It Wouldn't Be Fair

“It wouldn’t be fair to her or to the Congregation,” was what the doctor told my sponsor, Sister Rita Mercedes, when he medically rejected me for entrance into the Congregation of the Sisters of St. Joseph because of my scoliosis. Still, sister brought me to the Motherhouse saying they expected us for lunch. There, I was given further information regarding entrance. When I asked why I was being told all of this since I was medically rejected, Mother Marie Estelle said that I was accepted on trial. And that was that! I believe that Sister Rita spoke for me, that she spoke on my behalf.

Standing with, speaking up for, and helping others go beyond barriers and limitations, I found, is a big part of being a Sister of St. Joseph. You never stop at the first set back, but always reach for the more and use your voice on behalf of those who are denied one. 

In my 62^nd year as a Sister of Saint Joseph, I can say that I’ve experienced many times being called further along in my spiritual journey by the words and actions of others in the community inspiring me to do and be the same, being given opportunities and welcomed, even when I didn’t feel worthy. I’ve been able to do the same for those I ministered to in teaching grade school and high school, in vocation work, as a social worker, as a missionary in Haiti and even now, as a teacher of English as a Second Language.

My life as a Sister of St. Joseph is rooted in prayer and in relationship with God who amazes me in the many ways She uses me. The word trial was never mentioned again, and there’s no doubt about my vocation being fair to me.

Kay Coll SSJ

Sister Kay grew up in Bayonne, New Jersey in an Irish Catholic environment the middle child of a family of 9, where she received the foundation needed for "any and every good work." She taught in a variety of schools, and over time, began to feel a distinct call to work with the poor. Sister Kay has had the opportunity to minister in Haiti, Newark, and now in the ESL program in Bayonne where she is working with immigrants from many different countries.