Vocation Story
When did you first feel called to the priesthood or religious life?
I felt called at a young age. By the time I was 12 years old I knew I wanted to be a religious sister. I have always been aware that God was and is very much present in my life and has never left me. I grew up in a large Irish family which was full of love and fun.
Were your friends and family supportive of your call?
My parents had a very strong love and devotion to each other. They were always there for us, their seven children. When I think of my faith journey so many people were part of my story. There was always someone there at the right time and at the right place. It is really quite amazing when I think of them all now: family, friends, teachers, Sisters.
There were times when I took the wrong path and lost my way; times of tears and pain and disappointment but looking back I can see now those situations helped me to grow in my faith and to choose yet again. When we follow the Lord, I don’t think the path is ever straight. We are seemingly taken over mountains through valleys up over the deserts and, of course, to fertile pastures. The scenery is always changing. At times there is sunshine at other times darkness but one must always remember Jesus is the unfailing light.
My family and friends were, and have been, very supportive of my vocation. I have been very blessed in that way. They know I am here for them holding them all in my prayer.
Did you have any doubts?
Yes, there have been times when I have asked myself: What is it all about?
Why am I here? Could I not be doing something more worthwhile with my life? Of course, there are cloudy days but I think the moments of doubts have strengthened my faith and my commitment to my vocation. It is good to question. Doubting and questioning are part of every way of life. They come and go - sometimes often in one’s life. They are opportunities to reflect yet again and for me a call to renew my commitment to the Lord who never revokes His choice.
Have you been able to maintain the hobbies and interests you had before you became a priest or member of a religious community?
My hobbies were walking, drawing, gardening and I used to love cycling. I still walk and draw and garden etc. but no longer go for long bike rides!
What brings you most joy as a priest or religious?
What brings me the most joy as a religious? I suppose I would say the fact that the Lord chose me and I had the grace to respond to that call. I have a very supportive community and this is a source of happiness for me. Each Sister is gift. We live in a place of beauty and this is so nurturing. We have an ancient woodland within the enclosure and I love spending time there.
What would be your advice to someone trying to discern their vocation?
What advice would I give to someone discerning vocation? Be not afraid rather be courageous and adventurous. The journey will not always be easy but it will fulfill your deepest yearnings You will lose nothing but you will gain everything. Listen to your heart for it is there you will hear the Lord speaking to you. Trust in the Lord and he will raise you up on eagles’ wings.
Enjoy the journey!
About cookies on this site
We use cookies to collect and analyse information on site performance and usage, to provide social media features and to enhance and customise content and advertisements.
About cookies on this site
Cookies used on the site are categorized and below you can read about each category and allow or deny some or all of them. When categories than have been previously allowed are disabled, all cookies assigned to that category will be removed from your browser. Additionally you can see a list of cookies assigned to each category and detailed information in the cookie declaration.
Necessary cookies
Some cookies are required to provide core functionality. The website won't function properly without these cookies and they are enabled by default and cannot be disabled.
CookieHub is a Consent Management Platform (CMP) which allows users to control storage and processing of personal information.
Cloudflare is a global network designed to make everything you connect to the Internet secure, private, fast, and reliable.
Preferences
Preference cookies enables the web site to remember information to customize how the web site looks or behaves for each user. This may include storing selected currency, region, language or color theme.
Analytical cookies
Analytical cookies help us improve our website by collecting and reporting information on its usage.
Google Analytics is a web analytics service offered by Google that tracks and reports website traffic.
Vimeo, Inc. is an American video hosting, sharing, services provider, and broadcaster. Vimeo focuses on the delivery of high-definition video across a range of devices.
Marketing cookies
Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites to allow publishers to display relevant and engaging advertisements. By enabling marketing cookies, you grant permission for personalized advertising across various platforms.
Google Ads is an advertising service by Google for businesses that want to display ads on Google search results and its advertising network.
YouTube is a free video sharing website that makes it easy to watch online videos.
Other cookies
The cookies in this category have not yet been categorized and the purpose may be unknown at this time.
Cookies used on the site are categorized and below you can read about each category and allow or deny some or all of them. When categories than have been previously allowed are disabled, all cookies assigned to that category will be removed from your browser. Additionally you can see a list of cookies assigned to each category and detailed information in the cookie declaration.
Necessary cookies
Some cookies are required to provide core functionality. The website won't function properly without these cookies and they are enabled by default and cannot be disabled.
Name | Hostname | Vendor | Expiry |
---|---|---|---|
cookiehub | .abdiocese.org.uk | CookieHub | 365 days |
Used by CookieHub to store information about whether visitors have given or declined the use of cookie categories used on the site. | |||
_cfuvid | .vimeo.com | Session | |
Used by Cloudflare WAF to distinguish individual users who share the same IP address and apply rate limits | |||
__cf_bm | .vimeo.com | Cloudflare, Inc. | 1 hour |
The __cf_bm cookie supports Cloudflare Bot Management by managing incoming traffic that matches criteria associated with bots. The cookie does not collect any personal data, and any information collected is subject to one-way encryption. | |||
XSRF-TOKEN | abdiocese.churchsuite.com | 4 hours | |
This cookie is written to help with site security in preventing Cross-Site Request Forgery attacks. | |||
__cf_bm | .storerocket.io | Cloudflare, Inc. | 1 hour |
The __cf_bm cookie supports Cloudflare Bot Management by managing incoming traffic that matches criteria associated with bots. The cookie does not collect any personal data, and any information collected is subject to one-way encryption. |
Preferences
Preference cookies enables the web site to remember information to customize how the web site looks or behaves for each user. This may include storing selected currency, region, language or color theme.
Name | Hostname | Vendor | Expiry |
---|---|---|---|
NID | .google.com | Google Advertising Products | 183 days |
A browser sends this cookie with requests to Google’s sites. The NID cookie contains a unique ID Google uses to remember your preferences and other information, such as your preferred language (e.g. English), how many search results you wish to have shown per page (e.g. 10 or 20), and whether or not you wish to have Google’s SafeSearch filter turned on. | |||
vuid | .vimeo.com | 400 days | |
These cookies are used by the Vimeo video player on websites. |
Analytical cookies
Analytical cookies help us improve our website by collecting and reporting information on its usage.
Name | Hostname | Vendor | Expiry |
---|---|---|---|
_ga | .abdiocese.org.uk | 400 days | |
Contains a unique identifier used by Google Analytics to determine that two distinct hits belong to the same user across browsing sessions. | |||
YSC | .youtube.com | Session | |
This cookie is set by YouTube video service on pages with YouTube embedded videos to track views. | |||
_ga_ | .abdiocese.org.uk | 400 days | |
Contains a unique identifier used by Google Analytics 4 to determine that two distinct hits belong to the same user across browsing sessions. | |||
VISITOR_PRIVACY_METADATA | .youtube.com | 180 days |
Marketing cookies
Marketing cookies are used to track visitors across websites to allow publishers to display relevant and engaging advertisements. By enabling marketing cookies, you grant permission for personalized advertising across various platforms.
Name | Hostname | Vendor | Expiry |
---|---|---|---|
VISITOR_INFO1_LIVE | .youtube.com | 180 days | |
Set by YouTube and used for various purposes, including analytical and advertising. | |||
__Secure-ROLLOUT_TOKEN | .youtube.com | 180 days |
Other cookies
The cookies in this category have not yet been categorized and the purpose may be unknown at this time.
Name | Hostname | Vendor | Expiry |
---|---|---|---|
public | abdiocese.churchsuite.com | 4 hours |