Sister Pat Phillips, a Hannibal native and a member of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus (SHCJ) of Drexel Hill, Pa., has created a DVD to encourage women to consider becoming a Catholic sister (formerly called a nun). Sister Pat is related to local families named Schnelle, Fohey, Willows and Brummer.
The DVD is titled “Jesus Calls Women,” and was produced by Wordnet Productions, 532 North D St., San Bernardino, Calif. 92401. The phone is 909-383-4333 and the Web site is www.wordnet.tv.
Sister Pat just celebrated her golden jubilee - 50th anniversary - as a sister. She attended Hannibal’s Catholic and public schools before her family moved to Illinois when she was in high school. “I loved the nuns at Blessed Sacrament, and I had a wonderful teacher at Central, Mrs. Brown,” she said during a phone interview. This teacher, “told me ‘mind over matter’ because I wasn’t feeling well for a spelling bee, and I did and I think I won.”
Sister Pat also was influenced by “a marvelous geometry teacher at Hannibal High School. ... He challenged me to beat the boys, and I did in geometry and it really made me love math.”
Her early love of math may have contributed to one of her long-time jobs as a sister. She explained, “I taught and was a high school principal in New York and California, then treasurer of the order. After 24 years in finance, two years ago I moved to San Bernardino, Calif., to work for Wordnet Productions, a Catholic TV studio.” She works with Father Mike Manning, who does a weekly show. This led to her decision to make the DVD.
Sister Pat saw an ad for the U.S. Marines that said, “We don’t take applications. We take commitments.”
“I loved that ad,” she said. The DVD resulted from her meeting with Larry Jilk, a retired banker from Philadelphia, who said he wanted to do something on religious vocations for women. Wordnet Productions has done a few DVDs, she said, “mainly for priests, but this is directed toward women. We finished it also in Spanish, and there is a study guide. ... It is generic - covers people in habits and non-habits, and it is not geared toward one order.”
The DVD has testimonials from sisters in several locations and vocations. Some discuss how they got the call and how they responded. It lists the three vows sisters take: poverty, chastity and obedience. One sister said she learned to trust God to provide for her, and another said “you can’t separate the vows.” Regarding obedience, one said she had to learn to let go of control of her life.
The DVD includes quotes about the “consecrated life challenges” such as prayer and holiness. Joys, fulfillment and community involvement also are included, and one sister defined joy as a total gift. Another said she learned that she “can affect so many more people in this life.”
What is Sister Pat’s advice to a woman who feels called to the life of a sister, such as she herself received as a high school student? “Don’t give up. Go for it. It’s worth it. ...It’s a very fulfilling life, and I couldn’t be happier.”
