Called to Be...

Having just celebrated the feast of Pentecost, this month's episode explores the Holy Spirit, perhaps the most enigmatic person of the Holy Trinity.  Sr. Fran Cavey moderates a discussion among Sisters Alice Michael, Alice Arsenault, and Holy Union Associate, Tina Silvestro, during which they outline the Holy Spirit as depicted and discussed in Scripture, both Old and New Testament, as well as how...

Our Easter podcast is being released on Holy Thursday.  As Catholics, Holy Thursday celebrations around the world focus on the night Jesus celebrated the Passover Seder with His disciples, the Last Supper.  So, this month we focus on the Jewish roots of this sacred celebration with Sister Nancy Stiles, Holy Union Associate, Kathi Jeffra, and a good friend of Holy Union, Saralee Salk, a Jewish woma...

This year, as we adjust our podcast's focus to spirituality, Sisters Nancy Stiles and Alice Michael explore the season of Lent and its three traditional practices: prayer, fasting, and almsgiving.  With insights and observations from Popes Francis and Leo, local priests, a Holy Union Associate, and our own Sisters, this discussion unfolds how these Lenten practices deepen our spiritual journey, he...

This month's episode marks the beginning of our podcast's fifth year!  Sr. Alice Michael hosts  Marilyn Crum, Jeanette Borg, and Joan DiMarco, three women with whom she has worked in various capacities associated with Holy Union's ministries in New York over the years.  Though Holy Union's initial ministry was focused on teaching children in the classroom across several schools there, the discussi...

As we begin the season of Advent, we hope this episode of "Called to Be..." inspires you to set aside a few minutes to reflect on the simple question: "What does Christmas mean to you?"  We asked our Sisters, Associates and friends to send us their thoughts on this question and we were surprised and delighted by the broad range of responses we received... some profound, others nostalgic, and other...

Sr. Nancy Stiles moderates a fascinating discussion about a project that spans three countries, two continents, three generations, and multiple cultures.  In this episode we hear directly from Sisters Shallotte Kum and Veronique Metiendjo from Cameroon, and Eugenia Mshana and Scholastica Mhea from Tanzania about their participation in the US Bicentennial Project, a long-time dream which became a r...

This month, Sister Alice Arsenault leads a discussion with Sisters Tess Horvath and Joan Guertin for the first of two sequential episodes on our Bicentenary Jubilee Year of 2026 which marks two hundred years since our congregation's founding in Douai, France by our founder, Jean Baptiste Debrabant.  We will be reminiscing about pilgrimages made by several of our Sisters to significant sites in Lec...

This month's episode teeters on the brink of miraculous.  Sisters Marilyn Gignac and Jane Newcomb, who spent many decades as missionaries in Cameroon, are reunited with a man, who was then a small boy, little Joseph Lukong, from the village of Kumbo where they ministered.  That little boy is now Father Joseph Lukong, and he is ministering in a parish within driving distance of where these Sisters...

This month, we had the pleasure of speaking with Sr. Cecilia Fukah Echo, SUSC, one of our Cameroonian Holy Union Sisters who is living here in the United States as she attends classes at Devine Word College in Epworth, IA.  Sr. Fran Cavey learns about her experience growing up in Cameroon and her decision to become a Holy Union Sisters, as well as her remarkable academic adventure coming to Americ...

This month, Sr. Alice Arsenault shares the rich story of her vocation, ministries, and life as a woman religious for the last 65 years.  Sr. Alice delivered her talk to a group of Holy Union Associates in Tauton, MA and discussed her family background and how she decided to "answer the phone" when God's call came!  She also discussed her commitment to her vows during troubled times, the painful de...

As the sadness of Pope Francis' death fades, it has been replaced by the joy of a new Pope from the United States of America.  And this month we share our thoughts on our new Pope, our hopes, our first impressions, and our reflections on what the future may hold given this new reality.  Sister Nancy Stiles leads a discussion which includes Holy Union Associate, Tina Silvestro, and podcast producer...

This month we explore the story of Lighthouse School, originally known as the Holy Union Special School.  From its founding by Sr. Theodora Martel, SUSC (Sr. Gabrielle Lucie) in 1967 in the basement of the Holy Union Sisters' retirement home in Lowell, MA to its current incarnation serving 225 children and their families on their N. Chelmsford campus, Lighthouse has provided specialized services f...

Are you one of many Catholics who have questions about the Jubilee Year of the Church (2025)?  What is a Jubilee Year?  Why is it significant?  What is asked of us during this year?  How can we participate in it?  Well, in our April episode, Called to Be... 's producer, Ken Gustin, talks with Fr. Edmund Derosier and Sr. Joan Guertin to explore these and other questions.  Fr. Derosier is a longtime...

As Lent approaches we're pleased to share with you this discussion among Sisters Fran Cavey, Joan Guertin, and Rita Theresa Goulet on the topic of Silence and Solitude.  We invite you to sit back, close your eyes and be still as you listen to this insightful exchange.  May it bring you some new ways to embrace silence and solitude, not just during Lent but as a part of your everyday spirituality a...

This month, Sr. Alice Michael shares the story of her vocation and eclectic ministries throughout the years as a Holy Union Sister with our Taunton Associates.  Her very first assignment in New York City was a major adjustment after growing up on the family farm in Rhode Island.  Again and again Sr. Alice placed her trust in God's plan for her, though she often didn't understand why she was being...

We're pleased to begin 2025, our fourth year of "Called to Be..." with a recent "My Story" talk from Sr. Barbara Walsh.  This talk was given to our Holy Union Associates Community earlier in 2024, but we were unable to be there to record it.  Happily, Sr. Barbara was kind enough to share it privately for use as a podcast episode.  She has had a truly remarkable life as a Holy Union Sister, marked...

As advent begins, we're so pleased to share this episode with you.  Sr. Alice Michael moderates a joyful discussion with Holy Union Associate, Tina Silvestro, Sr. Mary Ellen Ryan and Sr. Kathee Corrigan about the various ways Advent and Christmas are celebrated in parishes they are in, or from days gone by.  We all remember the days when our parish was the center of so much in our lives: baptisms,...

As the Liturgical Year comes to a close and we prepare to start a new Liturgical Year in December, we pause to take a look back on the wide range of discussions and topics we covered this past year.  Called to Be's producer, Ken Gustin, reviews the last twelve months of episodes and encourages you to listen to your favorites a second time right from our website at www.holyunionsisters.org , or tak...

Sr. Fran Cavey and Ken Gustin, Called to Be..'s producer, discuss a thought-provoking video by Irshad Manji, a former self-proclaimed "culture warrior" who has changed her perspective and now offers five strategies to overcome division and ultimately help understand where others are coming from while being better understood by them.  In an increasingly polarized nation and world, these strategies...

This month's episode is the second installment of our "My Story" series, wherein a Holy Union Sister shares her story which brought her to our congregation and the ministries she has dedicated her life to.  This installment features Sr. Ann Kernan, a colorful story teller.  She starts by sharing a unique family history which has many links to Holy Union starting in Ireland in the 1800's.  During h...

Today's episode is hosted by Sr. Alice Arsenault, who speaks with our current and previous Archivist, Sam McAdoo and Sr. Christine Lacroix about a true milestone in Holy Union's history here in the United States: preparing our archives to be sent to a new and permanent home at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, CA.  They discuss what our archives contain, the work that was necessary to organiz...

We are blessed to find, every now and then, deeply caring people who, inspired by a conversation or interaction with one of our Sisters, decides to commit their time and effort to join us in our mission.  Dr. Thomas Krahn, MD, is one of those special people.  This discussion, moderated by Sr. Fran Cavey, reunites Dr. Krahn with Sr. Josephine Nko and Sr. Sylvia Mepha who are both from Cameroon, and...

Sr. Maryellen Ryan moderates this helpful discussion between Fr. Eddie Coriea, Sr. Joan Guertin, and podcast producer, Ken Gustin on the Synod on Synodality.  Most Catholics have heard of the Synod, some have participated in it, and many are filled with questions about it.  What is a synod?...why are we doing it?...what is the goal of it?...how does it work?...what are the anticipated fruits of th...

Sister Barbara Walsh moderates a stroll down memory lane with fellow alumnae Ann Marie Charette and Joan Gallagher, of Sacred Hearts Academy in Fall River, MA.  Sacred Hearts Academy was Holy Union's first school in North America and it provided a unique educational experience for. so many young women across so many decades.  This discussion features memories of specific Sisters, courses, extracur...

Sister Nancy Stiles moderates a discussion with Sisters Alice Arsenault and Alice Michael on the essence of Easter and the Easter Season, specifically transformation and openness to new life.  Jesus' sacrifice and mercy is on offer to all who are willing to accept it and follow Him in the way of this new way of living.  Their discussion spans well known examples of biblical figures who accepted Ch...