Salesian Sisters Celebrate Professions

On Saturday, August 5, two Salesian sisters made their perpetual profession and one sister made her first profession of religious vows. The professions took place at separate Masses in the chapel of Mary Help of Christians Academy in North Haledon. Sr. Karen Dunn, FMA, provincial, received the professions.

Sr. Janet Keller and Sr. Brittany Harrison

Sr. Brittany Harrison, FMA, and Sr. Janet Keller, FMA, pronounced their final vows at a Mass over which Cardinal Joseph Tobin, CSsR, archbishop of Newark, presided and preached. Sr. Brittany was a Salesian Cooperator in Chicago before discerning God’s call to the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians.

After Mass: Fr. Abe Feliciano and Sr. Kelly Schuster; she's holding the copy

of the FMA Constitutions just given to her as part of the rite of profession.

Sr. Kelly Schuster was a Salesian Lay Missioner at Don Bosco Cristo Rey High School in Takoma Park, Md., in 2010-2012, assisting Fr. Abe Feliciano, SDB, with youth ministry and teaching theology. In 2012 she was hired as a teacher and minister. Ere long, she discerned a call to the FMAs. Fr. Feliciano presided and preached at the Mass of First Profession.

Sr. Kelly with some of her former colleagues at Don Bosco Cristo Rey (l-r):

Bro. Tom Sweeney, SDB, Lisa Stacey, Ana Chapa, and Robert Smith.

The Masses were attended by many FMAs, a dozen or so SDBs, an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales (a schoolmate of Sr. Kelly at DeSales University), several diocesan priests, and many family members of the professed and friends of the FMAs. A buffet lunch was served in the cafeteria afterward.

The bride (of Christ) cuts the cake! Sr. Karen Dunn, provincial; Sr. Janet;

Sr. Brittany; and Sr. Joanne Holloman, mistress of novices.

(There was a separate cake for Sr. Kelly.)

Your humble blogger was among the concelebrants—and took a few photos—for 3 reasons: his long friendship with Sr. Brittany from her Cooperator days and with Sr. Kelly from her entrance to the SLM program (which is not to say that Sr. Janet isn't a friend, too); his present association with Don Bosco Cristo Rey; and his responsibility for the SDB province newsletter.