By Sister Magdalene Grace, O.C.D.
I am a cradle Catholic and grew up surrounded by the Sacraments and praying the Rosary as a family every Sunday. I went to Catholic schools from pre-school to 9th grade and then transferred to public school for the remainder of my high school years. During high school, I was like most teenagers and got caught up in popularity, sports, academics, parties and boys. My senior year I started seriously dating a young man with hopes of marriage. Becoming a religious sister was clearly not on my radar.
For college I attended a Catholic University in Columbus Ohio; Ohio Dominican University and majored in nursing. While at ODU, I met students who were involved in Saint Paul’s Outreach, a Catholic movement that serves campus students and young adults by witnessing to the Gospel on college campuses. I was invited to a ‘Fan into Flame’ retreat in which for the first time, I had a true encounter with Jesus Christ and knew I needed to get more involved.
In my sophomore year of college, I joined a Saint Paul’s Outreach woman’s household where I lived with other faith-filled women who desired to live a life of prayer and service. We prayed, ate meals together, and encouraged one another in our relationship with Our Lord. As a result, I started to pray a daily holy hour in our campus Chapel and it was during this time of silence with Our Lord, that I heard him call me to be His bride.
I remember walking into the Chapel for my daily holy hour at ODU and as I walked down the aisle, I was imagining my wedding day… Like most girls, I had always dreamed of a life of marriage, family and children. I reached the end of the aisle and at that moment my eyes were drawn to look up and before me was an image of Jesus’ face. My eyes met His and at that moment I heard Jesus speak to me in the depths of my heart: “I will be the one at the end of the aisle someday.” It was in that moment that I knew Our Lord was calling me to be His bride.
I ran from this realization for several months hoping that it was all in my head, but the Lord continued to pursue me. During this time of running, I was constantly encountering religious sisters whether in person, at a Catholic conference or on television! My desire to be His alone continued to grow until I knew that I could run no longer. I finally gathered up the courage to break up with my boyfriend of almost three years, I found a spiritual director and started looking at religious communities. When I met the Carmelite Sisters, I immediately felt at home and a strong sisterly bond. I entered as a candidate after completing nursing school in August of 2012.
