CALLED TO SERVE

SISTER ELLEN REILLY, RN

Sister Ellen Reilly, RN, is a Daughter of Charity ministering in the Milwaukee area.

It was a blessing to be welcomed by the Daughters of Charity in Milwaukee and the staff at Columbia St. Mary’s Health System when, in 2008, I was sent there for the first stages of formation: pre-postulancy and postulancy. Like the hundreds of Daughters of Charity that have gone before me, I was able to share the gifts and experiences I brought with me. In turn, I was enriched by the gifts of the Milwaukee sisters and staff.

Before joining the Daughters of Charity, I had 25 years of health care experience in various levels of administration and had served as associate director of standards interpretation for the Joint Commission, an organization responsible for the accreditation and certification of worldwide health care organizations.

I was able to use my background to help the health system present their 100-year history of excellent service and core values to the Joint Commission during their 2008 accreditation visit. In addition, I served as Operations Improvement Facilitator to help plan for the consolidation of two older hospitals, Columbia and St. Mary’s, into the new hospital, which is currently under construction. The opportunity to offer such service, as well as my experiences with the homeless through St. Ben’s Clinic and an Outreach Program with St. James Lutheran Church in Milwaukee, confirmed that I had made the right choice in dedicating my life to serving others.

I had always felt called to religious life to continue the ministry of Jesus. Since I was unable to make that commitment earlier in life, I found other ways to live the Gospel through serving others. In addition to applying spiritual values in my profession, I was blessed with the opportunity to help found the Ladies of Charity of Chicago — a Catholic organization of women dedicated to serving the needs of those who are vulnerable. I also took an active part in my parish throughout the years.

Although I was able to witness as a lay person in many ways and was successful in my career, it just wasn’t enough. My desire to live in a community dedicated to prayer and service to the poor, led me to the Daughters of Charity. I am now living in the house of formation and studying our charism to enable me to carry on the tradition of our founders, St. Vincent de Paul and St. Louise de Marillac.