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Meet Sister Mary Kabat
I have been a Sister of St. Francis of the Holy Cross for almost 37 years. My vocation to religious life lived within this particular community and serving others in my various ministries has been and continues to be a blessing beyond anything I could have hoped for. I pray that any woman hearing the call to religious life will pursue it and seek the community that is her place to live, serve and grow in God.
People say there aren't as many vocations as there used to be. I disagree. God calls because there is a need for people to know him and there are people who need his love and help. I do think it is hard for persons in our culture of materialism and individualism to hear and respond to any vocational choice of sacrifice and commitment.
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Where do vocations come from? They come from God and grow within families. Those families continue to be a source of love and support. This year my family had a very special Memorial Day weekend. That Saturday, my nephew, Tim Oudenhoven, was ordained as a priest for the Diocese of La Crosse, WI, and on Sunday Father Tim celebrated his First Mass at his home parish in Stevens Point.
In the first photo here I am holding Tim's sister, Tracey, on the day of her baptism. Next to me with the blond hair is Tim. He heard God's call to priesthood when he was in grade school and again when he was in college. His vocation grew over time, and he found support in his family with his parents Amy (my sister) and Gary Oudenhoven, brother, Dan and sister, Tracey. In the second photo my mother hugging her grandson, Father Tim, after the joy filled First Mass (I am to the far right.)
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Let us pray for parents to provide a faith life for their families in which God's call can be heard and nurtured. Let us pray for youth and young adults to hear how God is asking them to serve his people when so much else clamors for their attention. Let us pray for those who have taken the courageous step to commit themselves to God and to a life of service.
Look again at the first photo. The dark haired little boy is Dan. He is studying now to become a priest and God willing, he will be ordained as a transitional deacon next May.
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