I am very grateful to be a Norbertine Sister. The desire to give my life totally to God began at a very early age. As a child, I was blessed to have grown up near St. Michael’s Abbey and became well acquainted with the Norbertine Fathers. One of my favorite childhood memories was when my parents and I would attend “work parties” in Tehachapi, coordinated by the Norbertine Fathers to help the cloistered Norbertine Canonesses with any building or gardening projects. This was very formative for me as it opened my eyes to the beauty of religious life. As a teenage girl, I met our Slovak Norbertine sisters when they were visiting California, in 2009, to discern the possibility of branching out to the United States. I was so convicted to join them, I promised the sister who was visiting, Sr. Adriana, that if she came the States, she could “sign me up”!
Indeed, she came in 2011 with two other sisters. Upon graduating from Franciscan University, I entered the convent with the Congregation of Norbertine sisters in 2015. After nine years of formation, I am filled with gratitude for the many graces our good Lord has given and sustained me with, for the beautiful sisters in my community, and for all the prayers and support I have received. What a blessing it was for me to profess my final vows at the age of 33, the same age in which Our Lord gave His life as ransom for all!
Currently I am residing at our convent at St. John the Baptist in Costa Mesa, California. The most important thing we do as Norbertine sisters is to pray. Holy Mass, Holy hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and praising God in choir chanting the Liturgy of the hours structures our day. As Norbertines, we are not bound to a specific apostolate, but are prepared for every good work. Currently, I teach religion to the junior high students at our Parish school.
Learn more about Sr. Gemma’s community here: