Final Vows

Yesterday, a good friend of mine from college and roommate and travel buddy for my semester in Rome, Tina Goetz, now Sr. Mary Colette of the Immaculate Conception, PC, took her final vows to be a Poor Clare nun. She has been and will be completely cloistered for the rest of her life. As a special treat yesterday, she got to meet with visitors from behind the screen at a reception after her ceremony. This was the last time I will ever talk to her again. You can click on the headline to view the sisters' home page.

Sister Colette is in the middle, with her Mother Abbess on the left and her Novice Mistress on the right.

All I could think about all day was what a sacrifice she was making. Immediately after her vows, her family lined up in the church to hug her for the last time. I think this was especially difficult for her father, as you might guess. From now on, her family can see her for either two separated days a year or one weekend a year, but always from behind the screen. She won’t come out for weddings or funerals, maybe nothing else for the rest of her life. Having been her friend around the time of her adult conversion (or ‘reversion’ really), I know this is what she wanted more than anything, and I think the life will suit her personality very well.

Having studied a little about the cloistered life and about St. Clare, I kind of knew what to expect. What I didn’t expect was the sheer joy of the day. Sr. Colette hardly stopped smiling. She was exactly where she wanted to be. I guess sometimes we give up one good for a greater good.

Besides the main celebrant, Cardinal Francis George, OMI, there were about 15 priests there, including our friend Msgr. James Conley, who worked at the Vatican and was a gracious host to us while we were in Rome. Fr. Greg Haake, CSC, another good college friend and fellow Rome student, was also there. Fr. Greg and Sr. Colette had even gone to grade school together at Cure of Ars in Prairie Village. Someone there noted that their pictures were right next to each other in the yearbook.

We only saw Fr. Greg for a few minutes, but it was wonderful to catch up with Msgr. Conley, who is now a parish priest in Wichita. He just hired a girl that was in FOCUS at BC. She was a freshman my last year there. Man, I feel old! Msgr. Conley is always so refreshing to talk to. He is such a wonderful, holy priest who is so encouraging. He and two other priest friends used to take Greg, Tina, me and a few other Rome students out to dinner. What a treat for us poor college students! It was an actual sit-down, true Italian meal – three hours of food and wine, laughter and edifying conversation. You just don’t forget kindness like that! Since so many of us were from Kansas City on that trip (Msgr. Conley is from Overland Park) and we ran into SO many religious from Kansas in Rome, we used to joke that all graces flowed through Kansas.

The little boys were really wonderful for most of the day. Scott was gracious enough to spend most of his day chasing after them in the courtyard outside so I could catch up with friends. The kids really made up for their good behavior today. They have been like little tornados. Even at mass, we ran two other families out of the cry room. They were totally out of control. On a good note, Joe finally said “hi” and shook hands with our priest after church, but immediately afterward, he stuck both fingers in his nostrils. Delightful. I’m sure Father was so excited that he just touched those hands!

Off I go to scrub pancake syrup out of my carpet and pick up the thousands of shards of Sunday paper they left me. I, too, have given up a good (leisurely Sundays) for a greater good (lots of little children)! Some days are rough, but there’s always lots of JOY!