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TRANSFER OF VOWS

Sister strolls south to Albany Diocese

From 1996-2005, Sister Rose Casaleno lived in Watertown in northern New York State, where she ministered with the Sisters of St. Joseph. But after moving to the Albany Diocese, she just made another, rarer change: Sister Rose transferred her perpetual vows and became a member of the local community of Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.

It's unusual for a sister to transfer from one religious community to another, but for Sister Rose, the Oct. 18 ceremony transferring her vows was a move based on growth. 

"If you're growing in a different way than the community is, but you still want to reach out, you look to other communities that share your beliefs," she explained. "You want to continue to grow."

The process of transferring takes four years, at the end of which the sister makes a state of vows in the hands of the provincial sister - not unlike making her original perpetual vows. 

Since Sister Rose requested her transfer, she has been living in Clifton Park, where she serves as pastoral associate for youth ministry at both St. Edward's parish and St. Mary's in Crescent. Her work at the two churches has served as good preparation for moving to the Albany Diocese permanently.

"You see all the people that keep coming and going," she said. "It's not just about learning the people in the area, but also growing with them. Everything's always changing, so you have to keep up."

As a native of Philadelphia, it would seem that Sister Rose would be used to city living, but she said she enjoyed going to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania as a child and would greatly miss the mountains in northern New York.

"I just love being outdoors," she said. "I love the country life. I lived in Saranac Lake for three years and it's just a whole different way of life. It's quieter and the people are really wonderful."

Still, Sister Rose is very happy to be a part of the Albany Diocese.

"It provides many unique things," she said. "It was wonderful in Watertown, but [Albany] offers so much more. You get the culture, but you also get the rural, urban and suburbia. This is the first time I'm getting all of these in one!"

(10/22/09) [[In-content Ad]]

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