When two Catholic nuns are invited to share their vocation stories at a public high school, evangelization is bound to happen.
The theater department at Mundelein High School is preparing for their upcoming play “Sister Act,” but the young actors didn’t fully understand the role of religious sisters in the world. The students had been peppering their Catholic classmates with questions, when one student, whose mother works at Mundelein Seminary, decided to call in some experts.
Formation faculty members Sr. Kathleen Mitchell, FSPA and Sr. Judith Anne Haase, OP were invited to the school to give a realistic glimpse into religious life, and both Sisters talked about their vocational call, which was an entirely new concept to a number of students. The cast members had many questions about the difference in religious orders, ministries, habits, and daily life. Since the Sisters in “Sister Act” are cloistered, the students had questions about what that kind of life even means. In addition, since the Mother Superior plays a major role in the musical, they also were curious about leadership in religious communities.
“The students were very attentive, respectful, and interested. In fact, there was not even enough time to answer all their questions!” said Sr. Judith.
Whether any of the cast members take a deeper look at their own vocational call remains to be seen, but their openness to hearing about a new vocation was inspiring to our faculty.
“It was a joy – the students were wonderful,” said Sr. Kathleen.
Perhaps when the play opens, the actresses playing the Sisters on stage will look out into the audience and see the two real-life Sisters smiling back at them.
- Sister Judith Anne Haase, OP, and Sister Kathleen Mitchell, FSPA with the cast of “Sister Act” at Mundelein High School.
