ARTICLES

Sisters celebrate Golden Jubilee in religious life

By Steve Neill
Of The Catholic Virginian

Both Sister Diane Guy and Sister Bernadette Julie Kieninger, who have long served in ministry of the diocese, celebrated the 50th anniversary of their entrance into religious life as Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

They were honored recently by Bishop Francis X. DiLorenzo as jubilarians along with three members of the Comboni Missionary Sisters at a special dinner at the Diocesan Pastoral Center.

Sister Diane, who was born in Ridley Park, PA., a suburb of Philadelphia, grew up there and went to Catholic schools. She has three younger brothers, all of whom still live in the Philadelphia area. She graduated from Notre Dame High School in Moylan, PA.

“I always knew I wanted to be a teacher and I knew I wanted to be a science teacher,” Sister Diane told The Catholic Virginian.

“But I also wanted to be with good people and do good things with these people to make the world a better place,” she continued.

Sister Diane along with Sister Bernadette entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur on Aug. 11, 1957 among a small group of women.

“At that point we entered at Ilchester, MD,” she said, adding that later she was directed to Trinity College in Washington from which she received a bachelor’s degree in physics.

“But I was five years in the convent without stepping foot in a classroom,” Sister Diane said.

In 1962 she went to Baltimore where she taught math and junior high science at St. Ursula’s School. She then went to the Academy of Notre Dame in Philadelphia in 1967 where she taught physics for four years.

But her life changed when she came to the Diocese of Richmond in 1971 to teach physics and physical science at Norfolk Catholic High School. She has been here ever since.

“In the Diocese of Richmond the only thing that hampered me has been my own limitations,” Sister Diane said.

She helped initiate young adult ministry which was to serve people between the ages of 18 and 35. It included people who had graduated from college or who had never gone to college.

But those who participated in programs and activities offered by the diocesan office wanted to stay beyond the cut-off age of 35 and the age limit became “35-plus.”

As she sought to expand the ministry, Sister Diane says she always got a “yes” response from Bishop Walter F. Sullivan.

“I did it in the name of the Church and the model of Jesus is integral to how the ministry is carried out,” she said.

With the retirement of Xaverian Brother Cosmas Rubencamp, she became director of the diocesan Office of Campus and Young Adult Ministry. The office sought to develop leadership training through a program known as Empowering Catholic Campus Leaders.

Since the arrival of Bishop DiLorenzo in 2004 Sister Diane has been involved in a parish visitation program in which parishioners can respond to a survey of what they like about their parish and what they feel are areas which need strengthening. The diocesan study “We Walk by Faith” serves as a model.

“The first year we asked for volunteers to participate in the survey,” Sister Diane said. “In the second year we contacted parishes that had already taken the survey and asked them if it was time for a visitation with the parish.

“Now almost every Sunday the Bishop goes to a parish for Mass and then he meets with the people to talk with them about the parish.”

Health issues have somewhat slowed Sister Diane down.

“During this Jubilee Year I want to thank everyone for their prayers of support and for my health,” she said.

 “I feel so fortunate to be here,” she added. “The Spirit of God is part of this ministry and part of the mission in the diocese.”

Sister Bernadette, who is MRE at St. Bridget’s parish in Richmond, grew up in Queens Village, N.Y. She learned about the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur as a child attending Sts. Joaquin and Anne School.

She entered the religious life of their community the same day as Sister Diane in August 1957.

“I liked their charism of simplicity and prayer,” she said. “We should be like sunflowers, always facing God.”

She recalled that there was a group of 45 women who took first vows.

“Now only 15 of the group are still living in consecrated life,” Sister Bernadette said.

Changes affected the community following the Second Vatican Council, as it did many other religious orders.

“As our community walked with Vatican II, I knew this was where God wanted me to be with my gifts,” Sister Bernadette said.

In the early years she taught at the elementary school level in Washington, D.C., Maryland, Georgia and New York. She also helped open two child development centers, one in Maryland and the other in Washington.

Sister Bernadette came to the Diocese of Richmond as minister of religious education at Blessed Sacrament parish in Harrisonburg in the 1970s. The pastor at the time was Father Charles Saglio.

“Then I came back to the diocese in the ‘80s to St. Augustine’s (in Chesterfield County) where I was for 10 years,” she said. “I left the diocese and came back again in 1998 to St. Bridget’s. The current pastor is Msgr. William H. Carr, the same priest who was pastor when she was at St. Augustine’s.

Adult formation is something she finds very important in parish life because “they’re modeling for the kids what’s important in their life.”

Sister Bernadette is also responsible for the parish’s inter-generational catechesis and works with the first Eucharist and Reconciliation program.

She remains positive about the vows she made which she says she renews every day.

“There are days when life is a joy and there are other days when you renew your vows and life is a mess, but Jesus has promised to walk with us in the mess,” she said.

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