CALLED TO SERVE

JULIA WALSH

Sister Julia Walsh professed first vows
with the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration in July 2009.

I believe that my baptism is what beckoned me into the Christian church. During my infancy, God called my name and designed a life for me.

As I’ve journeyed with God through that life, I’ve paid attention to what desires God has planted in my heart. During my journey I have learned more about the causes of injustice and social problems; I have been driven to work with those who are most vulnerable in our society.

It is my desire to love and serve those less fortunate in order to help them discover their own power to make a positive change in the world.

Presently I teach religion at an all boys, African-American high school on the south side of Chicago. Sadly, for many of my students, violence is a very ordinary part of life. How can I teach about the message of the non-violent Jesus in that context?

I hope that I teach through example. I provide a loving presence to the young men. I pray that I am an instrument of God’s grace and goodness in their lives. I consistently tell them the Good News of Christ: “Yes, my child, you were made with dignity, you are destined for goodness, and you have a role to play in God’s kingdom!” My students are beginning to absorb the message; it is evident in their growth and their curiosity.

I am moved by the power of Christ’s presence among us as I listen to their deep questioning and marveling at the world. In those moving, powerful moments, I am awed by the beauty of my students and how the light of Christ glows from them. I can’t do anything but step back and say, “Thank you, God.”