Hello, my name is Sr. Mary Rachel, and I’m a Sister of the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (SOLT), a missionary community of priests, consecrated brothers and sisters, and laity, founded in 1958. I grew up in Texas in a homeschooled Catholic family with five brothers and one sister, and I now have thirteen nieces and nephews. I went to Franciscan University of Steubenville for only one semester, after which I entered the convent at age 18 – I had wanted to be a Sister since the age of six. Since entering the convent, I have served on Native American Reservations in North Dakota and in Wyoming, a parish and parochial school in Seattle, a rural parish in northern New Mexico, and at a parish and High School in Belize, Central America. My favorite ministries are anything having to do with catechesis – OCIA, Baptism classes, First Communion and Confirmation preparation, etc. Along my vocational journey, I have become fluent in Spanish and I love using this language to communicate. While in the convent, I completed my Undergraduate studies in Theology (from Franciscan University) and wrote my Senior thesis on Our Lady, Personification of the Feminine Genius. I am also a mentor for the GIVEN Institute, a Catholic Women’s Leadership program, which has profoundly shaped my appreciation both for the Feminine Genius and for accompanying women. I professed my Final Vows in July 2021 and that was the best day of my life, so far.
I currently serve at the SOLT mission in Kansas City, Missouri, where the Sisters have Our Lady’s Montessori School, a preK-3 through 8th grade Catholic Montessori School. I am an administrative assistant there as well as the Junior High Literature, History, and Theology of the Body teacher. I am also the Faith Formation assistant at our SOLT Parish of Guardian Angels here in KC. I love beautiful things, especially waterfalls and music; I play violin, embroider, and make rosaries; and my favorite saint, after Our Lady of Guadalupe, is Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati.