We're pleased to start our fourth year of "Called to Be..." with a recent "My Story" talk from Sr. Barbara Walsh. This talk was given to our Holy Union Associates Community earlier in 2024, but we were unable to be there to record it. Happily, Sr. Barbara was kind enough to share it privately for use as a podcast episode. She has had a truly remarkable life as a Holy Union Sister, marked by a creative problem-solving approach to helping those in need. Sr. Barbara's charisma has drawn people to her many ministries and inspired them to help as volunteers, financial supporters, or simply to be gently swept up by her subtle evangelization. Her story brings to mind the statement attributed to St. Francis of Assisi, " Preach the Gospel always, and when necessary, use words."

As advent begins, we're so pleased to share this episode with you. Sr. Alice Michael moderates a joyful discussion with Holy Union Associate, Tina Silvestro, Sr. Mary Ellen Ryan and Sr. Kathee Corrigan about the various ways Advent and Christmas are celebrated in parishes they are in, or from days gone by. We all remember the days when our parish was the center of so much in our lives: baptisms, funerals, marriages, holidays, and social events like dances, CYO, and Bingo! So we thought discussing the ways Christmas and Advent are celebrated in some very creative ways in our parishes would be both fun and perhaps share some ideas for you and your own parishes today to embrace or breathe new life into! We hope you enjoy this discussion as much as we did!

As the Liturgical Year comes to a close and we prepare to start a new Liturgical Year in December, we pause to take a look back on the wide range of discussions and topics we covered this past year. Called to Be's producer, Ken Gustin, reviews the last twelve months of episodes and encourages you to listen to your favorites a second time right from our website at www.holyunionsisters.org, or take the time to listen to episodes you may have missed.