Benedictine Sisters of Cullman, Alabama
Sacred Heart Monastery
916 Convent Road, Cullman, Alabama 35055
(256) 734-4622 --- shmon@shmon.org
How Does One Become a Cullman Benedictine?
Discernment Steps
Why? How I Became a Benedictine Sister
by
Sister Lynn Marie McKenzie, OSB
I remember when I was five years old at St. Pius X Catholic Church and School (Mobile) parking lot, standing with my mother, looking across the lot and seeing a Sister. I pointed at her and then looked up at my mother and said, "That's what I want to be when I grow up." Of course, what did I know at five years of age? But, I believe the Lord planted that seed early and my parents nurtured it by our Catholic upbringing.
Of course, many of my teachers and friends, after I was five and until I was twenty-two years old, would never have guessed that I would become a Sister! I was always into something, as my parents will readily attest. But, along the way, being involved with various Church related activities and coming to know many whose faith was important to them, my faith grew and so did the awareness that God was inviting me to live the life of a Sister. However, it was not until less than a year before I entered that I knew I was to be a Benedictine Sister. As a matter of fact, much of my search involved corresponding with many different communities of Sisters across the country. They were all kind to me, and encouraged me in my search.
One of the last things I did to search out which religious community would be right for me was to go on "the great convent scouting tour" of 1980 (just before I began law school), with my college roommate, who was also considering religious life. During that trip, after visiting several different communities, I realized that none felt right to me, until we returned to Alabama and I came back to Sacred Heart.
In January, 1981, just three weeks after completing my final exams of my first semester of law school, I became a postulant at Sacred Heart Monastery. Now, almost twenty years later, I am still convinced that this is where the Lord led me and wants me to grow and deepen in my love for God through my monastic profession in this monastery of Cullman.
Please feel free to contact us:
Sister Magdalena Craig,OSB
Vocation Director
Sister Therese Haydel, OSB
Associate Vocation Director
916 Convent Road
Cullman, AL 35055
256-734-2199
vocations@shmon.org