Lumen Winter 2024

30 Years of Impact

Sister Annunciata (Rebecca Messall) CSMA ‘24 and Sister Ancilla Joy (Annie LoCoco) ‘19 are Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus, an order of religious women who live in imitation of Mary in serving as spiritual mothers in the diocesan Church.

Rick Halbur spent a semester in Rome in 2008 with Catholic Studies. He practices agricultural and lending law in Minnesota and Iowa as a partner with Gislason & Hunter. He and his wife, Anne, and their three children live in New Ulm, Minnesota.

Sam Vosters ‘10 double majored in Catholic Studies and Psychology. She is the Mission Intern and Formation Manager at Kinship Community Food Center in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Q: (Sr. Annunciata) How has Catholic Studies impacted your religious community? A: Catholic Studies has been hugely impactful for our community, especially for Mother Mary Claire and for some of the first sisters who went through the program. They would often express how life- changing it was for them. It helped them to see the world with new eyes and to come to experience how Jesus Christ is in all things. Q: (Sr. Annunciata) How does Catholic Studies impact you as an educator? A: I think the remarkable gift of Catholic Studies is that it allows the students, especially in the master’s program, to experience what Catholic education should be when it is done well and how life-changing that is. It helps to form you, not just academically and intellectually, but the whole person on the human and intellectual and spiritual level to help you realize the fullness of who you are created to be. That changes everything. Q: (Sr. Annunciata) How does Catholic Studies impact you as a religious sister? A: Catholic Studies has had a profound impact on me as a religious sister. The whole point of my life is about belonging entirely to God. In Catholic Studies, it has been a powerful experience of coming to know, in deeper and more profound ways who God is and coming to experience the way that He wants to belong entirely to me. That has allowed me to fall even more in love with Him.

Q: (Sr. Anchilla Joy) How did Catholic Studies impact you in college? A: The first class you take as a Catholic Studies student is “Search for Happiness.” And I remember sitting in that class thinking, “I want happiness. That is a great emotion to feel.” And I remember the moment that I realized that the search for happiness was the beatitude with God, seeing Him face to face. I remember leaving that class and thinking my life has to change. Q: (Sr. Anchilla Joy) How did your semester in Rome impact you? A: I went to Rome only because I thought it would look good on my med school applications. But there were so many beautiful aspects about the program. The most pivotal part was the silence that it gave me. The silence was where I found God even though I didn’t really know what was happening at the time. Q: (Sr. Anchilla Joy) How does Catholic Studies impact you today? A: Catholic Studies sees the whole person. They see that ordinary life can be so extraordinary when you allow God to be in it. My life as a Handmaid is very ordinary, but I live the greatest life that I could possibly live because it is imbued with God.

Q: We often say, “Catholic Studies helps you do your other major better.” Was this true for you? A: In one of my classes, I got to be in the psych ward at Regions Hospital every week. Catholic Studies really formed me to seek God in all things and to be present with the patients. Q: How did the Catholic Studies experience in Rome impact you? A: Rome was a big reason why I chose St. Thomas and the Catholic Studies program. The most impactful experience in Rome was the weekly community nights. We were rooted in the Mass and prayer, and it was beautiful. I also helped coordinate volunteers going to the Missionaries of Charity every week. The humility of being alongside the sisters and with the poor was formative. Q: How does Kinship’s mission align with Catholic Studies? A: I think it is this whole idea of building a culture for people to experience the Lord. With Catholic Studies, we did not just have this academic program; we had households and things like that. Newman might say a person does not need to be just educated; they need to be formed. People come to us for food, but they stay because there is community.

Q: Who influenced you in Catholic Studies? A: Dr. John Boyle, Dr. Gregory Coulter, Dr. Don Briel, and Dr. Tom Sullivan played pivotal roles during my time at St. Thomas. Q: How has Catholic Studies impacted your life? A: Catholic Studies affected the way I worship and pray. When my wife and I got married in 2015, the two priests who presided at our Nuptial Mass were Catholic Studies grads. We now have three children and the first two were baptized by priests with Catholic Studies degrees. So, it has directly affected my sacramental life in that respect, particularly with an interest in proper and fitting liturgical celebrations. Q: Why do you support Catholic Studies? A: I really like that other kids and future generations of Catholics get to have the same educational opportunities that I did.

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Lumen Winter 2024 Page 15