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RELIGIOUS LIFE

Quartet of vocations came from one family

To say that faith is a big factor in the lives of the Poulin family would be an understatement: of six children in the family, four entered religious life. 

However, outsiders are dead wrong when they "think we sat around and prayed all the time," remarked Sister Patricia Poulin, CSJ. "We did more laughing then anything else."

Natives of Amsterdam, the Poulin siblings were very close. That the majority of them chose religious vocations is a testament to their parents, according to Sister Patricia, the eldest.

"We had a wonderful family life," she said. "They brought us up well and were a wonderful example."

Sister Patricia, who now resides in Binghamton, was the first sibling to enter religious life. In 1948, she entered the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet in Troy. 

It was something she had been longing to do since she was nine years old.

"I was going to religious classes after 9:00 Mass, and I remember the sister that was telling everybody which way to go" in terms of careers, she recalled. "The first time I saw her, I remember saying, 'I want to be like her when I grow up!'"

Teach your children
Sister Patricia became a teacher and spent 31 years serving schools in the Albany Diocese, then trained hospital and other chaplains in the Binghamton area. Today, she gives talks and workshops on grief and bereavement and worked for an interfaith housing organization in Binghamton.

She was followed into religious life by brothers Cal, Don and Neil, who entered the Jesuit order to become priests.

"I was proud of them," Sister Patricia said. "If that's what they wanted to do, they got support from the whole family. I think we supported each other in whatever was going on in our lives."

Though the Poulin family is filled with faith and love, there have been plenty of hard times. In 1958, their brother Elton died at the age of 25 due to a heart problem. 

Less than a year later, their father also died. 

Don and Neil have also passed away, leaving Sister Patricia and Rev. Cal Poulin as the only two siblings left in religious vocations. They also have a younger brother, Richard, a retired teacher.

"You do the best you can, no matter what," Sister Patricia said of coping with tragedy. "Any-thing I got from the convent was just added to the way I was already leading my life."

Across the globe
Father Poulin is currently based in the Philippines. He was ordained in 1962 and has served as a Jesuit priest ever since. He also ministered in Africa from 1990-'94.

In an autobiographical statement, Father Poulin wrote about how fortunate he felt to serve in Kenya, Nairobi and Nigeria. He learned of the "strikingly different aspects" of various tribes and taught men studying for the priesthood for several religious orders from 22 African countries.

This year is Father Poulin's 60th jubilee in religious life. He continues to serve in the Philippines; in his statement, he joked that "Jesuits may tire, but they never retire." 

Like Sister Patricia, he credits his parents for his family's success in religious life.

"They never had it easy in life, but they never hesitated to make the hard decisions," he wrote.

With today's shortage of vocations, families like the Poulins are rare. As religious orders continue to look for new members, Sister Patricia offered her own thoughts.

Sturdy support
"Things have changed a lot, but I think the most important thing is a good home life," she said. "If you have a supportive family, I think that's the important thing. I'm realizing more and more with the work I'm doing how important a good family life is, especially when there are children involved."

Sister Patricia looks back at all her years in religious life and finds no regrets.

"Everything that I have ever done in religious life has been great," she said. "The connections I've made seem to be the right ones."

Father Poulin believes that religious life is also family life: The kingdom of God, he wrote, "is a family gathering, the family of God, all of us coming together as brothers and sisters of the Lord and brothers and sisters to one another."

(10/08/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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