When I was 6 years old, I told my mom I could never be a nun — I’d get too hot in a habit, I said, and faint. Thank God he never stops drawing our hearts to himself!
The Lord led me to religious life through experiences of serving the poor with my family. My dad, an optometrist, organized annual eye care missions in underserved countries; we accompanied him several times. Encountering people who struggled to meet their daily needs made me reflect on my privileged upbringing.
In middle school, I read a book about Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Her deep spirituality and witness of love and truth struck a chord in me. She became for me a model of a life wholly given to God through service to the poor.
When the Lord made my call to religious life clear to me, it was to this life of love and service. In this vocation, God spoke to my heart’s deepest desires; for this, I am profoundly grateful.
Sister Lilia Rose
Missionaries of Charity
Calcutta, India
Learn more at missionariesofcharity.org/vocations.








