Sister Swapped Party for Poverty

Thirty year old Sr Bernadette who turned her back on the law and partying with friends is Australia's newest and youngest religious superior general of the newly formed Missionaries of the Gospel.

Seven years ago, the promising young lawyer gave up her party lifestyle and plans for a career, sports car and a family for a more radical lifestyle as a Catholic sister, The West Australian reports.

Sr Bernadette, who is also founder of the new congregation, admits with a laugh that being the spiritual mother for her two fellow sisters, both in their 20s, is a role she is still growing into.

"I think I am experiencing the same anxiety any new mother goes through. We have completely different personalities and different cultures, so our community life presents great struggles and great joys as well," she said.

The order is one of only a handful of Australian orders established since Mary MacKillop founded the Sisters of St Joseph of the Sacred Heart in 1866.

"I was like many other young people. I had a good job, I drank and partied a lot, but at the end of the day I still felt an emptiness that no boyfriend and no number of Wild Turkeys could fill," she said.

"I did a full 180. I really wanted to do law, I was deadset on being married, but once I started falling in love with the Lord I realised He was calling me to do something different."

Unlike many orders, the sisters chose to don (adopt) the traditional habit and take new names when they made their vows. Their vows of poverty mean the order receives no income from the Catholic Church, requiring them to rely on donations of food, goods and money to meet their simple needs.

SOURCE

Party lifestyle gives way to poverty (The West Australian)