Hail to the Grad

Hail to the GradHail to the grad! Good Shepherd Sister Anna Tram Nguyen received her Master’s Degree on Saturday, May 23, 2015, from the University of San Francisco with her major in Organizational Development. Sr. Tram went to college in Louisville, Kentucky, before transferring to the University of San Francisco to finish her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theology. Sr. Tram’s post-secondary studies entailed two additional years of dedicated academic performance.

“Sr. Tram is to be heartily commended for her academic excellence!” said Sr. Marguerite Bartling.

The Sisters in the San Francisco community and residents at Good Shepherd Gracenter held a dinner party to honor Sr. Tram and celebrate her achievement.  They planned a menu and prepared an Asian meal of fried rice, orange chicken, fresh salad and Vietnamese egg rolls. The revelers capped off the meal with a decorated cake.

“The residents at Gracenter were so happy to help plan and organize this special event for Sr. Tram, as she has done so much for the women at Gracenter,” Sr. Marguerite said.

“Sr. Tram shops for their groceries each week and always purchases their favorite foods and snacks. She has been the on-call staff for Gracenter every Sunday, and has been an active participant in all of the activities at Gracenter,” Sr. Marguerite said.

Hail to the GradSr. Tram is an Apostolic Sister of the Good Shepherd. She said she especially thanks Sr. Barbara Beasley and Sr. Mercy de Leon for their assistance and support in helping her to complete her hard work in school. As an expression of her thanks to the Sisters in her community, Sr. Tram quoted St. Mary Euphrasia and said, “Gratitude is always the memory of the heart!”

Good Shepherd Gracenter is a ministry of Sisters of the Good Shepherd Province of Mid-North America. Gracenter is a recovery residence that offers a supportive and gently challenging program for women who wish to strengthen their early sobriety. Typically, participants have completed a primary recovery program and are seeking to re-establish employment, healthy relationships, and deepen their spirituality through participation in 12 Step programs.

The Sisters at Gracenter are committed to being a healing presence in the lives of women. Sisters help women in recovery find stable transitional housing with supportive services. they help women obtain employment, open a bank account, pay off past debts, volunteer in the community and choose a lifestyle of health and wellness. Becoming strong and independent, the women in turn give back to their families and to their communities. One woman summed up her life at Gracenter with the words, “Happy, healthy and grateful.”

Learn about other Good Shepherd programs by visiting the ministry page for the Province of Mid-North America.

Jeanette McDermott

Jeanette McDermott

Jeanette is the Communications Coordinator for Sisters of the Good Shepherd Province of Mid-North America. She is a career photojournalist who has served in various capacities of print, broadcast, and corporate communications. Jeanette is devoted to creation and is particularly focused on saving pollinators and other wildlife species and their habitat. She is an ethical vegan and created the website veganstoryteller.com