10 minute read
Owatonna Native Makes Final Profession of Vows with the Sisters of Life
On Saturday, August 5, 2023, Sister Ann Immaculèe, daughter of Joe and Sharon Stiles of Sacred Heart Parish in Owatonna, made her Final Vows to her Beloved Spouse in the Religious Order of the Sisters of Life, based in New York, at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City, after eight years of formation. The Courier has asked Sr. Ann Immaculèe and her parents for their perspectives on the experience.
Tell us about the Sisters of Life.
SR. ANN: I am a part of a religious community called the Sisters of Life. We exist to proclaim the sacred dignity of every human life from conception to natural death. The glorious wonder of every human person, of you!
Every life has value and infinite worth, no matter how rich or poor, weak or strong, healthy or sick. This means you. God wanted you from all eternity. He chose to create you and loves you personally and deeply right now. In a culture that has lost the sense of the purpose and meaning of life, we live to declare the truth you are known by Him, and He has a plan for you. He loves you not because of what you can produce or achieve but simply because you exist. You don’t have to earn His love. He calls you simply to receive it. It’s freely given.
As Sisters of life, we spend about half of our day in prayer and the other half is spent in our various missions. We serve women who are pregnant and vulnerable to abortion to give them the support they need to choose life for themselves and their children. We have a home where pregnant women come and live with us during their pregnancy and up to about 8 months after the baby is born. We host retreats, have a mission of evangelization, and are on college campuses, accompanying young adults as they navigate how to live true, authentic, virtuous lives in this difficult culture; and we have a mission of hope and healing, accompanying women who are suffering after abortion and are seeking healing and renewal. This is one of our most stunning missions where Jesus relieves burdens, resurrects hearts and fills them with new life again.
Sister, when did you first feel a call to religious life?
SR. ANN: I first felt a call to religious life when I began my studies as a college student at the University of St. Thomas. I became involved with Campus Ministry as well as the Catholic Studies program where I began a steady prayer life and received a rich intellectual formation. Eucharistic Adoration and Daily Mass became essentials for me. The more I spent time with Jesus, the more I wanted to be with Him. As I grew to know Him in prayer, I began to experience a gentle tug toward religious life. I sensed that He wanted my heart to belong exclusively to Him in consecration. I had always dreamed of getting married and having a family, so you can imagine how surprised I was! Yet, I couldn’t deny the invitation God was placing on my heart.
I remember fondly a particular moment that the Lord spoke to me. I was at one of my sisters’ weddings and I was the maid-of-honor. The liturgy was gorgeous, the flowers were beautiful, and the music was stunning. It was the wedding I would have planned for myself. After receiving Holy Communion, I glanced up to glimpse the newly wedded couple, taking in the beauty of the sacrament. And in that moment, Jesus’ love rushed into my heart, and I was overcome by His presence. I sensed within my heart a silent yet undeniable invitation from Jesus: He was inviting me into a spousal love, where I would be His alone. He was calling me to be His bride and I would be the mother to all souls.
As the desire for religious life grew more and more over the months, I finally found the courage to step out of the boat in this adventure with my Divine Bridegroom, trusting in His love. I entered the Sisters of Life in 2015 after graduating from college, and it’s been the greatest gift of my life!
What is the most surprising thing you have learned during the formation process?
SHARON: The most surprising thing I have learned during Sr. Ann Immaculèe's formation process is that it has called forth great love and sacrifice on our part to watch her enter into this new chapter of her life. Her life in the Convent has required more separation from her due to the time commitment to the Religious Life she has entered into. However, even still with this new and real experience of separation, Sr. Ann Immaculèe still remains deeply part of our lives.
How has Caroline's role in the family changed as she has become Sister Ann Immaculèe? How has it stayed the same?
SHARON: Sr. Ann Immaculèe's role has changed in that she has a greater desire to spend more time in prayer, Adoration and Mass which causes her to spend time away from us, however briefly. She has stayed the same in that she is still a vital part of our family life, and we have great times together when she is home for her family visits.
What unique gifts does a Religious Sister bring her family?
SHARON: Some of the unique gifts as a Religious Sister that Sr. Ann Immaculèe has brought into our family is her love, joy and zeal for JESUS. It is so refreshing to share in her enthusiasm and watch her be so full of joy. It has helped to enrich our own faith journey with JESUS.
JOE: Having a religious Sister in the family is a unique privilege. It is indeed a gift, not something that parents or siblings can rightfully take credit for. In fact, I have a pat response to those that say to me and my wife, “Oh, you must have been the greatest, most inspiring parents; after all, you have as son who is a priest and now a daughter who is a fully-professed Sister.” My sincere response is, “You have probably heard the saying, ‘God writes straight with crooked lines.’ We know full well that we parents are the crooked lines!”
Indeed, we can’t take credit for how God has blessed not only Sr. Ann but our entire family. As family members - siblings, parents, in-laws, nieces and nephews - we observe Sr. Ann live out her vows, and we can’t help but be inspired. She is so faithful, so full of joy, so willing to follow God’s call. Those of us who have been called to the vocation of marriage are inspired by her dedication and devotion. Daily Mass for sure; daily holy hour (usually before the Blessed Sacrament); praying the Liturgy of the Hours; wearing the religious habit; and the like. And she tells us (parents and siblings) that she, in turn, is inspired by us as she takes note of how we laity strive faithfully to live out our vocations. She is well aware that, because of our daily commitments to rearing children, earning incomes, and managing our households, we cannot devote as much time to prayer and service to the Church as she does. But she marvels at the hard work and love that is demanded by marriage and family life.
In other words, there is a great, beautiful, and noble complementarity going on here, not just within our own family, but also within the wider Church family. Married couples (as well as those who are single) need the profound witness of those in vowed religious life. Likewise religious Sisters and Brothers, as well as priests, need the equally profound witness of those who are faithfully and joyfully living out their vocation as the laity in the Church.
Another thing I have observed about the impact on our family life is how we now have a built-in timeframe for family gatherings. Sr. Ann is granted permission by her religious order to spend 10 days every year with her family, usually in the summer. She loves to come back to her home in Owatonna. And naturally all of her siblings and nieces and nephews - some who live in Connecticut, others in Iowa, and several in the Twin Cities - want to “come home” and spend time with her. This is such a joyful time for all of us: cooking special meals together, playing yard and board games, taking walks, squeezing into beds (and sleeping bags) at night, and attending Sunday Mass as a family unit. I always marvel how everyone sets aside at least some of their family vacation time to coincide with Sr. Ann’s 10 days every year. In sum, I would maintain, paradoxically, that we are an even closer family unit because of Sr. Ann’s absence from our family except for those 10 days!
What were the biggest challenges posed by this vocation? How did you overcome them?
SR. ANN: As I was discerning my vocation, one of the biggest challenges was trusting that God would fulfill my desires for spousal love and maternity. I feared that God would not be enough for me, and that the sacrifice of physical motherhood was too much to surrender. Yet, “perfect love casts out all fear” (Jn 4:18). God protected my vocation through a faithful prayer life, which constantly confronted me with the power of His pursuing love, and slowly began to wash away my fears. His love began to be more than enough for me as I grew to know Him, and He began to put desires for motherhood on my heart that expanded the bounds of an earthly family. I wanted to be the mother of every soul, because every soul belongs to Him. This is the maternity God was calling me to - a spiritual maternity that carries every person within my heart. This alone has satisfied how He has created me to love and has brought me the greatest joy.
God’s invitations are always for our deepest happiness. Sometimes we don’t understand them right away nor do we know where they will lead us. But we know He is good, and that is enough for us to step out of the boat. Trust Him because He is trustworthy.
SHARON: The biggest challenge for me has been the separation from Sr. Ann Immaculèe. We do receive letters and phone calls from her, but I still miss her presence with us. However, I have learned to embrace and accept this time of separation as part of the loving sacrifice that is necessary for all of us to embrace her YES to JESUS and the Religious Vocation she is called to and our YES to her love for this Religious Vocation that she is called to. Sr. Ann Immaculèe loves JESUS deeply and we do too as a family, so we are thrilled to support her in this calling to Religious Life. It is a precious gift and great blessing to our family.
What does your family most look forward to in the future?
SHARON: As a family, we are excited to watch Sr. Ann Immaculèe share her many gifts, talents and love as a Religious Sister with others and to continue to grow deeper in her faith life.
JOE: What do we look forward to in the future? That God would bless our family - the next and ensuing generations - with additional vocations to priesthood and religious life. For it is such a gift!
