By SISTER DEBORAH KENNEDY, RSM Liason with Religious, Archdiocese of Mobile Parishioners at St. Columba Catholic Parish in Dothan will bid farewell this month to Sister Miriam Fiduccia, a Missionary Servant of the Most Blessed Trinity (commonly known as a Trinitarian Sister). Sister Miriam has served this faith community for nearly 17 years as a pastoral associate.
The specific mission of Trinitarians is the preservation of the Faith among those who may be spiritually neglected due to locale and opportunities to grow and be nourished by their Catholic Faith. And the chief effort is to develop a missionary spirit within the laity, with the goal being that every Catholic will be an apostle spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ. St. Columba is the only parish in Houston County and often Sister Miriam is the only Catholic or only Catholic Sister that people have met. She says she has been blessed to participate in a number of ecumenical activities locally and it has been particularly enriching to have been invited to participate in the local women’s clergy group. “We have been supportive to one another in our ministries and one of our most meaningful tasks is to plan the annual Inter-Faith Thanksgiving Prayer Service in Dothan.”
With an educational background in social work and a Master's in Theology, along with varied ministry experiences throughout the U.S., Sister Miriam has had an opportunity to be the missionary of which she is called by her vocation, helping others to live and spread their Catholic Faith.
Sister Miriam says that a quote from the Acts of the Apostles (10:38) that speaks of Jesus says, “ … He went about doing good …” She said, “This passage continues to be a motivating force for me. Whether I am teaching an RCIA class, meeting a new family, doing spiritual direction, visiting the sick and dying, ministering to the bereaved, or just chatting with a member of the parish staff, I believe I am doing what I was called to do.”
In August Sister Miriam will begin a sabbatical program entitled Ministry to Ministers in San Antonio. Upon completing that program, Sister will probably engage in some future studies at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. After which, in the missionary spirit of her Community, Sister Miriam will go wherever there is most a need, as she continues to be inspired to serve the people of God. In closing, Sister Miriam said, “I accepted an invitation from God to serve and God’s graces have been so abundant. In the words attributed to St. Ignatius of Loyola, ‘God will not be outdone in generosity!’ ”
It goes without saying, that Sister will be greatly missed by those at St. Columba, as well as others she has collaborated with in the local community. We, in the Archdiocese, bid Sister Miriam farewell with deep gratitude and appreciation for her many years of service and commitment in our area.