Convent Life

When I was a lay teacher at Blessed Sacrament, Margate, New Jersey, a child brought me a Novena prayer. For nine weeks I went to church, lit a candle, and prayed. I asked God to tell me what God had planned for my life (hoping to find my Prince Charming). On the ninth Tuesday I knelt down to find a copy of the book Convent Life. Needless to say I had a good laugh. God and I often share jokes only this time God wasn’t joking. I agreed to try “Convent Life” for a year and here I am 43 years later.

During these 43 years I have met God in so many ways, in the quiet of the morning, in the beauty of creation, in music and even in my Harry Potter books.  Most profoundly, I have found God in others. I am an observer, a quiet watcher who soaks in what I see and hear. I see God in the children I meet daily. I see God in their hopes and dreams, their ability to work with one another to solve problems. I see God in their smiles, their eyes, and even in their tears. I see God in their hopes and their giftedness that will enable them to build a better world. I see God in the people of our streets - broken and wounded but willing to share their hopes that tomorrow will be better. I see God in the many people with whom I minister, people willing to go the extra mile because they believe in the mission of Jesus.

But most importantly for me, I see God day in and day out in the Sisters with whom I live and serve. I watch as they quietly make 600 needlepoint crosses for the children to wear during Lent, prepare dinners not only for us but for others so they can have a good meal, drive hours to spend their day off with immigrants in detention, tirelessly welcome all people making them feel important, valued respected, spending hours finding ways to serve better the people while working in full time ministries and so much more. I watch as we share our lives, our families, our hopes, our worries, our laughter and our tears, as we share our God. 

What I find even more amazing is that when I gather with other Sisters of Saint Joseph, the same is true. I am with women who go the extra mile, working to make the world a better place, dreaming dreams and asking, why not. In the sharing of our ministries, our dreams, and our laughter, I find God. This is where my heart belongs. So, 43 years later, I truly know that God’s dream for me was to be one with all as a Sister of Saint Joseph as we live and work so that all people may be united with God and one another.

Sister Jane Field SSJ

I was born in New York. I have a sister and three brothers. I lived in several different states. I attended public school until 10^th grade when I went to a private Catholic girls school for a year. Sister Carmella asked me if I wanted to be baptized and so I got baptized. I graduated from Ocean City High School and after a couple of college years I became a teacher at Blessed Sacrament School in Margate, New Jersey. I entered the Sisters of Saint Joseph in 1972 and have been ministering in schools in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia ever since.