Six sisters are living and learning together as part of the InterCongregational Collaborative Novitiate on the south side of Chicago. This unique program provides sisters with the opportunity to participate in an intercultural, multi-congregational novitiate program. As part of the program, they are each enrolled in the "Interculturality and Religious Life" course at Catholic Theological Union (CTU).
Sisters Saima, Shaista, Janice, Theresa, Karina and Jamie (from left in the photo above) recently responded to some questions about themselves and their journeys to religious life. Some of the sisters have also shared insightful reflections about their experiences in the blog on the ICCN web site.
I am Janice Burns-Watson, a novice with the Sisters of Saint Francis in Tiffin, Ohio. My life has taken me down a very winding path. I was an ordained minister for 24 years, serving as a pastor, missionary and chaplain. To make a long story short, Mary and the Eucharist led me into the Catholic Church. My spiritual director at the time of my conversion is a part of the community I am joining, so when I started feeling the call to religious life, this was a logical fit for me.
A fun fact about me is I am also a mother of three! Rachel, 28, works at the Columbus, Ohio Museum of Art. Nathanael, 22, is a graduate student in astronomy at the University of Texas, Austin. Abigail, 21, is a state-tested nursing assistant (STNA) at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, working on becoming an LPN.
My name is Theresa Y. Nguyen, and I am a member of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd. I was born in southern Vietnam, and my family currently lives in Atlanta, Georgia. I moved to St. Louis, Missouri, at the end of 2017 to live with the Sisters of the Good Shepherd at their Mid-North Province center, where I completed my four-year undergraduate degree in computer science from the University of Missouri –Saint Louis (UMSL). In 2023, I entered the pre-novitiate, joining the Silver Spring community for a year during which I moved between different communities of Good Shepherd Sisters. I volunteered in a program for pregnant women and babies with Catholic Charities in the Archdiocese of Washington. After that, I moved to live with the Contemplative Good Shepherd Sisters and served at Cora Services in Philadelphia. Subsequently, I worked at the Collier School and shelter for young girls in Wickatunk, New Jersey.
The image of the Good Shepherd, tenderly caring for His flock, first inspired me to join the Good Shepherd Sisters, drawing me deeply into a call to embody Jesus’s love and compassion. The spirituality of the Good Shepherd Sisters, rooted in the values of individual worth, mercy, reconciliation, justice, and zeal, deeply drew me to this congregation. These values are like a compass, guiding me to live with an open heart and genuine respect for each person in the community, while leading me to serve with a deep devotion and a profound sense of sacred purpose. The wisdom and lived experiences of the sisters illuminate my path, helping me understand what it means to live a life rooted in God, anchored in compassion, and dedicated to service.
I aspire to faithfully live out God’s call and my congregation’s mission, with a passion for serving young girls and a desire to use my technical skills to assist children with visual and hearing challenges.
My name is Shaista Alyas. I am from Pakistan. I am a first-year novice from the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross. I have been living in Chicago since August.
I have some goals for my future life: 1) To grow in my spiritual life (I will seek deeper connection with the divine through daily reflection, intentional practice, and cultivating love and compassion in all that I do, 2) To know my community members (I will engage with openness, listen with empathy, and build relationships grounded in mutual respect and understanding, 3) To learn about the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience (I will study their spiritual significance, reflect on their transformative power, and seek to embody their principles in a way that deepens my faith and commitment, 4) To know God through community (I will recognize His presence in the lives of others, foster unity and love, and serve with humility, seeing each relationship as a reflection of His grace.
I am inspired by the simplicity of the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross. After completing my year in Chicago, I hope to move forward in formation to continue my growth through new experiences and eventually prepare for first vows.
Jamie Caporizo is a novice with the Adrian Dominican Sisters and is originally from Connecticut. She entered religious life from Reading, Pennsylvania, where she served as the senior director of Mission of Ministry at Alvernia University, Reading.
Jamie is a teacher and musician at heart. She has taught choral and vocal music at the elementary and collegiate levels. After earning her master's degree in Sacred Music at the University of Notre Dame, Jamie was in ministry for seven years as a liturgical musician with the Sisters of the Holy Cross, her first exposure to religious life in the 21st century.
Jamie is passionate about music, education, and hunger and homelessness ministry. She hopes to pursue some of this work after initial formation. "I was attracted to the Adrian Dominicans' vitality, their charism, and the diversity of their members and ministries. No two of us are alike!"
My name is Saima Kiran Munir. I’m a first-year novice of the Sisters of Loretto at the Foot of the Cross. I’m from Pakistan; I have been living with sisters in Pakistan for about three years. In Pakistan I graduated with a B.A. in Education. I completed my candidacy and pre-novitiate in Pakistan. I came to the United States on June 15, 2024.
My goal for the future is to become a good Sister of Loretto. I am inspired by the Sisters of Loretto's service in education and for the poor and our sisters’ work as Catholic social workers for the rejected and migrants.
My name is Karina Montes-Ayala and I am a novice with the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati. I graduated from Northern Kentucky University in 2020 with a degree in biology and began working in an infectious disease lab. My ministry experience includes jail ministry, music ministry, teaching CCD, ESL, and U.S.-Mexico border ministry experience. My hope is to continue ministering to the Hispanic/Latino community in the future.
What inspired me to join the faith-filled women of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati is their infectious joy, kindness, generosity, and how they love and live out their charism.
Enjoy a video Christmas message from the ICCN sisters