Sr. Heather Marie, OLS
When I was a child, I saw a picture of a Discalced Carmelite sister in my grandparents' home. I remember thinking, 'I want to be like her.' I sensed a profound peace through her example, and I experienced the Presence of the Living God. I was deeply inspired to dedicate my life in the same way. However, as I grew older, I began planning my life. I aspired to become a pharmacist, do missionary work, marry, raise a family, and live in southern Louisiana. But in the course of 'my planning', God began to reveal His plan, and it was very different from mine.
When I was 15, a beloved teacher was diagnosed with terminal cancer. I encountered the Presence of the Living God once more in her joyful suffering. She encouraged me to grow in my Catholic faith and challenged me to embrace it. I began to understand the spiritual reality of living by faith, not by sight (cf. 2 Cor. 5:7). Her examples of virtue and holiness prompted me to live out my faith more radically, and I could not deny it.
A few years later, preparing for and receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation was another encounter with God's vocational call to me. Strengthened as a soldier of Christ, I had a burning desire to devote my life to the mystery and treasure of our faith: Jesus Christ. This third encounter led me to acknowledge for the first time the real possibility of becoming a religious sister.
Uncertain how to proceed with my desire, I trusted God's guidance. I attended the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, initially studying pharmacy as planned, when the fourth encounter happened. I met the Sisters of Our Lady of Sorrows at Our Lady of Wisdom Church and Catholic Student Center. This fourth stepping stone led me to the door of God's will for my life, through which I happily walked 12 years ago. The sisters' lives of prayer, sacrifice, charity, and commitment to their vows and consecration inspired me to live the same way.
I joined the OLS Congregation in 2013, took my first vows in 2018, and my perpetual vows in 2023. In the peace and gratitude of my call, I would encourage young women who may hear His call to be courageous and generous with the Lord. It's not a call to fear, but a call of love waiting for a response of love.
