My Vocation Story

Recently, while riding across the Winyah Bay Bridges in South Carolina we could see clearly the roadway but not the river or marina below due to impenetrable fog. The sun, however, was visibly trying to “burn off” the fog. The fog and the sun reminded me of my vocation story as I had spent quite a bit of time “in a fog” with the Son trying to get through.

In my Mom’s last years, she said, “You always wanted to be a Sister.” What a surprise! I hadn’t realized how long the “Sister” theme had been part of me. I remembered the “I’m going to be a movie star” theme and the “I’m getting married and having 12 little boys!” theme. I even had the father of my children picked out! But Mom was right, as usual; these phases and many others temporarily tickled my imagination but had no roots. “Sister”, on the other hand, was no phase. Fog clouds reality!

The Daughters of Charity were part of my life all through my school years. They were not just educators, but Sisters who took us to visit shut-ins and people in Nursing Homes. The Sisters – in those days – could only go out in “two’s”. Sometimes there was no other Sister available and I substituted. In second grade, I remember walking hand-in-hand with Sister Angela to the Library. I also did a good bit of helping after school – so much so that my Dad said that he always knew where I was.

My best girlfriend, Dorothy and I were Children of Mary in grade school and attended a Marian Celebration in Emmitsburg. It was then that the two of us decided to become Daughters of Charity – right there and then – not even go home. That lasted until Sister Elizabeth said that everybody had to get on the bus.

Our high school years were years of suffering for Dorothy who had cancer of the brain. She died when we were sixteen. I had visited her and prayed for her constantly throughout her illness and couldn’t understand why such a good person had to suffer so much. To be honest I said a few very strong things to God about the matter and was surprised to find that the call to become a Sister still persisted.

Now I recognize that the next period of my life was serious vocational discernment and, believe me; I went through in grand adolescent style! I couldn’t just be content to accept God’s call, I had to discuss and re-discuss all of my life’s possibilities and argue with Him all of the pros and cons as I saw them. I might note here that my Mom patiently heard it all too. When I finally gave up and accepted the call, I was both at peace and “ant-sy” too. I wanted to choose what “kind of Sister” to become – not just enter the Daughters of Charity because I had been “around them” most of my life. Having several girlfriends who also wanted to be Sisters was a big help. I went along with them when they visited “their Sister”. None of these experiences felt quite right and though I couldn’t understand why, I felt good about that.

One day, I was visiting Sister Anna Francis Moran at St. Dominic, when my third grade Sister (of whom, as a little kid, I had been afraid) came to the door and asked for something. Sister Anna Francis rose, smiled and left to help the Sister. The Sister’s face changed from gruff to relief and smile. That instance, that act of kindness was it! Yes, I would become a Daughter of Charity! I was at peace. I did not have any idea of what lay ahead, but I knew that it was right and what God wanted.

The Son had “burned off” the fog.