The Sister Series Part 3
December 1, 2020
Sr. Janet Keller is a Salesian Sister with a big heart. She is currently teaching kindergarten at Villa Madonna School, and lovingly teaches the children. I have experienced it firsthand, as I often go to Villa Madonna after school and help her with the after school program. In that program, she plays with the children and has really shown me what it means to be a light in their lives.
“I believe that God calls us through others and that he calls us by name. For me, I was asked about becoming a nun several times by many different people. My response was always the same: that I wanted to be married and have a family. About age thirty, I was asked again about becoming a Nun and it finally hit me that God was asking me to serve him in a special way as a Nun (a religious sister). I was very surprised and told him he was crazy. I made all kinds of excuses about why I could not do it. But God kept saying: ‘Why not, Janet?’ The call stayed with me and I prayed about it and started looking into being a Nun.”
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“I did not know anything about being a Nun- I had never met any. I only knew what I had heard from others and had seen on TV. I went on the internet and Googled ‘Nun’. I entered my information into a vocational site and they sent my information out to many different Orders around The United States. I received lots of mail and some phone calls.”
“I prayed and asked God for guidance. I was given the scripture John 1:35-42 to read and meditate on. The words ‘come and see and follow me’ kept speaking to me.”
“I went to a ‘Come and See’ week with the Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco (also known as Daughters of Mary Help of Christians) in New Jersey and I felt at home. Their joy and cheerfulness was contagious. To see their love for the Lord and his Mother was very inspiring. The way they prayed, sang, and their love for the young touched my heart.”
“I entered with the Salesian Sisters in 2008. My First profession of vows was on August 5, 2011. My Perpetual Profession was August 5, 2017.”
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“Throughout the years of formation and being a professed sister: I have deepened my relationship with Jesus and my desire to serve Him; my relationship with Mary, our Mother; and my relationship with the Holy Spirit asking for help and guidance. I have truly experienced God’s unconditional love.”
“Spending time with Jesus, real personal time helped me open my heart to him. Sometimes it was hard to have the courage to seek and follow the call I felt within me, but knowing that Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Mary were and still are with me every step of the way, helps me to continue giving God my ‘Yes’. What challenges us makes us stronger and better able to love and help others. Remember Jesus does not call the perfect or the strongest people. He calls the weak and unqualified. By centering on him, he gives us what we need to follow and serve him.”
“Open your heart to him. If he is calling you to religious life, he will definitely find ways to let you know. It might be in prayer, through others around you, or through different signs or situations you go through in your life. Sometimes it is hard to have the courage to seek what is calling you, but know that Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and Mary are with you every step of the way.”
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