Every life is a journey to God. Here, three people share the story of their journey so far.

Read Ruth's or Tom's account by clicking on the link or start here, with Sr Karen's.

"I’m a Dominican sister in the Congregation of St Catherine of Siena of Newcastle, Natal, known as the Bushey Dominicans. I entered nine years ago and made my final vows in 1999. My journey to religious life has involved both a geographical journey and a deepening of my belonging to the Body of Christ as a Catholic. It hasn’t been extraordinary like St Paul’s trip to Damascus, but it’s had its moments, of blindness and fear, as well as consolation and joy.

My journey to becoming a Dominican sister began when I finished university and moved from Montreal, Quebec to Glasgow to study at Strathclyde University. I was convinced I knew where my life was going: I would teach at college level and think about a career in politics as a way of ‘contributing to society’. O vanity of vanities!

I was raised a Catholic, and involved in my parish as an altar server, then a reader, with the choir and the liturgy committee, and anything a young person could be involved in. But I took my faith for granted and didn’t allow it to touch my whole life. Only when I moved abroad did I begin to think about what it meant to belong to the Church, to be marked indelibly with the sign of the cross through baptism.

In Glasgow I met deeply committed young people who found it hard to live as Catholics in an increasingly secular world. That was a new experience which made me cherish my faith and try to deepen it. Going to Mass, which was initially my way of finding something familiar in a new and scary environment, became the most important part of my day. The Eucharist became the centre of my day, keeping me going. I knew I wanted to make it, and the God who came to me in it, the focal point of my life.

I became involved in the university Chaplaincy, where the chaplain was a Dominican friar. I went on short retreats which were crucial in shaping the direction my life would take. Making time for silence and stopping to listen allowed me to hear the voice I had never really been conscious of. That voice was asking me for a total commitment. That was a moment of fear: what was God asking me to do? I came to consider religious life, and saw that what I wanted was there before me. I knew I wanted to serve others, and the Church was the place I could do that most fully. The religious I knew had something I wanted to share: a deep conviction and happiness, secure in the knowledge of God’s love for them. I was beginning to learn about God’s love for me.

Why the Order of Preachers?
What attracted me to the Dominicans was the life of community prayer—especially singing the Divine Office—study, and service in the Church. I would be able to use my love of study for the Church’s mission. I had been immensely privileged and I wanted to give something back.

The Dominican emphasis on truth, veritas, was a strong attraction. The truth of the Gospel is real, and it needs to be preached to a world that seemingly despises it, yet searches for the security it offers. The life of a Dominican is about ‘doing theology’ and living the Gospel, following Jesus. I saw that as the most worthwhile life for me.

The fact that women and men could work together in the same Order for the sake of the Gospel was also important; it’s a witness to their complementarity. I was inspired by several friars, by the simple way they spoke of God and God-matters. I’d enjoyed numerous conversations with my chaplain about faith, religion, Jesus, life and the universe and what it all means. I wanted to do the same in a community of women. I found myself in Rosary Priory, Bushey to meet the Prioress General, where I felt a sense of homecoming and knew I had to try religious life with the Dominicans.

It hasn’t always been easy. There have been times of doubt and loneliness. My companions from the novitiate are abroad, in Rome and South Africa, so I have no one my own age, which can be difficult. But I find companionship both within the community and outside it.

It’s awesome to belong to the same Order as some of the great saints of the Church: St Dominic of course, St Catherine of Siena and St Thomas Aquinas. And then there are those who are still living among us, quietly preaching and praying together, committed to following Christ and spreading the Good News.

I’m not one for public speaking, so I’m still amused at having joined an Order whose charism is preaching. I find it difficult, but there are many ways of preaching the Gospel, and they don’t all involve giving talks. I try to avoid talks whenever I can! I’ve had the privilege of working with university students for the past four years. I’ve spent time talking with them and praying with them. I’ve learned from them, and hopefully they’ve learned from me. I tell them that chaplaincies can be dangerous places. You never know where you might end up.

My journey has brought me several thousand miles to a new home. But more important is the journey of the heart, that journey into a deeper relationship with the God who gave me life and has called me to this life. I wouldn’t trade it for the world."


Sr Karen d'Artois O.P.