I had the opportunity to immerse myself in the sacramental life of the Church when I went off to college. I was so hungry to deepen my faith and to receive Jesus in the Eucharist that though over an hour away by foot, I joyfully make the trek a few times each week to attend Mass. I also began attending confession on a regular basis, and eagerly embraced the chance to deepen my connection to God and His Church as much as my school schedule permitted.

I found myself drawn to the contemplative silence of Eucharistic adoration. During this sacred time, I could unite with God in the quiet recesses of my heart. It was in those moments of stillness, gazing upon the Blessed Sacrament, that I felt the presence of God enveloping me. In those times with the Lord, I found solace, clarity, and the assurance that I was exactly where I was meant to be.

Yet, I had a natural desire for marriage and family life. I faced an internal struggle—a battle between my personal desires and the subtle promptings of the Holy Spirit. During prayer, I would tell the Lord simply, ‘that’s not what I want’ whenever the nudging of a vocation to religious life appeared. Yet I had never really given the idea of religious life a chance to root.  As I continued to pray and discern God’s will for my life, I felt the walls of resistance crumbling around me, replaced by not only a profound sense of surrender and trust, but of absolute peace. This peace was absent whenever I imagined and prayed about a possible life as a mother and wife.

It was a gradual process, but with each passing day, my resolve to love and trust the Lord grew stronger as my stubbornness crumbled, and my heart grew more attuned to the gentle working of His divine grace. Through my love for Him, I began to embrace the possibility of a vocation to religious life.

I chose to discern with the Sister Servants of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus for several reasons: Their traditional, contemplative-active Franciscan approach to religious life, which brings together prayer and active service, is exactly the balance in a religious community that I am seeking; their focus on education and catechesis aligns perfectly with my passion for sharing the faith with others through educational ministry; their profound devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus mirrors my own spiritual devotion and provides a solid foundation for my journey.

The balanced lifestyle of prayer and service within the Sister Servants offers an approach to religious life that deeply appeals to me. Their way of life and how they pray and serve in the Church are what I have been seeking. I am so excited at the thought of entering their community and getting to live with them as the bride of Christ!