Sr. Beth

Avila, IN

20 years old

“Lord, teach me. Help me to know my vocation in life.” Bishop John D’Arcy has always encouraged the young people of the Diocese of Ft. Wayne-South Bend to be open to whatever vocation God has in store for them. Each year at the All-Schools Mass he encourages the students to say this prayer every day. I am very grateful for his wise advice!

I remember first thinking of religious life in first grade, when I had a Franciscan sister as a teacher. The thought returned in middle school, when I began to read the many biographies of Saints in the school library. I continued to pray daily that I might know my vocation, and I asked God to give me some sign. At the end of my eighth grade year, I attended my first vocation retreat with the Dominican Sisters of Mary. I immediately fell in love with the order. The sisters were so young, beautiful, and joyful! Their deep Eucharistic and Marian spirituality impressed me. I will never forget when Fr. Mickey said in one of his talks on that retreat: “If you’re looking for a sign, this is it!”

I attended a Catholic high school, where I was able to pray before the Blessed Sacrament each day. I gradually became convinced that I would someday apply to the Dominican Sisters of Mary, but I planned on finishing college first at the University of St. Francis, a local Catholic college. I remember telling some of my friends during my first semester of college that it wasn’t a question of if I would apply, but when. They then asked me why I was waiting, and I recalled that Sr. Joseph Andrew had asked me the same question when I spoke with her during my senior year of high school: “Why wait?” That question wouldn’t go away, no matter how hard I tried to convince myself that it would make more sense to finish college first. God kept giving me little nudges, providing all the signs I asked for and more. With the support of Fr. Erpelding, my pastor, I completed my application, and I was accepted on the fifth anniversary of my Confirmation. The Lord has given me the grace to respond to His call at this time in my life. I trust that He and His Mother will continue to teach me and guide me as I seek to do His Will.