Approximately 50 women religious, including 11 sisters newly assigned to the Arlington diocese, gathered for the Women Religious Convocation Sept. 9 at St. Benedict Monastery in Bristow.
The sisters from various religious orders met for a discussion with Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, who celebrated Mass, followed by a luncheon.
“It is always a joy to gather with you sisters especially around this altar as we celebrate God’s great love for us,” he said in his homily. “In a special way, it is an opportunity for me, on behalf of all the diocese, to express profound thanks for the gift of your vocation, your faithful witness and dedicated service and to welcome the new sisters who have been assigned to our diocese.”
They include Sister Julia Mary Darrenkamp, who was assigned to work at Pauline Books and Media in Alexandria, after the order closed its Charleston, S.C., store. Next year, she will celebrate her golden jubilee. While she spent a summer in Alexandria in 1998, the January appointment was her first formal assignment here since the 1980s.
“Nothing too much has changed in Old Town Alexandria,” she said. “People are still wonderful. The architecture’s still the same.”
She saw many new faces among the women religious at the convocation, however, and appreciated the chance to meet and pray with them.
“It was a really nice gesture of the bishop to have us all together to have Mass and to talk to each other,” Sister Julia said. “It gives you a sense of camaraderie and solidarity. All of us have our own missions and assignments. When you see a group of sisters, it’s energizing.”
Sister Karol Marie Haggerty moved from Enfield, Conn., to the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist home in Falls Church in July to teach at Sienna Academy, a Catholic Montessori school in Great Falls. She, too, enjoyed the fellowship the convocation fostered.
“For my sisters and I, it was a lovely time to meet and visit and talk with other religious in the diocese,” she said. “The bishop was very gracious.”
This is her first assignment in the Arlington diocese.
“I’m originally from Boston and I thought the traffic there was bad, but the traffic here is really something else,” she said. “So, I’m sticking very close to my GPS on my phone now.”
Sister Karol was also among the women religious who attended a Washington Nationals baseball game Aug. 31 at the invitation of Trevor Williams, a pitcher who is a parishioner at St. John the Beloved Church in McLean.
“He’s a very fine man and a very strong Catholic,” she said of Williams. “I was really happy to meet him. Sorry we lost the game, but happy to meet him.”
