Sister Mary Vincent Kowalewski Since I was a very little girl I have always had in the back of my mind that I wanted to be a religious. At my First Communion, I asked for the grace to be a Sister when I grew up. Sr. Salesiana, my 8 th grade teacher, said that God may be calling any of us and that we should ask Jesus if it is his will that we should be a religious. Every night I said that prayer.

Since I was a young child, I always had the feeling that I would be a religious and asked for this grace when I received my First Communion. As the years passed, I still had this feeling put I put it aside, enjoying my work and life in general. One day a young man who worked at the DuPont Company, where I was also employed, announced that he was entering the Oblate Fathers Novitiate in September of that year, 1954. After he joined the Oblates, he wrote me about the Oblate Sisters and suggested that I visit them. I was not in any hurry to do so.

In January of 1955, my friend was received into the Oblate Novitiate and invited me to this ceremony. At the reception which was held afterwards, he introduced me to Mother Bertha Gonzaga, the Superior. Mother invited me to see the convent and kindergarten which were only minutes away. After my short visit, I told Mother that I would write to her. Mother Bertha Gonzaga did not wait for my letter but wrote to ask me for help copying work for the kindergarten, which I did. She then invited me for a weekend to help the Sisters in the kindergarten; I went.

In February, I took a train to Childs, Maryland and was met by the Sisters. I remember wondering what I was going to talk about as I did not know the Sisters. Well, Our Lord knew. After a short visit to the Sisters' Chapel I met Mother waiting for me. Without hesitating a moment, I asked to be admitted into the Congregation. Mother, whose English was limited, did not understand this request and looked to another Sister to translate for her. Mother was elated and did not hesitate to accept my request. If I surprised Mother with this request, I surprised my self also for I had no intention of doing this when I left the Chapel. This occurred on February 5th and the next day I set my entrance day for May 1st. All this occurred during my second visit with the Sisters.

When I told my parents, they were elated. They have always supported my vocation and our Sisters. Since my entrance two of my brothers, Vincent who was a pharmacist and John, a teacher, joined the Oblate Fathers and were ordained priests. My sister, Theodosia, a chemist, entered the Visitation Monastery in Wilmington, Delaware.

I have never regretted my decision and thank God for calling me to serve him. I am the 6th of 10 children. We were blessed with wonderful parents whose generosity, goodness and compassion were always at work serving the Polish community, the handicapped and the elderly. My mother attended daily Mass and my father often accompanied her. They lived their Catholic faith wholeheartedly. What always impressed me was their self-giving. They never spoke of all the good they did. It is not surprising that four of their children entered religious life, a life of service.

I would like to mention that my youngest sister, Chrissy, had Downs Syndrome. Our family was dedicated to her care. We learned how to give of ourselves to her. In her simplicity, Chrissy taught us a great deal.

I have enjoyed working with children of all ages during my 54years as an Oblate Sister but my special love is for God’s little ones. I have served in many places and done whatever works our Community needed. Our spirit is one of love, doing the best we can out of love, forgetting ourselves for the neighbor. I would like to leave you with my favorite thought of our founder, Fr. Louis Brisson: “The more one loves, the more one gives. The more one gives, the more one loves God.”