Local sisters promote vocations to young people around the archdiocese

Many Gen Z young people may have heard about religious sisters, but often they’ve never met one.

“They see them in movies in costumes,” said St. Joseph of Peace Sister Chero Chuma of Bellevue. “Most of them have the idea that sisters are old and white,” she added.

So when they meet Sister Chero, a millennial from Africa who has an accent, dresses simply and wears her hair naturally, “interesting conversations always come from there,” she said.

As Sister Chero travels around the Archdiocese of Seattle speaking about vocations to religious life, she often is starting with the basics.

“With the younger ones, it’s really planting the seeds — introducing them to a sister and the idea of vocations,” said Sister Chero, who is her congregation’s U.S. vocations director.

Sister Chero, along with Benedictine Sister Paz Vital of St. Placid Priory in Lacey, have been promoting awareness of religious life both for their communities and as regional representatives of the National Religious Vocation Conference.

In the past year, visits have included high schools, an elementary school, St. Martin’s University, parishes, retreats and gatherings of youth and young adults around the archdiocese, including the Catholic Youth Convention last fall and the recent Middle School Encounter.

Sister Chero has partnered with the archdiocese’s vocations, youth and young adult ministries, while Sister Paz speaks about vocations as part of a group that includes a monk from St. Martin’s Abbey and a deacon and his wife.

What does a sister do all day?

When Sister Paz, a native of Mexico, meets with young people to talk about vocations, the first thing they want to know is what a sister does all day, she said.

“Some people think that sisters don’t do anything” besides pray, said Sister Paz, who lives with 13 other sisters in the semi-cloistered St. Placid community.

Most of the sisters there are spiritual directors, but two teach at nearby St. Martin’s University — a fact that amazes some of the young people she meets, said Sister Paz, a spiritual director who has a master’s degree in theology with a concentration in Hispanic ministry.

Depending on their charisms of their congregations, sisters may be involved in a wide variety of ministries, such as teaching, social justice advocacy, health care, outreach to the poor and vulnerable, parish ministry and contemplative life.

In addition to her work as vocations director, Sister Chero is on-call psychiatric practitioner at the Crisis Solutions Center in Seattle. She holds a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree from the University of Washington and a dual bachelor’s degree in nursing and theology and religious studies from Seattle University.

Meeting young people provides opportunities to address basic questions about the typical life of a sister, Sister Chero said, as well as explain the differences between congregations of sisters who wear habits or veils and those, like hers, that dress simply. As a St. Joseph of Peace sister, Sister Chero also wears her congregation’s distinctive “peace cross.”

The Holy Spirit does the work

When she became vocations director for her congregation, Sister Chero thought partnering with others would be an effective way to reach out to young people.

Father Gary Zender, the archdiocese’s Vicar for Clergy, connected her with the 10 regional deaneries. She has asked pastors in different deaneries to talk about vocations to religious life and reach out to her if someone asks them about a vocation as a sister.

In recent months, Sister Chero has partnered with Father Justin Ryan, the archdiocese’s vocations director, to speak about vocations at parishes and events. She also worked with Young Catholic Professionals to host an Advent retreat at the CJSP Peace and Spiritualty Center at St. Mary-on-the-Lake in Bellevue.

Both Sister Chero and Sister Paz said their work is about accompanying young people, helping them discern whatever vocation the Holy Spirit is calling them to.

“In the end, really it’s the Holy Spirit is the one who does the work,” Sister Chero said. “I’m just an instrument to help support the person.”

For some, the call will be to vowed religious life, a “less needy” life, Sister Paz said, that helps her “see what life is really about.”

Visit the Archdiocese of Seattle’s women religious vocations page: Click here.

Learn more about religious congregations for women and men around the U.S.: Click here.