In this Random Nun Clip, we talk about having the freedom to make a commitment. Hear the full Ask Sister episode AS210 at aNunsLife.org.
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L: Sister Joan Williams is Vicaress of the Grand Rapids Dominicans. She grew up in Detroit with 12 siblings. She ministered as a music teacher and later coordinated religious education in 20 Hispanic parishes in the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. It was there she received the call to discern mission in Honduras, where she served for years among people in situations of great poverty. Sister Joan has also served on the leadership team for the Conference of Dominican Sisters of Latin-America and the Caribbean. She has degrees in Music Education, Theology, and Theological Studies.
R: Sister Orlanda Leyba was born and raised in Penasco, New Mexico. She is a retired formal education teacher and principal. She continues to use her teaching and administrative skills when tutoring adult women in the Literacy Center in Detroit and providing retreat days for Catholic school staff. Sister Orlanda volunteers every week at the Detroit Soup Kitchen, where she bonds and engages with people who are homeless in the city. Sister Orlanda is a graduate of Aquinas College and the University of Michigan.
Sister Maxine
This Random Nun Clip is brought to you by A Nun's Life Ministry. I'm Sister Maxine, and with me today are my guests who are Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Welcome, Sister Joan Williams!
Sister Joan
Thank you. It's a pleasure to be here.
Sister Maxine
And Sister Orlanda Leyba.
Sister Orlanda
Good morning.
Sister Maxine
Why did you become sisters? And why Dominican Sisters? Maybe, Sister Orlanda, you can respond first. Why did you become a sister?
Sister Orlanda
I became a sister because God wouldn't let go of me. God came tapping me on the shoulder. So I thought, "Okay, God, I will do what you want. Check it out, check out the nunnery. But if it doesn't work, I'm coming home."
Sister Maxine
Where was home? Where did you start at?
Sister Orlanda
I grew up in New Mexico, north of Santa Fe. And I came all the way to Michigan, which was quite an experience for me. And I had no idea what I was getting into. So that was part of the big question I had: What is God calling me to?
Sister Maxine
Did you know the sisters from your time?
Sister Orlanda
I was taught by the Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters in grade school. But I really didn't know any of them really personally. You know, none of them became friends of mine. I never had kept contact with them.
Sister Maxine
But they were somebody that you knew of, and had experience with.
Sister Orlanda
Yes, I knew of them. And so when the call came, well the only ones I knew were these sisters, so I thought, "Okay, if I have to check out this call, I guess I go to Grand Rapids, wherever that is."
Sister Maxine
And so you did.
Sister Orlanda
So I did, and here I am.
Sister Maxine
And for you, Sister Joan?
Sister Joan
Well, I grew up in a very prayerful, contemplative family. And there was a great emphasis on community and on service. And I think that was my motive: wanting to serve in some form of ministry.
Sister Maxine
And you saw that possibility when you met the Grand Rapids Dominicans?
Sister Joan
Well, I had the Grand Rapids Dominican Sisters in school, in grade school for eight years. And so that was the community I knew. And my mother and father, we grew up on the farm, the youngest of us in the family. And so we were always very good to the sisters. And we had close contact.
Sister Maxine
When was it that you decided that you were definitely going to go in that direction? Was there like a single aha moment? Or was it gradual?
Sister Joan
Probably in my junior year of high school is when I decided.
Sister Maxine
And how old were you when you finally made the move to actually check it out and go ahead and start a relationship with the Dominicans?
Sister Orlanda
I was already in college in Albuquerque. And I think I was early 20s when, like I said, I got this strange call. I was 20-something when I first came to Michigan.
Sister Maxine
Did you ever, once the process got started, have doubts or worries like, "Ah, is this where I really belong?" I know, Sister Orlanda, you talked about, "Well, I'm gonna go check it out because God just won't leave me alone here. So I'll just go check it out and see what happens." But now that you've had a couple of years as a Grand Rapids Dominican, have you ever had doubts, or what-ifs? You know, a lot of times people will ask us, "Do you ever wish that things might have been different for you? Do you ever think about should you have been a mother or a spouse?" As you look at your vocation over these years, how do you feel about that?
Sister Orlanda
Well, one of the things that kept me in the in the convent was when we first arrived, one of the things they told us was: "Well, you're here because obviously God called you--but number one, the door is always open. You can always leave. Nobody's ever going to keep you here." So that was very comforting for me. You know, the door is always open. And another thing that was comforting is that I wouldn't have to take final vows for seven years. So I had seven years to think about it. Well, when the seventh year came up, I thought, "Oh my goodness. I've been here for seven years, the door has been open, and I haven't left voluntarily." So I thought, "Who am I kidding? Obviously, this is where I belong. This is where I found contentment and life and a wonderful community." So it was like I said, "Okay, God, you win." And not only that, I win. It's been a wonderful, wonderful journey. And after those seven years, I never once had a doubt about this is where I belonged.
Sister Maxine
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