Recently I read about the results of a recent study that show that in the United States there is an increase in the number of women entering more traditional orders and becoming nuns. In honour of that good news I thought I would write about a few top female athletes who have given up their successful sports careers to become nuns.
• Shelly Pennefather had been a prolific scorer for Villanova University basketball team when in 1991 she entered the monastery of Poor Clares in Alexandria, Virginia. At the time Pennefather had received a $200,000 offer to play pro basketball in Japan, but she chose instead to serve God.
The Poor Clares are a very strict religious order where they sleep on straw mattresses, never rest for more than 4 hours at a time, go barefoot 23 hours per day, and have very limited access to family and the outside world. Sister Rose Marie, as she is now known, and her fellow sisters follow these practices out of their belief that their prayers and sacrifices will alleviate suffering and lead to the salvation of the world, she told ESPN.
During her years at Pennsylvania’s oldest Catholic university, Pennefather scored 2,408 points – that school’s record for men’s and women’s basketball that still stands today. She was named the best women’s college basketball player. However, even during these years her teammates remember her constantly searching if this was where God wanted her to be.
Her deep emptiness led her to serve in a soup kitchen with the Missionary Sisters of Charity. “She was forced to go into solitude, just her and God,” states her childhood friend John Heisler, who himself is now an ordained priest.
The decision made by the basketball phenom who when young said she wanted to be a saint, at first puzzled some, but over time they came to understand. Her old Villanova coach told ESPN, “If you believe in the power of prayers, then they’re doing more for humanity than anybody.”
• Kirstin Holum was an American Olympic speed skater who set eight national records and six world records and won the World Junior All-Around Championships. She represented the U.S. in the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano. Soon after she joined the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, an order that helps the poor and homeless. She is now living in Leeds, England, where life is simple.
In an interview with NBC News, she expressed gratitude for not having “distractions” such as the Internet. “We can be more free, to love and be who we are meant to be.”
After a pilgrimage to Fatima at the age of 16, Sister Catherine’s view of life totally changed. While still competing, she began seeing Jesus as the focus in her life. She eventually traded hours of daily skating training for hours of daily prayer. When asked if she had any regrets, she answered a definitive no. She described competing and doing well as thrilling but said that was a fleeting joy.
“It’s only when you get really in touch with God’s plan for you that you really find a peace in doing the great thing, whatever it might be.” In a region that has witnessed a resurgence of faith, Sister Catherine “hopes to be one of God’s instruments in the New Evangelization,” writes Jaime Septién of Aleteia.
• Former Ohio State basketball and track star is another example of a college superstar who exchanged on-court glory in search of the eternal victory as a nun. Sister Mary Xavier, as she is known, was a state champion in cross country and set records in numerous distances.
“I knew I was supposed to be a sister since I was a freshman in college,” she told Press Pros magazine. “I was reading a book by Mother Teresa and I knew I was supposed to be like her.”
While doing service work during her year of discernment, Sister Mary Xavier met a woman who was a member of the Sisters of St. Francis. She had found the order she would eventually join in 2012. She has studied catechetics at the Franciscan University in Steubenville. She will eventually teach and pass on the faith. Her family is very proud of her.
In an interview with The Sidney Daily News, her mother Jill says, “You go through every emotion when first told but my first thought I was just very proud that my daughter had such a strong faith and would give up everything and follow Jesus. I feel like the whole family has a new vocation now.”
Even if we are a success in sports or business, wherever we are in our life currently, it is important that we in silence always find time to listen to God to discern his call for us.