Sister Mary Ruth's childhood was colored in Garrison Keillor's Lake Wobegon -- Scandinavian parents and a solid Lutheran upbringing. Adding a religious vocation as a Catholic nun seemed like an aberrant plot twist. Yet there she is, in the habit of her Augustinian community, working in the front office Saint Monica's Senior Citizens Home, a retirement facility operated by the Sisters of Saint Rita.
"One thing I've found is that life isn't a straight and narrow path. There are all kinds of crooked ways, and you just never know where you're going to end up," the Sister of St. Rita said. "I know He's always been there, but since I've come into the community, I recognize God working more in my life." Sr. Mary Ruth, then 43 years old, made her final profession of vows in September of 1998.
She described her early vocational training and the technical school that led to a series of secretarial jobs. Contented in her career, she led the typical young adult life, sharing an apartment with a girlfriend and dating regularly. Yet something was missing.
Although a practicing Lutheran, she was drawn to the weekday morning Mass at a Catholic church near her downtown Minneapolis job. Surprised by the number of regular participants at the liturgy and impressed by daily Eucharist, she wanted to learn more. With her Catholic roommate, she took Inquiry classes at the church. In 1981 she converted, with her roommate serving as sponsor at her Confirmation.
Later she began to inquire about religious communities. With no prior Catholic influence, she isn't sure how the idea took shape in her mind. "A vocation is a mystery - you can't really explain it. It's a call from God, but it's not like you get a lightening bolt. I was looking for something more in my life, looking for a commitment, and the idea of living with women who have similar goals and a common lifestyle was very appealing. I came because I wanted to find out how I could dedicate my life to God in a community setting."
Sister Mary Ruth discovered answers in the community-oriented order of the Sisters of Saint Rita, with a worldwide total of 140 members, six of whom comprise the community in Racine. "It's a radical way of life in today's society," she says.
Radical is also the word she uses to describe her initial feelings about the traditional-looking habit she wears. "I thought people were going to be staring at me," she said. "I was actually afraid to put it on and go out in the city and be seen as someone who's so radically different. I didn't want to stick out. I thought, I'm just not ready for this." Sister Mary Ruth, who wore lay clothes as a postulant, grew so apprehensive about donning the habit that she wanted to put off entering the novitiate, but her spiritual director convinced her otherwise. Now she's grown used to the habit and sees it as a sign of consecration to Christ and a symbol of her community. She also appreciates the fact that the Sisters are permitted to wear lay clothes for recreational activities and vacations.
She admitted that after living alone, community life was a challenge, but she said she's also found flexibility, cooperation and support. Sister Mary Ruth has noted that the order emphasizes continuing education and encourages members to follow academic or vocational callings. At Saint Monica's, a community-based residential facility for independent seniors that boasts 110 residents, she has found her niche. Her day can include word-processing, giving tours of the complex, or driving a resident to a doctor's office.
Sister Mary Ruth believes that women entering a religious community at an older age or as a second vocation reflects a current trend. "I think it's harder for young people in their 20's to think of making a commitment, especially for women, who have so many options and avenues to explore today. I believe a lot of young people are yearning for spirituality, but they're a little afraid of reaching out and trying it." She suggests that those who feel the call of a vocation should pray, talk with a spiritual advisor, explore their options, "and then, as they say, take the plunge."
This vocation story is based on an article written by Margaret Plevak, which was originally published in the Catholic Herald on January 14, 1999.
My Vocation Story
My name is Sister Clare Marie Rohutny, O.S.A. My vocation story is one of bumps and lumps, so to speak. When I was five or seven years old, I knew I wanted to become a Sister. We had Dominican Sisters who taught us in grade school at St. Anthony of Padua School in Kenosha, Wisconsin. I admired their serenity, peace, and teaching. I wanted to pray and be close to God as they were. The rose and the cross became the symbols associated with my desire to become a Sister.
The Dominican Sisters at my grade school wanted me to join them after eighth grade, but my father refused. He asked me to wait until I had finished my education and had a job. I went to college to become a teacher, but at that time I felt uncomfortable with some of the changes that occurred after Vatican II, so I put my desire to be a Sister on hold. After teaching for awhile I went to Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for further studies. My Jesuit advisor, who later became a life longfriend, advised me to follow my dream of becoming a Sister. Drawn to St. Francis of Assisi and teaching, I entered the Franciscans when I was in my early thirties. However, although my attraction to Francis was strong, I did not feel as if the Franciscan way of life was a fit for me. My head and my heart didn’t come together. I continued to be attracted to the Franciscan life for awhile. But every time I tried, something didn’t seem right. When I was in my forties, my uncle showed me a church bulletin with an advertisement for the Sisters of St. Rita, an Augustinian Community. This was a bit unusual for my uncle to give me the church bulletin. I read it and was attracted to the picture of the Sisters. I liked the way they looked, their smiles and friendliness. They also had a free video advertised! Well, my sense of getting a bargain was caught, and I called them. I visited them several times, stayed overnight, and talked with them. I liked what I saw and heard. They seemed so human. The Superior, Sr. Irene, suggested I give them a try. I did. And some ten years or more later, I am still here! On November 11, 2002 I professed final vows as a Sister of St. Rita, following the Rule of St. Augustine. The journey as an Augustinian Sister, to be of one mind and heart on our way to God, is not always easy. There is no perfect community. I’m in it, so how could it be perfect! (You ought to taste my "cooking" and you’d see one example of my imperfections.) The road is sometimes bumpy. However, the journey itself is the road to God, to holiness and oneness of mind and heart. I have found that my head and heart are one because I have discovered that being human, with all its joys and messiness, is where I find God. That is one of the charisms of being an Augustinian, to let the grace of God call, capture and transform who we are together. I have been accepted as I am by God and my Sisters. And I have learned to accept them. No matter how human we are, with all our foibles and differences, we forgive, stay with, and hang in there for each other. Our first calling as Augustinian religious is to be God to each other in Community, just as were are, warts and all. I don’t need to wear a hair shirt or look for unusual penances to become holy. Living in Community, with my humanity and others’ is the challenge to become loving. Rubbing elbows, so to speak, and personalities, is the way we become polished in God’s refinery, wheat broken and blessed. This is where my heart is. And guess what? The cross we wear as Sisters of St. Rita is a cross broken in the middle, where a rose grows out of the split of the cross. The cross and the rose, symbols of my youthful desire to be a Sister. Is God good or what!
