Sister Audrey Frances Moran "Mom, the most amazing thing has just happened to me. I know exactly what I'm going to do with my life, and I'm so happy! I'm going to be a religious sister! Thank you so much for raising me Catholic! You're wonderful!" Four days after a very surprising evening in the Catholic Campus Ministry's chapel, I wrote an email with that basic message to my completely unsuspecting mom, and others to my dad and two younger sisters. I was 19, and a sophomore at Mary Washington College (now the University of Mary Washington).

During my freshman year there, I had found myself embracing my Catholic faith with joy, enthusiasm, and commitment for the first time in my life, thanks to the loving and vibrant witness of the members of that youth ministry center. And now this! It hit me, sitting before the Blessed Sacrament one Monday evening, in the CCM's warm little chapel, that I, of all people, could make God very happy by giving my life to him in that way.

I had never actually considered religious life as an option before then. Doctor, nurse, lawyer, journalist, anthropologist. those were the lines I was thinking along. So I prayed to know if this was for real, or just some ridiculous idea I had come up with. And I pointed out to God that I really didn't have the various characteristics and talents which I felt that a religious should have. That same evening, I received the grace of a conviction that God, for no other reason than his overflowing and undeserved love, had always meant for me to be his own in this particular way, to live and work through me for other souls in this way; and he would supply for my lack of qualification.

For three days I kept this new conviction very quietly and happily to myself, but then I just couldn't hold it in any more. So I told my roommate about it, and then my family, and other friends. My roommate was a very wise and faith-filled person, so I was very glad that she not only didn't tell me I was off my rocker, she actually shared my joy and sheer wonder. She also made a recommendation for a concrete step to take, in order to continue discerning what God really wanted for me, and to start learning about religious life: that I should find a spiritual director.

For all of the excitement, and desire to give back to God, that I had at that point, I actually had only the faintest idea of what religious life was. I had never known any religious; in fact I had only spoken briefly with a handful of brothers or sisters throughout my life. I asked our campus minister if he could give me spiritual direction, but even though he belonged to an apostolic community (called "Youth Apostles"), he thought that it might be more to my advantage to speak with a religious sister, and be able to ask detailed questions about women religious' lifestyle. That's how I ended up asking an Oblate Sister for help; Sr. Frances Carol, who sings with the Folk Group of the campus ministry, and lives just a few blocks away from the university, was perfectly willing to set aside time to meet regularly with me and give me whatever help I might need.

Over the next few years, as I went on vocation retreats and visited a variety of different orders, and continued working towards a BA in social anthropology, I met and spoke with Sister on a regular basis. She constantly helped me direct and redirect my search, as well as my everyday life, to be more in line with God's plan for me. Within three months after that unique evening in the chapel, I was praying all over again to know whether this idea of a vocation was really from God, or not, but this time with a much clearer idea of what would be involved if I committed to it. I received that same beautiful assurance as I had the previous fall, and from then on, didn't have any more question as to whether or not I had a religious vocation. I still needed to know which order I was called to. and I had an answer to that by the following summer, after a Saturday afternoon visit to the Childs, Maryland convent of the Oblate Sisters. It dawned on me that I couldn't think of anywhere where I felt more at home, more complete, than with them. The match has seemed so obvious since then-St. Léonie Aviat, the foundress, was the one saint whom I prayed to the most for help discerning my vocation, and for everyday things, too; the Sisters were the ones whom I'd had the most contact with, and felt most at home with, throughout that time of discernment. I also began to learn, as Sr. Frances Carol started teaching me about the Spiritual Directory of St. Francis de Sales , how perfectly Salesian spirituality suits me and helps me grow.

I spent two more years at Mary Washington, and received my degree in spring 2004. I entered the postulancy, the first period of formation with the Sisters, in August 2004, and was officially received into the Congregation as a novice in June 2005. We have two years of novitiate, followed by a minimum of five years of temporary profession, before a Sister can profess perpetual vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. It's plenty of time for continuing discernment, and learning about community life, the apostolic life, the spirituality of the Congregation, and certainly about the vows. I'm incredibly grateful to be here, and would also appreciate any prayers that a website visitor would like to offer for my perseverance and growth in formation. God be praised!