Where Do I Come From? What Am I? Where Am I Going? (apologies to Gauguin)

When I was new at St. Placid Priory, I spent time with some of the founding members of our community, sometimes at lunch or dinner, sometimes at recreation or afternoon coffee. I wanted to know who they were and how they became Sisters, what their call was like and how they responded.

I found that some of them felt they were called to be a Sister as early as five or six years, some as adolescents, others as young adults or in their middle years. At that time, I couldn't understand how a child, or even a teen, could recognize a call to religious life. But as I learned more about our Sisters and their lives over the years, I began slowly to understand and believe--not so much "how" but that it was indeed possible, as evidenced by their lives of faithfulness, joy, service and ministry in this community.

My formation in becoming a Benedictine was enriched greatly by each one of them and their vocation stories as well as how they embodied the Benedictine daily life of Ora et Labora, Prayer & Work.

In gratitude to all of them and to those who came after them and before me, I share this video produced a few years ago by Melissa Wright, a friend of our community. To see videos featuring other community members, see St. Placid Videos

This video tells a bit about where I come from. I understand now, after more than 25 years in this Benedictine community, a little more about what I am. As to where I'm going, as always, God alone holds the key to that question--and that's a good thing.