and continuing his work
on earth.
But I was twenty-two years old and I wasn’t even Catholic
yet!
My background
I was brought up in Long Island in a large Italian family, the
sixth of eleven children; I had five brothers and five sisters.
Though I was baptized when I was three years old, none of us ever
went to church. As a teenager during World War II, I worked with
the local Red Cross Chapter, preparing things for the soldiers
overseas. The President of our Chapter was Mrs. Allen, an exemplary
Catholic. It was she who persuaded me, a few years later, to take
instructions to become a Catholic. With four of my younger siblings,
the parish priest, Father Judge, taught us for a whole year. It
was such a joyful day when I received my First Holy Communion!
When I finished high school, I studied commercial art at a local
two-year college and took a job with an ad agency on Madison Ave.
There was a convent nearby where I used to go to daily Mass, though
it meant catching a very early train from Long Island each morning.
Little by little, my faith strengthened, and my love of God grew.
The accident
My life was put on hold when one Saturday, carrying a pot of hot
water, I fell down a flight of stairs and got third degree burns
on both my legs. My recuperation was long and painful. A friend
brought me a book to read: it was titled “The Foundling” and
was written by Cardinal Spellman. It told the story of a Sister
of Charity working at the New York Foundling Hospital in a very
dramatic way. I was inspired and felt the call to become a Religious
to take care of orphans.
But I didn’t know any Sisters at all, not even one!
The discernment
I went back to Father Judge for advice and help, telling him I
was thinking of joining the Sisters whose Motherhouse was nearby
in my area of Long Island. He gave me a Directory of Religious
Orders and advised me to study the book, give consideration to
the cultural background of the group and the type of ministry,
and then select several Communities to write to for further information.
I picked out five Orders, all of whom conducted orphanages, and
mailed the letters the same day. The first answer I received came
from the Pallottine Sisters, and that one arrived on June 13, the
feast of St. Anthony, my favorite saint. I took this to be a sign
that God wanted me to enter there, even though it was a small,
not too well known order.
The affirmation
I made an appointment and visited a Pallottine Convent in Brooklyn.
I was welcomed by Sister Margaret, who explained many things to
me and gave me a long list of things to bring with me when I entered.
The first thing on the list was my Baptism Certificate.
To get this I had to go back to the parish where I was baptized
at three years old and request a copy certified as genuine. So
I made my way to the rectory and found a young priest on duty.
I requested a baptism certificate. He asked if I needed it because
I was getting married. I said no. He wanted to know why I needed
it then. I was reluctant to tell him the reason but he would not
give up probing until I told him I was entering the convent. He
was very pleased and asked me which Community I was joining. I
said, “You wouldn’t know it. It’s a small group
and they don’t have many convents in Brooklyn.” He
kept insisting until I finally said, “The Pallottine Sisters!” He
was transformed with delight and he almost jumped over the desk
to come and shake my hand, exclaiming, “I have a sister in
that order, Sister Regina, stationed at Holy Rosary Academy, Union
City, NJ. You have to go and visit her!”
This coincidence convinced me that Jesus wanted me to be a Pallottine
Sister.
The sequel
I entered the convent in February 1952 and after three years of
formation, made my vows of poverty, chastity and obedience for
the first time. In 1957 I renewed my vows for life. I did serve
in a boys’ orphanage for several years, until orphanages
were replaced by foster homes. Meanwhile, I was studying for my
bachelor’s degree in art education. Later, I received a scholarship
for a year’s study of art in Florence, Italy, where I earned
a Master’s degree. I taught art on the elementary, secondary
and college level in our Pallottine schools. At Don Bosco Technical
High, I taught architectural drawing for ten years. Now I am employed
by the Passionist Fathers as layout artist for their magazine.
I am very happy in my life. My love for Jesus keeps growing as
He continues to open my understanding to new facets of my vocation,
and continues to show me new aspects of His infinite love for me.
He guided me over an unusual path, but I never doubted that He
had a special plan for my life and was leading me lovingly to its
fulfillment.
How about you?
Is Jesus calling you to share the happiness of total dedication
to Him? Say a special prayer today, asking Him to show you the
plan for your life that His love has made for you, and help you
find your way to accomplish it. |
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