Ruth Platte

When I try to recall what it was that first attracted me to religious life I see the faces of several Sisters who made an impression on me in the Catholic grade school I attended. I became acquainted with some of the younger Sisters who taught in first and second grade since some of us in eight grade went to help monitor the little ones during lunch time. The Sisters were fun-loving, caring and dedicated teachers.

When I went on to high school I never forgot the Sisters who seemed happy in their vocation. At my freshman high school retreat, one of the Sisters in charge asked me if I had ever thought about entering the convent. It seemed as if she was reading my mind. I felt God was asking me to consider joining this group of Sisters and living a life of service as they did.

And so for my junior year of high school I left my family in Michigan and traveled to Illinois so that I could attend the Academy run by Sisters. This was a big step but one I needed to take in order to get to know the Community and to discern whether or not God was really calling me to religious life.

After graduation, I still felt the call of God to move forward and so I asked to enter the Congregation as a Candidate. A year later I was invested as a Novice. This was just the beginning of the adventure. Each day I am called to grow and live out of that initial commitment to a life of prayer, community living and ministry in the Church.

Ruth Platte, SLW