Oblate Sister of Providence Sr. Marcia Hall is producing a documentary which hopes to promote vocations in the African American Community.  About eight years ago she was serving as her community’s vocation director and attending a seminar where black Catholic parents shared their feelings about their children entering religious life–and they weren’t happy about it.  She knew she had to do something to change their outlook.

So Sister Marcia began working on a video which would highlight the experiences of young black religious and hopefully encourage black Catholics to consider religious life as a viable calling.  It’s not finished yet, but be on the lookout for the title:  The Calling From God:  Promoting Vocations in the African American Community.

It takes time and money to produce a documentary as Sister Marcia has discovered.  Even with her friend, Althea Braggs, from Destiny Productions helping, it has been in the making for seven years.  She has done fundraising but they still need money for post production and distribution costs.  It’s her dream and she believes it is a worthwhile project.  She says:  “Whether it will have the impact I want it to, I have no idea.  But if it gets the conversation going, if it gets people to talking, to thinking, to saying a vocation in the church is as worthwhile as being a doctor or a lawyer, then it will have been worthwhile.”   

The Oblate Sisters of Providence are a happy group of religious sisters.  I hope Sister Marcia’s dream project succeeds!

Barbara McMullen, CDP

(Excerpted from an article in Global Sisters Report by staff writer Dawn Araujo-Hawkins.)