Throughout my life, I had some kind of gist that there was a God from my Catholic upbringing, and my Grandmother’s and Mother’s faith.
My parents went through a messy divorce when I was 10 and I didn’t really have much of a relationship with my Dad, so I saw myself as unloveable. I was often in trouble and rebelled against the world as a teenager. Looking back, I realise I was just trying to fill the pain I had in my heart.
In my final year of high school I was invited to a youth group. It was there I thought more of God and that maybe there was a God somewhere. But I also thought that He’s not for me because I had done too many bad things and wasn’t Holy enough. My attitude was, “Why would God love me anyway?”
I lived two separate lives for about six years – attending youth group and Mass on a Sunday but then on most weekends I would also try and fill the gap with ‘other loves’ in the party scene (boys, alcohol and clubs).
Then I got invited to go to a Summer School of Evangelisation (Christian camp for about 300 adults that goes for a week). Whilst there, I watched a team of young people perform a drama. The guy playing Jesus rose from the dead after being crucified and looked straight into my eyes. I saw a tear fall down his check. This totally blew my mind.
I realised that Jesus was real, did die for me and knew the pain I had in my heart. I went to Confession and opened my heart to Jesus. I spent time with Him in prayer and was real with Him. I realised I was loveable and through this was able to love others and be loved.
As time went on I discovered His love for me and it was like two people falling in love. This led me to His invitation for consecrated life. I chose Missionaries of God’s Love (MGL) because it was the MGL way of life that attracted me first. Everything about our way of life spun me into a sense of desire and excitement to want to look seriously at living my life totally for Jesus and becoming a Religious Sister. For some bizarre reason, I was attracted to the poverty (we take a vow of poverty where we rely on God for everything – food, clothing, bills etc.). The mission of MGL was also a major attraction – working with young people and the poor and marginalised seemed so much a part of what I wanted to do for God.
I never ever thought that I would ever become a Religious Sister; all I wanted to do was to get married and have three or four kids. But Jesus wooed me into this life. I have had plenty of confirmation that being a nun is the right choice for me. For instance, I used to wear a ‘bling’ ring with ‘Jesus’ inscribed on it and one time a teenager asked me, “Therese, you know how you wear a ring with the name Jesus on it, do you reckon Jesus would have a ring on with your name on it?” To me that was just a confirmation of “Yes, that’s exactly it; I am totally given to Jesus like in a marriage.”