On this day thirty-five years ago I entered this Ursuline family. There were four very young women from St. Mary of the Woods Parish in Whitesville who came to the beautiful campus of Mount Saint Joseph, home of the Ursuline Sisters that day in response to a call that could not be ignored. We entered around 3:30pm and became postulants. There were six total. I recall so vividly the feelings of excitement and anxiety as we were welcome by the seven other young sisters in the Novitate at the time who greeted our families and carried our belongings up the four flight of stairs in Bethany to the dorm.
My father and two sisters came with me, and I remember feeling commissioned by the parish that morning as the closing song for Mass that day was, ” Sent Forth by God’s Blessing”. I still recall this day every time I hear that song because it really did feel like a commissioning and sending forth blessing from the faith community where I was baptized.
The journey has been a blessing and today as I return to the Mount, “holy ground” I am filled with gratitude for my family who nutured me and my call, and to my sisters in community who radiated the joy and continue to radiate the joy of being in love with God and pouring out their gifts in generosity and service to God’s people.
Strange, I never would have dream 35 years ago, that I would be in the position as Director of Vocation Ministry seeking new members for this community which I love. I heed Angela’s words, “…act, move, believe, strive, cry out to God with all your heart, and you will see marvelous things.”