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Sister Evangeline Salazar, OSB
Sister Mary Jane Vigil, OSB

Celebrating 50 years of vowed life
 

Sister Evangeline celebrated 50 years of vowed service in August 2009.

            Born in Antonito, Colorado, Sister Evangeline has five brothers and two sisters.  As a child she was taught by member of the Benedictine community she would eventually join and, as young as 14, used to accompany the Sisters on their trips to rural missions to teach what was then known as “CCD”.  Sister  Evangeline graduated valedictorian of her senior class in 1957. The following June she was accepted as a postulant in the Order of St. Benedict, Atchison, Kansas.  In January, 1959 Sister professed her vows, and three years later professed her final vows.  She earned a BA in English from Mt. St. Scholastica College and an MA in Education from the University of Colorado.  She studied Theology, Scripture and Spirituality at Regis University  and Loretta Heights College in Denver, Colorado.

         Sister Evangeline’s ministries have included teaching at every level of Catholic Schools in Missouri, Iowa, Kansas and Colorado, teaching incoming freshmen at the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colorado. She taught  at Our Lady of  Fatima School, Lakewood,  and she was a pastoral minister at  St. Peters in Monument  and Our Lady of the Pines in the Black Forest, Colorado.  In the 80s, Sister served the poor and oppressed in El Salvador, Columbia and Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

             Today Sister Evangeline ministers at Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Catholic Community in Albuquerque, New Mexico.  As Director of Religious Education and Family Faith Formation, she coordinates the catechetical ministries of hundreds of volunteer catechists and directs catechetical programs in English and Spanish for thousands of children and their parents, and continues to establish the ever-growing family faith formation programs on a solid and enduring foundation.  According to Father Joel Garner, Pastor, “Sister Evangeline is an invaluable member of the Pastoral Team, and in both large and countless details she has served and continues to serve our parish well.”

            As Sister Evangeline celebrates 50 years of vowed commitment and generous service, we rejoice with her and ask God’s continued blessing on her life, community and ministry.

Also celebrating her 50th Jubilee was Sister Mary Jane.

In July of 1957, I, Sister Mary Jane Vigil, answered God’s call to Monastic Life. On August 16, I will celebrate my Golden Jubilee of 50 years

as a member of the Order of St. Benedict. Along with sixteen other sisters, I professed my vows at Mount Saint Scholastica Convent in Atchison, Kansas on

January 26, 1959.

 A native of Aguilar, Colorado, I returned to Colorado as a founding member of Benet Hill Monastery in 1965. I received a BA in History

from Regis University and a diploma in Pastoral Liturgy from St. Joseph’s in Rensselaer, Indiana. I also have completed many courses and workshops in the

areas of Education, Spirituality, Liturgy, and Religious Education. I was a primary teacher for 28 years in schools in Iowa, Missouri, and

Colorado. During that time I enjoyed working with young children especially in the area of Sacramental preparation for First Reconciliation and First Communion.
I loved the creativity of celebrating  Liturgy with children especially after the Second Vatican Council when children were allowed to participate in the various

ministries at Mass. Finding the unique talents of each child in the areas of music, proclamation, and various forms of  prayer has been most rewarding as I watch them grow in their relationship with Jesus and carry it on into adulthood as active members of their parishes.                                                                          

Teaching young children kept me energized and always looking for new and innovative instructional approaches in order to meet the diverse needs of my students. I am always amazed at their thirst for knowledge, their eagerness to try many new things, and the never ending creativity of each child. While engaged in the teaching arena I always strove for collaboration in building a faith community among the students, faculty, and staff members. I was a consultant to faculty members in matters of Liturgy, church updates, and in finding ways of raising  awareness of the poor and marginalized.

 In 1987 I was called to serve as coordinator of Liturgy for the Community at Benet Hill Monastery. During this time I discovered a new love for the Liturgy, especially the Liturgy of the Hours. I enjoyed creating the environment for various liturgical events and the many forms of prayer and hospitality that flow from it. I worked in this capacity from 1987 until 2000, during which time I served on the Colorado Springs Diocesan Liturgical Commission and committees to plan the Diocesan celebrations of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I also served as Minister of Vocations for twelve years for our Benet Hill Community and was part of the vocation team in the Diocese.

 I reentered the teaching field in August of 2001 as the second grade teacher at Pauline Memorial Catholic School where I served for nine years. Last summer, as preparation for the celebration of my Golden Jubilee, I had the privilege and the grace to go to Rome for a month to participate in the Benedictine Renewal Experience: Deepening Our Monastic Roots. It was my second visit to Rome and the places where St. Scholastica and St. Benedict found God. This time I was able to visit all the holy places with a better background and deeper understanding of our rich monastic heritage and the faith life of the early church. The experience left me with a greater appreciation of my own call to monastic profession and a resolve to daily renew my commitment to the monastic way of life.

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