This month, Sr. Alice Michael shares the story of her vocation and eclectic ministries throughout the years as a Holy Union Sister with our Taunton Associates. Her very first assignment in New York City was a major adjustment after growing up on the family farm in Rhode Island. Again and again Sr. Alice placed her trust in God's plan for her, though she often didn't understand why she was being placed on this path or that one. Her ministries in New York placed her in a culturally rich environment, working with adults and children in a variety of roles, and ultimately traveling extensively nationally and internationally in support of the work being done by our congregation. We hope you enjoy this story of trust and dedication to the work she was chosen to do.

We're pleased to begin 2025, our fourth year of "Called to Be..." with a recent "My Story" talk from Sr. Barbara Walsh. This talk was given to our Holy Union Associates Community earlier in 2024, but we were unable to be there to record it. Happily, Sr. Barbara was kind enough to share it privately for use as a podcast episode. She has had a truly remarkable life as a Holy Union Sister, marked by a creative problem solving approach to helping those in need. Sr. Barbara's charisma has drawn people to her many ministries and inspired them to help as volunteers, financial supporters, or simply to be gently swept up by her invitation to draw themselves closer to Jesus. Her story brings to mind the statement atttributed to St. Francis of Assisi, "Preach the Gospel always, and when necesary, use words."

As advent begins, we're so pleased to share this episode with you. Sr. Alice Michael moderates a joyful discussion with Holy Union Associate, Tina Silvestro, Sr. Mary Ellen Ryan and Sr. Kathee Corrigan about the various ways Advent and Christmas are celebrated in parishes they are in, or from days gone by. We all remember the days when our parish was the center of so much in our lives: baptisms, funerals, marriages, holidays, and social events like dances, CYO, and Bingo! So we thought discussing the ways Christmas and Advent are celebrated in some very creative ways in our parishes would be both fun and perhaps share some ideas for you and your own parishes today to embrace or breathe new life into! We hope you enjoy this discussion as much as we did!