Get to Know the Newest Nuns of Walburga, on the Feast of St. Walburga!
- Denver Catholic Staff
- 4 minutes ago
- 19 min read
There's a small but growing group of women who've dedicated their lives to Jesus Christ on the Colorado-Wyoming border. The Benedictine nuns of the Abbey of St. Walburga largely fly under the radar, having vowed to live a life of prayer and work, worshipping the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and working to make their community ever more a taste of Heaven on earth. Through their fidelity to Christ, they win innumerable graces for the rest of the Church.
In their mini-Eden, the nuns of Walburga live a humble, hidden life in which they put God first in everything they do. Led by the Spirit into ever-deeper prayerful intimacy with God, they strive to live in such a way as to keep their eyes fixed on Heaven, sowing goodness where they can — in both prayer and work.
This year, there is a record number discerning a vocation to this holy life. With eight women currently in formation, the Abbey of St. Walburga is surely growing.
As the Church celebrates these nuns' patroness, St. Walburga, get to know some of the newest nuns and nuns-in-the-making at the Abbey of St. Walburga, in their own words! Out of respect for the hiddenness that is integral to their vocation, each nun's name has been omitted.
Nun 1
Where are you from? What is your home parish?
Holy Ghost Parish in Denver, Colorado.
Briefly and in your own words, tell us a bit about how the Lord called you to follow him as a disciple.
I am a cradle Catholic. As a 10-month-old, I received my first Holy Communion "accidentally" as my dad went up to receive the Holy Eucharist at an Eastern rite parish. I suspect that my baby desire to receive Jesus has never left me, as Jesus very slowly but persistently has drawn me into deeper intimacy with him. A friend introduced me to the practice of making regular visits to Jesus in Adoration when I was in my early 20s, and that gave Jesus wide-open access to my heart.
Briefly and in your own words, how did he lead you to the Abbey of St. Walburga?
God surprised me!! I had no intention of becoming a nun. However, I desired a deep intimacy with God. Driving home from a weekend in Wyoming, I stopped at the Abbey one Sunday evening to make the hour of prayer I had committed to daily. The Scripture I was praying with that evening and the beauty of the nuns' singing of Compline [Night Prayer] revealed to me my own deep desire to belong completely to Christ as his bride, and to live out my life as a nun at the Abbey of St. Walburga.
What has the experience at the Abbey been like? What have you learned so far?
I am in awe at the grace and gift of obedience. Whatever you do, united to Christ's obedient offering of himself to the Father, gives immense glory to God and becomes a river of grace to so many souls. As a religious, with the gift of the vow of obedience, the value of my obedience is immeasurably increased, so even the most humble or mundane tasks become immensely beautiful.
As you discern this vocation, what hopes do you have?
As I look forward to my Solemn Monastic Profession this spring and the joy of belonging completely to God forever, I hope that Christ will live his life fully in me: "I live now, not I, but Christ lives in me" (Galatians 2:20). I hope for every person in the world to open their hearts to receiving God's infinite and tender love for them.
What insight or message might you have to share with our readers?
We have many desires in our hearts, often related to relationships or our own unique talents or inclinations. But it seems to me that the only desire that can be a true guide in discerning our vocation, or even the little choices that occur in daily life, is the desire and love for Christ. Only Christ will satisfy the thirst of our hearts, and if we give ourselves over completely to his love, everything else will fall in place.
"I hope for every person in the world to open their hearts to receiving God's infinite and tender love for them."
Nun 2
Where are you from? What is your home parish?
Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Briefly and in your own words, tell us a bit about how the Lord called you to follow him as a disciple.
Although I was a cradle Catholic, I never considered myself a disciple, and maybe never would have, if he hadn't given me sort of an early mid-life crisis in college. I had everything — success in all areas of my life — and I felt miserably empty. I had a dream which showed me what was going on in my heart: I was standing on a spot-lit stage, surrounded by wild applause, clearly having achieved some big dream or desire, and there that horrible emptiness still was. The thought that ran through my (dream) head was full of despair: "Now what?"
I prayed a very desperate, sincere prayer for help out of my situation, and the Lord responded by launching COVID-19 on the world, ruining my career in the now shut-down film industry, and draining my life of all the empty pursuits and relationships I had stuffed it full of. It was, of course, a painful, suffering time, but also incredibly beautiful as he began to fill any empty space I allowed him. He began to say, "Follow me," in small ways at first; eventually, I wound up as a missionary high school teacher in Belize, which is where I realized I would only ever receive the fullness of life I so craved by emptying myself for Him always.
Briefly and in your own words, how did he lead you to the Abbey of St. Walburga?
One of my friends who was teaching with me in Belize asked me what sort of vocation the Lord seemed to be putting on my heart, and after I told her I'd just started to discover religious life, she immediately asked if I wanted to go visit this Benedictine Abbey with her where they have cows.
To be honest, I didn't, since I was pretty set on the active life, but to be nice, I did. So we came, and one night while we were here, she confessed that she was in love with this guy we were on mission with (who she later married). I wondered what in the world we were doing here, since I'd really just come to support her in her discernment. Nothing much happened on that visit except that when I left, I couldn't forget the nuns' singing, and for some reason, I wanted to go back.
I decided to set up a retreat for when my missionary year ended, not to continue discernment since the Lord hadn't seemed to call me at all on the first visit, but just because I wanted to come back. In the few months between setting up the visit and coming, the Lord gently but clearly called me to contemplative life, first by revealing to me that I wasn't open to it, really, even if it was his will, then by calling me so he could give me the grace to be open to his call.
When I came, I knew. Discernment was a process, and even though it involved many moments of difficulty and detaching, there was so much joy in finding his will for me in this place I never would have found by my own will. It was kind of fun having it proven that he knows me better than I know myself.
What has the experience at the Abbey been like? What have you learned so far?
My experience at the Abbey has been like one big, beautiful conversion; not that I wasn't growing and changing before, but it was a lot easier to feel static and look at my "conversion" as something I had in the past. Here, it's an ever-present reality. My conversion story is something I live consciously every day, which, instead of being something exhausting and discouraging as one might expect, fills my soul with hope in God and joy in his constant work of making my heart like his. I've learned to see his hand in everything — that is one of the beautiful fruits of living St. Benedict's way of humility, obedience, stability and conversion — the faith, your faith, starts to permeate and illumine every tiny part of your life.
It's surprising how full of surprises monastic life is — it's a life immersed in and abandoned to God, who is anything but boring. There are, of course, the pleasant surprises I can immediately appreciate, but even the crosses and trials sometimes make me want to laugh in spite of myself because of how personalized they are. I see in this vocation, by his grace, a perfectly tailored life of love and purification that will always lead me to him if I let it.
As you discern this vocation, what hopes do you have?
I hope, through the Rule of St. Benedict, the grace of God and the merits of Jesus, to be a saint and to take as many souls to Heaven with me as possible.
What insight or message might you have to share with our readers?
Go to daily Mass, if at all humanly possible. I cannot begin to describe how my life began to change when I started going, but I am fairly certain I never would have found and been open to my vocation if I hadn't been called to Mass every day first.
Our faith, our vocations are not just things or rules or jobs we do — God is a person, our faith a relationship with him, our vocation is him, no matter what we may each be called to. He is truly present for us, to be our daily bread, because we need him that badly. In my opinion, one of the biggest "pros" of being alive today, as opposed to some earlier time in history, is that Holy Communion may be received not only every Sunday but every day, and I don't think it's a coincidence.
This is my biggest vocational advice to those discerning any vocation, because God made you for himself, not just for some task or state in life, and a vocation is a path to union with him. Seek him where he is found now, and everything else will be added in his time. There are millions of things we can do, things we could say, books to read and methods to follow, but there is nothing more important, more efficacious, we can do for our souls than to go to Mass every day.
"Jesus is found most truly in the Cross, and to love him means to embrace everything he wills for me. He can use everything, even my own failures, to bring me closer to him."
Novice 1
Where are you from? What is your home parish?
St. Joseph Parish in Fort Collins, Colorado.
Briefly and in your own words, tell us a bit about how the Lord called you to follow him as a disciple.
It was very gentle, something that was always there and flowered as I got older and began to understand more about responsibility and love.
Briefly and in your own words, how did he lead you to the Abbey of St. Walburga?
I began coming to the Abbey on day retreats as a child, and it was at that time, probably when I was 11 years old, that I thought I heard God calling me. After I graduated high school, I came to the Abbey to discern, but it was clear that I should give it some time and go to college. After college, I still felt very drawn to religious life. After looking briefly at other orders, I felt convicted that the Abbey was where God wanted me.
What has the experience at the Abbey been like? What have you learned so far?
Coming to the Abbey feels a little like coming home and being able to take a deep breath. It hasn't all been easy, though, and that is a good thing in a way. It has taught me that Jesus is found most truly in the Cross, and to love him means to embrace everything he wills for me. He can use everything, even my own failures, to bring me closer to him.
As you discern this vocation, what hopes do you have?
I hope that I may give my life to him in whatever way he asks.
What insight or message might you have to share with our readers?
You only have the grace for the present moment. When the time comes to enter a vocation, endure a trial or temptation, that grace will be there, but not before. Don't look to yourself in your weakness, but look to God in trust, and he will give you everything.
"My conversion story is something I live consciously every day, which, instead of being something exhausting and discouraging as one might expect, fills my soul with hope in God and joy in his constant work of making my heart like his."
Postulant 1
Where are you from? What is your home parish?
St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in Boise, Idaho.
Briefly and in your own words, tell us a bit about how the Lord called you to follow him as a disciple.
Looking back, I think I've been formed and led in living my faith primarily through the people surrounding me — my family and the families I grew up with, my teachers, my friends and peers, and my priests and pastors. My whole life, I've been closely surrounded by the loving care, the interest, the joy and the formation of a family and community dedicated to a lively and full living of the faith and the liturgical year. This is something I've been immersed in — the experience and the example of those around me formed in me a love for God and a desire to pursue him. Living this life here feels in part like an act of gratitude for all these people and all they've done for me.
Briefly and in your own words, how did he lead you to the Abbey of St. Walburga?
I couldn't really say why, but I've always loved St. Benedict, even as a little girl. So when I decided to start discerning, I knew I wanted to start with the Benedictines, and I was already familiar with the Abbey of St. Walburga because I'd stopped here on a road trip. I started and ended my discernment with this one community!
What has the experience at the Abbey been like? What have you learned so far?
Interiorly, this life has challenged and stretched me in ways that required a deepening of my prayer life and forced a repeated "letting go" of every earthly thing to which I attach importance or too heavily rely on — including my own perceptions of myself. At the same time, I am often surprised by how easy this whole process has felt, due especially to the others in the community. They are always so kind, generous and encouraging. It has made me realize that you have to make some kind of commitment in order to discern any life vocation. It's not just an intellectual or even just a spiritual process. You have to be vulnerable and accept the love, guidance and example of others.
As you discern this vocation, what hopes do you have?
Mostly, I hope to grow in holiness and surrender to the Lord.
What insight or message might you have to share with our readers?
One realization I had while discerning is the need to have "good faith" in God — to know that he sees your desires and efforts to discern and to faithfully follow his will, and that he will respond in kind.
"Holiness will not come in one day; it is a lifetime of work, so keep at it. ... Carry your Cross; don't merely drag it along."
Postulant 2
Where are you from? What is your home parish?
I'm from Loveland, Colorado. My home parish is St. Peter Parish in Greeley, Colorado.
Briefly and in your own words, tell us a bit about how the Lord called you to follow him as a disciple.
I grew up in a religious family. My mother was a youth minister at one of the parishes in Fort Collins for most of my early life. She was a woman of great intelligence, zeal and love for the Church. My father has always been a model of gentleness and piety. I learned to follow Our Lord first through their example.
Briefly and in your own words, how did he lead you to the Abbey of St. Walburga?
I was probably around the age of seven when I first encountered the sisters. My grandparents brought my two older sisters and me along with them to drop off a food donation. I was a junior in high school (Holy Family, 2020, Go tigers!) when I knew I had a religious vocation. It seemed then like something that could wait until after I finished college. A few years later, though, the call became stronger, and I couldn't delay any more. I knew about the Abbey from that one encounter I had as a child. I really felt that it was where I was supposed to be. The Lord knew me well, that I would discern what I "knew."
What has the experience at the Abbey been like? What have you learned so far?
I love monastic life — yes, I've had a great experience here.
Things I've learned so far:
Holiness will not come in one day; it is a lifetime of work, so keep at it.
Religious life, especially monastic life, makes absolutely no sense unless you live it fully, with great zeal. Carry your Cross, don't merely drag it along.
As you discern this vocation, what hopes do you have?
I hope only to seek God and to do so with my whole heart!
What insight or message might you have to share with our readers?
Things happen not as we plan but as God judges. Wish and want for nothing but to accomplish the holy and loving will of God. Ask him how to use your will. Begin to live a life of prayer and love the things of God. Be noble and undeterred in his service and pray for the Church. Resolve each day to begin a new life with him and beg for the grace to do so. Ask, "Where am I to love?" and when he tells you, run!
"His love for his child does not fade or recede when they fall through sin. Instead, like a loving Father, he picks up his child again. He 'chastises a little, but then has mercy.'"
Postulant 3
Where are you from? What is your home parish?
Holy Family Cathedral in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Briefly and in your own words, tell us a bit about how the Lord called you to follow him as a disciple.
I remember the Lord calling me when I was little. He's been calling to me my entire life, though many times I was deaf and couldn't hear it. I was given a special grace to hear the Lord call me, saying, "venite me" (follow me), when I was a teenager. I was attending Mass at Damascus Catholic summer camp, and the Lord came to me and gave me a taste of Heaven.
I've always looked back on that as my "call" to discipleship. Life was different after that — more joyful.
Briefly and in your own words, how did he lead you to the Abbey of St. Walburga?
Before leading me to the Abbey, the Lord led me on a few adventures so as to build up my trust in him.
One of them was when the Lord called me to work at a Catholic summer camp in the middle of nowhere, Ohio. I went with very low expectations, but it turned out to be one of the greatest decisions of my life yet! It was one of the most fulfilling and joy-filled summers I've ever had!
The Lord alluded to the fact that this time might be "vocational" because of one amazing missionary at the camp. I thought he meant marriage, but one night out of the blue, God asked me to consider marrying HIM, which gave me a lot of joy.
Right after mission work, I made a stop at the Abbey of St. Walburga to visit a family member there, which proved to be a very providential visit! And thus I began discerning religious life here.
What has the experience at the Abbey been like? What have you learned so far?
My experience at the Abbey has been fabulous! One important thing I am learning about is the unconditional love of the Father. His love for his child does not fade or recede when they fall through sin. Instead, like a loving Father, he picks up his child again. He "chastises a little, but then has mercy."
As you discern this vocation, what hopes do you have?
Just to spend every day with him "whom my soul loves." Bishop Fulton Sheen once wrote that, toward the end of his life, his greatest regret was not having loved the Lord more with his life. That struck me — and that is my hope — to love him.
What insight or message might you have to share with our readers?
The only thing I'll say is to pray for magnanimity, and then with his help, do great things for the Kingdom! Be courageous like David in his battles and great in virtue like St. Pier Giorgio Frassati — now "to the heights!"
"The Mass is the source of the grace and strength that we need to persevere. We aren't made to settle for less. ... If we just give him the chance, he promises a feast beyond our imagining: himself."
Postulant 4
Where are you from? What is your home parish?
I'm from Bow, New Hampshire. My home parish is St. Joseph Cathedral in Manchester, New Hampshire.
Briefly and in your own words, tell us a bit about how the Lord called you to follow him as a disciple.
I grew up in a devout Catholic family, and from a young age, the Lord instilled in me a deep value of prayer. I remember in middle school always feeling the need to end my day with at least kneeling down for a minute. I am so thankful for this gift because it was a spiritual strengthening. When I went to college, I really had to ask myself if I meant what I said, if I meant what I professed in the Creed.
Through high school and then college, I have felt Christ's invitation to imitate his deep gift, which is summed up in his wide-open arms on the Cross. The Lord gave to the last drop, and that is his invitation to us so that we can be like him. "Man finds himself only through a sincere gift of himself" (Pope St. John Paul II).
Briefly and in your own words, how did he lead you to the Abbey of St. Walburga?
The Lord is so merciful to me! I had just about zero intention of entering contemplative life; in fact, I saw it as the opposite of most of my many dreams. I had a million plans: having a big adventurous family, studying abroad, getting my paragliding license, doing mission work in South America.
He caught me, though, right before I ran out the door. I was on retreat at Walburga the summer after I graduated from college. One of the sisters casually mentioned a three-month discernment opportunity. I saw it more like a very long retreat, and with no real idea what I was getting myself into, I decided to give in to the slightest pull that I felt. I showed up five months later, barely using the word discernment, but with a deep conviction that I was supposed to be there. I remember picking out my meal the night before I arrived, feeling like I was choosing my last meal before my execution.
As the weeks went on, I fought and fought for what I wanted, but slowly I relaxed my grip and had to admit I loved so many things in the life of a contemplative. I finally realized that Jesus knew my heart better than I did.
The moment came after a conversation with Mother Abbess when I finally let myself say yes to the beauty of this call. He met me in my confusion and hurt, coming through my locked door. He wasn't angry at me for locking it, but like he did to the Apostles in Galilee, he breathed his peace into my heart. That is the power of his Spirit, because it was all I needed. I asked to enter a few days later and am so grateful to be here.
What has the experience at the Abbey been like? What have you learned so far?
When I first came, I found the practice of continual recollection very intimidating. It seemed to me at the time that praying always entailed a continual, almost paranoid alertness. My feelings after my first week of discernment living in the cloister were, "Do we ever relax?" Thanks be to God, I quickly learned that the deep and never-changing reality of life is that God is always with us in everything we do. He is present not only in the person of Christ, who prayed and worked himself, but he courses through us as the Spirit, giving us life.
This life is intense and beautiful; it's like sea air that refreshes you when it gusts around you and when you breathe it in. I feel brought to life in the liturgy and in community. And I am so honored to be called here at this time.
One of the biggest lessons I have learned so far is that Christ is so close in the spiritual battles of this life. But victory does not always look like I expect, and it doesn't always feel like I won something. I realized I was striving for a state of being when I thought of becoming holy, and I wanted the symptoms of that state. This life is teaching me, however, that I want to seek the person of Christ however he chooses to manifest himself to me. He is more wonderful than anything I could come up with, and he delights in surprising me.
As you discern this vocation, what hopes do you have?
When I was doing my three-month "live-in," my motto was, "I will walk with you, Lord, and I will not ask where we are going." There is a beautiful freedom and romance to trusting God. I do not know this from experience, but when I chose to let him guide, that peace gave me a glimpse. My hope is that I will not only let him lead me wherever he wants to, but I will also love to go where he wants to. The aim of the contemplative is purity or simplicity of heart, a heart that loves to simply walk with him. It can take a lifetime for our hearts to be tempered like this, but it seems to me the worthiest of pursuits.
What insight or message might you have to share with our readers?
The mysteries of the Christian life are so deep, and at the center of them is the sacrifice of the Mass and the gift of the Eucharist. It's so sad to me that many Catholics, and I was one of them, see the Mass as an obligation on Sundays and an option any other time. The Mass is the source of the grace and strength that we need to persevere. We aren't made to settle for less. Living without frequent reception of the Eucharist is like taking a long journey and expecting to sustain ourselves on crackers. If we just give him the chance, he promises a feast beyond our imagining: himself. "Unless you eat my flesh, you will not have life within you" (John 6).
"Our faith, our vocations are not just things or rules or jobs we do — God is a person, our faith a relationship with him, our vocation is him, no matter what we may each be called to. He is truly present for us, to be our daily bread, because we need him that badly."
Aspirant 1
Where are you from? What is your home parish?
Our Lady of the Angels in Kenai, Alaska.
Briefly and in your own words, tell us a bit about how the Lord called you to follow him as a disciple.
Each of us is called at Baptism to follow him. I was. I am. If I left him, to whom would I go? He is the sole reason for my existence — this necessitates my discipleship.
Briefly and in your own words, how did he lead you to the Abbey of St. Walburga?
An Alaskan friend visited here and suggested I come for a visit. Eventually, I did.
What has the experience at the Abbey been like? What have you learned so far?
Good; somewhat similar to a large family household, obviously with some differences — such as silence.
Just because someone is called doesn't mean they will always feel called.
As you discern this vocation, what hopes do you have?
I hope when I'm dying, I can look at my vocation, at my life, and see a soldier who fought faithfully. Not minding the wounds, and for no reward, save the knowledge that I fought for my God.
What insight or message might you have to share with our readers?
Time is your most valuable asset. Know its worth. Know what you spend it on. Appreciate it. Share it.
