A gentle invitation: My journey to the Sisters of Mercy 

By Sister Carolyn Rosica 

I guess I can say that my journey to the Sisters of Mercy has now come full circle. My vocation story began when I was a student at Our Lady of Mercy High School from 1975 to 1979 in Rochester, New York. I was blessed to have very faith-filled parents who supported me wholeheartedly throughout my early years growing up. They believed in the benefit and blessing of attending Catholic schools for which I am most grateful. I am now ministering at Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women as an advancement assistant and substitute teacher. Never in a million years did I think I would be back at my beloved alma mater! 

The call for me was never something sudden, but a gentle invitation by very ordinary and holy women along the way who encouraged me and listened with their hearts.  

After graduating high school, I went on to attain a bachelor’s degree in Speech Pathology followed by a master’s in elementary education. My first teaching assignment brought me to St. Andrew School in Rochester, which was staffed by the Sisters of Mercy. I told myself I was only going to teach there for one year and then go to the city schools where I could make a lot more money. But God had another plan in mind. While it was not mine at the time, I continued to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit. I fell in love with the school, the sisters, and my third graders. My principal, Sister Mary Alice O’Brien, fostered a tight-knit community filled with many good times and friendships to last a lifetime. I was drawn to the sisters who were there and to their warmth and dedication. They always seemed happy!  

Their joy and presence touched me and began to open my heart to where God might be calling me. I would occasionally drive one of the sisters home after school and was invited in for a cup of tea. Then my questions began. After a few months and more questions, the sister I was driving realized I was seriously discerning religious life. A short time later, I was invited by Sister Fran Wegman, then the vocation director, to consider the faith sharing program, which was a prerequisite to entrance into the community. My desire began to become more intentional. The faith sharing program afforded me the opportunity to visit different communities and share prayer and a meal with the sisters. The culmination of this program was to have two “live in” experiences with two different communities.  

Then began the process of becoming a sister. I entered the Sisters of Mercy in Rochester on August 28, 1988, as a candidate, and then into the novitiate July 31, 1989. In the Mercy Collaborative Novitiate (MCN) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, I joined 12 other women from across the United States for an intense 10-month program. It was very hard to leave my home community that I was just getting to know, but it turned out to be one of the richest experiences. I completed my Apostolic year back in Rochester and professed temporary vows on August 31, 1991. 

My teaching career led me to Holy Cross School and Seton Catholic School, in Rochester. It was a blessing to minister with Sisters of Mercy and wonderful educators equally passionate about teaching. I professed my perpetual vows on November 8, 1997, with my third-grade students present, which is something I shall forever hold in my heart. I thank God for the Sisters of Mercy who guided my formative years in Rochester and Philadelphia.  

I was truly blessed to begin my current ministry at Our Lady of Mercy School for Young Women in September of 2020. My journey began and is now continuing in one of the most Mercy-filled ministries I have held. It is a great privilege and honor to be among these young women who are also seeking to find out where God may be leading them. May their journeys be as blessed as mine was as I walked the same hallowed halls they walk each day.