Ficocelli
authored a series of children’s vocation-awareness books with a beautiful entry
titled “Where Do Sisters Come From?” Elizabeth has shared her story behind the vocation-awareness
series on Catholic radio and on a number of Catholic websites and in print. A
convert, Ficocelli explains how her own interest in understanding consecrated
life was the impetus behind writing the first entry “Where Do Priests Come From?”
which was then followed by “Where Do Sisters Come From?.” The final entry in
the series is “Where Do Deacons Come From?.”
So
when it was recently announced that March 8 through March 15th is
Catholic Sisters Week, Ficocelli was not surprised. Her own passion for helping
young children learn about vocations was acknowledged in that announcement. Ficocelli’s
life work and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation had oddly crossed paths around the
consecrated life of sisters!
Catholic
Sisters Week is the enterprise of St. Catherine University out of St. Paul, MN
and is backed by over three million dollars from the Conrad N. Hilton
Foundation. It is a vast undertaking and, according to Andrea Lee, IHM,
president of St. Catherine University, it will essentially be “Fostering
meaningful relationships between college-age women and accomplished American
women religious will be a powerful inspiration for some to consider religious
life.”
Rosemarie
Nassif, SSND, program director of the Catholic Sisters Initiative at the Conrad
N. Hilton Foundation adds, “The Hilton Foundation’s vision is to create a
movement that ignites a national awareness around the lives and profound
contributions of Sisters, inspiring girls and women to be open to a potential
call to religious life.”
For
Elizabeth Ficocelli, it is an exciting time to introduce the beauty of
vocations to Catholic families and classrooms. “Even if the youngsters aren’t
called to a consecrated vocation, being aware of them as a special call from
God increases everyone’s respect and appreciation,” Ficocelli has said in radio
interviews.
It
looks like the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation agrees!
(illustration
is from Where Do Sisters Come From?)
Cheryl, my daughter-in-law won the giveaway of "Where Do Deacons Come From?" Which was great, because her dad is a deacon (he was ordained after his four children were grown up).
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