Sister Bridgid Clarke, formerly Mrs. Mary Ann Clarke of St. Thomas the Apostle parish in Smyrna, professed her perpetual vows as a member of the Benedictine Order at Sacred Heart Chapel in Cullman, AL, Oct. 22.

Having completed her years of study of the Rule of St. Benedict, Scripture and the vows, and having experienced ministry in the Church, Sister Bridgid made her lifetime vows of stability, conversion through the monastic way of life, and obedience. Sister Virginia Rohling, prioress of the Cullman community, received her vows in the presence of most members of the community and Sister Bridgid's family and friends. Father Eric Guthrie, monk of St. Bernard Abbey, presided at the celebration.

Born of Irish Catholic parents and christened Mary Ann Kavanaugh, Sister Bridgid grew up in Savannah where she attended Catholic grammar and high schools. She married Nicholas Clarke and the couple had four children, Nicholas Anthony, Mary Elizabeth, Catherine Michele and Barbara Theresa. Her husband's health had been precarious for some years because of injuries sustained in an automobile accident before their marriage. He died when she was 34, leaving her to raise the children who ranged from nine months to five-and-a-half years at the time of his death. Mrs. Clarke found ways to work for needed income and also to provide a loving and stable environment for her children. She was active in parish life, especially in St. Thomas the Apostle, her last parish before entering religious life.

With all of her children nearly grown, Mrs. Clarke began exploring the possibility of following a call to religious life in 1980. She entered the Benedictine community in Cullman in 1983, and made her first profession of vows in 1985.

During the first two years of her temporary commitment, Sister Bridgid served in pastoral ministry at Holy Spirit parish in Winfield, AL. She is currently on the staff of St. Vincent's Hospital in Birmingham, serving as pastoral minister.

Two of Sister Bridgid's children, Tony Clarke and Sister Catherine Mary Clarke, a novice with the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist in Meriden, CT, were lectors at the Mass of her profession. Two other children, Lisa and Therese Clarke, her sister, Martha Kavanaugh, and her daughter-in-law, Julie Pearson-Clarke presented the gifts.