Sister Maria Soledad Morales, CMT, was the baby of the family
The B.C. Catholic
God may call you to a vocation you did not even know existed, so be prepared, advises a Teresian Carmelite Missionaries sister.
“We have to live our life as God wills, and we have to answer God in the right way,” said Sister Maria Soledad Morales, CMT. “Even if it’s in marriage or the single life, any type of life in the Church, you have to discern it in the light of the Holy Spirit.”
Sister Morales felt her calling before she even understood the possibility of religious life. “My parents were Catholic, but not practising,” she recounted. “But they baptised all (five) of their children.”
“The baby” of the family, Sister Morales was always drawn to religion despite her secular upbringing in Chile. She grew up in the city of Valparaiso. She studied in a public high school, but wanted to learn more about the Church.
She finally made the decision to receive her first Communion. “My father didn’t agree with my choice, but my mom was okay (with it).” Sister Morales registered for her confirmation soon after, and so began her long relationship with the Catholic Church.
“I started to serve at my parish” by singing in the choir and being involved with the parish scouts, Sister Morales said. “When I was serving, I began to discern my vocation, but I didn’t even consider the religious life.”
A religious sister invited her to a meeting of vocational discernment, but Sister Morales declined. “I was thinking of participating in the meeting, but I decided against it because I had a date with my then-boyfriend,” she laughed. “After that, a friend of mine invited me to participate in another similar meeting.”
Sister Morales decided to attend, and soon started participating in a different congregation group regularly. Her friend eventually entered the religious life as a Carmelite sister.
While visiting her, Sister Morales finally knew what God was calling her to do. “I felt touched and in love with the lifestyle of the Carmelite sisters, and this was what I was looking for!” said Sister Morales. “I decided to enter as a Teresian Carmelite.”
Initially Sister Morales worried she would spend the rest of her life cloistered. “At the beginning, I felt God call me to the Teresian Carmelites, but I thought to myself, ‘I want to live the missionary life!'”
After her visit, however, she learned there were Carmelite missionaries, and decided to give herself wholeheartedly to God. “My family had different reactions to my choice. Most of them were so happy for me, but one of my brothers and my father were not.”
“But at last, my father told me, ‘Okay, but if you’re not happy, I will come and take you away from the congregation. When I started my novitiate, my father was so proud of me,” she beamed.
Life without her family was difficult, said Sister Morales, but she had found her vocation and was happy. “When I visited my congregation, I felt I had found my new family.”
Sister Morales said she felt “God’s will” driving her to move to Vancouver, where she’s now lived for 14 years. She is the superior for the Teresian Carmelite Missionaries. “We work with Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, and we have many roles here.”
The sisters act as religious education coordinators, visit the sick, give spiritual advice to parishioners, and help in many other ways. “We do many things,” Sister Morales said. “We are like a mother in a house.”
“She is a good sister for me,” said Sister Beata Kayitesi, CMT. “She has a good heart, a heart for love. She loves the community, and gives herself to it spiritually in her works.”
Sister Morales’s dedication to helping the community grow has helped the Hispanic community of Our Lady of Sorrows, added Sister Kayitesi. “She was able to build peace and communion in the community. She’s a good leader. I love her, and she loves me.”
Father Richard Zanotti, CS, pastor of Our Lady of Sorrows, said the sisters have been ministering to the Hispanic community for more than 25 years. They have recently begun to minister to the seasonal farm workers in the Lower Mainland.
The community appreciates the sisters because of their emotional availability, he said. “They live in their midst and share their grief and joy. What would Hispanic ministry be without the Teresian Carmelite Missionaries?”
“I have worked with them for over three years,” said Father Zanotti. “They have been an inspiration to me in their dedication to the community, both here at Our Lady of Sorrows and in their outreach ministry.”
