Sr. Chelsea Michelle

Little Silver, NJ

22 years old

As a child I remember being very touched by the life and work of Mother Teresa. I was extremely fascinated by her life of sacrifice and commitment to defending the dignity of every human being. I was amazed by her love for God and my heart longed to have this sort of intimacy with Him. I developed an openness to religious life because I felt that there was nothing more beautiful than the life of Mother Teresa.

As I grew older, I continued to feel that God could possibly call me to become a sister. I wasn’t sure what to do with this feeling, so I just went along with the normal order of things. My life revolved around family, friends, school, and track. In my senior year of high school, I became ill with Lyme disease and I felt a strong tug on my heart to develop a deeper relationship with the Lord. On the day that John Paul the Great passed away, my heart was drawn back to the Lord in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. My heart found peace on that day and God’s grace started pouring out in my life.

I attended Quinnipiac University in the fall, where I found a great Catholic community that fostered my spiritual growth. As my faith grew stronger, the conviction that the Lord was calling me to Himself grew even stronger. I began to really discern God’s will in my life. Soon after, Sister Joseph Andrew came to Quinnipiac to give a retreat. Upon meeting her, I knew that the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist were the community where I would grow in my relationship with the Lord. I went on the May discernment retreat and my heart desired to enter immediately. However, it seemed that the timing wasn’t right and through much prayer, I knew that my vocation at the time was to be a college student. When I entered my senior year, my heart grew incredibly restless. I had become completely consumed by school and track. I knew that I needed some help getting my spiritual life together. During this time, God blessed me with a wonderful spiritual director who helped me recognize God’s grace working in my life. I decided to discern my vocation more deeply by going on the Sisters’ May discernment retreat. As I knelt before the Eucharist, the Lord blessed me with a tremendous sense of peace and I knew that the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist were where my heart would finally rest in Him. A special thanks to Father Jonathan Kalisch and Father Paul Check for all your guidance and direction!