Q & A with Sr. Grace

Sister Grace, now that you are in active ministry, do you have any special books you like to read?
  On the secular front, I just finished reading the Hunger Games series, which I thought had a surprisingly compassionate and realistic view of war, specifically in terms of survivor guilt and PTSD. It really didn't glorify the violence, and the dystopian future was well-presented, though it was rather heavy-handed and awkwardly written as teen fiction can be at times. I like to read Roger Ebert's website of movie reviews; he writes eloquently. It might seem like a strange thing to say about a movie critic, but there it is!

What about your spiritual reading? Any favorite authors?
 I like to read anything by Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen, and the writings of Blessed Mary Angela. There is so much to reflect upon for just a sentence of Merton; Nouwen's works are both down-to-earth and deeply spiritual. When I listen to spiritual music, I like mantras and the melodies of popular hymns without words. They both relax and help me to center.

 Prayer can be as individual as the person praying … do you have any “must say” prayers?

 In terms of prayer, I like to pray the Regina Caeli year-round (except during Lent, of course; too many alleluias) and "Loving mother of the redeemer, star of the sea..." I really value the quiet time with the Lord, where I don't say anything, and I try to listen to what the Lord has to say to me.

 Now that you are back to your teaching ministry, there must be some funny stories already … do you have any that stand out?

 We've been back at school for almost 2 weeks. One time, I was reading to them from a humorous chapter book; one of the characters said that he did not wear socks because he was smarter without them. Later on, one of the students asked if she could take off her socks because they were soggy from the puddle outside. As she sat, sockless in her school shoes, I couldn't resist asking her: "So, Kayla, do you feel smarter?" to which she responded, "Actually, I do!" I was out of school one day because I was at the temporary professed event. They read a story with the substitute about a girl named Lydia Grace who lived in Chicago. The next day I was going over the story with them, when one of them corrected my pronunciation saying, "Sister, her name is 'Leedia'." You see, the substitute is from Mexico, and she has an accent.