HAMDEN—The Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus celebrated the renewal of vows of four junior professed Sisters and welcomed one Sister into the Novitiate on July 31, 2020.
In a Mass celebrated by Rev. Thomas Kelly, Sr. Catherine Francis Brodersen, ASCJ; Sr. Allison Lorraine Masserano, ASCJ; Sr. Catherine Ann Phillips, ASCJ; and Sr. Kelsey Ann Shaver, ASCJ renewed their temporary vows of poverty, chastity and obedience at Mount Sacred Heart Chapel in Hamden. These vows are renewed annually until Perpetual Profession.
Sr. Catherine Frances of Lansing, Kan., currently teaches theology at Cor Jesu Academy, the Apostles’ Catholic high school in St. Louis. She holds a bachelor’s degree in religious studies from Benedictine College and a master’s in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville. 
A Bronx native, Sr. Allison Lorraine will start her new ministry as a teacher at Cor Jesu Academy in St. Louis this fall. For the past two years, she taught at St. Raphael Academy in Bridgeport. Sr. Allison earned a bachelor’s degree in theology from Georgetown University.
Sr. Catherine Ann is beginning her second year in ministry at Santa Maria School in the Bronx. A native of St. Louis, she is an alumna of Cor Jesu Academy. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nonprofit leadership from Rockhurst University.
A convert to the faith, Sr. Kelsey Ann is a native of Rolla, Mo. She was confirmed as a Catholic in 2009 while earning her undergraduate degree in exercise science at St. Louis University. She went on to earn a Doctor of Physical Therapy from St. Louis University. Sr. Kelsey has been ministering as a physical therapist to the retired and infirm Apostles at Sacred Heart Manor in Hamden since 2017.
Prior to the renewal of vows, Sr. Allison Zink entered the Novitiate, the second phase of formation. It is at this stage that women receive the title of Sister and officially become members of the Congregation. A native of St. Louis, Sr. Allison holds a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences and disorders from Rockhurst University.
Three Apostles of the Sacred Heart Profess Final Vows
HAMDEN—The Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus joyfully celebrated the Perpetual Profession of three Sisters on August 1, despite limitations due to COVID-19.
Sr. Elizabeth Doyle, ASCJ; Sr Clara Mahilia Roache, ASCJ; and Sr. Christina Skelley, ASCJ professed their final vows in a small, socially-distanced Mass celebrated by the Most Reverend Peter A. Rosazza, D.D., Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Hartford, at Mount Sacred Heart Chapel in Hamden. Rev. Jaime Maldonado-Avilés concelebrated and Rev. Matthew Gworek served as Master of Ceremonies.
Attendance was limited to the Sisters’ parents and Apostles from Connecticut and New York. All other family, friends and Apostles outside Connecticut and New York watched a livestream of the Mass. Even knowing their celebration would be very different from what they envisioned over the years, Sr. Elizabeth, Sr. Mahilia and Sr. Christina made the conscious decision not to postpone.
“It would have been meaningful to have all our family and community present, but it would have been more excruciating for us to have to wait another year,” Sr. Mahilia said.
Sr. Elizabeth, Sr. Mahilia and Sr. Christina all entered the Congregation in August 2012. They professed their first vows as Apostles in 2015.
Originally from St. Louis, Sr. Elizabeth, 30, ministers at Sacred Heart Academy in Hamden as a teacher and Director of Campus Ministry. She is an alumna of Cor Jesu Academy in St. Louis, the sister school of Sacred Heart Academy. Sr. Elizabeth earned dual bachelor’s degrees in Spanish and social work from the University of Missouri, and a master’s in Spanish from St. Louis University. She also studied theology at both Holy Apostles College and Seminary in Connecticut and Pontifical Lateran University in Rome.
Sr. Mahilia, 40, was born and raised in St. Lucia. She joined the faculty at Cor Jesu Academy in St. Louis this month and previously taught 4th grade at Santa Maria School in the Bronx. She holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies from Central Connecticut State University and a master’s in international trade policy from the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in California. Sr. Mahilia also earned a four-year biblical studies certificate from the Catholic Biblical School of the Archdiocese of Hartford.
A native of Aurora, Ill., Sr. Christina, 35, is a convert to the faith. She was received into the Catholic Church in 2006 while she was a student at Washington University in St. Louis, where she earned a bachelor’s in humanities. She also holds a master’s in education from St. Louis University. Sr. Christina teaches 5th grade and music at St. Joseph School in Imperial, Mo. She’s been in ministry at St. Joseph since 2017.
