Today’s vocation story comes from Sr. Carolyn Marie Betsch, CDP. Sister Betsch is a sister of the Congregation of Divine Providence in Melbourne, KY. She is a daughter of Assumption in Mt. Healthy and is currently serving as Principal of Our Lady Star of the Sea Elementary School in Solomons, MD.

My vocation story started in the grade school where I was taught by the CDPs. Just about every other year, my teacher was one of these mysterious, joyful women whom I admired from a distance.

When I got into the 5^th or 6^th grade, I started to stop by the church after our Girl Scout meetings. Sometimes the Sisters would be in church with their arms extended in the form of a cross. Later I realized that they were praying. Silently, I felt a connection…

In the Spring of my 8^th grade, I joined a group of girls who were going to the convent for a tour. From that introduction, I knew that I wanted to “enter the convent,” even though I had absolutely no idea what I was getting into. My prayer in church became “Jesus, I love you. Show me what you want me to do.” It was my mantra.

One evening, I went to my mother in the kitchen and asked her: “Mom, what would you say if I told you that I wanted to enter the convent?” She said: “Talk to your father.” So, I found my dad. He was sitting on his bed, buttoning his shirt for an evening of bowling. I don’t remember what I said to him, but I do remember him saying that he would be proud of me. So the next September 8^th, being all of 14 years old I entered the convent. Somehow, I thought being a “Sister” was instantaneous. I didn’t realize then that there would be four years of high school, a year of novitiate, and five or six years of annual profession of vows before the final yes. And even after that “final” yes, I came to realize there is no final yes, just a series of daily “yeses” that constitute and sum up vocation.

Often times people are shocked by the amount of work it takes to respond to a religious vocation. Have you looked into how much education and formation it requires to enter the religious life? Do you realize that each step along the way requires another “yes”? How are those “yeses” different than the choice to follow Christ each day of your life?

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