Claire Theresa Roufs’ vocation story
I was raised in a “good Catholic family” with faithful parents and siblings. From kindergarten until graduation I attended Catholic schools but never did I think of religious life. Religious life seemed to be what people did if they could not find a spouse, so as you can imagine, it was not very attractive at all. But, when I was in college I was able to study in Rome, Italy with the University of St. Thomas’ Catholic Studies Program. In Rome is where I was first exposed to religious brothers and sisters my age and “cool” as they say. I took this time in Rome to really discern a call to religious life. I stayed mainly with one community and after 5 months did not feel it was gods will for me to be with them. At this point, I had surrendered my desires for religious life to God’s will trusting that if He was not calling me to religious life He would have something better for me. I finished my degree in Catholic Studies and served a year doing campus evangelizing with St. Paul’s outreach in Minnesota. During the year I intentionally remained single in order to serve God and his people. At the end of my commitment I went with a dear friend on a road trip to the East Coast to visit friends. One of the days we ended up in the Bronx at a mass of thanksgiving with one of the new ordained CFR priests. Again that deep desire to be consecrated to God arose in my heart and I thought that again I would have to surrender this desire because I didn’t think I was “called”. As the night drew on, the desire increased and by the next morning I really started to question why I was so convinced God was not calling me to Himself. The buety of the consecrated life lifted my soul; it filled my eyes with tears, and my heart with joy. When I returned back to Minnesota. I met with my spiritual director and he helped me realize that what I have experienced in my desires for religious lives were not given to everyone-that this is what a call entailed. So with great rejoicing I have come to respond to the call of Christ to be His spouse, set apart from His glory and will. May our Lord lead as well in His perfect plan for each of you. Peace and Goodness.
Sister. Claire Theresa