CALLED TO SERVE

Crossing the Borders into Religious Life with Faith

On August 22, 2009, three women entered the novitiate of the Sisters of the Divine Savior in Milwaukee. They were asked to consider this step in light of the theme, Crossing the Borders and their own call to vowed life.

The reflection by Debbie Breese was printed in the VMMA insert, published in the Catholic Herald on 09/10/2009. Following, are the reflections of Mary Kestell and Janice Hartman.

Janice Hartman, SDS

JANICE HARTMAN

As a child, I wanted to be a religious sister but was a member of another Christian Church and put the idea on hold for decades. I married young and had nine children. I was interested in the Catholic Church and was baptized with seven of my children. Then I received First Communion and was confirmed.

We had moved to Alabama and my Catholic parish was a Godsend. This faith community was family and friend to me. My husband had left our family and later died. Life was a struggle. I kept praying, going to church, paying the bills. Then our house started to fall apart. Our parish, Habitat for Humanity – friends and strangers helped to build a four bedroom, two bath home for us. As the children grew up and began to leave home, I continued to work and volunteer at my parish. I was a catechist in faith formation, a lector and Eucharistic minister. I helped to stuff countless envelopes for church mailings.

A friend from church was interested in becoming a Sister of the Divine Savior. She invited me to dinner the night several Salvatorian Sisters were visiting. Later, I went to a Come and See weekend in Wisconsin with several other women who will be entering the novitiate with me this fall. Some of the borders I crossed when I entered SDS included age, faith tradition, my own misconceptions, and my vocation of wife and mother. My call persisted and my dream is coming true.

Mary Kestell, SDS

MARY KESTELL, SDS

As I enter novitiate, I have been asked what attracted me to the Sisters of the Divine Savior and why I chose to come here. Ultimately, it is God’s call within my heart and where he has led me through the people and events of my life.

To give God joy as his child is to do his will. This was the meaning of Jesus’ life and is mine as well. It takes time to understand this fully and the result is a deepening peace within one’s being. As one’s heart grows wider in love, one also must learn to balance the accompanying emotions and passions. For me, this year of candidature/postulancy has been a time of growth; of sacrifice, reconciliation and atonement; and of sorting much out on different levels.

It has been a time of ministry as a teacher and of sharing the journey of vocation with others. This year has been a time of inner renewal, of broadening my vision and knowledge of the church, and of new experiences within the community of sisters and the whole Salvatorian family.

For all of this, I thank God and you!