Rita Ramos

The span of fifty years of ministry in the Lord’s vineyard offers a wondrous vista of God’s goodness. As a teenager I told a nun friend that I wouldn’t want to be a teaching Sister. Yet my journey has led me from 17 years of elementary education to catechetical and pastoral ministry, pre-Baptism catechesis, RCIA, and marriage preparation with a focus on discovering and training lay Hispanic leadership.

The Puerto Rican and Mexican laity with whom I serve have welcomed me in our ministry to persons needy and hungry for God’s Word. I received two gifts, which helped create a vision for catechetical ministry. The first was an experimental program for catechists and children, rooted in experience and leading to liturgical and scriptural proclamation. The response of wonder and awe from catechists and children alike demonstrated the incarnation that occurs when Word meets life experience. The SLW mission statement “to reflect and affirm the Word in the world, the Word which frees the oppressed and brings new life,” occurs before my eyes.

The second gift was the program of advanced Biblical Scholarship, which schooled me in the art of adult learning, especially that adults learn best from their own experience in an affective atmosphere through creative use of music, poetry, drama, art and play.

I consider all this as gift, gift that truly influenced the various phases of my ministry. With it a deeper appreciation of the SLW mission statement, quoted above, daily becomes more meaningful. Our title, Sisters of the Living Word, holds a myriad of nuances and food for a lifetime of reflection.

Mission Experience

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