Chapter 14: Novitiate Revisited

Chapter 14: Novitiate Revisited

Chapter 14: Novitiate Revisited

Chapter 14: Novitiate Revisited

When the summer had passed, I traveled to Columbus where I had been assigned a few math classes at St. Joseph Academy. Life was full of new freedom. I remember being elated as I was able to sign out a car to drive myself to two different religious education programs where I had volunteered to teach, one on Sunday and one on Monday evenings. I also became acquainted with new friends in the community and reveled in the fact that we could simply sign out at the door,walk down town or to German Village and even buy an ice cream cone, all without asking permission.

During the year I had an older sister as mentor. I dearly loved her and we became good friends. I had been working unde the assumption that this was my year of transition, taking the place of another novitiate. My math classes went well and I washappy when the principal of the high school asked me to be head of the math department the next year. This offer made me feel very accepted and that I was doing something of value for the community.

However, at that tinme, one of my friends who entered with me was also going to transfer so our congrefational leader thought it would be nice to give us both a sabbatical year of prayer and study. At any other time this might have been welcomed with open arms, but I was eager to get on with my ministry. Obedience won out this time and we entered a program with three other women who were entering for the first time. It was sort of like a semi-novitiate. I truly believe that novitiates have been the bane of my life.

In retrospect, I see the good that cameto me from this unwanted experience. I was able to make my firrst privately directed retreat. After eighteen years of preached retreats whicih took you through a tour of hell before you got to heaven, this experience was a welcome relief. The year also gave me a regular spiritual director whcih was also a great blessing. The next fifteen years of my life, I would choose directed retreats as opposed to preached ones. . I also chose to take a yoga class which set me out on my journey of listening to my body. At the end of the year, we were introduced to "open placement" whcih was a discernment process by which one chose her new ministry in dialogue with the director of ministry. I discerned that I would use the opportunity to begin my long-desired work in religious education. I was then assigned to St. Agnes in Columbus to teach religion in the school and to direct the parish religious education program on Saturdays. My work in religious education would be the path that eventually brought me to my illuninative years.

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