March 22, 2022

Sister of the Visitation of Holy Mary professes solemn vows

REGIONAL
Staff report

(iObserve submitted photo)

TYRINGHAM – Surrounded by friends and family, Visitation Sister Margaret Joseph Armstrong professed solemn vows at the Visitation Monastery in Tyringham, Saturday, March 19. Springfield Bishop William D. Byrne celebrated the Mass, with Father Jonathan Reardon, director of recruiting for the diocesan Vocations Office, as concelebrant.

Sister Margaret Joseph is a graduate of DeSales University in Center Valley, Pa. The 37-year-old said she has been discerning religious life since she was in college, when she first heard God calling her. She attended a retreat with the Visitation Sisters in 2003.

“I remember walking in and I just knew there was something there for me, but I didn’t know what it was. That began my journey,” said Sister Margaret Joseph.

The Sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary are a contemplative order, founded by St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal. The Visitation Monastery is dedicated to the heart of Jesus and the heart of Mary.

She said her 97-year-old grandfather, Joseph Armstrong, made the trip for her profession. Sister Margaret Joseph said the pro-life movement has a special place in her heart because of her grandfather.

“He always has been extremely strong in his faith,” said Sister Margaret Joseph who added he had a great influence on her vocation. “My grand-pop went to daily Mass. On Sundays, he made the special effort to go to Latin Mass. He was one of the founders of Delaware Right to Life. He went to every March for Life until he was 90.”

Sister Margaret Joseph, who studied environmental science in college, loves nature and is the beekeeper for her community. She worked with the Little Sisters of the Poor in Enfield, Conn., before entering the Sisters of the Visitation of Holy Mary. Currently, there are 15 religious sisters at the Tyringham convent.

(iObserve submitted photo)

“We are thrilled to pieces,” said Visitation Sister Joan Bernadette of Sister Margaret Joseph’s profession. “She is a vibrant person. She brings a lot of gifts to the community. She also loves the contemplative aspect.”

Sister Margaret Joseph’s two married brothers and their families also were present at the Mass, as well as her parents.

“I am so blessed. Everyone in the family are strong in their faith,” she said. “My brothers, their wives, my parents – they are models of the faith everywhere we go.”

Sister Margaret Joseph encourages young people to be open to a vocation and thanked God for calling her.

“And he waited for me almost 20 years. And so, first and foremost, I ask you to join me in thanking and praising God for not giving up on me,” Sister Margaret Joseph wrote in the program for the Solemn Profession of Vows Mass.

“For his mercy, his persistence, his patience, but most of all his love which drew me step by step into his arms and heart forever,” she wrote.