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FSPA hospitality instrumental in opening door for new novice

Sister Constance Walton never suspected that an appointment with her allergist in La Crosse would foreshadow her future with the FSPA. But in May of 1999, when she was in La Crosse for an allergy treatment, it was recommended by her community that she stay in a convent while here. Sister Constance, then a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of our Lady of Guadalupe in Mitchell, S.D., wound up staying at Clare apartments, something she's repeated about twice a year since then. During her visits, she experienced the external beauty of Mary of the Angels Chapel and was greeted warmly by Sister Dorothy Pieper and Karen Wiste at switchboard, whom she says made a lasting impression because of their friendliness.

Sister Constance joins the FSPA from her former congregation, where only three members remain. There she took first vows in 1994 and final vows in 1998. But with the future of her previous community uncertain, Sister Constance says she felt drawn to the vitality and welcoming nature of the FSPA.

Companion Sisters Rita Jansen, left, and Constance Walton process out from the Sept. 23 welcome ceremony. Photo by Ladonna Kassmeyer, FSPA

Because her current community is an Association of the Faithful, Sister Constance had to request permission from her local bishop to leave her community and have her vows dispensed. She enters FSPA for a canonical year of formation and will be working on Franciscan studies and history of the FSPA with Sister Lucy Ann Meyer. In another year she could be admitted to temporary profession.

Born in Dixon, Ill., and raised in Knoxville, Iowa, Constance is the daughter of Ila Maye Walton and Martin Oliver Walton. Her mother lives in Iowa City, Iowa, and her father passed away in 1982. Though she was raised United Methodist, was ordained and served as a United Methodist pastor for 13 years, she always felt the influence of the Catholic Church. She also felt the influence of Franciscanism at an early age. "It goes back to when I was a child. I remember first hearing the story about St. Francis in Sunday school. I was so impressed. I remembered his simplicity and his love for nature and that was imprinted in my memory."

The call to Catholicism came much later. "It was one of those things I just kept putting off. I was Anglican for four to five years in college and seminary." Finally, Constance couldn't ignore the pull any longer, and in 1987 she converted to Catholicism.

"I got to go to World Youth Day a few years ago and it really changed my life. It helped me to see a broader perspective of what the Catholic Church was all about. I came away from there feeling that Mass is definitely our universal bond. It helped me see the world church. As the Catholic Church enters a new era of leadership, Sister Constance says she is praying that the new pope will be open to the gifts of women, and that the Church will embrace the feminine. She also says she is passionate about a fundamental Franciscan value, "I get a lot of my strength from nature. The luxury of this past year's sabbatical (at Shalom Retreat Center in Dubuque, Iowa) has given the gift of seeing the seasons change in a deeper way."

Sister Constance was director of religious education for the Mitchell Catholic Parish. Other work experiences include five years as a certified nurse aid, and her years as a United Methodist pastor.

Sister Constance holds an undergraduate degree with an English major and a sociology minor from Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa, as well as master's degrees in divinity from United in Dayton, Ohio; and in counseling psychology from St. Mary's Univer-sity in Winona. She has done some clinical pastoral education and has also had some training in Jungian and Gestalt therapy.

The key aspect of FSPA life that attracted Sister Constance was the eucharistic celebration. In looking at various charism statements, she also felt that the FSPA emphasis on unity in diversity were important. "What I see in the FSPA is that they take a person and they look at their strengths and weaknesses and they help you to become what God has created her to be."

Now that she has settled in La Crosse, Sister Constance is assisting in the sacristy and volunteering at the Villa. In addition to her formation studies she has enrolled in a theology course at Viterbo and in the Spiritual Direction Preparation Program at Franciscan Spirituality Center.

Sister Constance says at the Fall 2004 Come and See she was particularly impressed by the openness of the FSPA, and the way the community welcomed women from all backgrounds. "I've never felt such a strong bond with other women before.

"There's something you can't put into words, it's like coming home," Sister Constance says.

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