My Story

Past Stories

I was born in Atlantic City, NJ. This was before my seacoast home became a casino! My father had emigrated from Caltanissetta in Sicily, Italy. My mother was born and lived on a farm in Hammonton, NJ.
My first encounter with the Salesian Sisters was in Sunday CCD classes. Then in grade 7, I began to attend St. Michael's School and that was it: I fell in love with the Sisters and with all the good that they were doing for young people. We felt loved and accepted. Don't ask me when the Sisters worked or when they had any peace and quiet. We kids were always in the convent, and amazingly enough, it seemed as if the Sisters' only real work was to be with us. This took place even during my high school years in Atlantic City. Example draws. Before long, I knew that I wanted to be like them. By the end of high school, I realized God was calling. How could I refuse?
Of course, my parents were not too enthusiastic about this new decision. I was the youngest. Was this really what I wanted? Had I thought it through from every angle? Just as the Sisters had promised, once my parents saw that I was happy, they, too, were happy and at peace. The provincial was visiting nearby, and on January 24, 1976, I traveled to Haledon, NJ, to begin my initial formation. I fit in well with those young adults who were already enrolled in the program preparing to become Sisters.
I had the advantage of having known much about the Sisters from my Atlantic City experience, so I adapted without too much difficulty. Of course, I knew what I wanted to do for all my life. I loved the little people and felt that I knew everything there was to know on the subject, having been one all my life. The spiritual life presented to us was what I had already heard from the Sisters at St. Michael's. The professional preparation I found both interesting and challenging. Before I knew it, two years of preparation passed quickly, and I officially became Sr. Lou Ann on August 5, 1980.
During these years of formation, Camp Auxilium in Newton, NJ, had already become a very important part of my ministry to youth. Every phase of it appealed to me. However, I still had to complete my preparation, so I went to Haledon as a newly minted Sister to finish college and get my teaching certificate. In the ensuing years, I taught in various elementary schools, always happy to be with the young people. Then in 1991, I was assigned to Camp Auxilium to work with God's "little ones" and I knew that I had come home.
I see Camp Auxilium as a challenge, a promise, and a dream come true for the more than 1,200 young people who frequent it each season, and for the over 200 children who attend the learning Center during the school year. I have no words with which to thank all the persons who have made Camp Auxilium such a special place. To all those Sisters and lay staff members who have helped to make it the special place it is, my prayer and thanks.