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It’s the end of the year
I have the R.E.M. song “It’s the end of the world as we know it (and I feel fine)” in my head. I must say, I feel fine that this year is just about over. It’s been a good one, but it has been absolutely full with running from one thing to the other and major transitions. I’m ready for 2010.
Today I’m turning the writing over to you: What was most significant for you in 2009? What do you look forward to in 2010?
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What stands out for me in 2009 is the difficulties I had at work. Work was hurtful and hard especially during the first half of the year. But what stands out more than that is how this challenge redirected me to prayer, meditation and daily writing in my journal. I got up 30 minutes earlier than normal to take time for myself, and found that I could easily spend 30 minutes just writing! Soon, 30 minutes turned to 45 and then 60. This weekday practice became an anchor and helped me get through my day staying true to myself.
Happy new year to everyone at A Nun’s Life! Many blessings in 2010!
Hands down, the most significant events in 2009 wrap around my family and my congregation. 1) My youngest sister survived surgery, chemo and radiation for a recurrance of breast cancer. 2) I made the transition back to community life after living out of a community situation for 13 yrs as I cared for my mother and oldest sister. and the most mond-blowing of all: 3) My congregation reconfigured the 8 North American provinces culminating 13 years of questions, planning, dreaming and birthing Our Lady of Hope Province on November 21. WOW!
Christmas Blessings to all.
We welcomed three “new” precious babies into our family. I am now Aunt to 24 nieces and nephews and great Aunt to 6 great nieces/nephews. I received pictures of kids on Christmas Cards and spent Christmas night with my entire family. So joyful.
I have been unemployed since June. It’s been quite challenging in this economic situation. However, just as God provided time in 2003 (when I was also unemployed) to spent lots of time to care for my mother, I have been able to spend lots of time to care for my Dad this year. My Mom and Dad (and all of the Elderly) were/are so grateful for visits, rides to/from the store, doctors, labs, preparing food, cleaning etc. God bless them all.
In addition, I was able to increase my prayer life … spending more time at Adoration in our beautiful chapel, and assisting with First Penance Retreat at our parish school.
Surprising and delightful … was discovering/experiencing new prayer and learnings via on-line Catholic websites. I have met and prayed with new people and learned valuable information about Catholic Sisters at “A Nuns Life Ministry.” I also listened to incredible music and prayer at “Pray As You Go.”
God is good and I feel blessed.
Wishing all a happy, healthy, and holy New Year.
Peace,
Kathleen
2009 has been a year of great things, I started a wonderful job as sacristan, I love my studies, and I have spent plenty of loving time with family. There is so much to be thankful for!
Hearing God’s call from TSSF to the Community of Solitude and vesture in the Community in Advent!
The most significant thing for me in 2009 was…. I moved out of home, fell in love, fell out of love, Sat my leaving cert, developed depression, admitted to having depression, got help for my depression, started a Catholic youth group that got 85 kids coming every week, began my discerment, learned to drive, got my leaving cert results, started college, found this site!, made some amazing friends through God, and finally on the last day of 2009 Failed my driving test!
Looking forward to….. passing my driving test, meeting my spirtual director, My 20th birthday, Knock Summer Youth Festival, Rome, Lourdes, Sweden, My CD coming out!, College!!, Getting ready for WYD 2011 Madrid!!, on and loads more…. in 2010…
Praise thee Jesus Christ…. Now and forever….
Now and forever…. Praise thee Jesus Christ….
God is good…. All the time…
All the time… God is good…
2009, you were amazing. It all started in 2008 though at the Eucharistic congress in Québec City, Canada. I felt God’s love for me for the first time. Since then my life has been an amazing roller coaster ride. I started an education degree and made some great friends. January 2009. I moved away from my then 3 year old nephew for the first time since his birth. That was an emotional time. Later that year as I met new friends and grew ever more close to Jesus I realized that I could never love any man as much as I love him and thus began my discernment. Some time in convents over the summer months and some great sessions with my spiritual director led me to believe I was on the right path. I started my practice teaching in November and was shocked to realize how close I feel to Jesus in my classroom. He helps me so much and stays close to me in everything to do with teaching. He helped me grieve the loss of a student, a little 7 year old girl. I feel closer to him in the class than anywhere else, except in the Eucharist. So right now I am happily single for Jesus and loving my life. 2010? The best is yet to come.
Looking back at 2009 I’ve seen a lot of growing up. It started when I spent the month of April in Austria. I was traveling by my self and was going to be away from home for the longest time ever. I was really nervous about it but facing those fears was the first step in growing up. Another thing that happened in that month is that a very dear friend of a lot of my friends was hit by a drunk driver and he and his mother were both killed. When I found out about it I was very upset and angry at God that He had let me be gone when I felt that my friends really needed me. I was in Adoration, feeling awful and just really upset about the fact that I wasn’t there for them, and decided to pray the Rosary. I pulled my Rosary out of my case and it was broken. I started using it anyway and then Jesus told me “see Bets, just like you are using your broken Rosary I’m going to use my broken you. I can use you so much better if you are broken.”
The next big growing up moment was my retreat with the Dominicans. I was very upset about the whole thing but it really put me so much closer to God and really helped me realize that I don’t have it all figured out and that it’s okay that I don’t have it all figured out. Since coming home from retreat there’s been a lot of different things happening. To name a few: I now have no idea if I’m really called to the Dominicans or not because I found the Augustinian Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church and have fallen in love with them as well, I’m not in control of my future which is scaring me a lot but at the same time it’s really freeing, because of that I’m not thinking about my future so much which is also really freeing.
Another thing that happened is that I found a friend, grandfather, and mentor in Solanus Casey. He has really been helping me since retreat and I know he will be with me in everything. My two favorite quotes of his are “Thank God ahead of time” and “Let’s see what the good God wills.” These two quotes have really been very good reminders for me.
Looking forward to 2010. I’m graduating this year!
I’m so excited to be done with high school. It’s not that I don’t love my life here, I do and it’s amazing, but I don’t really fit in any more. I’m so excited to see what He has planned for me. But first I’m taking a break from activly discerning because I need to focus on the here and now. It’s really hard but in the past two days that I’ve not been going on the forums or blogs I’ve seen it get a lot better. I’m not thinking about it all the time and it’s really nice because whenever I would be thinking about it I would start to worry about it and now that I’m not thinking about it I’m not worrying about it.
JMJ+
~Betsy
Totus tuus Maria! Let’s see what the good God wills.