Celebrating 40 Years of Religious Covenant
Carol was born in Hammond, IN, in 1944, first encountering the Franciscan Sisters while attending Catholic grade school. Remembering her childhood, she recalls the loving influence of her mom, her dad, and her sister, all examples of faith and strength in the face of adversity. It was also during this time that Carol witnessed variability in the quality of nursing care her father received at several veterans’ hospitals, sparking an interest in nursing as her future career.
After earning her BS in Nursing degree at St. Xavier College in Chicago, Carol joined the Peace Corps and was sent to Brazil and stayed for 3.5 years, learning Portuguese and establishing a health clinic in the town where she worked as a nurse. Upon her return to the States, Carol spent time in California and eventually joined the nursing faculty at Marquette University. It was there she met Sister Rosalie Klein and learned about the Wheaton Franciscan mission in Brazil. She visited and worked in the mission twice, spending a year in total in Santarem, Brazil, and becoming a Covenant Companion along the way.
Reflecting on these last four decades, Carol treasures the feeling of always being welcome in the Wheaton Franciscan community. “My greatest happiness in being a CC is being able to share our stories in deeper ways and being true companions on the journey. When we flounder, we have each other. This jubilee is an important moment to share my joy,” she explains.
This is an excerpt from an article written in honor of Carol’s 40th Jubilee. Read the entire article and discover the whole journey.
I like to say I came to the Wheaton Franciscans for the ministry and stayed for the charism.
Carol Sejda, Covenant Companion
