Meet Sister Ann Clark

Sister Ann says her 20 years in religious life have been rewarding, hard, challenging, exciting. "I know that, even though I had other plans for my life, God has me where I belong."

I was born in Dayton, Ohio, and had 12 years of Catholic education. As a child I really did not think of myself in religious life. After a year of college, I became a Postulant with the Sisters of the Precious Blood. A year-and-a-half later I decided that I wanted to be married and religious life was not for me. So I left the community. I finished my bachelor's degree in education at Wright State University in Dayton. I thought I was going to get a job teaching in one of the local public school districts. As it turns out, I did not get a job.

Feeling desperate I began to send applications and resumes to many other schools. In July, I got a phone call from the principal of the school where I had gone to grade school. It had recently merged with the schools of three other parishes in the area. I began to teach at that school. Shortly, I also got my very first apartment by myself.

From the time I had left the community I had three goals: to get my degree, to get a job, and to get an apartment by myself. So, I accomplished all of those goals at the same time. I asked, "Now what?" I began to pray and gradually to realize that God was asking me to re-enter community.

It was not an easy decision, since I still wanted to be married. But, I re-entered at age 30. The formation this time was entirely different than that which I had experienced earlier. As part of formation I went to an inter-community program and studied with novices from nine other communities. During the second year of novitiate I experienced the lives of our Sisters in Santiago, Chile.

After first vows I returned to teaching for three years. Then I got the opportunity to begin a Master's Program which I completed in Hispanic Ministry from St. Thomas Seminary in Denver, CO. Shortly, I began to put all this learning into practice as youth minister and liturgist at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish in Somerton, AZ. --a parish south of Yuma and only about 15 miles from the U.S.-Mexico border. I learned much from the people in that parish, more, I am sure, than they learned from me.

Following that experience I returned to Denver to minister as parish Director of Religious Education. After two years, a priest, whom I had met while a youth minister in Somerton, invited me to come to his parish in Casa Grande, AZ, to be Director of Religious Education. In the eight years at that parish I have ministered as DRE, Youth Minister, Pastoral Minister and Pastoral Administrator. In each of my places and areas of ministry, I have tried to live our Mission Statement, especially the part that says "Urged by the life-giving, redemptive love of the Eucharistic Christ ..."

These 20 years in religious life have been rewarding, hard, challenging, exciting. I know that, even though I had other plans for my life, God has me where I belong.

Follow these links to other information on our Web site.

Who we are | What we do | Contact us | Return to Meet Us page | Return to Home page