Faith journeys enrich religious communities

The realization of a religious vocation rarely comes as a thunderclap. More often, it emerges gradually, in quiet reflection or steady growth from childhood.

For four with ties to the Archdiocese of Baltimore, discernment unfolded differently, yet with the same joy – leading them to serve God in religious communities around the country.

Most recently, Benedictine Brother Jose Rosa, 27, of Odenton, was ordained Aug. 30 as a transitional deacon at St. Vincent Basilica in Latrobe, Pa. He professed solemn vows as a Benedictine monk before Archabbot Martin de Porres Bartel July 11.

Christian Chukwubueze Okoro embraces his sister, Oblate Sister of Providence Delphine Okoro, at her Aug. 22 profession of final vows. (Courtesy Oblate Sisters of Providence)

Sister Delphine Anaychukwu Okoro, 39, professed perpetual vows Aug. 22 with the Oblate Sisters of Providence in Baltimore, completing a journey that began in her native Cameroon and included years in Nigeria, Canada and Virginia.

Sister Thomas Miriam White, 44, a former academic jazz historian and now program coordinator for the Angelicum Thomistic Institute in Rome, professed her perpetual vows Aug. 16 with the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Mich., at the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption in Saginaw. Her home parish is Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Ellicott City.

And Jesuit Father Jonathan Pennacchia, 33, a 2014 graduate of Loyola University Maryland, was ordained June 14 as a Jesuit priest at St. Ignatius Loyola in New York City, where he now serves.

A calling born in song

Brother Jose traces his vocation to a Boy Scouts retreat at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg when he was in eighth grade. Watching seminarians at prayer left a deep mark.

“I was very struck by their joy, their presence,” he said. “There’s something very profound about hearing 80 to 90 men chanting the Salve Regina a cappella. I felt that it invited me.”

There was no single moment, only a steady conviction. “What these men are following is not a what, it was a who – named Jesus. If they can be called, so can I.”

His choice of St. Vincent College, where he graduated magna cum laude in philosophy and politics in 2020, was sparked by his love for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who train there. By the end of freshman year, evening prayer had become routine.

He entered the novitiate in 2020. The Benedictine charism, he said, is simple and profound: “Prayer and a commitment to prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours, especially.”

Dedication

Sister Delphine, the sixth of eight children in a devout Catholic family from Linde, Cameroon, always imagined religious life – though her path was winding. She received a certification as a nursing associate in Cameroon (she also has a nursing license in Virginia), studied international relations and strategic studies in Nigeria, has a certification in computer science and pursued graduate studies at Liberty University in Virginia, where she received master’s degrees in human services counseling and family counseling. There she met an Oblate Sister who invited her to Baltimore.

Mercy Sister of Alma Thomas Miriam poses with her parents, Rebecca and Linley White. (Courtesy Sister Thomas Miriam)

The Oblate Sisters of Providence, founded in Baltimore in 1829 by Mother Mary Lange, are the first order for Black Catholic women. With only about 35 members, Sister Delphine hopes to inspire new vocations. Signs of renewal are emerging, including the first profession of Ghana native Sister Stella Dela Avortrie Aug. 12.

For Sister Delphine, the connection was immediate. “The first day I walked into that house, I knew God was calling me. I felt the power. I felt the calm. I knew this was it.” Encouraged to use her medical training to serve African American families, she sought her family’s blessing. “My parents thought I was crazy,” she laughed, “but were supportive.”

She entered the community in 2018, professed first vows in 2021, and this August celebrated her final vows adorned with colorful fabric from Cameroon – a gift from her brother, who traveled from Germany.

Finding mercy

Sister Thomas Miriam’s journey began far from Catholicism. Raised by Protestant parents in Illinois, she became Episcopalian in graduate school and was received into the Catholic Church at the Easter Vigil in 2012.

A gifted musician, she studied biology and trumpet at Hope College, then earned a doctorate in musicology at Indiana University. After teaching and later working as a Defense Department analyst, she longed for something more.

At her Ellicott City parish, a workshop and the encouragement of Father John Rapisarda prompted her to discern seriously. With parish support, she raised funds to pay off student loans. “Once I relinquished control and surrendered everything to God … it did not take long for him to make my vocation clear to me.”

She entered the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma in 2017, professed first vows in 2020, and this summer made perpetual vows.

Jesuit Father Jonathan Pennacchia. (Courtesy photo)

She finds peace in the community’s charism: “Living in community can be challenging … but there is also a very deep sense of peace and joy in having given myself completely to the Lord, and in knowing that I am where he wants me to be and am doing his will.”

Loyola’s influence

Father Pennacchia, a native of Wappingers Falls, N.Y., studied economics at Loyola University Maryland and was active in campus ministry.

“My time at Loyola, especially my three years as a student intern in campus ministry, was deeply formative,” he said. “Loyola’s motto, ‘Strong Truths Well Lived,’ continues to echo in my heart and mind.”

Father Pennacchia first encountered the Jesuits during a fifth grade field trip to the National Shrine of the North American Martyrs in Auriesville, N.Y. He credits Jesuit mentors, professors, chaplains and friends with helping him embrace the joy of his vocation.

He returned to Loyola’s Alumni Memorial Chapel Sept. 14 to celebrate his alma mater’s Mass of the Holy Spirit, marking the start of the new academic year.

“It was at Loyola that the truth of this vocation became clear,” he said.