I grew up Catholic and received all my Sacraments, but I still remember the moment when the truth
that God wanted a personal relationship with me hit my heart and changed my life. It started when I was in
college at Winona State University and went to a SEEK conference put on by FOCUS (The Fellowship of
Catholic University Students) in 2015. At that conference Fr. Mike Schmitz gave a talk about the Eucharist
called, “The Hour that will Change Your Life,” and it was right before the adoration hour that changed my life.
It was the first time I truly believed in the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. The Lord gave me a special
grace in that talk, and during adoration, to be able to respond in freedom and love to His Fatherly love and
healing. I felt like He said to me in my heart, “You are my daughter, and I love you, and want a relationship with
you and to heal you.” There have been many ups and downs along the way, but my life, my relationship with
God, and the other relationships in my life began to change from that encounter.
I went back to my college campus after that conference and became very involved in my Newman
Center and FOCUS Bible studies and discipleship. God kept putting wonderful priests and other friends in my
life to help me grow in my Faith. As I continued to grow in my Faith and relationship with God, I began to
share it with others and saw the power of God working through one person’s “yes” to Him, deeply investing in a
few others, and teaching them to do the same. By the end of college, I knew I wanted to continue living out
God’s call as a missionary disciple and give back to others what had been given to me. My senior year of college I
applied and was accepted to serve with FOCUS, and was sent to serve as a campus missionary at Ball State
University in Muncie, IN.
I never knew religious sisters growing up. The first time I ever got to know sisters personally was at
FOCUS summer training before my first year as a missionary. I was blown away when the sisters who came to
visit us at training were outside playing sports with us and having meals with us. I was fascinated by the stories
of these religious sisters when I had a chance to sit down with a sister for a meal in the cafeteria, go for a walk, or
meet up for spiritual direction. I began to realize they were amazing women with stories and experiences not
unlike my own. It wasn’t until my second year serving as a missionary that I began to hear the call and discern
religious life more intentionally. As a FOCUS missionary I had a lot of awesome experiences evangelizing on
campus, leading Bible studies, leading others in discipleship, going on mission trips, retreats, and much more.
The most impactful and formative parts of being a missionary though were my daily holy hour in the chapel,
daily Mass, and team life. It was from my daily holy hour and Mass that my relationship with the Lord
deepened, and I began to desire to give my heart and life to Him more completely. Being a religious sister is so
much more than a call to a full-time job or ministry – it is how the Lord has made my heart to love Him and
others. As a religious sister I am a Bride of Christ and spiritual mother to all His Children.
During my time as a missionary at Ball State, a few sisters from our community would visit campus a
few times each year. I was attracted to their joy, the way they loved Christ and one another, and their charism of
Perpetual Adoration. I didn’t realize that not all sisters had perpetual adoration when I first started discerning
religious life. Eventually I began to attend discernment retreats and visit our Motherhouse in Mishawaka, IN.
The more I came to visit the more I felt this sense of home with my community and the call deepened to be
Christ’s Bride. I eventually entered our community in September 2020 and continue to grow in my relationship
with Christ and my sisters. My Vocation is an absolute gift, and I am so grateful for this call to be His Bride as a
Sister of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration.