This Thursday, four nuns visited St. Dominic to meet with the ladies at our school. After our Empower Hour mass, the sisters provided lunch, shared their vocation stories and answered questions.

Three sisters, Sister Madeline Marie, Sister Marie Therese and Sister Ave Maria, were from the Sister Servants of the Lord, a Francis-Dominican order, so it was a sort of homecoming for the nuns. One sister, Sister Carolyn, was from the Franciscan order.

Sister Ave Maria shared her vocation story with the girls. A sister took her to a convent when she was three, and she knew from that moment that this was the life she wanted. She was very active in her faith as a kid, and went to the convent immediately after high school. She never felt bad about “wasting her youth,” because she wanted more than the world could give her.

“All of my life is dedicated to the glory of God. That’s all I want,” Sister Ave Maria said.

Not everyone’s decisions were so simple though. Sister Marie Therese’s journey started at a church camp in her senior year of high school. It was there that she decided that she wanted to completely belong to God; she just didn’t know how yet. The question of whether or not she should be a sister kept crossing her mind, but she kept shoving it away. A priest and a couple of Catholic friends helped her discern her vocation.

On Saturday night at a retreat, Sister Marie heard a voice to continue to pray about the sisterhood. By Sunday afternoon, she knew for certain that she was supposed to be a nun. She entered the sisters 12 years ago in 2009.

In first grade, a sister told Sister Madeline Marie that they represented Mary on earth, and she knew that she wanted to be like Mary. It wasn’t as simple as that though. She first went to college at Steubenville with a theology degree. She wanted to be a teacher, went to grad school and got her own place. Everything was falling into place according to her plan, but something was missing.

“All of my desires turned to Jesus,” Sister Madeline said.

When she first saw the convent, she knew that this was her community immediately and joined in 2006.

Sister Carolyn joined the Franciscan order in 2005. Before she joined, she had the dream job, dream house, dream boyfriend, everything was perfect. However, she had a lot of time alone and a lot of silence.

“I learned how to hear God’s voice in the silence,” Sister Carolyn said.

During these quiet moments, she realized that her calling in life wasn’t this “perfect” life, it was with the sisters.

Sister Carolyn’s Franciscan Order does almost everything to support the church through healthcare, education in all fields and more. The Sister Servants of the Lord help teach the faith and spread the Lord’s message.

After telling their stories, the sisters opened the floor to a Q and A. They talked about their daily lives (which start at 4:35 a.m), the difference between their orders and their place in the community. People often ask the sisters for prayers, as they are often the spiritual centers of the church in the community. When asked if they wanted kids, they talked about their spiritual motherhood.

“I’ve always loved kids, and had an instinct for motherhood. Now, instead of just a physical mother, I am a mother of the whole world,” Sister Ave Maria said.

This luncheon was an amazing opportunity for all of the ladies at our school to learn more about the religious faith. The sisters are an amazing group of women who inspire all of us to better live our Catholic faith.