A Vocation Story by Sister LaKesha Church, C.PP.S.
Sisters of the Precious Blood
“I think I’m done, but if you’re not done just let me know. I’m following you.” These were the words I prayed to God, as I struggled with whether or not to continue discerning my vocation.
I had been on a long and unusual road of discernment. I started discerning religious life before I was Catholic and had no idea what I was doing, but those who were on the journey with me never deterred me from the path that I was being asked to consider. On this journey, I had driven to and flown to vocation retreats hundreds of miles away. While living and working abroad, I spent vacation time visiting a community that I was familiar with. I did all of these things willingly and happily, knowing that I was responding to an invitation from God to consider religious life. But now I had come against an adversary who thought they knew what God’s plan was for me—thus my need for prayer.
Not too long after I had this prayer conversation with God, I received a phone call from a Precious Blood Sister with whom I had been communicating via email and handwritten letters. We had been communicating since the very beginning of my discernment journey and she had received my email via https://vocationnetwork.org/en/match. She knew I had just moved back to the U.S. and thought we should meet in person. Obviously, this was God telling me that we weren’t done. So we did meet!
We talked and I shared where I was in the discernment process, what was going on, AND how confused I felt. I was encouraged, reaffirmed and invited to a ‘come and see’ event. I felt drawn to the joy, love, solidarity and mission of the community. Later I was invited to stay in the discernment house and to live community with Sisters and other discerners who lived in the house. I am truly grateful that our community has a house of discernment. Living in the house gave me the experience of living small community and to know the community better as a whole over a long period of time.
As I journey on as a Precious Blood Sister, I continue to trust in God. I grow in love, community and joy, and I proclaim the mission of my community that Christ’s redeeming blood is for all and that we will be a reconciling, life-giving, healing presence in our fractured world today.
