Throughout my life, Our Lady has always been my main inspiration and guide in my discernment. She has continually led me deeper and deeper in an understanding of my calling, which is very similar to her own. This calling is to be both completely consecrated to God and a mother of souls – bringing to birth within them the life of Christ! I was born on January 1st, Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God; so even from day one I have been able to see her presence in my life in this way!
My parents instilled within me a great love for Christ and His Church; this is, of course, the root of the flourishing of my vocation. I was also blessed to attend Catholic schools throughout grade school into my first year of college before I entered our community, so my formation during each of these stages has been fundamental for me in my life. I was especially blessed to have our sisters as teachers both in grade school and in high school. Their witness of joy and charity captivated my heart and I knew that I wanted to live a life like theirs. Growing up, I loved to be around the sisters as much as I could, and the more time I spent with them the more the desire to be a sister grew within me.
It was during my time in elementary school, before I even knew our sisters, that I developed a great love for Our Lady. I desired to be like her as much as I possibly could, a thought which led me directly to the idea of religious life. I knew that Mary was completely consecrated to God and that she was a mother. I wanted both as well, but I couldn’t understand how the second part would work out if I were to become a religious sister! It wasn’t until high school when I read St. John Paul II’s Mulieris Dignitatem for a Theology class, taught by one of our sisters, that I began to understand the reality of spiritual motherhood.
Like Our Lady, our spiritual motherhood stems from our union with the Holy Spirit, bringing to birth Christ’s life in souls! Through learning this, I realized that this desire present in my heart since I was eight was truly put there by the Lord and that He desired to fulfill it. Since then, allowing Him to do this has been a beautiful adventure. He has given me the support of my sisters, my family, and many friends throughout the years, as well as the intercession of many of the Saints who have guided me in my relationship with Him (especially Our Lady and St. Thérèse). There have been many ups and downs of course, but I have been able to see how He is always leading me to a deeper confidence in Him, filling me with the joy and peace that flows from His Sacred Heart in the Eucharist.