Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity were invited to respond to questions about a call to be a Consecrated Woman Religious from young people of the Antigo Area Catholic Parishes. Sister Annette Kurey, Sister Laura Wolf, Sister Cecilia Joy Kugel and Postulant Katie Logan’s comment below. This is Part 2 of a series. Part I can be read here.
Do you ever wonder what married life would be like?
Sister Annette: When my brother fell in love and got married it was hard for me because it “looked” so wonderful!
Sister Laura: When I was very young trying to decide if the call to serve God was authentic, I wondered what it would be like to get married. In fact I once worked with a young man who taught with me and I thought that maybe he would be a good husband. As I prayed about it, however, I knew he be a good husband for someone else but not for me. After that I stopped thinking about marriage as I knew this was the life for me.
Sister Cecilia Joy: I dated a man for two and a half years before becoming a sister, so I have a good sense of what married life could potentially be like. Marriage is a beautiful vocation, but it is not one that God has called me to.
Postulant Katie: I had some wonderful examples of married life as I grew up. Yes, I dated and there was a point where I really saw the potential to be married and had always felt a desire to be a mother. But then God drew my heart in another direction. God showed me that He was calling me to discern the call to be a spiritual mother to many, as the spouse of Christ as a Religious Sister through the prayer, service, and life of a community.
Was it hard to become a Nun?
Sister Annette: I guess I did expect Religious life to be hard like any thing we undertake in life. But in community there is always another Sister to share with and together you work it out and get another perspective.
Sister Laura: It was not hard becoming a nun for me. I was with a wonderful group of friends who were also discerning becoming Sisters. We learned how to put our trust in God and let him lead us to the right life for us. Some stayed to become sisters some went home, married and had families. We all learned how to pray to God to lead us on the right path for us. I am still friends with many of these folks and know that I made the right choice and so did they.!
Sister Cecilia Joy: There are definitely challenges, but God uses them to make us the best that we can be. There is joy in everything, if only we know where to look.
Postulant Katie: I am at the beginning of my formation experience as I am finishing my postulant year with the Franciscan Sisters. With family and friends in the military I can really see a comparison as I reflect back, to entering the convent like entering a military bootcamp. Now, you may think that is a funny comparison and of course there are some obvious differences but the concept is the same. You are being prepared for the life in the specific Religious Order in which you are entering. This includes the spiritual and physical and communal and ministry expectations. You are being formed in the areas that are necessary for you to be most successful in living your life vocation as a Religious Sister in community. So with that being said it can be a challenge as you bring your life experience and have to then start at a basic level to learn a whole new way of life. But the Sisters walk with you each step of the way to guide and teach in order to know if God is calling you to the community and also the community discerns you to see if you are a good fit for them.
What made you choose the religious life and how is it different from what you expected?
Sister Annette: Truly my life has been so blessed in so many ways. I can’t even begin to list all His goodness to me. I am so grateful that God called me here to be a Franciscan Sister of Christian Charity.
Sister Laura: The Lord gave me the grace to answer the call to religious life. It is different than what I expected because I thought Sisters just prayed all day and did lots of penance and kneeling all day. Instead, I found it to be life of service, community, and great peace. The Sisters love each other and the people they serve. We have been blessed with a good education and many different opportunities to serve.
Sister Cecilia Joy: I wouldn’t say that I “chose” religious life, but that religious life kept banging on my door, and I eventually answered God’s call. Religious life is not that fantasy they sometimes portray in movies. There can be many difficult and challenging moments, but God gently walks through them with us. We are never alone.
Postulant Katie: I said yes and chose to follow the call from God to discern the Religious Sister vocation. How has it been? Ask me that question in a few years. 🙂