On August 14, 2002, I left my beautiful state of North Dakota to set out on a journey, an adventure, that will change my life forever.  I am answering the Lord’s call to become His spouse as a Dominican Sister of St. Cecilia. 

The thought of a religious vocation had never entered my mind until my junior year of college.  However, looking back through the years, I can see the Lord has been working in my life, preparing me even as a child for this profession of love.  As I grew in my faith, my attraction to prayer and holy things grew as well.  I came to see clearly that the things of this world could never fulfill the longing in my heart for something more.  Even when everything in life seemed to be going well, and my life seemed so perfect, a little voice would speak to me in the silence of my heart, asking, “Is that it?  Is this all there is to life?”  I longed for something more, but I didn’t know what that “more” could be.

 I clearly remember the first time the thought of a religious vocation entered my mind.  I was a junior in college, and had just begun attending daily Mass.  All my life I had planned on seeing the world, and eventually getting married and having lots of children .    But alone in my room one evening, I suddenly got the feeling that I was not supposed to get married.  Well, then, what am I going to do with my life?  The answer that came to me was, maybe I am supposed to be a sister.

 Now, to be honest, this surprised and scared me. Upon this first thought of religious life, I got a sinking feeling in my stomach, very similar to when you visit the dentist to have a cavity filled, and hear the drill first start up.  I pleaded, “Lord, I want to follow You, and I want to do Your will for my life, but please, don’t make me a sister!”  This was followed by a simple prayer for courage, and if it was His will, then I asked Him to grant me the desire for it. 

 In the next few months I didn’t dare even mention the thought to anyone. But as time passed, I found that every once in a while, I would actually think about how wonderful it would be to have a religious vocation.  At times I would fight the attraction.  One day, I finally came to the realization that what I wanted most in life was to completely dedicate myself to the Lord through religious life.  Indeed, His desire became mine. 

To many people the desire for religious life is incomprehensible.  In essence, while it is hard to define, it produces a joy so lofty and so deep that most simply have no concept of it.  To be consecrated is to have an undivided heart – to have no desire except to love, praise, and glorify God, and to follow His holy will.  It’s all about being in love.  Religious life is very similar to marriage, only Christ Himself is the Divine Spouse.  As one mystic wrote, “It’s a breathlessly beautiful love affair with God”, a “prayerful enthrallment in Him”, a “being lost in love, immersed in it.”  The call to religious life is a beautiful gift.  One sister I know described well this call when she wrote: “When the God of the universe asked me to become His spouse, how could I ever say ‘no’?” 

Sr. Cecilia Anne professed her first vows on August 10, 2004.