Meet Sister Norma Norton
Sister Norma Norton’s background included working for Dial Financial Corporation for 24 years. The last four years there she was manager of their Grand Island (Nebraska) office. She shares, “I met Sister Madonna Schmitt in Grand Island where she worked in the parish. She arranged my visit to Sacred Heart Monastery (which was Sacred Heart Convent at that time).” Her decision she conveyed was based on “I had no reason to look further,” and was open to doing “something different with my life.”
Reflecting over thirty years of religious life she says of the question of “How did you know that this was the right choice for you? “I have never questioned my choice. It was right from the beginning.”
Sister Norma’s favorite part about Benedictine life is “the involvement with the Sisters and the ministry, and working in Pastoral Care at Sacred Heart Hospital.”
Her favorite part of the Rule of Benedict is Rule 71 and 72. Mutual Observance and Good Zeal. “It is the only way to live the Rule and have it work. Living at home I do not find it as challenging. When I worked on mission, my hours did not always coincide with our prayer times at home — and it was challenging.”
When asked what does living in community do for you, S. Norma confides, “It is being part of the big picture. The commitment. Helping people in a major way. Healthcare and education. It is what our community has done and continues to do.”
When asked about her vocation S. Norma said, “My vocation is sound.” With a chuckle she adds, “At my age, heaven forbid, I would be looking elsewhere for a new career.”
When asked about the future of religious life and its potential, S. Norma says, “I think there is a real hunger for spirituality in our lives, a religious grounding if you will. People are searching for this, and it is not always recognized. I think there are women who are searching for something other than a business career but not thinking of monastic life.”
