Twelve young women – including three from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington – professed the simple vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as members of the Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia Congregation in Nashville, Tennessee on Aug. 11.
Among those who made their First Profession was Sister Mary Sophia Morrison, a former parishioner of St. John Neumann Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Sister Mary Sophia is the daughter of Eric and Grace Morrison, also parishioners at St. John Neumann in Gaithersburg. She also has three brothers who are priests for the Archdiocese of Washington: Father James Morrison, the administrator of Our Lady Queen of the Americas Parish in Washington; Father Daniel Morrison, a parochial vicar at the Church of the Little Flower in Bethesda, Maryland; and Father Nicholas Morrison, a parochial vicar at St. Peter’s Parish on Capitol Hill.
Sister Mary Sophia was homeschooled and is a graduate of Mother of Divine Grace School. She also attended Franciscan University of Steubenville before entering. She is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education at Aquinas College in Nashville.
Also making her First Profession was Sister Fiat Joy Flynn, a former parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Bowie, Maryland.
Sister Fiat Joy is the daughter of Danny and Kari Flynn, also parishioners at Sacred Heart. She is a graduate of Mount de Sales Academy in Catonsville, Maryland and she attended Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in English at Aquinas College.
A First Profession was also made by Sister Maria Savio Cooney, a former parishioner of St. Raphael Parish in Rockville, Maryland.
Sister Maria Savio is the daughter of Christopher and Mary Cooney, also parishioners at St. Raphael. She is a graduate of Mount de Sales Academy, Catonsville, and attended the University of Navarre in Pamplona, Spain, before entering the congregation. She is currently working towards a Bachelor of Science in elementary education at Aquinas College.
The Mass for the Rite of First Religious Profession was celebrated at the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Nashville with Nashville Bishop J. Mark Spalding as the main celebrant. The homilist was Sister Sophia’s eldest brother, Father James Morrison.
In 1860, the Congregation of Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia was established in Nashville, where its Motherhouse is located. The Sisters of St. Cecilia are dedicated to the apostolate of Catholic education. The community of more than 300 sisters serves in 53 schools throughout the United States and abroad, with mission houses in Australia, Canada, Italy, Scotland, The Netherlands and Ireland.
