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The Sisters of Our Lady Immaculate, One discerns this call with their…
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One discerns this call with their heart and through prayer. Sister Marie Therese explained that the reason she chose this was a deep feeling of peace towards the idea. She said it was not anything magical like a voice calling her but it felt so peaceful you could make out the call (solisisters). Prayer then strengthens this feeling of peace if God wills the decision. In essence one feels a strong connection to the vocation if it really is for them.
To become a sister you need to go through an initial formation period which is spent within the Formation Community at Annunciation Motherhouse in Glen Morris, Ontario, Canada. It begins with three months of candidacy, followed by one year postulancy and two years of novitiate. The first year of novitiate is the canonical year, spent at the Motherhouse and the second is an apostolic year where the novice spends a period of time experiencing the community's apostolates, returning to the Formation Community for the last two months of the year in preparation for first vows. Temporary vows are renewed each year for five years before the profession of final vows (Institute on Religious Life).
After about 8 years of preparation they are finally officially committed into the vocation and become a sister permanently. They profess Perpetual Vows also known as final vows in front of all their other sisters as well as priests and bishops (Stages of Formation).
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"Blessed are the pure of heart, for they shall see God" is the best beatitude to describe the vocation and the sisters. The sisters are truly pure in heart they chose to leave everything in the world and dedicate their entire lives to helping the young and old see Christ. The pure in heart are those who are committed to others because they love them and their intentions towards them are always good. The sisters show this kind of Agape in their works they do for the old, caring for them and for the young in teaching them. Their intentions for them are their salvation and for them to earn eternal life and so their intentions are the best kind of good their can be. Their mission is to imitate the life of Christ which they do. They act as Christ the guiding shepherd, guiding the young and old in their journey with Christ. To be pure of heart means to be free of all selfish intentions and self-seeking desires. The service the sisters do earn them nothing except the salvation of those they serve which is a selfless loving desire.
A sister lives with her fellow sisters in a quiet place far from anything that can take their minds off of God. Their lives are filled with prayer and they have an intimate relationship with God much like a marital relationship as sister Mary Catherine described it (solisisters). Their day to day lives are quiet and full of reflection and service. They fulfil God's calling to help and love our neighbors by helping those in retirement homes and help guide the young who come to them on retreats. Their lives are peaceful like the feeling they were called to the vocation with.
One looking to pursue this vocation must ensure they are seeking God not seeking to escape reality or something in the World that upsets them. Once you become a sister there is no going back; you cannot go back to normal life it is something permanent until eternal life after earthly death. This is also the reason why the preparation process is so long; so that the sister is a hundred percent sure this is the life she wants. The vows you will e asked to make are also questions you can ask yourself to ensure this is truly what you want are:
- Is there something temporary pushing me towards this decision or is this something I want permanently?
- Am I willing to give up money and live in poverty?
- Am I sure I never want an earthly marriage?
- Can I leave my home?
The order was founded in Guelph, Ontario by Mother Mary Josephine Mulligan and Father W. Lloyd Ryan on August 1, 1977 within the Roman Catholic Diocese of Hamilton.
They have a charism (a unique gift of grace given directly by the Holy Spirit) to Our earnest desire is to live the religious life faithfully and to teach the Faith correctly and courageously. They offer their lives, prayers and works to God for the growth and spread of the Catholic Faith through a Eucharistic and Marian spirituality and in conformity with the teachings of the Holy Father and the College of Bishops in union with him (Stuk).
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If you ask anyone who serves the reason they serve, the simple answer will be it gives them joy to see others happy. This is the concept Levinas explained in his theory of “the other” and the connection you come to establish with them and that proximity is responsibility. The idea that service brings joy is one that applies greatly to the sisters. They feel a special peace calling them to the vocation and experience great joy in helping others connect with God as Sister Marie Therese explained (solisisters). They are affected by the other and put themselves in their place and feel their suffering (Levinas’ concept of substitution) and then fulfil God’s calling to help them.
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