Sr. Regina

Clearwater, FL

23 years old

I’ve begged God to tell me His Will for my life ever since my Confirmation. Of course, I was hoping for something unmistakable, like a booming voice or a billboard, or maybe a burning bush. But God has other ways of speaking.

I first thought about becoming a sister when I was 14. I had never met a nun, and my family was not particularly religious. But suddenly, this "call" to love the Lord in a special way and spread His Gospel was everywhere – in music, in prayer, in the middle of the Homecoming dance. I had lots of crushes, but couldn’t shake the feeling that Jesus was all I wanted.

But I didn’t know of an order that even allowed visitors my age, so I started classes at Florida State. I busied myself with school and the Catholic Student Union. The Brothers of Hope, Fr. Eddie Jones, and countless other clergy, religious, students, and laypeople gave me constant support.

When asked about the future, I said I was going to be a professor. But as my junior year drew to a close and my dating relationship ended, the quiet, steady knocking of the Lord on my heart grew louder. When several acquaintances recommended "these great Sisters in Ann Arbor," I looked at their website and found everything I desired in a community. Before I knew it, I was on a vocation retreat! There, in front of the Eucharist, I realized fear was the only reason I would not pursue religious life. I feared being wrong, being laughed at, being presumptuous. I even feared this community’s intense love for Our Lady. But God quietly assured me that He would lead me (and He has!).

After the retreat, I figured I was probably called to religious life, but where? I loved the Sisters of Mary, but it couldn’t be that easy, could it? It seemed to me that any young woman would be crazy not to love them. I still had this vague sense that in order to grow in holiness, everything had to be hard, unappealing, and unnatural. And spending time with these sisters seemed easy, appealing, and natural!

Then, months later, I ran into some Sisters of Mary in Naples, FL. I only spoke to them for 15 minutes, but it was like electricity – I couldn’t stop thinking about it! A few days later, I dreamt about these sisters and woke up realizing, "God wants my joy! He made me for joy!" And I knew immediately that nothing in the world could bring me more joy than coming home to the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist!