SR. NANCY MICHAEL USSELMANN

Sr. Nancy Michael Usselmann, FSP, grew up in St Louis, the third of four siblings. She was a passionate soccer player, playing year round.

She met the Sisters through her older cousin who always wanted to be a nun since the third grade. Her cousin visited a Pauline Books & Media Center and, while she was gawking at them from behind a bookshelf, one of the sisters invited her to a day of recollection. She answered, "Can I bring all my cousins?" So, young Nancy went along with her four cousins to keep them company, since she was not interested in being a Sister. But after she met the Daughters and saw that they preached Jesus through movies, music, and books, she realized, “That's the kind of nun I would want to be.”

After finishing high school, Sr. Nancy and her cousin entered together. Nancy was 17 years old, and her family didn’t expect her to stay. Surprisingly, her cousin left after three months, got married, and now has 8 children...and Sr. Nancy stayed!

“I love being a Daughter of Saint Paul because I get to be a positive influence in the world so desperate for hope, faith and light.” 

30 years later, Sr. Nancy is still proclaiming the love of Christ through the media and within the popular media culture. She is particularly passionate about theology and popular culture, and has a masters degree in theology and arts. She describes her love for popular culture: “I want people to see God's grace at work in the world and view the culture through a sacramental lens, bringing hope and light to those who are searching for truth, peace and authentic freedom.”

Sister Nancy has been singing with the choir for 20 years—since 1996. She feels that music touches people at their emotional depth and can be an agent for bringing people to encounter God in a way other means can’t. Sr. Nancy is a big fan of blues and jazz, as well as a self-described “pop music junkie who follows the latest top 10 Billboard charts.”

Sr. Nancy likes to relax by having coffee with friends, watching movies (especially independent films), and video filming and editing. Someday she hopes to hang-glide off a California cliff!

One of Sr. Nancy’s favorite Scripture passages is also from her favorite saint, St. Paul, whom she sees as a passionate evangelizer and teacher: "It is Christ I proclaim....compelled by that energy of his which is so powerful within us" (Col. 1:28,29).