How Love Guides My Discernment

            I recently gave a vocation discernment talk at the MAG+S Midwest Conference in Chicago. We were encouraged to choose our topic, and I knew immediately I wanted to talk about love. My call to religious life was a call to love. Responding to that love and living from my heart changed the trajectory of my life  setting me on a path to service and sacrifice for others. Once I experienced God’s love through prayer and giving to my brothers and sisters in Christ, I knew I wanted to bring that love to a world in need for the rest of my life. My life in community, too, has helped me understand Christian love better, what it means and how to live it.  

 With the young people, I discussed the nature of Christian love, how we can love more like Jesus did. I followed the JOY approach: Jesus, Others, then Yourself. We talked about how love can guide us and help us discern God’s will. I shared how every Christian is called to love like this, but that in Religious life we make vows that take it a step further, following Jesus more literally so that our lives point directly to Him and the Gospel.

Love like that changes lives. After encouraging my audience to share about a time they made decisions out of Christian love, I shared about the new direction love moved me in. As an academic-minded young person, I was on an ambitious, professional path. I started to volunteer because it would look good to colleges I applied to. I was a junior volunteer at the local hospital and, at first,  often tired or cranky after school. But helping the people and being with the other volunteers cheered me and made a real difference for others. Volunteering was energizing .

I went on Habitat for Humanity trips with my youth group and helped with Campus Ministry service projects in college. Teaching Religious Education classes while in college made me realize I loved teaching religion and working with children, inspiring me to become a teacher. I wanted a life of service spent with others who loved it, too, and religious life became very attractive. My love of God was also drawing me to continuous prayer and fuller participation in the Catholic Church.

I enjoyed volunteering so much that I wondered if I was doing it for the wrong reason. I was getting so much out of it and didn’t know if I was there primarily to help others. I prayed to be filled with love for them and a desire to serve out of that love. The warmth and energy I felt when God granted that prayer ended my doubts.

The Catholic Church became a place where I could dream, first the building and then the institution. At Mass or in quiet prayer, I felt hope: for a better world, for those in need, and for myself. There was no limit to what I could do with God at my side! I began to read Church documents and was inspired by the vision we aspire to.

But living Christian love is more than the ideals that excited me. It means loving people as they are, going beyond the ideal to the real, being in relationship when they’re not at their best and I’m not at mine. When I entered religious life, I soon saw what it was really like for the sisters to live together and share their lives. We’re steeped in God’s grace, but community life is grounded in the real world. It’s both the hardest part of religious life and the biggest blessing! I’ve had wonderful experiences of sisterhood and ones I wanted to run from. Sisters in community are human beings on a journey together. Being true companions means forming deep relationships based on the love of God and others.

Christian love helped me discern the call, and it helps me discern now. Discernment doesn’t stop after initial formation and final vows. We still discern about ministry and community decisions. The spiritual journey continues and we seek God’s will. I’m always trying to grow in Christian love, to become the best version of myself—who God calls me to be.

Discernment through love is part of the Felician community’s nature, to be both contemplative and active. Our life of service flows from prayer and living in God’s presence. We bring the people and situations of ministry back to prayer, lifting them up to God. The two aren’t separate, we strive to be centered and reflective in our active lives as well, living always in God’s presence and pray continually. This has been true from the beginning of our congregation and has always inspired me.

My current ministry is another story of how love helped me discern. I’m the archivist for our province. When I started, I was looking for a ministry that would allow me to give from my strengths and interests. I’m good at organizing systems and have a passion for history in general and Felician history in particular.  Being archivist lets me offer something practical and personal to my community. Preserving our legacy is my way of expressing love; having that offering valued is affirming.

The role shifted later. We hired student interns who handled daily tasks, making my role more educational as I gave instructions, supervised, and organized their work. When we merged those positions into one full-time Archive Assistant, I became her mentor. As a former teacher, being both archivist and educator allows me to give more from my strengths and passions. Working for my province connects me deeply to life of the community. I am able to give and receive abundantly.

      Experiencing and responding to God’s love inspired me to change course and dive into religious life. That same love has helped me mature as a Catholic Christian and a Sister, to enter wholeheartedly into my community. As I continue my journey, I hope to continue to grow in Christian love and become more and more like Jesus.

 

Faith: Anchors and Sails for the Journey

 

Faith provides both anchor and sails on the journey

On a recent retreat, I came across an image of faith that stayed with me. It described the life of a believer in terms of a sojourn on a sailboat. Faith is both an anchor and a sail, grounding us and moving us for the same reason: the Gospel. My faith empowers me to take a firm stance and to move beyond what I think is possible while also serving as a source of security and great adventure.

First, I was anchored. Through the sacraments, I became a daughter of God and member of the church. 

As I grew older, I developed a personal relationship with God and a prayer life that grounded me in what really matters. Knowing what's worth my time and energy helps me make meaningful choices. It's satisfying to live a life of purpose, led by Gospel values rather than wayward secular ideas.

Being anchored keeps me centered and gives me spiritual joy. When I'm not intentionally anchoring myself in the Gospel, it's easy to drift, like a boat moved by the current. When that happens, my faith acts as oars that push against the pressures of this world. 

It can be difficult to do this, to be countercultural in our society. Fortunately, a little faith goes a long way! Jesus promises, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you" (Matthew 17:20).

No matter where the winds carry me, God is always with me because he is a God of possibilities. My faith becomes a sail that, filled with the Holy Spirit, carries me to distant shores.

I used to live by secular values, and a big part of my conversion involved recognizing how limiting they are. I was once ambitious to be recognized for my gifts and talents, but once I began prioritizing service to others and contributing in community, I found deeper fulfillment. 

I also learned to seek wisdom, instead of intellectualism or worldly knowledge. I've been moving from my head to my heart and realized that God's possibilities are truly those of the heart! Faith opens me up to be in relationship and service with my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Another aspect of faith that inspires me is hope. It creates so much potential, since God's goodness makes anything possible. It's stronger than anything that can go wrong. As a believer, I trust that situations and people can turn out better. Hope moves me forward!

The Holy Spirit enkindles a bold faith within me, too. This one was trickier; there are definitely times that I'm more comfortable being anchored in faith than riding its sails. Lately, though, I've been growing in a boldness that is more authentic. 

Through reflection and prayer, I've tried to draw close to God while he draws close to me. In that experience of the indwelling, to hear both his voice and my own. I've begun to share with more authenticity and openness, to say what I've hesitated to say out loud before. It's brought me an inner freedom that has taken me in some promising directions.

Faith is both anchor and sail for me; it centers and frees me. It keeps me steady and moves me forward. When I am centered on Jesus and the Gospel, there's no limit to what I can do with God's help!

Consecrated and Counter-Cultural: Our Gift to the World

 

                 As religious sisters, our vowed life is distinctly counter-cultural. We follow Jesus in a public way that others witness. Through our consecration, we’re set apart to make a difference in this world. As women of the Church, we’re called to live a radical commitment to the Gospel. We’re a prophetic voice, speaking what the world needs to hear. It’s a bold, counter-cultural stance that frees us to reach for what is holy and to have a true spiritual adventure.  In my journey to living bold Christian joy, I’ve experienced the blessings of a Spousal relationship with God and the community. I’m pleased to share those graces with others.

                Jesus’ teachings often put Him at odds with the society of His time. He spoke about the value of the spirit of the law over its letter and included those on the margins of society. Like Jesus, we have a different perspective than the norm, but at heart, our way of being counter-cultural is about what we’re for, not what we’re against. In our vowed life, we bring the Gospel with us everywhere we go, whether it is welcome or not. We both stand for and stand up for these virtues.

 Like Jesus, we are set apart for others. His single life of itinerancy allowed him to lead, teach, and heal. He dedicated his time and energy to doing God’s will.  A big part of my call to religious life was a call to consecration, the pull of God, drawing me away from dating and other interests. I felt called to come apart for Him. At first, I didn’t realize how much that was meant for the good of others. Our Spousal relationship with God brings us closer to His children.

                We are consecrated for others, to help our brothers and sisters in Christ. We dare to be in relationship with those we serve, companions on the journey. The most powerful way we do this is through our communal witness. Part of that comes from the charity and ministry of the sisters as a community. So much of what we do is at the service of others! When we have advanced degrees, positions of authority, or receive any public acknowledgment, we use it to make our ministries more effective. We also dare to have empathy. It’s easy to get compassion fatigue living in this world; it can be stressful to care when faced with all of the suffering around us. But religious are committed to journeying with others as Sister.

 We live in community with a variety of personality types and backgrounds. Our shared mission, our call to serve God and His people, bring us together. We work to understand and appreciate each other so we can be interdependent. Our unity and common sense of purpose is a strong witness to a world that is polarized by its differences. A spirit of humility and a willingness to make sacrifices helps us to prioritize the needs of others. Another important aspect of our communal witness is that it’s easier for people to see how much peace and joy we have in this life of prayer, service, and simplicity. It’s a clear statement of what really matters.

                We can share the Gospel with the world because we’re anchored in these values. Our secure stronghold in the Way of Jesus gives us all we need to do this, but that connection doesn’t just happen. It’s something we work at, by prioritizing our prayer life. The daily schedule of prayer and Mass helps with this. I also keep Sunday as a focused Sabbath. It’s a day for prayer and connecting to my local community and family.  In addition, each year when I go on retreat, I take time to reflect on my vocation, so I can draw closer to what has nurtured me in my call to religious life. Being anchored keeps me centered and gives me spiritual joy.

                It’s daring to be joyful in this world. There’s much to be discouraged by, but Christian joy is founded upon God’s goodness. I once had my spiritual joy affirmed without realizing it. When I was a younger woman, my manager at work asked how I could be so steadily peaceful and positive. I told her it was because of my faith, but didn’t see it as joy at the time. Christian joy isn’t the same as worldly happiness. It’s deeper, more heartfelt and less situational. There are many reasons to be grateful, too. God created humanity in His own image. Society doesn’t always follow Jesus, but the people in it aren’t inherently bad.  There’s always hope.

                The very possibility of God becomes our sails. We’re not limited by our weakness or sins. We trust God’s mercy when we try again; our efforts alone are evidence of our faith. We know that with God’s help we can grow to our full potential and change the world. The Spirit fills us and carries us to distant shores!  When it comes to being human, we take Jesus as our model. The teachings and traditions of the Catholic Church contain beautiful ideals for living as He did; I have started to view the Church as a place to dream. When I go to Mass or visit churches, I can vision an abundance of possibilities for the world and my own personal growth. This is the most encouraging part of being a religious sister for me: how I’m becoming who God intended me to be.

                We have all we need to be radical in our faith. We dare to be bold. The first step is to let go of secular ideas that hold us back. I learned to seek wisdom, instead of intellectualism or worldly knowledge. I started to prioritize service to others and making contributions in community over personal ambition. I clarified what zeal meant; I used to recognize it by emotions like enthusiasm or excitability. Like joy, however, zeal goes beyond that. I see zeal in my sincere commitment and deep faith. Lately, I’ve been growing in a boldness that is more genuine. Through reflection and prayer, I’ve tried to draw close to God while He draws close to me, and in that experience of the Indwelling, to hear both His voice and my own. I’ve begun to share with more authenticity and openness, to say what I’ve hesitated to say out loud before. It’s brought me an inner freedom that has taken me in some promising directions.

                God’s call to me has been to spiritual joy and boldness, a life of authenticity and compassion. When I’m truly sister to others and anchored in the Gospel, anything is possible! A hope like this is a gift. This is only one part of the prophetic voice and counter-cultural stance that we as women of the Church offer to the world.

Trunk or Treat

 

A group of Felician sisters and staff participated in the Trunk or Treat event at the Montessori Center of Our Lady in Livonia on Friday, October 25^th. They decorated three cars for the children to stop at and handed out snacks and fun items to the “trunk or treaters.”

Volunteer in Mission director Julie Darocha’s décor included her dog, Lucy. Julie had on a bumblebee costume and Lucy wore a T-shirt that said “Cutest pumpkin in the patch.”

Luna, the Detroit convent dog, wore a matching T-shirt. They were made by Sister Mary Francis Lewandowski, whose car was decorated and manned by her, Sister Grace Marie Del Priore, and Alyssa Noch (the archive assistant), with help from Luna. Sister Francis and Alyssa dressed up as witches while Sister Grace was a pirate.

The third car belonged to Nancy Franke, Administrator of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Convent. She was joined by Sisters Mary Alfonsa Van Overberghe and Roseanne Marie Glaza. The trio dressed up as slices of pizza and distributed treats that a group of sisters from the convent worked together to assemble.

The Felician participants enjoyed seeing the adorable costumes the children wore and being outside in the autumn weather. It was a wonderful way to spend the afternoon.