A Gift From My Parents
Sr. Raquel Newman

For as long as I can remember the Sisters have always been a part of my family.  My parents gave us a Catholic education and were active with the school.  

One of the greatest gifts my parents shared with me was their faith in God. On Sundays after Mass we would talk about the Gospel or the homily. I remember praying the rosary together in the living room. We always went to midnight Mass at Christmas and the Easter Vigil Mass on Holy Saturday. And when we went through our painful moments as family, "not going" to Mass was never an option. I love God as much as I do because my parents loved me.

I fell in love with the sisters when I was very young and that love only grew stronger as I grew older. I entered the convent with the Sisters in 1985. As I went through my formation period I knew that this was where I belonged. The day that I made my first vows was the happiest day of my life. Both my parents were there and that meant the world to me. All my family gathered to celebrate with me and my sisters. It's been 14 years since that day and I'm still celebrating.

Today I'm living a pretty exciting life. I live with my sisters at our Motherhouse in Corpus Christi. I work as technology coordinator at our campus. I get to take computers apart and put them back together. I teach young people how to build and maintain computers. I also teach for the Diocese at the Pastoral Institute. I find this experience to be very life giving and energizing.