Three 'jubilee' sisters mark decades of religious life

Intermountain Catholic

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Holy Cross Sister Mary Ann Pajakowski of Park City, Daughter of Charity Sister Stella Marie Zahner of Bountiful, and Sister for Christian Community Julie Maher, Salt Lake City, stand before the congregation during a Mass April 21 celebrating their years of consecrate to be blessed by Deacon John Keyser (left, rear), Bishop John C. Wester, and the congregation. Sr. Mary Ann is celebrating 40 years of consecrate life, Sr. Stella Marie, 50 years, and Sister Julie, 25 years. The jubilee sisters minister in the areas of social work, education, and retreat work, respectively. 

SALT LAKE CITY — Twenty-two women religious in service in the Diocese of Salt Lake City gathered at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church April 21 to celebrate the jubilees of Daughter of Charity Sister Stella Marie Zahner, Holy Cross Sister Mary Ann Pajakowski, and Sister of Christian Community Julie Maher.

Sr. Stella Marie directs the Special Needs Program for the Diocesan Office of Catholic Schools, and has been in religious life 50 years. Sr. Mary Ann is associated with Holy Cross Ministries’ outreach in Park City and serves St. Mary of the Assumption Parish there. She is celebrating 40 years of consecrated life. Sr. Julie, celebrating 25 years of consecrated life, is director of the Holy Spirit House of Prayer in Salt Lake City.

Before the jubilee Mass was celebrated, sisters from throughout the diocese met with Bishop Wester, sharing ideas and making suggestion regarding the needs of the people of the diocese and how the sisters’ individual and combined gifts can be better utilized.

The sisters and Bishop Wester spoke of the need for more networking among the sisters and their communities and issues of religious education and vocations.

Bishop Wester reminded the sisters of the maxim learned from flight attendants. "Always put your own oxygen mask on before trying to help someone else with theirs," meaning the sisters, while caring for others, should also see to their own spiritual needs.

During the homily of the jubilee Mass, Bishop Wester told the jubilarians and other sisters their "yes" to God shows they have a special intimacy with God. "God has said to you, ‘I have work to do and cannot do it without you.’ Each of you has become so intimate with God that when people see you, they see the God of the Gospel discourses.

"Jesus’ radical call and your promises of obedience, chastity, and poverty, mean you have said ‘yes, I will follow you in a radical way.’"

The bishop further defined the promise of obedience as that "yes" to God. He defined their chastity as their recognition that all relationships call for a newness of life, and their promise of poverty as their commitment to the ideal that we all one in Christ Jesus. He celebrated each of the women’s special gifts of caritas – caring for everyone.

After the homily, the jubilarians stood before the congregation to renew their vows to live live in the footsteps of Jesus, to recommit themselves to serve the Church, and to ask for the grace of the community to live their lives faithfully.

Bishop Wester, assisted at the altar by Deacon John Keyser, and the congregation then raised their hands over the jubilarians, singing a prayer of blessing.

Music for the jubilee Mass was provided by Benedictine Sisters Marilyn Mark and Sarah Randle.