Sr. Dede Byrne Visits SCA

Sister, Soldier, Surgeon: Sr. Dede Byrne at SCA.

Last week, we had the privilege of welcoming Sr. Dede Byrne and Dr. Leisa Marie Carzon to St. Catherine of Siena Academy. Their visit gave our students an opportunity to hear a remarkable story of faith, service, and a life spent answering God’s call.

Every morning during announcements, our students recite the words that embody the Feminine Genius: the unique dignity, identity, and gifts of women created in the image of God. Sr. Dede’s life is a powerful example of what those words can look like in action. Both Dr. Carzon and Sr. Dede have spent much of their lives crossing threshold after threshold as they continue to follow their True North.

A religious sister, surgeon, and former military officer, Sr. Dede has served others in ways she could hardly have imagined when she was growing up in a large Catholic family in the Washington, D.C., area. She did not set out with a plan to become a sister, a soldier, or a surgeon. Her story reminds us that discerning God’s call is not always about having every step figured out. It is about being willing to listen, to respond, and to trust where He leads.

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Dr. Carzon, a professor at Madonna University and director of its Catholic School Leadership Program, was so moved by Sr. Dede’s witness after hearing her speak at the 2020 Republican National Convention that she sought her out to document her extraordinary journey in Sister, Soldier, Surgeon.

During their visit, Sr. Dede shared her story with honesty, humor, and a gift for storytelling. She even set a timer to help keep her remarks on schedule before opening the floor to student questions. The questions kept coming, and it was clear our students had much more they wanted to ask.

That curiosity is exactly what we hope to encourage at SCA. Our girls are learning to ask questions, recognize their gifts, and consider how they might use them in service to God and others. Hearing directly from women who have followed their vocations in such different and unexpected ways helps make those possibilities real.

As we continue this year’s theme, Cross the Threshold. Find Your True North, Sr. Dede’s life offers a wonderful reminder that finding our direction is not always a straight path. What matters is remaining open to God’s call and having the courage to take the next step.

Following a closing prayer, Sr. Dede and Dr. Carzon signed books for students and guests. We are grateful to both women for sharing their time and witness with our community, and to Brighter Michigan PAC for donating books so each student could take a copy home.

As Eric Castiglia, chairman of Brighter Michigan PAC, put it, “Because the next great leader might be reading this book.”

We could not agree more.

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