Photo by Elena Mirus
Jen Hantz
Staff Writer
A panel of ladies lined the front of the Gentile Gallery while young female students filled the tables at “Beauty and the present moment: Your future vocation and singlehood” event Thursday at 9 p.m., intended to teach students how to live out their singlehood while awaiting their vocation.
Each member of the panel introduced herself and gave the story of her vocational journey.
Sister Catherine Lynn, TOR, said she knew that God was calling her to give all of herself to him. Though she felt that call, she struggled in her discernment.
“If I had had any heads up from God that it was religious life, I would have run screaming in the other direction,” Lynn said.
She asked God to heal her fears and she looked for more information on religious life.
“Getting that information … from the Church’s perspective healed a lot of my fear … and visiting communities helped a lot too,” Lynn said.
Diane Wack, Franciscan University of Steubenville alumna, said her senior year was anything but what she expected. From struggles in her studies that adding another year of school brought to an unexpected breakup, nothing seemed to be going as she had planned.
She said the more she placed radical trust in God and his plan, the happier she was.
“The more that I trusted those little things, the easier it became,” Wack said.
Joanne Storm, who holds a doctorate in clinical psychology, said it was not until after her collegiate studies that she took the vocation question seriously. It was not until ten years and several awkward phone calls later that she finally met her husband and got married.
Helena Dziadowicz, residence director of St. Thomas More Hall, agreed to an engagement only to realize she and her fiancé were not a match. Despite breaking the engagement, the experience gave her a glimpse into married life.
Dani Pillar, residence director of Marian Hall, described her struggle with not receiving confirmation about which vocation to which she was called.
Students appreciated the witness of various women on campus.
“It just made me excited to be a woman,” said junior Bebe Menkhaus. “We don’t have to know exactly what we’re doing and we can just find peace in knowing that we are exactly where we’re supposed to be.”
Junior Emily Cappello said, “I was really inspired by the authenticity of these women … They were able to share with us things that we might not have experienced, yet that they have experienced.”