Dr. Olga Rasmussen: Parishioner of St. John Neumann Catholic Community, Reston, VA
Dr. Olga Rasmussen
I have been privileged to teach at two Visitation high schools – Visitation School and Convent in Mendota Heights in Minnesota and Georgetown Visitation in Washington DC – spending nearly twenty-two years in both places and twenty of those as the Religion Department Chair.
I ended up at Visitation almost by accident, having not initially applied there, because it was listed in a directory of schools as a “Special School.” But the moment I stepped onto its beautiful campus and into its buildings, and met the sisters and administrators there, I just knew I had come home.
I was a product of Adrian Dominican and Jesuit education and not familiar with the Visitation Sisters or Saint Francis or Saint Jane. Early in my teaching career at Visitation in St. Paul, MN, one of the sisters lent me her personal copy of Introduction to the Devout Life which moved me profoundly. So much so, that I decided to do a general confession as Saint Francis de Sales suggested in this classic work. I was about 26 at the time, 41 years ago!
What I especially loved about the Introduction to the Devout Life, was its emphasis on the importance of nurturing a spiritual life for lay people, most particularly for women.
I grew to love Salesian Spirituality in the writings of Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jane de Chantal, and how it was embodied in the lives of the Sisters. I explored Salesian Spirituality more fully in later years when I pursued a doctorate in Salesian Spirituality and education. These were some of the aspects and themes of this spirituality that I grew to treasure:
The Love of God: In Salesian Spirituality, God is in everyone and everything, and we are called to mirror that love to one another.
Prayer and Interiority: Prayer is key to spiritual growth and our words and actions should reflect the fruits of our prayer.
The Call to Holiness: Saint Francis foresaw a key teaching of the Second Vatican Council by recognizing the universal call to holiness that every vocation invites us to in our daily lives.
The Cultivation of the Little Virtues: Charity, humility, gentleness and simplicity are just a few of the virtues characteristic of a Salesian lifestyle. They are simple yet challenging and can have a profound effect on our spiritual development.
To say that my life has been enriched by my first encounter with Visitation would be an understatement. I was again blessed in 2019 to join members of the three Visitation schools – including former colleagues and students - on a pilgrimage to Annecy, France which felt like a homecoming of sorts as well as a lifelong dream. My journey with Visitation is far from over and I look forward to whatever the future may bring.
