by Sister Sally Ann Brickner
God’s gift of a call to Consecrated Life flowed first and foremost from my baptism in the name of the Most Holy Trinity at St. Rose of Lima parish in Milwaukee. My parents, Marcellus and Evelyn (De Cleene) Brickner, were faith-filled Catholics who provided catechesis and example for their nine children, I being the third oldest. My favorite place in youth was our schoolhouse, for there an exciting world opened up for me. My love for learning pointed to my destiny as a scholar and teacher. Mrs. Violet Valentine (at Hayes one-room country school) and Sister Basilia (at Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pulaski) served as exemplary role models for me during grade school. The Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross provided an excellent high school program for me while an aspirant at the Chapel at Robinsonville.
Committed to Catholic education
My consecration as a Franciscan Sister occurred in August 1960, during Pope John XXIII’s papacy. That was a tumultuous decade, marked by demands for civil rights for Blacks as well as anti-Vietnam war protests. During that time I was deeply engaged in ministry as an elementary teacher and in undergraduate study at St. Norbert College and graduate study at Michigan State University. Upon completing my MA and PhD in 1970 I joined the faculty at St. Norbert College, where I served as a teacher and administrator until my retirement in 2010.
Renewal leads to awakening
Pope John XXIII inaugurated the Second Vatican Council, a step toward renewal in the Catholic Church and in Consecrated Life. Together, we Sisters came to understand that we were called to the same holiness as all other members of the People of God. Our way of following Jesus was not “better than” but rather “different from.” As the process of renewal unfolded for me personally, I became more conscious of the Consecrated Life as a prophetic call. Steeped more deeply in prayer and Sacred Scripture, I began to hear the urgent cries of suffering humanity and of Mother Earth. Through the promptings of the Holy Spirit I began to stand publicly with the marginalized of our world just as Jesus did 2000 years ago in Palestine.
Foundations for the future
For example, I worked for the education of rural teachers in Nicaragua in the 1970s and ‘80s. From 2001-2009, I coordinated the Peace and Justice Center at St. Norbert College and taught undergraduates on matters of social justice. After 2010, within my Community, I made Chapter proposals that resulted in corporate stances against Modern Slavery and Care for Creation. I view these actions not as “said and done” but rather as foundations for future endeavors. We must always be about building God’s Reign even as we look forward to the New Heaven and New Earth that is God’s own work within and among us.
For me, 60 years of Consecrated Life as a Sister of St. Francis of the Holy Cross have been filled with joys, challenges, and untold blessings! May God be ever praised!
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