As Sister Rose Caritas of the Queen of Angels, P.C.C., made her first profession of vows on September 21 in our monastery chapel, the radiance that shown on her face proclaimed to all in attendance just how lovely it is to dwell in His house as His bride.
Bishop Timothy L. Doherty was the main presider and homilist at the 1:00 pm Mass of First Profession, during which Sister Rose Caritas vowed to live in poverty, chastity, obedience, and enclosure for a period of three years. Members of the clergy, as well as many family and friends joined us to celebrate Sister Rose Caritas’ self-offering to God and to witness her joy at belonging totally to Christ. After professing her vows, Sister Rose Caritas exchanged the white veil and unknotted cincture of a novice for the black veil and knotted cord -- symbols of her brideship and religious consecration.
Sister Rose Caritas is the daughter of Dan and Marie Gorrell, and originally from Marshall, IL. Sister Rose Caritas attended Marian University in Indianapolis, and it was during her senior year that she attended one of our Come and See days, her first exposure to the cloistered, contemplative life. Sister Rose Caritas entered our community as an aspirant in August of 2020.
Whereas active religious sisters engage in apostolates such as teaching, nursing, or social work, contemplative nuns are consecrated solely for the praise and worship of God, to surrender their lives to Him in love and to live habitually in the cloister, interceding for the needs of the world.
As Poor Clares, we pray the full Divine Office, gathering seven times a day in our chapel to offer God the sacrifice of praise in union with the entire Church. The first part of the Liturgy of the Hours, Matins, is prayed at midnight, when we interrupt our rest for an hour in order to present the first fruits of the day to God and to plead for His grace and mercy upon the whole human race.
The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass offered in our chapel is the highlight of each day, and the graces received from the Eucharistic celebration overflow onto the other activities that fill our schedule: two periods of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament; simple, manual labor; meals in common; and recreation.
The ceremony of First Profession is the fruit of four years of formation as a Poor Clare nun. Sister Rose Caritas has a minimum of five more years of formation before her solemn profession of vows, which marks a sister's commitment to her vocation. Please keep Sister Rose Caritas on your prayers as she begins her vowed life as a Poor Clare, that she may continue to radiate the joy that springs from saying “yes” to God without reserve.