On Aug. 2 in Mary of the Angels Chapel, the Solemnity of Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula, Bridget Peterson was welcomed into the candidacy phase. This is the first step in the process to become a Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration.
Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Bridget graduated from the University of Minnesota Morris in 2019 with a double major in Spanish and Latin American Area Studies. From 2019-2020, she participated in the St. Joseph Worker program run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet; her service site was Mary's Pence, which funds women's nonprofits in the U.S. and women's entrepreneurship in Central America. Most recently, Bridget worked at a law firm as a case clerk for class action suits directed at recovering employees' stolen wages. She also served with the activist organization Socialist Alternative, who she became involved with through the campaign for a $15 minimum wage in Minneapolis.
Bridget will live and serve in La Crosse, Wisconsin during her candidacy.
Q&A with Bridget
What first drew you to the Franciscan way of life, and how did you know this was your calling?
Bridget: I know that my calling is Franciscan because my deepest, most authentic response to the Good News is a sort of reckless joy and need for immediate action. God loves us, and the entire world is a manifestation of that love! Christ is ever-present, sharing in our basic human experiences of suffering and breaking bread! I believe that Franciscanism comes down to reacting to that wonderful message in as direct and radical a way as possible, even to the point of foolishness. Reverence for creation, humility, loving service, poverty—it all sort of stems from a dedication to moving when the Spirit says move.
How do you see yourself living out Franciscan values—like simplicity, care for creation and service—in today’s world?
Bridget: I’ve been living out Franciscan values myself to some degree for several years now. I haven’t owned a car; I’ve mended my clothes whenever possible; I’ve rarely gone out. Honestly, doing those things on an individual level is pretty boring. What I’m interested in is practicing care for creation collectively. Living Franciscan values requires being a radical. Not in a narrow left-or-right sense, but in the sense of enacting fundamental change. Caring for creation, for example, intervening on the scale necessary to protect what gifts we have left, requires that we end war. Full stop.
What gives you the most joy and hope as you enter into this commitment?
Bridget: I’ve felt so welcomed as I continue to meet this community.
What challenges do you anticipate in religious life, and how do you feel prepared to meet them?
Bridget: I figure that the biggest question facing religious communities will remain what it’s always been: what is ours to do? Navigating and negotiating that “ours” as a group will be difficult, especially given the rapid societal shifts and pluriform crises. Yet I know that FSPA (with affiliates and friends) have been asking that question together for decades.
Feeling called to religious life? Connect with the FSPA Discernment Office.
