INTERVIEW QUESTIONS:

SISTER CHERREE ANN POWER,

C.R.
Q: WHAT MAKES UP YOUR DAILY LIFE AS A SISTER?

A: As a Sister of the Resurrection I rise each morning

at 4:30 (thats just a schedule I make for myself
others may rise at other times and thats only during
the week). Then I pray for an hour of silent prayer
before breakfast. I usually head over to my office
between 6:15 and 6:30 just to make sure Im ready for
the day. I attend Mass at 7:20 AM. In our parish we
pray Christian Prayer or the Liturgy of the Hours with
Mass. This goes back to the time of the early
Christians when they would pray and praise God or
offer petitions at certain hours of the day. The
prayer at this hour is called Lauds.
I then go about my day as principal of St. Veronica
School. No two days are ever the same. My work is
actually my ministry - work that is done for God.
After school I head back to the Convent, the home
where I live and join the other Sisters with whom I live
for a period of Eucharistic Adoration. This is simply a
time of adoring or honoring the Presence of Jesus in
the Eucharist. We dont actually say any prayers
during this time. Its pure quiet or contemplation
of the Mystery of Jesus actually being present among
us. This usually lasts for about 30 minutes and then
we pray another part of the Liturgy of the Hours at
this time is called Vespers. After prayer we have
supper.

Our evenings vary depending on what activity may be

happening on that particular day. Once a week the
Sisters do gather in common for what we call Faith
Sharing. This too varies weekly. It is all part of our
On-going Formation. This year in particular we are
focusing on Pope Francis Year of Mercy, so some of
what we are using is from his Bull of Indiction or
MIsericordiae Vultus or some of the other books on
Mercy. We are also using our own Resurrection works,
including the Constitutions of our Community or things
written by Foundresses. Of course Sacred Scripture is
also a part of the Faith Shairng, especially those
parables dealing with mercy. Sometimes my evenings
are comprised of meetings whether it be P.T.A.
Meetings or School Board Meetings. I am also the
Moderator of a group of women who are lay associates
of the Sisters of the Resurrectoon, called Apostles of
the Resurrection. I also serve on the Provincial Council
of our Province, and those responsibilities also keep
me busy.
Before I go to bed at night there is another Prayer
from the Liturgy of the Hours that we pray privately
called Night Prayer asking God to let us sleep in peace.
Not all evenings are packed; there is also time to relax
read, take a walk, watch a movie, or just be with the
other Sisters. Ive only explained my work day. I do
have free days along the way. Just like you I even
look forward to those surprise snow days! I also
have weekends when Im free, and I do take vacations.
I have friends and family I enjoy spending time with.

Q: ARE THERE ANY RITUALS OR PRAYERS YOU PERFROM ON A DAILY

BASIS?

A:

There is still

another Prayer from the Liturgy of

the Hours that we also pray privately called The Office

of Readings, which compliment all the other Hours. In

addition to these prayers, I pray the Rosary daily. I try

to pray the Stations of the Cross, but I dont always
get to that daily, however we are expected to pray the
Stations once a month. During Lent I do pray the
Stations of the Cross every day. I also pray the Divine
Mercy Chaplet frequently every Sunday, but as often
as I can as well. We also pray the Angelus, a Prayer to
the Blessed Mother daily, as well as the Prayer to St.
Michael. Once a month we have a Day of Recollection,
which is like a retreat. This is a quiet day that we
spend in prayer. Once a year we have an annual 6-day
Retreat, which is a totally silent time we spend with
the Lord. This can be done in a group or privately.
There are various kinds of Retreats and the Sister is
free to choose the kind of Retreat she feels God is
drawing her to at that particular time.

Q: ARE THERE ANY SPECIAL DUTIES OR JOBS IN THE CHURCH THAT

PERTAIN TO SISTERS?

A:

Sisters

may

have

different

responsibilities

depending on the Congregation to which they belong

or the individual Sisters job or ministry.
For
example there are some Sisters who work in the
Vatican in various positions some for the Pontifical
Council for Justice and Peace, others at the
Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and
Societies of Apostolic Life, some in a variety of
professional academic positions. I know one Sister in
particular who lived with our Congregation in Rome
who was Canon Lawyer. Last year an Italian Sister was
named the third-ranking official in the Vatican office
overseeing religious men and women.
Closer to home right here in the US, there are also a
variety of ministeries in which Religious women are
involved. Education and Health Care are primary
duties.
However, the horizons are much broader!
Some have worked in the media and have even

coordinated the media for the US during papal

conclaves (when popes are elected). Some Sisters
work with the Conference of Catholic Bishops. In more
local areas you may find Sisters fulfilling the roles of
Pastoral Associates for Parish Ministries, Directors of
Religious Education or Faith Formation.
Religious
Women are much more involved in ministeries in the
Church than they were even a decade ago.

Q: WHAT ARE THE PRAYERS YOU USE MOST OFTEN AND WHY?

A: Besides the prayers I have already mentioned

Novenas are also prayers I often pray. This is a prayer
that could be said for three days in a row or even nine
days in a row. Usually a novena is prayed when you
are praying for a particular intention. As Sisters of the
Resurrection, we pray a Novena before the Feast of the
Immacualte Conception on Dec. 8th, before the Feast of
St. Joseph on March 19th, before Christmas, before
Pentecost, and before the feast of some our
Resurrection feasts.
I also have some of my own
favorites, like St. Theresa.
Of course there are certainly many other prayers the
prayer that Jesus Himself taught us, the Lords Prayer,
or the Our Father. I also pray a prayer for increased
faith, hope and charity. Every morning I pray the Act
of Contrition and I believe God forgives my sins. They
are gone- forgiven, as long as they arent mortal
sins, of course! A new prayer on the horizon now is
Pope Francis prayer for the Jubilee Year of Mercy,
which is beautiful.

Q: WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO PURSUE A MORE RELIGIOUS LIFESTYLE?

A: As a young child I already felt drawn to Religious

Life. I always had a May altar in my room. I would
have a statue of the Blessed Mother and flowers on my
dresser and, and I would pray to her often. When I
still lived in Newfoundland, Canada, I would often
attend Mass even on Saturday mornings with my
Father. Then we moved to NY and when I was in the 6 th
grade I started to attend daily Mass. I just knew I
wanted to be close to God and wanted to somehow
give my life to Him. When my family moved to Howell,
NJ it was here that I met the Sisters of the
Resurrection and I knew this was what God God
wanted of me. No, there were no visions, no voices. I
just knew that God was drawing me to be a Sister of
the Resurrection. There was a pslam I loved, I will
serve the Lord with gladness! And I used to sing it
with gusto when I was a young girl! I knew it was my
mission to serve.

Q: HOW DOES YOUR LIFE DIFFER FROM THAT OF A PRIESTS?

A: My life differs from that of a priest in that I am not

ordained. I am a Consecrated Religious. I take
the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. There
are some priests who do the same and are also
Consecrated Religious, for example Francisan
priests,
Vincentian
priests,
Dominican
priests,
Augustinian priests and many others. Then there are
Diocesan Priests like many in our parishes. For
examply in my parish of St. Veronica we have Fr. Euk
and Fr. Vic, Diocesan Priests who have not joined a
Community of Religious men.
Rather, they are
Diocesan Priests. They do not take vows of poverty,
chastity and obedience, but only chastity and
obedience to the Bishop of the diocese.
All priests
receive the Sacrament of Holy Orders by the Bishop

Diocesan Priests and those who belong to Religious

Communities.

Q: DOES ANYONE IN YOUR CONGREGATION HOLD MORE AUTHORITY THAN

OTHERS?

A: There are Sisters in our Congregation of the Sisters

of the Resurrection who do hold leadership positions.
We are an International Congregation.
Our
Generalate, or our Mother House, is In Rome, and
there we have our Superior General and 4 General
Councilors who make up the General Council. In each
of our provinces, there is a Provincial Superior, and
again 4 Provincial Councilors. Within each Province
there are individual local communities, each one has a
local superior.
For example, I belong to the Province of NY. Our
Provincial is Sr. Dolores, and I am one of her 4
Provincial Councilors. St. Veronica Convent is one of
our local communities. I serve as the Superior in our
Convent.

Q: WHERE DO YOU AND YOUR CONGREGATION LIVE?

A: Our Generalate, our Mother House, is In Rome, as I

mentioned
above.
Our
Provincialate,
the
headquarters for province or the region to which I
belong is in Castleton, NY, just outside of Albany. I live
at St. Veronica Convent in Howell, NJ. It is on the
same campus as St. Veronica School and Church.

Q: WHAT IS THE NAME OF YOUR CONGREGATION, WHEN WAS IT FORMED

AND WHY?

A: The Sisters

of the Resurrection were founded in

1891 by Celine Borzecka and her daughter, Hedwig in

Rome, Italy. The formation of the Congregation was
the first time in the history of the Catholic Church that
a religious community of women was founded by a
mother and a daughter.
Mother Celine and Mother Hedwig met the Fathers of
the Resurrection and believed in their mission and
spirituality.
This spirituality is based on the
transforming power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ,
and therefore we strive to bring hope and love to all
people
as we work with the Church towards the
renewal of society. We especially uphold the dignity
and potential of women in bringing about the renwal
of society, and therefore the education of women is a
strong part of our mission.
Besides Rome and Poland, Mother Celine embraced
every need of the Church. She began a mission in
Bulgaria and wholeheartedly offered herself and her
Sisters as a sacrifice for the glory of God and the
spread of the Catholic faith.
It was this same
missionary zeal that eventually led her across the
ocean to the U.S. to help Polish emigrants in Chicago.
Our Sisters are now also in Canada, Argentina,
Australia, England and Africa.

Q: HOW DO YOU MANAGE TO LIVE SUCH A DEVOTED LIFESTYLE?

A: I love being a Sister of the Resurrection.

Just like

any wife or mother there are times when life presents

challenges, but it is through prayer and Gods grace

that I find the strength to press on. A friend of mine
wrote a long time ago, In His tenderness and mercy
God has always sent butterflies to me in my hearts
most wintered moments. Always His love promises
eternal spring and theres a song in my heart that
never dies.
Gods faitfhulness to me is my strength
and His mercy draws me to Him.

Q: WHY DO SISTERS WEAR HABITS?

A: Sisters choose to wear a habit as an outward sign of

our profession of our Consecration to God. It also
gives witness to my vows of poverty, chastity and
obedience.
You may notice, however, that not all
Sisters wear habits. After Vatican II many Religious
Congregations decided not to wear the habit. It is a
matter of choice. I belong to a Congregation that has
decided to continue to wear a habit as a witness to our
vowed life. I am glad we do. When young children ask
me, Why do you wear that hat and dress? I often tell
them, Because when people look at me I want them
to think of God and remember how much He loves
them. Thats the simple version!

Q: WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A NUN AND A SISTER?

Nun
and
Sister
are
actually
often
used
interchangeably, and we are both called, Sister, but
there is a difference.
A Nun belongs to a cloistered community. She
usually lives in a monastery her life is enclosed
within that monastery, which means she rarely if ever,

leaves the monastery. It would only be for something

like a doctors appointment that a Nun would leave the
monastery. Her primary apostolate or her ministry,
her work, is her prayer.
A Sister certainly does pray and does have a deep
prayer life you saw how much I pray. But work is
outside of the house in which I live. My ministry, my
work is with other people. I take the Gospel out to the
people with whom I work on a daily basis. Nuns and
Sisters are both take vows of chastity, poverty and
obedience and are called Consecrated Religious.
I mention this only as a point of clarity.