Sister Bridget Reilly

I often ponder how I arrived at where I am today. God works in strange ways and the Aspirant class was God’s way of calling me. Religious life has stretched me to do things that I would not have had an opportunity to do. God called me and continues to call me daily to listen with the ear of my heart.

The Community has repeatedly recognized gifts in me that I have not recognized in myself. Each time I was asked to explore, strengthen, and act on those gifts, I was stretched a little more. As I prayed and pondered the gifts people saw in me, with God’s help I would rise to the occasion. In doing so my experiences have stretched far beyond the vision I had.

I was a primary grade school teacher and I believed that would be my ministry until I was no longer able to teach. However, God and the prioress had other plans. After my last year of teaching first grade at St. Peter’s on the Northside, I was then assigned to St. Benedict Academy as a Guidance Counselor and to Duquesne University to pursue a Master’s degree in Counseling. My years at St. Benedict Academy laid the foundation for a very satisfying 35-year career as a School Counselor at Quigley Catholic High School and led me to Pastoral Counseling at The Pittsburgh Pastoral Institute and to obtain my license as a Licensed Professional Counselor LPC.

After Quigley closed and I was thinking of pursuing a sabbatical, the Prioress and Community once again saw something in me that I had not seen. I have served as Scholastic Director, Novice Director and now,  I am blessed to serve as Sub-Prioress.