My Little Red Journal

Last evening, I searched my bookshelf for a small notebook to use for some charting I have to do.  After taking out a couple of notebooks and finding them all used up, I found a hard cover book with lines to write on that had few entries.  I grabbed it.  This little red journal would suit the job well. 
 
For fun, I looked back on what I had written there years ago.  I found a letter I had drafted to my mother to try to persuade her to my way of thinking about giving my little sister rides to school.  It was very interesting, but a little embarrassing!  I was quite an opinionated teenager!

I also found questions I had prepared, some years later, for a visit to a religious community when I was trying to find “my place.”  I had asked the questions of one of the Sisters there and recorded the answers. 
 
I though it might be interesting to share these here, and provide the answers I would now give if asked.
 
How did you come to be a [Franciscan Sister]?
That’s a long story!  Read my previous post for more about that one!
 
How often do you see your family?
We are supposed to get two weeks a year for vacation/home visit.  My family does come to visit from time to time as well. 

Are you able to maintain relationships that you had before joining?
That’s a good question…Things change when you move away, whether or not you’re in religious life.  You don’t see and talk to people as often as before.  Live moves on!  Strong friendships, though, can endure even with minimal contact.  I usually make a point to see certain people when I’m home.  
 
Are Sisters placed in services that match their talents and training? 
Ideally, the answer would be yes.  However, sometimes, we’re placed in an apostolate for which we don’t have a ton of experience/training.  Gifts we didn’t know we had can be drawn out of us, though.  Our directives, however, do urge superiors to keep a Sister’s aptitudes and training in mind when placing her out on a mission.
 
How long did you take between being acquainted with the Sisters and joining?
I first spoke with Sister Jean Louise in July.  Later that month, I visited.  By mid-August, I was back for an extended stay as an affiliate.  In January, I moved in, and on February 2nd, I became a postulant.  I guess that makes it about seven months. 
 
What is/was the mission of your order?
According to our founding,  the Sisters are to “serve God our Creator peacefully, prayerfully, ​and zealously, praising and honoring Him ​to the consolation of all believing souls.”  The Forward to our Constitutions states that “To imitate Christ in love is the way and the goal of our vocation.”  Over the centuries, our Sisters have been involved in quite a variety of ministries, from social work to making vestments to working with disabled children (to name a few).  There was even a time period when we were pretty much cloistered.  This points to the fact that, as religious, our mission is far more than what we do. 

Watch for more of this Q&A in the next week or two.

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