Sister Christine, 36, was born in Glen Ridge, NJ

She received her BSc in Education from

 the Franciscan University at Steubenville, Ohio

She is currently continuing her studies in catechetics

 

 

            Our Special Surprise!  This is what my mother said I was.  I was born number eight of eight children in the family, number four girl (making it a tie).  I was the youngest by 4 ½ years.  The others in the family had come in rapid succession of one to two years apart.  During my earliest years we lived in a big beautiful old house that was filled with action and excitement.  My parents lived the Catholic trait of universality by opening our home to exchange students from Africa and South America, to those in our family and community who were in need.  There were moments when I was not so sure just who was a part of my family and who was a guest.  In the midst of a busy house, however, my parents created a very close family.

 

            Though our family was faithful to our Catholic duties, and my parents expressed love for God and taught us how to pray, my older siblings ventured forth into their own adult lives.  When I reached ten or eleven years old, I began to see the lives of my siblings as very different from what my parents were teaching me about life.  Some of them went off into the intellectual world and gave up any religious practice in favor of a more sophisticated and less moral life.  Others were fond of the active party life and it looked to me as though they were some of the happiest people in the world.  As I reached the junior high years, I began to look forward to the time when I could join them.  However, something happened to change my outlook on all of this.  

 

            One of my brothers, whom I greatly admired, had a serious accident after being at a friends party.  He had severe head injuries but was saved from many other more serious consequences of his accident.  When I went to see my brother in the hospital, I realized that he was not as happy as I had thought he was.  I also realized that he didnt have as many true friends as I thought he had.  Watching him made me think a little more seriously about what I wanted in life.  Yes, I wanted to have fun but I also loved God and wanted to do what was good and right.  I wanted to have good friends who would help me to do what was right.

 

            During my high school years I tried to deepen my personal faith by attending Catholic youth group meetings.  I formed friendships with other young people who wanted to live their faith with a bit of commitment.  At this time I watched as one after the other in my family discovered their faith and came back into the Church. During the course of my high school years, six of my siblings got married and began raising families of their own.  Life for me was very enjoyable with good friends, a wonderful family, and a growing awareness of Gods blessing in my life.

 

            Going off to college with several of my Catholic friends was a blast!  We quickly joined a Catholic campus youth group and enjoyed sharing our faith with the many others who were searching for God in this new life away from home.  These years of college were a time of looking at and deciding what I wanted to do with my life.   I was doing the best I knew how to live and share my faith with others.

 

In regard to my vocation in life I had heard talks about discernment and I knew that I was going to get married.  In fact, I was almost certain just who I was going to marry.  I knew all about married life and raising children.  (By this time I had 20-25 nieces and nephews)  I knew I did not need to look very far to find my vocation!

 

             For all that, there was this one little voice in my heart that said, But you have never really even looked at Religious Life.  While squelching this voice, I always justified myself saying, I can do everything a Religious does and get married too!  I was very willing to show my love for Jesus by going to daily Mass, spending some time in prayer, and even serving the Church; however, I was going to do it as a married person.  But, that little thought about Religious life kept popping up.  Not only did it pop up inside of me, but there were others who began mentioning Religious life to me, especially my brother who had become a Religious Brother and who truly loved his vocation.  There was also the Sister who invited me to visit at the Convent for a weekend. 

 

I was petrified at the thought of entering Religious life.  It was not something I was familiar with even though I knew some Sisters.  I knew the beauty of married life, but I could not see beauty in Religious life; I saw only the giving up aspect of it.   I wanted to live my love for God MY WAY and Religious life was not going to be a factor.  But, as I persisted in pursuing my way I grew more and more unhappy.  I was doing all of the right things.  I was praying and trying my best to live the way our Catholic faith tells us tobut it just wasnt working any more.  I wasnt happy.

 

I spoke about my interior struggle with only one very close friend.  She was witness to my most profound, frustrated cry when I said, They say that in Religious life one becomes the bride of Christ.  Well, if He wants me to marry Him, Hes going to have to ask me out just like any other guy!!!  That was my challenge to Christ.  I knew that Religious Life had to be more than what I could see of it and if I didnt know, from my inside out, that it would make me as happy as falling in love and getting married forget it!

 

This is the point of my story that I find most difficult to express. Jesus answered my challenge.  He asked me out and I fell helplessly in love with Him.  How did He do this?  Oh, in so many ways!  First, I began to see how much I wanted to serve Him but how little I trusted Him.  This was made most clear to me when I was asked to give a talk about trust to seniors in high school.  Preparing my talk was like preparing a sales pitch for something I hadnt the least intention of purchasing myself.  I felt like a liar and was ready to say that I could not give the talk.   However, the desire to believe what I had to say began to grow in my heart and when the time came I gave the talk.  My saying the words was proof to me that I wanted to believe them and God honored my effort by allowing me to know His faithfulness in my own life. 

 

After the talk, I had a profound sense of knowing I was loved by God.  He proved Himself trustworthy by letting me know in the depths of my heart that He loved me.  It wasnt through words or signs that He spoke.  He didnt tell me what to do with my life or what my vocation was.  I heard no voice but I knew.  I knew that I was loved and that in response to His love I could not, did not want to do anything other than give myself fully to Him.  Of course, when I realized this, I could think of no other way for me to give myself fully to Jesus than through Religious life.  The thought of it no longer scared me.  In fact, I was profoundly happy, happier than I had been in a long time.

 

It wasnt long before I was visiting the Sisters, the Sisters of Jesus Our Hope.  When I was greeted at the door and walked into the Convent, I felt as if I was home.  Thirteen years later, I am still at home.  There have been many twists and turns to my Religious life so far.  It was not easy to leave my family, friends and home, and there were years of discernment before my Profession of Final Vows.  But, throughout all of the ins and outs, I have always known that Jesus, Who asked me out on that first date, is the very One Who offers Himself to me in love each and every day.  How can I not love Him in return!

 

 

Sister Christine can be reached at:  sjh@sistersofjesusourhope.org

 

 

Mission Statement/description

 

The Sisters of Jesus Our Hope are Sisters with a mission of hope.  We live poverty, chastity and obedience in community life in a spirit of joyful hope and servant love.  Our spirituality is based on the Augustinian tradition of religious life in the Church and emphasizes a special love for Jesus Christ in the Holy Eucharist.  Our daily prayer includes Mass, Liturgy of the Hours, meditation on Sacred Scripture, Rosary, spiritual reading and devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. We strive to live together in harmony, one in mind and heart on the way to God. (St. Augustine). We aim to place a high priority on our shared faith life as well as on mutual respect and love within community.  Our common life extends into an apostolate of faith formation and catechesis according to the vision of Pope John Paul II for the new evangelization in the Church and in the world.  The world needs the hope that does not disappoint. (Rom 5:5).  Knowing that this hope is found in Jesus Christ risen and alive today, we seek to lead others to Him as their source of hope and salvation.