Sr. Mary Therese

I was born in East York (Toronto), but I call Trenton my home as that is where I did most of my growing up. My family moved there in the late 80’s so that we would eventually have a house of our own. I have three older siblings and one younger sister with whom I am particularly close as we are only 13 months apart.

I grew up in a loving family and my parents were both raised Catholic, but at the time I was born they weren’t practicing, so apart from receiving Baptism in infancy, my connection with God was quite limited until we started attending a Pentecostal church when I was 4 or 5. It was there that I first gave my life to Christ, accepting Him as my Saviour. I soon became a very devout child, aware of God and His presence in my life. When I was a little older, my family returned to the Church and began attending weekly Mass and slowly growing in the practice of the Catholic Faith. My greatest witness and influence to Christian charity and piety are still my parents. My father regularly helps those who are less fortunate, even those in his own family, and my mother has perseveringly prayed the daily rosary for many years now. Although my parents did their best, they sadly were not equipped to impart a good Faith formation during those critical years before high school which would prove detrimental.

High school and adolescence would prove to be a rocky period in my relationship with God and I fell away from the practice of my Catholic Faith. I adopted a way of life not compatible with a relationship Christ. It was in my first year at the University of Guelph that God intervened in a powerful way that led to my reversion to the Catholic Faith. This singular grace led me to come back to Christ in fervent prayer, frequent reception of sacraments and ridding myself of those practices that were incompatible with Him. It was around this time too that I started having the inkling of a religious vocation.

The call to religious life was not very easy for me, for I felt very unworthy due to my past and tried to avoid the whole idea initially. Christ was more persistent! I originally assented to visit a convent in order to prove to God that a vocation to religious life wasn’t for me, but little by little I was convinced of His call. I met the Sisters of Our Lady Immaculate in 2007 and was immediately drawn to the charism of teaching the Faith and living religious life faithfully, as well as their deep Marian and Eucharistic spirituality. I entered in 2009, professed my first vows in 2012 and my final vows on August 15th, 2017. I am deeply grateful to God for the gift of this vocation and His grace!

Sr. Mary Isadore

I’m originally from South Africa, where Catholics are a tiny minority. My parents were very devout and open about the Faith, but I never saw women religious while growing up. As a result, religious life didn’t seem like a concrete possibility. I had – and still have – a great love for drawing, so after moving to Canada with my family, I pursued the arts instead. I enjoyed studying and working in the field, but something was missing. Even though I continued to practice my Catholic faith (or more likely, because of it), I had a growing sense that I wasn’t quite where God wanted me.

Prayer ultimately opened my heart to my religious vocation. It happened one Lent during a 40 Days for Life campaign in my Canadian hometown. Praying in front of the hospital was difficult for many reasons, not the least of which was an often manifested hostility to Christ. Providentially, however, more and more local churches at that time started offering holy hours of Adoration. I found very great peace in the presence of Our Lord, and the courage to persevere,

At the Chrism Mass at the end of that Lent, I met Mother St. Henry SOLI. She was the first religious I had ever seen in real life. She was blatantly fishing for vocations, but her invitation to “come be a nun!” planted a genuine seed in my heart. Something I had never considered before had become a real possibility. After that, each step toward religious life brought a peace and joy deeper than any surface difficulties or fears. Now I am preparing to make my perpetual profession as a Sister of Our Lady Immaculate. I thank you for your prayers. I know that they have helped me, and many others, to recognize and accept Christ’s invitation.

Sr. Margaret Mary 

Answering Love’s Call 

I was raised in Westville, a small town in northern Nova Scotia, and was very blessed to grow up in a loving Catholic family. My parents quietly modelled in both word and deed genuine care, concern, and respect for the dignity of others. Even though I outwardly practiced my Faith, I didn’t have a deep and personal relationship with God. My life centred around me: my hopes, my dreams, my plans, rather than inviting God into every part of my life and making Him its centre. I never thought to actually ask God what His plan was for my life, especially with regard to my vocation. Religious life was the furthest thing from my mind. I was certain that I would meet the perfect Catholic gentleman, get married, and have lots of children. I never imagined that God could have a much different and even better plan for me.

As time wore on, I began to notice that God was changing my heart, expanding it and filling it with a superabundance of love. Now, every time I thought about marriage, it felt as if God was gently tugging at my heart, calling me to share this great love with more than just my own family. I tried everything to satisfy this deep desire: I changed careers, I went back to college and became more involved in my parish, but it didn’t seem to be enough. Instead, the call only got louder. I felt so confused and completely at a loss with how to proceed. It was only after several people asked me if I thought of becoming a religious sister, that I finally began to consider that I might be called to religious life – and the very thought terrified me. I did my best to avoid thinking about this, but I couldn’t ignore the constant questioning from my family and friends, who had noticed that somehow, I had changed. The more I protested and denied this fact, the louder Love’s call grew in my heart.

Thanks be to God that He is so merciful and patient with even the most stubborn of us! Now that my heart was finally ready, God set His plan in motion. I moved to Ontario with my parents in mid-July, 2009 on a Thursday and scheduled my first visit to the Sisters of Our Lady Immaculate for that weekend. I will never forget the inexpressible peace and joy that I experienced from the moment that I walked through the convent door. I felt like I was finally home. By the end of that visit I was almost certain that I was meant to enter this community, but I had lingering doubts, despite wholeheartedly embracing my religious vocation. Knowing that it was now or never, I prayed like I had never done before to know if it was God’s will for me to become a religious with the Sisters of Our Lady Immaculate. As soon as I received our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament and was returning to my pew, I heard God’s gentle, loving voice deep within my heart: “I love you. You are Mine. I want you to be My little bride right here.” 

 Finally, I received my answer. Without hesitation I began the application process and entered the community on January 1, 2010. I professed my Perpetual Vows on August 15, 2018. My heart is full of joy and gratitude to God for fulfilling my heart’s every desire!