Sister Dawn Kutt professes final vows: ‘God’s hand helped guide me’

Aglow with the fire of Francis and Clare and the love of God, her fellow sisters, family and friends, Sister Dawn Kutt professed her perpetual vows at Mary of the Angels Chapel on Saturday, July 18, 2009. Wearing the medal given to her upon her first profession in 2003, Sister Dawn carried a lard light into the Mass held in her honor, pre-sided over by FSPA Prayer Partner Father Douglas Robertson.

From the Gospel passages read to the hymns that were sung, the liturgy chosen by Sister Dawn to celebrate full incorporation married her experiences of the past nine years, those with God and with FSPA, together. As FSPA President Sister Marlene Weisenbeck welcomed those in attendance to worship, she referenced the Gospel reading selected by Sister Dawn—John 15:4-10—the story of the vine and the branches. “Vines need constant tending. Tending is an occupation that suggests an image of how God cares for us and the way we are to care for one another,” said Sister Marlene. “God our creator is the gardener in our lives. Today, we celebrate God’s gardening in Dawn’s life. Today, you will confirm your vows on the vine of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.”

In her address to the congregation, Sister Dawn also spoke of how God’s hand helped guide her to the altar that day. “As I step to the side of the path along my journey at this time of my life and reflect upon the unknown of what would lie ahead and the reality of what has been, I believe my connection to God’s bond has intertwined my life with a deeper trust and appreciation of his love and the Gospel life he desires for us to carry out.”

Sister Maris Kerwin gave the first reading from Ecclesiastes: “There is an appointed time for everything and a time for every affair under the heavens.” Sister Dawn said that the verses reminded her “that God made everything appropriate to its time, and I am not the one in control of that time. I’ve truly felt led by the Spirit to risk and sacrifice all my path’s secured footprints to cross over the threshold of the door to a new life that opened nine years ago—a new life that would bring wholeness—believing God had a plan for me if I was willing to let go and let be.”

“It certainly was a time to weep and a time to dance, a time to mourn and a time to laugh,” she continued. “It has been a journey of great desire; a time to deepen my soul with Franciscan spirituality, community living and presence with my sisters—particularly at the end of their journey with my mission at the Villa—and to walk humbly with our God.”

Her ministry in health care began when she graduated from Viterbo University with a degree in nursing in 1987. She worked within her native community of Arcadia, Wis., for 18 years at the Franciscan Skemp Arcadia Campus (formerly known as St. Joseph’s Hospital), and as director of the St. Clare Health Mission Clinic from 2003 to 2004. Sister Dawn currently serves the La Crosse community with a seat on Franciscan Skemp Healthcare’s board of directors and a position as director of nursing of FSPA’s retirement community, Villa St. Joseph. She is also pursuing a certification for nursing home administration from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

“My heart has always been in the ministry of health care with a deep awareness of my passion for geriatrics,” said Sister Dawn. “Throughout my years of nursing it has been a gift to walk with the elderly at the end of their life, fulfilling their desires and hopes while maintaining dignity for the human being. I am reminded each day what a gift from God it is to walk side by side with not only my sisters, but also my friends.”
Many of those who accompanied Sister Dawn on her passage through discernment were present for the religious profession. Her mother Diane and sister Dori occupied the front row, and the bread and the wine were brought forth by her two nephews, Brad Klonecki and Dylan Pogreba. Sister Kathy Stuttgen, Sister Dawn’s companion sister, carried the cross, acted as one of the music ministers and placed the FSPA ring on her finger. A vase displayed four pink roses in memory of Sister Dawn’s grandparents and one red rose, in honor of her father David who passed away 19 years ago. “I am grateful to the many people who have walked this journey with me, challenging me, supporting me and believing in my vocation,” said Sister Dawn.