Sister Maryann Seton Lopiccolo is ready to listen and happy to help. With her concern for others and her willing hands, she fosters a spirit of community in her role as Episcopal Delegate for Religious in the Diocese of Brooklyn, NY. Sisters of Charity of Halifax website profile her work in it series “Joyful Witness to God’s Love”.

As liaison between Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and some 1,100 religious from the nearly 100 religious communities in the diocese, Sister Maryann Seton represents the needs of the religious to the bishop and, in turn, the needs of the bishop to the religious.

A native of Brooklyn, Sister Maryann Seton took on this role in 1998. Her list of responsibilities is long, but she takes it all in stride with a can-do attitude and a good sense of humour.

“I always say I don’t know what I do, but it takes all day,” she says with a laugh. As she begins to describe her activities, however, the breadth and depth of her work quickly becomes apparent.

In addition to her administrative and committee work, Sister Maryann Seton is a presence in the community. She visits religious, with particular attention to those who have come to the diocese from such faraway places as Africa and South America.

“Brooklyn is a diocese of immigrants – it has been from its beginning,” she says. “We have people from almost every country in the world here and so we have religious from many countries as well.”

Sister Maryann Seton helps with housing, ministry placements, medical insurance and, very importantly, their integration into the diocese. She encourages a sense of belonging and community through networking opportunities – from open forums with the bishop to the annual celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life.

Sister Maryann Seton is also deeply involved in the administration of three monasteries and two houses of contemplation. She might assist with health and financial management, help a community look to its future, or simply provide moral support.

In addition to her many roles in the diocese, Sister Maryann Seton is considered an expert on Saints Elizabeth Seton, Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. She shares her passion for them and the Charity charism in presentations, workshops and retreats. Sister Maryann Seton says while her love for Elizabeth Seton goes back to her childhood when she was taught by Sisters of Charity-New York, she reached a new level of understanding when she was director of a collaborative novitiate involving congregations within the Sisters of Charity Federation.

“I learned so much more about the depth of our charism, the powerful stories of Vincent, Louise and Elizabeth,” she says. “They’re just so easy to relate to now, even though it was hundreds of years ago.

Their story is part of who we are.” Sister Maryann Seton, who was one of 50 individuals internationally to receive the Seton Legacy of Charity Medal in 2009, has delivered talks on the three saints and the Charity charism to members of congregations which make up the Sisters of Charity Federation. Other important audiences are Associates and those who work in
institutions where Sisters have strong connections.

“The point of charism promotion is to engage people to live the mission of Charity wherever they are,” says Sister Maryann Seton. “How does that become part of your life so that you’re consciously aware of it, so the charism of Charity is something that you want to spread, you want to live out of?”

She explains that Vincentian spirituality sees individuals’ immediate needs being met while at the same time efforts are made to effect systemic change. “Vincent had the soup kitchens, he fed the poor, he took in the sick and the homeless, but he also worked with the government structures to address why there was still a need,” she says.

The way Sister Maryann Seton describes the charism of Charity also describes how she carries out her ministries: “If you live charity and you are kind and loving and caring to people, you don’t have to wear it on your sleeve,” she says. “If people go away from you feeling that they’ve been touched somehow, that’s enough. That’s what it’s about.”