Meet our Vocation Director
Hello, my name is Sr. Maria Victoria, and I am the vocation director for the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration.
Have you ever thought - just for a split second - that God may be calling you to religious life? When I was first considering it, my initial reaction was "Who me? Are you serious?” Discerning a vocation to religious life can be overwhelming, exciting, and even a bit frightening.
Here is my story: I was born in Argentina and moved to Metairie, Louisiana, when I was three years old. Growing up, my family spoke both Spanish and English.
Before I entered, I worked at a children’s daycare center and attended night school for an early childhood education program. I was also involved in a serious relationship and he proposed. This was a daunting question because I wasn’t sure I was called to marriage. We had a good relationship, and I loved children, but I knew I had to discern this further. During this period of asking God if this was the right path for me, I heard Him say in a still, small voice, Why don’t you consider Religious Life?
After spending time in prayer and silence, I discerned I wasn’t being called to marriage but to religious life. Before beginning my search, I had to do the hard thing and end the relationship. I remembered a friend once told me, "God often writes straight with crooked lines." How true.
I began to visit local communities. There was a nearby convent of Daughters of St. Paul and one of the sisters agreed to be my spiritual director. She helped me deepen my relationship with God and search for where God was leading me. She introduced me to Vision magazine. I did their vocation match survey online and that is how I found our community. I entered in August 2007 and made my final vows in January 2014.
You might be asking, “So, what attracted you to this community?” I wanted to live in community and not alone or with just three or four sisters. I was drawn to contemplative life but not to a cloistered community behind a grill. Seeking God and deepening my relationship with him were important to me. I wanted to live with others who shared this call. I have come to love both praying the Divine Office daily and Eucharistic Adoration, a special devotion of this community.
I would be happy to answer any questions you have about religious life or questions about our community. You can email me at vocation@benedictinesisters.org or call me at (660) 944-2221 ex. 127
