Interview: Sister Mary Kelley Rush, SND

Q: Why did you decide to pursue a vocation as a woman religious with the Sisters of Notre Dame?

Sr. Kelley: I decided to pursue a vocation with the Sisters of Notre Dame because I became keenly aware that God was calling me to something more than myself. It was something way beyond what I could have ever imagined and I knew this in a profound experiential way the first time I encountered the Sisters of Notre Dame while doing service at a home for children in crisis situations.

Q. What does it feel like to make final vows?

Sr. Kelley: I have always said that my first profession of vows was truly my final profession in my own heart. These past 5 years of formation leading up to my profession of perpetual vows were a continual deepening of my relationship and union with God.

I was so incredibly ready the day of my perpetual vows that as I professed them “for my whole life,” there was a deep peace and calm that permeated my being as everything around me and within me faded away. It was as if God and I were the only ones present and I became deeply aware of standing in God in that very moment.

Q. What did you find helpful in discernment?

Sr. Kelley: During my discernment, I found taking time for prayer and solitude essential. My experience of living in community at the House of Prayer and Discernment was significant, too.
The way the Sisters of Notre Dame lived a life of balance through prayer, ministry, the day-to-day living and sharing, and conversations of depth was appealing to me and drew me closer to God. There is an authenticity and simplicity about how they are in relationship to one another.

Q: What is your order’s main ministry?

Sr. Kelley: There are more than 2,000 Sisters of Notre Dame worldwide serving in ministries of education, healthcare, pastoral work, and social outreach. In the US, our primary ministries are education and healthcare, with schools in Ohio, Kentucky, and California, and healthcare facilities in Kentucky.

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