CANTON Sister Mary Ishmael of the Eucharist grew up in Bankston, Iowa, just seven miles from what would become the "Field of Dreams."
Growing up in that idyllic Midwestern community, she did all the things she was expected to do. A devout Catholic, she married at 20, became a mother of three, and enjoyed a career as a registered nurse.
But life rarely goes according to plan. After 12 years of marriage, her husband sought a divorce, leaving her to raise their three sons as a single mother and the first member of her family to be divorced.
For 35 years, she devoted herself to nursing; then, she said, God informed her that he had another plan in mind.
HEARD THE WORDS
Sister Ishmael said she was engaged in adoration of the Eucharist in 2001 when, "I heard the words, ‘I want you to be my bride.’ There was a definite (prompting) from the Holy Spirit that½ God was calling me to be his bride. My immediate ‘yes’ was a surprise."
…At 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sister Ishmael, 55, will undertake her solemn profession as a member of the Order of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration at the Sancta Clara Monastery Church at 4200 Market Ave. N.
…Sister Ishmael describes her feelings about her decision as a "deep and abiding" joy.
"I had a full life. I was happy with what I was doing," she said. "When God gives the call, he also gives that exuberant joy that makes you want to follow him.
"I am so deeply joyful. The Lord has given me a lot of joy this past year. … I’m coming to know the beauty of the Lord and the depth of his beauty."
Sister Ishmael said that prior to seeking a religious order, Clares, she consulted with a spiritual adviser. Her adviser recommended that she seek a monastery that emphasizes Eucharistic adoration, wears habits and is unified with the pope.
"I asked him to pray for me. For 10 years, I had never said anything to him about being a nun," she said with a smile. "Six months later, I was here.
…beacons of light
Sister Ishmael said the flip side of an article given to her on the Holy Trinity, bore the name and phone number of a nun who recommended that she contact Sancta Clara Monastery.
"God led me to the Poor Clares," she said, noting that many religious orders don’t take middle-aged women.
Upon arriving at a religious order, a woman undergoes several steps to make certain her decision is right, not only for her, but for the order. They include aspirant, postulancy, novitiate, or "junior professed" and the final profession.
"In the church, we (monastics) are called to be the beacons of light in the heart of the Church," Sister Ishmael said. "It is an environment that fosters love. It can’t be contained, it reaches out. It draws people to the church."
Sister Ishmael said each step taken in a faith journey should be accompanied by prayer for spiritual direction.
"Trust in God," she said. "He is never outdone. He will always give you more than you’re expecting."
I just love reading stories like this one.
Though I could totally do without reading stories like this one.
6 comments
These types of stories of faith and God’s direction need to be broadly circulated in order to offset the “Polyester-clad Sr. Judy Misses Bishop Gumleton already” stuff that makes the usual Catholic rounds in our parishes.
John, when i first read your comment, I thought you meant the LAST story (abt the nun and the prostitute!) I was halfway to swallowing my tongue when I realized that you meant the late vocation story, which is indeed beautiful.
About that last one, was that like a sexual euthanasia? What was the Sister thinking?
You know, at first glance I thought the second story was going to be that the nun agreed to sleep with the young man. (I guess I’m jaded…)
Seriously, if the sisters are going to allow prostitutes into the hospice, what about drugdealers? What about renting porn movies? I mean, it’s got to be safer for the ill to send out for such things than to venture into the world to get them.
In a related story, a former Mafia errand-boy Nick Balzarini lay dying in hospice. Before his dibilitating illness took its toll, he longed to hunt down and “deal with” rivals from the old neighbourhood.
To that end, he made arrangements to hire a hitman while at the hospice.
He said he did not discuss his decision directly with Sister Rosalba, superior of the Sisters of Show No Mercy. “But I know she gave me her support. And in return, I paid off her bookie.”
Sister Rosalba commented, “I know that some people will say ‘You are a Christian. What are you thinking about?’. But we are here for all faiths and none.”
She added, “Besides, it’s not our job to make moral decisions for our guests. We came to the conclusion that it was our duty to support Nick emotionally and to ensure his physical safety by sending Sister ‘Boom-boom’ Bonaventure to make the hit.”
My aunt is a nun at Sancta Clara Monastery in Canton, OHIO where Mother Angelica first entered the Poor Clares.
The history of this convent is very interesting given its connection with the foundress of EWTN.
Beautiful story. It really shows the appeal and satisfaction of religious life. No one will be more faithful to you than God.
What a wonderful story! And she’s in the monastery that Mother Angelica was in! Nice to read something good about nuns these days, instead of stories about the ‘polyester sisters’! Surprising that she was admitted at her age, though-most of the good and orthodox Orders won’t take middle-aged women. I should know-I’m 52.
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