One unique way that communities of women religious have found their charism and mission being extended, even as their numbers declined, has been through what are often termed “associate” or “companion” members. These are usually lay people who are drawn to the spirit, ministries and legacy of a particular community. Associates study the charism, mission, spirituality and history of the community and then make a covenant with the group. The covenant is formalized in a prayerful ceremony of welcome, but it is not the same as joining a third order, which entails making vows.

In my religious community, the Sisters of Sts. Cyril and Methodius (SSCM), we resolved in a general chapter — a community congress — to inaugurate a program to draw and sustain official associates. The first ones were accepted in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, in 1987. Here in South Carolina, we have had associates in the Charleston area for several decades, but our group clustered around Bluffton began only 15 years ago. From an initial group of eight who spent months in formation, we now have more than 40 members. We recently asked them about the ways in which they carry on our community’s spirit and mission. 

The findings revealed several heartening things. As religious sisters, we are dedicated to prayer, liturgy and the spread of the Gospel. One of the things that became very clear was that our associates are actively involved in personal prayer and the liturgical life of our parish, including as extraordinary ministers of holy Communion, lectors, sacristans, greeters, musicians, choir members and altar servers. They also support the liturgical and devotional life of the parish by helping couples plan weddings, training school children as lectors for school Masses, providing hospitality after funerals, hosting rosary groups and assisting with Lenten Stations of the Cross. They commit to weekly hours in the adoration chapel and the vocation chalice program. Our associates also help clean the church and assist the flower guild.

When Cyril and Methodius sisters speak of our core mission and ministry, we have used the mnemonic of four Es: evangelization, education, eldercare, ecumenism. These are all expressive of our founding documents, and our SSCM associates are engaged in these abundantly. 

Evangelization

Many of our associate members have been active in Christ Renews His Parish. Some volunteer with religious education, OCIA, Vacation Bible School and Bible study. One has been engaged locally and nationally with leadership training programs that have an evangelical dimension.

Education

Our associates serve regularly at St. Gregory the Great School or volunteer at John Paul II School, with roles in teaching, tutoring, after-school care and serving as receptionists. Others work with school fundraisers, while some organize supply and backpack drives, and still others help organize pro-life and pro-environment activities. We have associates active in supporting schools for Native American children and in, one case, promoting the Delta Kappa Gamma global support of women educators.

Eldercare 

The opportunities and ways of helping within this category are numerous. We have associates who volunteer with hospice, transport elderly neighbors to appointments, Sunday Masses and daily Mass, deliver meals, visit area eldercare facilities, serve with Volunteers in Medicine, assist veterans, accompany clients and attend Memory Matters, sing at nursing homes and make prayer shawls that are delivered to the ailing with a promise of prayer.

Ecumenism

Ecumenical and interfaith involvements have long been part of the Cyril and Methodius sisters’ commitments. Our Bluffton associates have seen the significance of engaging with other faiths to build mutual understanding, while also seeing these involvements as an opportunity to evangelize. The associates’ group have an annual prayer service for Christian unity. Some participate in ecumenical civic projects like the Walk for Water — supporting the international Water Mission — plus Martin Luther King, Jr. remembrances, the National Day of Prayer and International Friendship Day. One has assisted with music at the area synagogue, and several have been involved with more formal ecumenical dialogue and Bible study. 

One thing we emphasize with our associates is that our religious community was founded with a special concern for the poor and wounded families, so many associates have a special dedication to women with problem pregnancies and families troubled by domestic violence. Service to the poor is something which almost all our Bluffton associates are involved in. They serve with the St. Francis Center at St. Helena Island, an outreach ministry of our SSCM sisters; at Mercy Mission, a Catholic Charities of South Carolina operation; and with the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Some of us remember an old proverb: Many hands make light work. For us religious sisters, we have found that many committed persons make our Godly work go on and on — exponentially.