Young women reflect on vocations at FIAT retreat
Sister Monica Arguello, a Servant of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, speaks with a retreatant at the FIAT retreat April 20 at Holy Trinity Church in Azle. (NTC/Susan Moses)
AZLE — On April 20, young adult women gathered to discuss the deepest longings of the heart, like true love and motherhood. However, God may satisfy those desires in unexpected ways, according to religious sisters who spoke at the FIAT retreat, held at Holy Trinity Parish in Azle.
Victoria Ramon, diocesan director of Youth, Young Adult, and Campus Ministries, organized the discernment event to provide an opportunity for young adult women to focus on God’s will for their lives and to introduce them to a few religious orders.
The retreat was named for Mary’s fiat when she accepted God’s plan to become the mother of Jesus by saying, “May it be done to me according to your word.”
Several of the religious women shared their vocation stories, many of which included a desire to be deeply known and loved and a yearning to be a mother. Being the bride of Christ has satisfied those longings for love, said Sister Maximilian Maria, a Dominican Sister of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. Teaching has filled her life with children to nurture.
Nolan Catholic High School theology teacher Sister Anna Imelda Nguyen, OP, shared how she spent her childhood praying for a sister. She thought God answered the prayer with a “no,” but after living in her religious community, she realized God has blessed her with 100 sisters.
Sister Sarah Kowal, a Servant of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary, advised the women on how to discern their vocation and reminded them, “God has created you for something in particular.”
The discernment event also included Mass and Eucharistic Adoration.
Ramon said the retreat served as “a reminder that our vocation comes from the Lord. He had it planned at the beginning of time for us, for each one of us. But we have to say ‘yes’ daily to that vocation. We have to give our fiat every single day, every single moment.”