On December 8, 2023, Sister Maria Faustina Carmichael, CP, hopes to make her Perpetual Profession of Vows as a Passionist Nun at St. Joseph Monastery in Whitesville, Kentucky.
Early Seeds of Devotion
In her youth, Sister Maria Faustina found great comfort during Lent in sharing the Stations of the Cross with her father. She experienced grace and love in Christ’s Passion, and, as a teen, she was drawn to the Divine Mercy prayer.
At 16, the idea of a vocation began to simmer. “If God has a purpose for my life, I want to follow it,” she remembers thinking.
Soon after, she became immersed in the world. “I was gradually doing my own will and pushing the Lord aside,” said Sister Maria Faustina.
A Life-Changing Conversion
As a junior at the University of Dayton, “I underwent a conversion. My way of seeing the world and seeing my life became totally different,” remembers Sister Maria Faustina. “I went to Eucharistic Adoration. I was left alone with the Lord. There were no visions or anything. There was an experience in my heart of knowing the Lord as bridegroom. He had given me the grace of an undivided heart. After that my heart was completely set on the Lord.”
“If God has a purpose for my life, I want to follow it.”
Sister Maria Faustina Carmichael, CP
Sister Maria Faustina had questions. “The Lord had become everything to me. That was a huge grace, but I did not know what that meant for my life,” she shared with a laugh.
While working after college, Sister Maria Faustina utilized a Dominican spiritual director. He suggested she research the Passionist congregation.
Discovering the Passionist Nuns
“The way I found out about the Passionist Nuns was by going onto Google. This community was one of the first search results that came up. I clicked on it, and I just remember thinking I was reading about my spirituality,” explains Sister Maria Faustina as she read information about the Passion, Our Lady of Sorrows and Divine Mercy. “It was the Holy Spirit directing me. Our Lord made it very clear to me to come to the monastery.”
Her visit provided peaceful resolution. “Since then, it has been a stepping forward in faith,” Sister Maria Faustina says. “It was continual peace within — that peace with God and the feeling that after each progressive step forward that God was restoring my dignity.”
Joy in the Passionist Charism
The Passionist charism brings her joy.
“The Passionist charism is so beautiful. It is always relevant.”
Sister Maria Faustina Carmichael, CP
“It is centered on the mystery of redemption. This is the center of salvation history,” she explains. “It is important we share the fruits with others. One of the beautiful things about Jesus on the Cross is that He enters into our suffering and redeems it. It is a love that wants to diffuse itself. It is a great and providential gift of hope in the suffering.”
A Message for a New Generation
The Passionist Congregation of Priests and Brothers and The Congregation of Nuns of the Passion of Jesus Christ have much to offer people searching for vocation, especially young adults and millennials, Sister Maria Faustina believes.
“I feel like the Holy Spirit is really moving,” she explains. “With the young people we talk to, there is a deepened understanding of the Passion. They feel very drawn to the Passion. The Holy Spirit is up to something.”
The increase in communication and cooperation among the Passionists in the United States (Men’s Congregation, the Passionist Nuns and several Congregations of Passionist Sisters) strengthens each one of them and makes them appealing to the men and women today who are considering religious life. At age 31, Sister Maria Faustina understands what is appealing to her generation.
“Saints are the best vocation promoters. Seeing others striving for holiness is an impetus to join. It comes down to the witness we give in daily life,” she explains. “People are looking for a clear and joyous witness of fidelity to the Pope and the magisterium.”
An Invitation to Discern
Sister Maria Faustina joyfully recommends the Passionist Family to anyone discerning a call to religious life.
“The Passionist charism is so beautiful. It is always relevant,” shares Sister Maria Faustina. “It is a message for everyone, even if they do not realize it at the time. Responding to God’s call for our own lives can only ultimately bring blessings for others. Just like Our Lady, we never know how many people are relying on our own ‘Yes’. It is a beautiful, loving community.”
I say go for it. If you are on the wrong path, God will let you know.
Sr. Maria Faustina, CP
