Vocation Story 1...

Sister Kimberly
Have you ever thought about Religious Life? When God calls, will you choose to say yes?

Just like Mary was called to say “yes” to be the Mother of Jesus, I am called to say yes, to be Y.E.S. (Yahweh’s Eternal Servant). To be Yahweh’s Eternal Servant may take on many different forms of service but God invited me to answer His call to follow Him and serve His people through consecrated Religious Life with the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation in Valley City, North Dakota.

It was Monday, December 12, 1995 during a Teens Encounter Christ retreat weekend when I was able to fully understand what I was hearing. The voice of God was so loud and vivid that I remember every detail of what I heard. I remember the human person God used to invite me to pray about becoming a Sister, where I was sitting, the smell of the room, and so on. I remember thinking, “there is absolutely no way on God’s green earth that I am supposed to be a nun. My family would flip. For goodness sakes, I am not even Catholic!”

As those thoughts ran through my head, I opened my Bible and Jeremiah 1:5-8 was staring me straight in the face. The Lord said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.”

Jeremiah said to the Lord, “. . . I know not how to speak; I am too young.”

The Lord continued, “Say not, ‘I am too young.’ To whomever I send you, you shall go; whatever I command you, you shall speak. Have no fear before them, because I am with you to deliver you . . .”

From that very moment, I made a commitment to myself that I would do as the Lord asks of me. I continued praying that God’s will be done in my life and that I would have the courage to say yes, as did Mary. I converted to Catholicism at the age of 19 and began praying and discerning my vocation. I was blessed to have good friends, both lay and Religious to help me seek out God’s will.

One of the prayers that has really helped me to discern my vocation – and is taped to my mirror where I can see it each day – is, “God loves me more than I love myself. God desires my happiness more than I do. God knows best how I’ll be happy.” I am convinced this is true because I have tried many things to make me happy. Ultimately, I realized only God can make me happy.

My first visit to Maryvale, the provincial house of the Sisters of Mary of the Presentation in Valley City, North Dakota took place in April of 2003. I was struggling with what direction God was calling me. I believed I had been called to a religious vocation but it seemed that there were so many obstacles that were placed in my path and I was about to give up. When I arrived at Maryvale, it felt as if I hadn’t gone to visit an unknown Religious Community but rather that I had found my home.

After that weekend visit, I was invited to come live and work with the Sisters for the summer. This experience would also provide me an opportunity to pray with the Sisters and learn their way of life. When that summer ended, I returned back to the Peoria, Illinois area to finish my associate’s degree in elementary education at Illinois Central College. Meanwhile, my daily thoughts were not on my coursework. I was focused on the Sisters and I knew wholeheartedly that I was meant to be in this particular Religious Community.

Following my graduation at ICC, I returned to North Dakota and became a postulant. I lived in Harvey with a small community of Sisters where I worked as an assistant director of a daycare. I grew more in love each day with the community and its rich history and traditions. The Sisters positively challenged me to grow and stretch in ways that I never thought I would be able to.

On October 7, 2005, I was received as a novice and began a more intense study of myself, community life, prayer, history of Religious Life, history of the Church, and the history of who Jesus is.

I have had some struggles with homesickness, loneliness, and other frustrations. For the most part, however, I enjoy absorbing all the knowledge and wisdom that my Sisters share with me of what it means to live the consecrated life and what it means to live my life as a counter-cultural example. I continue to be amazed at what God is doing with my life. There is not a single day that I regret following Jesus’ call to follow Him. I’m the happiest I have ever been in my life. I’m privileged to have the opportunity to grow deeper in love and knowledge of my faith and relationship with the Lord through living in community with my Sisters.

I encourage all parents, families, teachers, friends, priests, and Religious to promote vocations everyday. I would suggest to anyone, who has thought about religious life to continue to pray, “God help me to want what you want me to be. And may I be the best at whatever you call me to be.”

I would also say continue to pray and participate in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass as often as possible. If the call continues, ask a priest or Religious for spiritual direction and visit several communities. Have everyone you know pray for you and with you. Then test out the waters and spend a significant amount of time with a Religious Community or at a seminary to see if it is a right fit for both you and that community. The Holy Spirit will speak to you and to the community as a means to find true happiness and that inner peace that only God can give.

Go to Vocation Story 2