INDIAN LAND, S.C. — Molly Rusciolelli, music director for Our Lady of Grace Church and former parishioner of St. Patrick Cathedral in Charlotte, has entered the postulancy of the Franciscan Daughters of Mary in Covington, Ky.
Rusciolelli, 22, has served the parish just across the North Carolina state line for two years in several capacities including organist, choir director and home school co-op teacher – all of which espouse the mission of her order: “…we witness to the dignity of all human persons by being living examples of the love of Christ for our neighbors.”
As she pursues her formation as a Franciscan sister, Rusciolelli will also serve at the Rose Garden Home Mission in Covington, a comprehensive pregnancy care center run by the Franciscan Daughters of Mary. It helps mothers-to-be make informed choices about prenatal care while assisting them with a no-questions-asked food pantry, a free primary care clinic, and a free dental clinic. In addition, the mission offers free counseling, parenting classes and more to needy families in the community.
Rusciolelli’s religious vocation does not surprise parishioners at Our Lady of Grace Church.
Natalie Jackson, the parish’s social ministry director, said, “She quietly took care of an elderly neighbor who did not have the family support she needed. Molly saw a need and stepped in. The neighbor once shared with me that they didn’t know God could make anything as pure as her in this world.”
“Even as a child Molly had a deep sense of virtue and a desire to serve Our Lord through service to those around her,” said her parents Bill and Debbie Rusciolelli, who have eight other children including a student at St. Joseph College Seminary in Charlotte.
“It only seemed natural that she would choose to discern religious life as her vocation.”
Rusciolelli credits her family’s support and the personal witness of women religious she has met over the years.
“A solid family life that is the breeding ground for virtue and patience in waiting while spending time sitting quietly with the Lord” is what she said aided her seven-year discernment process to pursue a religious vocation.
For discernment help, she turned to the VISION Vocation Guide and its website VocationNetwork.org, a comprehensive guide about Catholic religious vocations and women’s religious communities, where she discovered the Franciscan Daughters of Mercy.
At a Mass at St. Patrick Cathedral on Dec. 22, Bishop Peter Jugis prayed over Rusciolelli and expressed his gratitude to her for her contributions to ministries at the cathedral over the many years she was a parishioner there.
Rusciolelli was also given a farewell party Dec. 30 after Mass at the Indian Land parish before she and her parents departed for the convent in Covington.
“It’s been a great experience to have Molly in the parish and watch her grow and witness to the Lord in the community. Molly has led us in sacred song, worked among our homebound parishioners, and started our outreach to unwed mothers and unborn children,” said Father Jeffrey Kirby, pastor. “She has done some great work and will be missed by our community.”
— Barbara Lengers, Special to the Catholic News Herald. Barbara Lengers is the communications officer for Our Lady of Grace Church in Indian Land, S.C.
