Vocation Awareness Week 2012 - Part 3

Discerning a religious vocation can sometimes be challenging and confusing. Wouldn’t it be great if God would send us an invitation like the one above? It would certainly make things clear!

For most of my childhood and teen years in Rhode Island my goals in life were quite clear…. become a nurse, get married, have 3 children and live in Rhode Island for the rest of my life.

Then in junior year of high school my clarity became cloudy as I began to think about religious life. With the confusion, came a resistance to the idea of entering the convent. It was so contrary to what I thought were my life plans. My prayers often petitioned God to send me a sign that religious life was for me. Oh, how I would have welcomed a written invitation! The tangible invitation never came but as I prayed and talked with others, clarity returned. After high school in faith and with joy, peace and trust, I left Rhode Island and entered the Sisters of St. Dominic in Blauvelt, New York.

That was 50 years ago! My years in community and ministry have been blessed, happy, challenging and enriching. During these years I have ministered with and to wonderful people and have received so many blessings.

If you are considering religious life and would like to chat, please contact me via e-mail kohanlonop@netzero.net or via snail mail

Sr. Kathy O’Hanlon, OP
Vocation Office
St. Dominic Convent
496 Western Highway
Blauvelt, NY 10913

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As this is Vocation Week, I was asked by Jenn Schaaf, our Communications Director, to share a little of my vocation story.

My background was much the same as so many of the girls growing up in St. Luke’s parish in the South Bronx. I was taught by the Dominican Sisters of Blauvelt both in elementary school and in high school. When I decided to enter the convent, I’m not sure who I shocked the most, my family, my friends, or myself. I wish I could tell you that I had a vision , had dreamed about it since I was a young child, or that I had no doubts at all, but that is not the case. It wasn’t something that I thought of all my life or even during most of my high school days. I too was busy with dances, parties, and movies. Probably, it all began somewhere at the beginning of my senior year and was ignited by a tiny spark put into my head by one of my high school teachers at St. Pius, Sr. Jean Miriam, known today as Sr. Jean Beagan. She simply said to me, “Did you ever think of entering the convent?” My response was, “me? No!” It was funny, but from that day on, I did give it a great deal of thought.

I prayed about it, talked to Jean many times and even talked to my friends. At eighteen, it was difficult to think about leaving my family and friends and all the things I enjoyed. When I made my decision, it felt right, but if am perfectly honest, in the back of my head I was saying, I’ll give it a shot. Here I am 51 years later.

It’s funny, I don’t often talk about my vocation, let alone put it in print on a website.

Many things have changed in the congregation since I entered and of course, I have also changed. All I can say today is that, I’m happy that I gave this life a try. I feel very blessed and only hope that I have given to others some of what I have received.

Sr. Alice Kirk, OP