Associate Laura Field: Experiences Inner Spiritual Freedom

Dee Myers, BVM (l.) and Associate Laura Field lead a prayer at the 2024 Congregational Assembly.

by Dee Myers, BVM

“I fell in love with the BVMs for the good work that they do and the spirit of joy and laughter that I sensed when visiting Mount Carmel Bluffs (MCB) in Dubuque, Iowa,” Associate Laura Field declared when asked what drew her to a BVM relationship. Then, being the extrovert she is, she elaborated with a significant addendum.

“In particular, their sense of freedom called to me, too. In my adult spiritual journey, I’ve grown by learning about mystics, saints, and kind-hearted, good people in history who challenged authority based on their own inner freedom. My intuition was affirmed as I earned my master’s degree from Loyola University Chicago in spirituality and discovered a group of women for whom freedom is a core value. And the BVMs have been relentless at inviting others into this inner spiritual freedom.”

Spiritual Imagination
Laura came to know the BVMs through Associates Eileen O’Shea and Marybeth Coleman, meeting at Old St. Pat’s in Chicago. They became dear friends these 22 years. Laura is inspired by the way they live authentically and with integrity.

Eileen and Marybeth’s long-time BVM association left a mark on her spiritual imagination. They warmly received her and invited her to speak at a BVM gathering. From there the opportunity to lead a retreat for associates at MCB captured her heart and imagination again.

For Laura, spiritual freedom is predicated on deep respect for a spiritual tradition and is grounded in curiosity and an eagerness to learn. Then, filled with an abiding trust in the Divine that flourishes with these open-hearted encounters, one grows in one’s life purpose of loving service, faith, and hope in all circumstances.

Blossoming Freedom
The more Laura “hung out” with these new friends, the more she found laughter, joy, energy, and a profusion of freedom. She found that she was living the core values and sincerely seeking a more just world where all could live as God imagined. Laura could see nuances to what she had always known in other core values.

Education for herself, which she had pursued in a degree that helped her achieve in the corporate world, added another layer because it made the world better; she became more sensitive to other’s need for education also.

Charity wasn’t just giving a handout or writing a check. It could mean giving time to the vulnerable and relating to all of God’s creations with respect and gracious intent.

Justice became about lending a voice and taking an active part against unfair initiatives—economically, and culturally.

The Freedom that blossomed in Laura displayed itself on other fronts as well. She discovered and appreciated the community of Old St. Pat’s. She was nourished by the retreats which ignited how being “baptized, reconciled, fed, and sent forth” could bring such richness to life.

Sharing Sacred Skills
Laura developed her skills and sacred listening with others, leading retreats and days of prayer, including a favorite with the associates at MCB.
For the past three BVM Congregational Assemblies, including the 2025 Election, she worked with BVM Dee Myers in planning the prayer sessions for participants.
Laura became an associate in 2019, joining Marybeth and Eileen, as well as almost 200 hundred others in a unique relationship with BVM sisters.

This story was featured in:

Summer 2025: Celebrating 50 Years of Salt

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