As we thought and prayed last week for young men being called to the priesthood, and the encouragement they need, let us, in this month of May, Mary’s Month, pray and encourage young women in their call to serve Jesus and His Church in the Religious life too.

I recently read that on a recent feast of Our Lady a young woman became a novice with a traditional religious order after she saw their devotion to Mary and counter-cultural witness to Jesus. Taking the name Sister Marie-Celine, Erin Kelly joined the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, an order in Massachusetts in the USA that focuses on Marian devotion according to Saint Louis de Montfort. (1673-1716)

“The sisters and brothers were the ones, by their teaching and example, with the help of God’s grace, who inspired me to try the religious life,” Sr Marie-Celine said. “Seeing religious in full habits, living a life so contrary to today’s world – a life of dedication to God and His work, of selfless love – is such a beautiful and refreshing thing unknown to most. I wanted to be a part of that.”

The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart are a community of religious brothers and sisters for whom the writings of St Louis de Montfort, especially “True Devotion to Mary,” make up the essence of life. “We renew the consecration daily, and the 33 days of readings for Total Consecration yearly,” she explained. “Everything about ourselves and our work is given to Jesus through Mary – in all we do, our life is a prayer.”

Sr Marie-Celine reflected on God’s call in her life, saying that while she had considered the possibility of dedicating my life to God throughout secondary school and college, she quickly became involved in the world after graduating and slowly started to “drown out the idea of religious life.” Could that be a call those around us in St Mary’s are also hearing?

She greatly enjoyed work and travel, the power of independence, and the fun she was having. “Yet in the midst of my worldly experience, a solitary thought constantly pricked my mind which I could not evade – ‘what am I doing with my life?’ Aside from learning life lessons, I was wasting time. I wasn’t satisfied with the superficial happiness and unrest the world gave me, and the idea of a vocation started to resurface.”

After searching she found a community living a life of total consecration to Jesus through Mary. “They were doing things for God alone. That is what I lacked in the world, a supernatural motive, a striving for eternal life with God.” Let’s encourage those hearing Christ’s call, the Christ who said, “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

Fr David Jones, OLW