Another Religious Vocation from Holy Redeemer

Dec 15

December 17, 2023

Jesus Christ: Yesterday, Today, and Forever ~

God has blessed Holy Redeemer with (now) eight religious vocations in the past 15 years, five in the last four years! One of them, Maris MacKenzie, is set to leave for the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Post Falls, Idaho on January 6th (you’ll hear from her on the next page). We are hopeful that many more will follow.

Please pray daily for those from Holy Redeemer who have not yet reached final vows or ordination: Sr. Catherine, Sr. Katlyn, Evan, Br. Gabriel, and Maris. Almost all those in religious formation will undergo a vocational crisis or more while in formation; almost all have undergone a vocational crisis before they even entered formation. Saying yes to God in this way is the bravest thing a human being can do because it is so un-natural. The only three things Adam & Eve walked out of the Garden of Eden with were: family (each other and the potential for children), self-determination, and the acquiring of goods. When one enters religious life they take perpetual vows of celibacy, poverty, and obedience to a religious superior. These three vows negate the only three natural goods left to Adam & Eve and their descendants. Hence, a religious vocation requires a super-natural act of faith, and so they need super-natural help in the form of our prayers and penances to succeed.

Last month I met with 13 high school girls about the possibility of religious life, and by the time you will have read this, I will have met last Friday evening (12/15) with teenagers and young men about religious life. Hopefully these gatherings will yield fruit months, years, or even decades down the road. Vocations are dear to my heart – as they are to God’s – and hopefully yours too. In a mysterious unseen way, every religious vocation is a conduit of God’s Glory and the salvation of many souls. They are beautiful flowers in Our Lord’s garden, hope in a fallen world, light in the darkness of our times.

Please pray daily for vocations to the priesthood and religious life, and please perform some penance for them from time to time. In an unseen, mysterious way, our prayers and penances for these people release grace from heaven and help them to miraculously say “yes” to Jesus and persevere in their vocation.

Below, I have attached a brief vocation story from Maris MacKenzie, who will enter the Carmel of Mary, Jesus, and Joseph on January 6th. Please pray for her.

May Almighty God Bless You,

Dear Holy Redeemer Family,

Praised be Jesus Christ! My name is Maris MacKenzie and I am 23 years old. My family and I came to Holy Redeemer about thirteen years ago, and I have spent most of my faith life here. For years I have participated in, and later volunteered for, various parish events. I am especially blessed to be supported in the grace of my vocation to religious life. My vocation story is a journey of leaps of faith leading me from uncertainty about God’s will for my life to certainty.

My family converted to the Catholic Faith when I was 8 years old. In the following years, I had an uncomfortable feeling that God might want me to be a nun. I did not really know what that meant, and the time when that might happen seemed far away. I first heard God’s call clearly when I was 14 years old. My family had just gone through a deeper conversion, and my parents had given God their unconditional “yes.” In the fall of 2014, we were watching Catholicism by Bishop Robert Barron. I remember seeing four women religious on the screen: Mother Teresa, Saint Teresa of Avila, Saint Therese of Lisieux, and one other.

Then, God said to me, “What if that was you?” I squirmed. “No,” I said, half to myself, half to God, “I hope that never happens.” But God changed my heart. By December of that year, I had accepted my vocation and thought God wanted me to be a Carmelite like Saint Therese. However, I hadn’t told anyone about this stirring in my heart. Then, in confession, a priest told me I should consider joining a cloistered religious order. He named several, including the Carmelites. I needed no other confirmation. I told my parents and began to discern.

My first “big yes” came six years later in 2020. After many years of quiet, prayerful discerning, I began to take concrete steps to pursue my vocation. This meant letters and emails, and eventually a visit. The first community to invite me to visit was the Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in Post Falls, ID. I experienced Heaven there almost tangibly. I was excited about the community and wanted to continue discerning with them. The next step in discernment was to fill out the application. I was not sure if that was the right thing to do and it seemed like a huge step. I sought wise counsel and was advised to move forward, since I liked the community and the door was open. So, I took a leap of faith and sent in the application.

My second significant leap came this year. After submitting an application in 2020, I had to wait due to delays on both my end and theirs. During this time, I was in a state of stagnant discernment, which created uncertainty and hesitation. I came to a point where I wasn’t even sure I wanted to enter Carmel. However, God helped me work through this in a series of small jumps ending in a realization that I was scared to commit myself completely to Him. Once I knew the root of my hesitation, I could push past the feeling of uncertainty and jump with both feet into the boat of Christ.

However, the door was not all the way open yet; I needed to make another leap of faith before I was ready to enter. By the time I had worked all the way through my hesitation and told the Prioress in Post Falls about my recommitment, the Carmel was experiencing space limitations. Mother gently let me know that perhaps this door was closed, at least for now. I spent some time discerning with other communities. The more I discerned elsewhere, though, the more I realized how much certainty I really had in the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, and how much like home it really was. So, despite lingering fear of commitment, I wrote to Post Falls and asked to enter when they had room. Mother’s reply confirmed God’s will for me: she told me they did have room and she gave me an entrance date! I now joyfully await my entrance on January 6th, 2024.

My journey so far has not been what I expected, nor has it been easy, but I praise God for it and am so grateful for all the graces, many unexpected, He has poured out on me throughout the years of my discernment. I have no doubt that God will accompany me with His grace throughout the coming years as I continue to tread the path of His will. Please pray for me, as I will be praying for you!

In Jesus, Mary, and Joseph,

Maris MacKenzie