As the youngest of three children, I was the trouble maker of the family: drawing on the walls, flooding bathrooms, and making a mess when I was left alone. When I was in high school, I went to the Girls Camp in Big Bear held by the Sisters of the Society Devoted to the Sacred Heart (SDSH). I felt free to be myself there. It was the first time that I realized God was seeking out a relationship with me and He loved me, personally. Once, a Sister asked me if I thought about being a Sister. I told her plainly, “No.” I kept going back to help at the camps but the thought always stayed in the back of my mind.
I went to college at University of California, San Diego (UCSD) where my faith started to become my own, not just my family’s. I helped lead Bible studies in a Christian fellowship called InterVarsity and was also involved in the Newman Club. These communities drew me into a deeper relationship with Jesus and brought me to know Jesus as someone with a heart for all His people. I graduated with a degree in International Studies and was open to do His will. Throughout my discernment, I was talking to the Vocations Director of SDSH, who helped me walk through God’s call for me. At the same time, I had a good job, was dating a very good Catholic young man, and was happy. But there was a part of me that knew there was something missing. It was only in Mass or praying in front of the Blessed Sacrament where I felt most fulfilled.
I still remember when I heard God calling me so clearly and yet mysteriously during Mass one day. It was not with a voice I could hear, but in the depths of my heart I knew He was calling my name and wanted me right now. After I said “yes” to God in my heart, told the Sisters, my family and friends, I found an overwhelming peace I have never felt before; my family saw a confidence in me they have never seen before. Having entered SDSH two years earlier, I was filled with gratitude and deep joy to make my First Profession of Vows on March 30, 2019. Please keep me in your prayers!