Receiving her Dominican habit was a profound moment for Sonia Awa Gisenya at Queen of Peace Monastery in Squamish.
She received the habit and a new name, Sister Laetitia Maria of the Holy Spirit, Feb. 2. “Laetitia” means joy in Latin and is a reference to the greeting of the angel Gabriel at the Annunciation: “Rejoice, Mary, full of grace.”
Sister Laetitia Maria is originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda (and more recently from Alberta) and became a postulant at Queen of Peace in February 2020. Exactly one year later she took a leap of faith in receiving her habit and new name.
Just a step behind her is Mariel de Castillo, a Whistler woman who joined the Dominican sisters as a postulant.
De Castillo (originally from the Philippines) is a parishioner of Our Lady of the Mountains, and the Dominican sisters at Queen of Peace say they “leapt for joy” as she joined them as a postulant on the feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist this June.
Becoming a postulant is one step in a journey of discerning one’s vocation as a Dominican nun. After living in the monastery as a postulant for one year, a woman may request to become a novice, a period that lasts two years and comes before she can make her first profession of vows. First professions last for three years, then are renewed for one more year before a woman can make her solemn profession of vows to God and the Church for life.
Queen of Peace Monastery, located just north of Squamish, is home to 12 contemplative sisters and candidates aged 27-82. Being surrounded by the wilderness has led this community not only to embrace their contemplative callings in prayer and solitude, but to care for creation by planting gardens, using local materials, and building a hydroelectric project to power their monastery.
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