SISTER MARY AGNES
Toronto

My call story
When I was twelve years old, a small group of Brownies graduated to our Girl Guide group. One of these was an eleven year old girl who was noticeably immature. Seeing that everyone was avoiding the girl I reasoned that if I did not approach her in friendship she would be friendless. She turned out to be very smart and we became good friends. One day she said to me “I am going to become a Carmelite Sister.” I told her that she was crazy and that age eleven was not an age to decide one’s future. “Oh,” she replied,” I decided to become a Sister when I was eight years old.”

When I was eight years old I had just come to Canada, and the neighbour girl took me to the nearby Woolworth Store and showed me how to steal. By the time I was twelve I had become an accomplished thief with lying skills to match. At thirteen I began high school, and influenced by the good example of my “holy” friend, had finally dropped the stealing habit.

When I was sixteen, friends invited me one evening to watch a movie at the Carmelite Orphanage. The little children made quite a fuss over me, the movie was great, and I was surprised to see that the Sisters were watching the movie also. I told myself that being a nun looked like a nice, easy way to live. That night when I said my prayers I promised God that I would become a nun. Next morning I did not want to be a nun anymore. However, when I was sixteen it was impossible for me to change my mind about anything. My next thought was that since nuns did not need to be smart that I would quit school. My home room teacher, who did not like me for good reasons, did not try to talk me out of it. I thought my parents would agree as they decried my “wasting time” in school because of skipping classes, not doing homework etc. However, they forced me to stay in school so I decided to make life miserable for all my teachers.

After graduation I worked for a year at Canadian General Electric to pay off my debts. Shortly after my eighteenth birthday I entered the Community of the Carmelite Sisters D.C.J. on Harrison St. in Toronto. I guess this is the story of the Lord going after the lost sheep and bringing it to safety.

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