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Four women begin study to become agrégée sisters
By Julie Filby
CONCORDIA, Kan.—A Fort Collins woman is among four candidates welcomed into the process of becoming agrégées with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kan.
Dee Morris and the three other women were received at a special Mass the afternoon of Nov. 13 in the Sacred Heart Chapel at the Nazareth Motherhouse, at the end of the congregation’s annual assembly.
Morris is a “pre-candidate,” who will spend a year deciding whether she is called to become an agrégée candidate.
Dian Hall of Cartersville, Ga., Beth Weddle of Concordia, Kan., and Susan Klepper of St. Louis, Mo., are now agrégée candidates, beginning what is expected to be a three-year process of study and spiritual discernment with mentors from the Concordia congregation
The term agrégée — pronounced ah-gre-ZHEY — comes from the French for “attached to” or “aggregated with.” It is a form of membership in the religious congregation that dates back to their founding in 17th-century France, when Sisters of St. Joseph were either canonically vowed “principal sisters” or so-called agrégée or “country” sisters. The Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia re-established—and revitalized—this form of religious life in 2006.
Agrégées are defined as those persons who commit themselves to active and inclusive love of God and the dear neighbor as expressed in the spirit and spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Concordia. While they do not make the canonical vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, they do profess a vow of fidelity to God and to the congregation. In almost every aspect, they are viewed as full members of the congregation, meaning they have a voice and a vote on congregational issues.
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