Laboure Society
“I had the most beautiful intimacy with Jesus in the Eucharist, and knew that that was where I wanted to be for the rest of my life.”
Meet the rest of my class
My name is Katie Power. I am called to immerse myself in prayer supported by faith, hope and charity as a nun with the Discalced Carmelites of St. Therese of Lisieux. This is my story.
When I was young, I attended Mass on Sundays, prayed with my family, and went to religious education classes, but I didn’t truly invite God into my life. My older sister, though, had a strong faith life, which influenced me. I saw her love for Jesus and thought, “Maybe there is something to that.”
One day in high school, everything changed. I was listening to the radio when a secular song came on with the lyrics: “I’m the song that’s promising you all your wants and needs…Oh, how you want it to be real, and it can be… If you only live in me.” Suddenly, I knew at that moment that Jesus was talking to ME! It was Him, calling out to me with a deep, personal love, begging me to let Him love me, and to love Him back. This personal encounter with God as a real person who exists, and intimately knows, loves and speaks to me, was the greatest moment of my life! I knew that the deepest longings and desires of my heart could be satisfied in the person of Jesus Christ – all I needed to do was talk with Him.
After my personal conversion, I spent four years at Franciscan University of Steubenville. In my junior year, I felt that the Lord was calling me to discern religious life. I was not ready to hear this, though, as I had wanted to get married and have children.
I studied abroad in Austria, where I met three wonderful Franciscan Sisters, and saw them as they truly are—funny, joyful, peaceful, youthful, feminine women! The Sisters showed me that a vocation is a result of the Lord using your gifts, talents, desires, personality, and experiences to bring you to a life which allows you to receive the fullness of His love, and spread it to others. I realized that the deepest desires I had—to be loved and to love—could be fulfilled in the religious life just as much as in marriage.
During Eucharistic adoration on my last night in Austria, I said to the Lord, “I just need you to be very clear and very obvious. Which is it? Marriage or religious life?” He answered: “Religious life.” Once back on campus, I experienced the most beautiful intimacy with Jesus in the Eucharist. I knew that union was what I desired for the rest of my life, and that ultimately, that is the cloistered life. The Lord spoke to me once more in adoration, and it was as if He proposed. I joyfully responded with a heartfelt yes!
In my senior year of college, I had an incredible encounter with St. Therese through her autobiography, The Story of a Soul. Therese, her Little Way, and her emphasis on God’s Merciful Love drew me into a deep understanding of my vocation. God was calling me to be love.
My spiritual director told me about a community of Carmelites that resonated with me. Their order is founded on essentials of my own spirituality: a deep relationship with Our Lady, a love for Jesus in the Eucharist, and intimate union with God in prayer.
The Carmelites of St. Therese of Lisieux promise to live in the cloister all their life, carrying out the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Their daily lives revolve around prayer, spiritual reading, and various manual labors, all offered for souls, particularly for the Church, priests, and missions. I look forward to living in a constant spirit of prayer and reparation for souls, that all may know of Christ’s deep, personal love and be united with Him eternally in Heaven.
Please pray for me and my fellow Labouré classmates as we begin the journey to formation. Feel free to reach out with any questions you might have at: katiepower@rescuevocations.org.
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