Laboure Society
“My name is Isabella Orendain. I am discerning a call to offer my life in service to Christ and His Church as a religious sister with the Daughters of the Work of Mary. This is my story. ”
Meet the rest of my class
My name is Isabella Orendain. I am discerning a call to offer my life in service to Christ and His Church as a religious sister with the Daughters of the Work of Mary. This is my story.
I grew up with a single mother and sibling in San Diego, California. Though I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools, the faith of my childhood was just something we did. My heart didn’t really fall in love with God until one life-changing prayer before Our Lady of Guadalupe.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I, like many, sought consolation in the Faith. One day in church, someone mentioned the power of praying to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots, so I knelt before an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe and asked her assistance.
From that day on, I was drawn deeper into love with God by the richness of the traditions of our Catholic Faith. I began to see the cross not as a mere symbol, but as the love of my life and the reason for my existence. The reverence, silence, and sacredness of the Traditional Latin Mass captured my heart. After reading the Diary of St. Faustina, I was inspired by her willingness to surrender everything to God, and the desire began to stir in me to do the same.
In prayer, I found myself returning over and over again to the Agony in the Garden. I wanted to be with Jesus in this moment, to surrender as He did to the will of the Father. More than anything, I wanted to give my life to the Church for the salvation of souls – especially those of my loved ones.
As I follow God’s calling to religious life, I seek others to accompany me on this journey. May we meet so that I can share more? Until then, please keep me and my classmates in prayer, and feel free to reach out to me at IsabellaOrendain@rescuevocations.org.
Download a PDF of my story
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