Bridget

and religious imagery in the house, my family stopped attending Mass for a few years of my childhood; for a while, Jesus was nothing more than the crucifix on the wall, and I did not know what being Catholic meant. But a decisive shift took place when I was about nine years old, as my parents not only came around to attending Mass regularly, but also began enrolling me in Our Lady of Victory Homeschool program. This change was so decisive for the course of my life as it began my process of encountering the Lord first intellectually, and thereby personally.

Together with my preparation for the sacraments as a fourth-grader, these events allowed the Lord to impress Himself upon me in a lasting way. A deeply impactful point in my journey was my first reception of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I recall my heart being inexplicably moved by the reality of the sacrament, and afterward found myself resolving to remain the Lord’s forever. As I continued to foster this new relationship with the Lord, all I could dream of “doing with my life” was becoming a martyr one day for His sake. If He was worthy of all my love then He was worth suffering and dying for as the greatest expression of that love. Although I eventually recognized that my idea of physical martyrdom was somewhat romanticized, such an “all-or-nothing” response to God’s love was what later made consecrated life a conceivable choice as I reached my teenage years. Specifically, it was during Eucharistic Adoration on a youth retreat when I once again heard the invitation to lay down my life out of love for Him and His glorification, and also the moment when the idea of religious life began appealing to this desire.

I left this experience deciding to explore this prospect further. I then came to the knowledge of the Dominicans, whose charism is characterized by a special devotion to Truth and the pursuit of study as a means of coming to greater love and contemplation of the Beloved, who is the origin of truth. As I proceeded through high school with Our Lady of Victory, I found my love for God enflamed further by my own studies, therefore becoming more and more attracted to the life of the Dominicans. I grew in closer familiarity with them through a community of active Dominican Sisters. Although my increasing attraction to the vocation of marriage brought second thoughts as to whether I was being called into religious life, it was on a retreat with them that I was struck with the reality that the Lord had indeed created in me the capacity to love another on a spousal level to the point of laying down my life, but Christ was truly the one for whom I longed to do so.

I began a serious discernment process with this community; however, I was ultimately told that I likely did not have a vocation with them, and was highly advised to attend college and continue maturing and discerning God’s will. This was greatly disappointing to me, yet led to a series of events that I am now incredibly grateful for. I began college at the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND, and through this the Lord proceeded to transform me and reveal Himself to me in ways that I had not realized how much I was in need of. Here I enjoyed a rich liturgical and sacramental life, Catholic community, and engaging academics—and, thanks be to God, I completed my bachelor’s degree in Theology in April 2024.

Furthermore, as a freshman I began meeting with my spiritual director, the university’s chaplain, who was a tremendous aid to my receptivity of these graces and my coming to terms with my ultimate vocation—received in the indelible mark of my Baptism—to be wholly the Lord’s. Nevertheless, he recognized in me early on what the Dominican Sisters had also noticed—that I did not seem to be called to active religious life, but rather the contemplative. He knew, and helped me to understand, the beautiful reality of this particular manner of consecrated life and encouraged me to be open to it. So, I began reaching out to and visiting a couple of cloistered Dominican monasteries; yet he continuously encouraged me to consider St. Dominic’s Monastery in Linden, V A. When I finally made a visit to Linden, I could at last grasp the profound manner of union to Christ that the contemplative life strives for, as well as recognize what my spiritual director identified as my own desire and suitability for this.

After a five-week aspirancy period of living within the cloister, I applied for entrance into the monastery and later received the wonderful news of my acceptance. Thanks be to God, I enjoy great clarity, joy, and freedom as I strive to give of myself through this way of life, anchored in the certitude of Christ’s unconditional love as my bridegroom. My one obstacle now to following Him down this path is my student debt from my time at the University of Mary—which, once again, was crucial to my personal, intellectual, and spiritual formation that has brought me to where I am now. These priceless goods granted by the Lord came at no insignificant financial cost to me, but with confidence I am relying upon the Lord’s providence to clear the way for me in whatever timing is His love wills!

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