This is her story!
As a child I never really thought much about religious life.
Being taught by sisters in grade school, I
had frequent contact with religious, but never thought
religious life was an option for me personally.
What I didn't know was that God had already planted the seed
of my vocation in my heart, which
would be nurtured over the years to come. As a young
child I used to go to Mass before school
each morning. Our bus would arrive at school early and
I would go into the church to escape the
cold. Though my motives of going to Mass were not pure
at the time, I now realize that even then
God was helping me to develop a great love for the
Eucharist.It wasn't until high school when someone I knew
entered the convent that I realized people actually
joined religious life! She entered the group of
sisters that taught in my school- the Apostles of the
Sacred Heart of Jesus. Something about this group of
sisters really impressed me. Their love of the
Sacred Heart was evident as they shared God's love with us.
The sisters had a peace and happiness
that I desired to have and share.
As a high school student I was very active. I was
involved in Student Council as well as many clubs
and service organizations, and also held a part-time job.
I
wanted to pursue careers ranging from the Peace Corps to
becoming a medical technician. At one point I walked
into the high school guidance
counselor's office to tell her of the nine different careers
that I wanted to choose. There were so many
things I felt I needed to do, and so many ways I felt I
could accomplish them. During this time, I also
came to realize how important God was in my life. And,
I realized that I had the desire to share my
love for God with others. Feeling a very strong call
to serve God's people, I felt that the best way to
do this was to dedicate my life to the Lord as a religious
sister. Even as it is today, entering the
convent at that time was counter-cultural, yet I knew that I
would have no peace until I followed my
heart's desire to become an Apostle of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus. Two weeks after turning eighteen
years old, I entered the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of
Jesus.
Becoming a religious sister did not happen
without overcoming several obstacles. I had to let go
of
scholarships and my desire to raise a family of my own.
While this was not easy, God continued to
nurture my vocation as I sought to follow what I believed to
be His will in my life. I chose the
Apostles of the Sacred Heart because of their love to the
Sacred Heart and their strong, caring
service.
Over the years, my love of God and his
people has deepened. I have discovered that my
strength and support comes from the Lord through prayer and my community.
A strong prayer life
and a community who supports each member in prayer and
ministry is very important to me.
These lifelines give me the strength to continue to follow
Jesus' call to serve Him as a religious.
Over the years I have served in
several ministries from teaching junior high and high school
students to campus ministry to my present ministry
in administration at John Paul II Catholic High School. These
experiences have renewed my zeal to love God
and to share His love with His people. Religious life is
exciting and I feel very blessed by the people I have
journeyed with throughout the years. When I
entered the convent I thought I was giving up so much in
order to become a religious sister; I realize
now that I have gained much more through the blessings I
have received.
If you could give one piece of advice to a woman
discerning a call to religious life, what
what it be?
Make sure to keep your heart open to God's
call. Be willing to listen! So often the many
distractions
of life drown out the voice of God that can be heard only in
the stillness of our hearts.
Don't be afraid to walk in faith.
If you would like to contact Sr. Susan
Marie, her email address can be found on the
"Contact Us" page of the website
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