Following her year of service with CMC, Sarah, a certified speech therapist, was hired by Annunciation School. She remained in residence with the MSCs at the Shrine. Sarah shares her reflections on this recent time in her life.

When considering volunteer programs what about Cabrini Mission Corps attracted you?
What made Cabrini Mission Corps stand out to me was the unique opportunity to live in community with the Missionary Sisters, as well as the opportunity to use my teaching background as a volunteer in an educational setting with students who are economically poor.

My first introduction to Cabrini Mission Corps was through a close friend whose sister had just begun a mission as a Cabrini Mission Corps missioner in New York City at Mother Cabrini High School. I was fascinated with the fact that it was a domestic (United States based) mission, which I had not heard of before, since I had presumed that missionaries went away to other countries. Over the course of a year, I noticed my friend’s sister’s growth in her confidence and how she did not value material things. I also found it interesting that she was living in community with sisters and other missioners.

During your year of service what did you find to be life-giving?
As a missioner, I was very aware of Jesus’ communication with me and how His love transferred through me to others. This was accomplished by putting my trust in Him on a daily basis, starting with attending morning mass at the Mother Cabrini Shrine in Golden, Colorado where I was missioned. The chapel was no more then forty steps from my room and my schedule afforded me time to do this.

Being on the grounds of Mother Cabrini Shrine, going for walks to see the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus atop the mountain there, praying with the sisters, having discussions/prayer with friends, taking time to do daily reflections throughout the day and reading various books on spirituality all helped me to remain connected with God. I felt He was communicating with me daily through the readings at mass, from reading scripture, in passages from books I read, through nature and through the various people/children I encountered during the day.

The most extraordinary lessons or messages I received were the ones that God sent me through the students with whom I worked. They are truly little angels with whom God has blessed me.

The students are primarily from Hispanic backgrounds and have parents who have to work long and hard to make ends meet. The students are very supportive of each other and have a hunger to learn about God. I relished all the hugs I received or gave throughout the day and enjoyed having a heart-to-heart talk with any particular student who looked like they needed to talk.

What did you hope to gain and give by continuing to live in community beyond your year of service?
Living with the sisters has been an interesting experience. They have been very supportive and understanding throughout my mission experience. At times, I needed my space and other times I needed to be around people. Being at school with children eight hours a day can be very draining and also challenging at times. The Missionary Sisters accepted me for who I am with my strengths and weaknesses and without judging me. They allowed me to express myself and my personality even though at times I could be a bit silly.

I also saw a very human side of the sisters that I had never seen before when attending Catholic schools. Also, I had hoped that remaining in community would help me to continue to live life simply and not get caught up with material things. Living in a small room, it is hard to accumulate too many possessions. For the sisters I wanted to be able to give of my time or service whenever needed.

How has living in community changed you and your perspective on life?
This past year been filled with many joys and challenges. One of our sisters had a severe illness, another had heart problems and the third had a serious operation on her back over the course of the year. It was hard to see them go through these things and it was a challenge for the community to pull together to make things run smoothly. I watched two of the sisters recover from their illnesses, so they could get back to being functioning members of the community.

This experience made me realize that our bodies are very fragile and that life is a temporary gift. It has been thrilling to see one of the sisters fully recovered and having a “new lease” on life. She is very grateful to have recovered and has a tremendous amount of enthusiasm for life again. I hope that I can handle what God has planned for my life with the grace and strength that I have witnessed in these women.

Read past "Companions on the Journey" stories...

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Learn more about the Cabrini Lay Missionaries

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