My vocation story
SITTING HERE IN THE INTERNATIONAL NOVICIATE IN LIMA ,PERU, its over 40 years since I first visited a LSA community in Blackpool,Cork ,so many memories come to mind. ! A short versión of my vocation story might be contained in the verbs : to be ,to listen,to go ,to respond ,to risk,to dare ..and many others that would describe a calling that up to today gives me energy ,joy ,challenges and makes sense of my life.
I was born in the mid 5´s to working class parents in rural Ireland. We were 8 children,six girls and two boys. We grew up in a house where Mass and being part of the parish was as natural as the seasons. The faith,the church was central to our lives and we all took part in parish life ,religious ,and social aspects……… prayer and faith ,always present ,in a simple way…..
Like my other 5 sisters, I atended the local convent school for all my education. The Mercy nuns gave us a good education and a solid foundation in our catholic faith and taught us to participate in choirs and activities of the local community ,while having an eye on the world!
My parents had the faith inherited from their parents and in the ups and downs of life had learnt to trust in God and they in turn passed this faith on to us
Was it luck or the plan of God ,that I was a young teenager when Vatican Council 2 took place and with it changes in our understanding of God ,and of the church community, mabye even of the world …..
All of this amid the protest,questioning and rebellion of the 60´s. In rural Cork,we lived through all this in a quiet way but all around changes were happening
My generation saw the changes around theology ,where the image of God changed from being punitive to God of love and mercy……alongside the changing roles related to gender and power,participation.
If´´ grace builds on nature´´ from an early age I was I felt God close ,part of the world and a sense of connection with His presence and a searching for His will.
Through my love of nature and the example of lives of the many good people around me , the seeds were sown and in the middle of all the social changes in the world and I could hear a “ come follow me” I felt an attraction to Jesus and the gospels stories and the frequent question from “ the nuns “ did you ever think about giving your life to God” ? made me think .
So from an early age I wondered and felt the call to follow Jesus Christ….attracted by his life of compassion, healing ,of loving ,of surrender.
By the 70¨s fewer young people in Ireland,were taking the option for religious life ,looking back ,mabye I was very romantic and innocent but all the while my response to what I felt deep within was growning and calmly I waited.
In 1973 I wrote to the National Vocation Promotion Team asking for information , the answer arrived in a brown envelope contained all types of congregations ….and I decided to wait and get clearer as to what I really wanted to live . At that time, I became aware of the words like charism, discernment and stages of formation ,…….! the decisión was more complicated than I thought, ha ha!!!
Life continued ,I left home and got work in the city to see if I woul survive outside my town , and I did! ,Life was good ,friends,holidays ,dances …….but the call to follow remained in a gente whisper of “mabye theres more”
In 1975 ,I went to talk with Sr Pepetua,of the Mercy Congregation ,she had a friend a Sr Sheila ,in a convent in Cork ,and she thought for my personality and for what I was searching for ,I would find it there in this congregation that went out to the people .
So ,one Sunday ,she accompanied me and we attended a prayer afternoon at the convent in Blackpool. That day I met some sisters and it was the beginning of my journey to know and learn about the Little Sisters of the Assumption . As I heard just a little of their work and presence among the working class and poor of the North side of the city I was inspired by their lives of service ,relationships and simple presence .
There was no great fireworks but after meeting these sisters and feeling at home with them,when we left the convent that evening the growing “YES” within was voiced for the world to hear and my prayer was a gesture of open hands of trust and an open heart to the adventure ahead. All,all of life is gift!!
The accompaniment of my faith journey began and the different sisters responsable for the various stages of religious life helped me grow and take a free decisión.I remember the happiness I felt whan I “entered” in 1976……I had´nt a clue really, but .with a generosity that comes with being young and a sense of blessedness to take the path of life with and among the LSA community……the compass was set and the Light of the world would lead me….
Bernie O’Donovan( Little sister of the Assumption)