I met the Sisters when I was studying nursing at the University of Saint Francis in Fort Wayne. I had never thought about God calling me to religious life. In fact, I had already planned that I would get married after I graduated and work as an RN for a short time before having 12 children- God willing!
This was still my plan as I was delving deeper into my studies my junior year. However, I found a lot of challenges that year and found my strength from Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. It was later that semester that I found myself not just going to Jesus because life can get hard but because I loved being with Him. I would sneak to the Chapel on campus or wherever I was, whenever I could. I found myself slowly able to surrender my life to Him, who gave Himself so fully to me. I found that my heart was finally open to ask Him: How did you make me to love? What are your plans for my life?
After coming back from a meeting with a Sister on campus, I remember exclaiming to my close friend: “Wow, I don’t know why but I am SO happy when I am around those Sisters!” To my shock, my friend replied, “I could so see you as a Sister!” That was not what I was expecting but it brought so much joy to my heart. I started being very attracted to that very joy that I saw in the Sisters on campus, which I realized later on was the joy of a Bride of Christ. I did not know I had desired something so much as this. I knew that the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration were home because of their charism of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, which is what originally nourished my relationship with Jesus.