On February 1, 2022, Sister Rose Marie Ouellette made solemn profession as a Trappistine nun at the monastery of Mt. St. Mary’s Abbey in Wrentham, Massachusetts. Sister Rose Marie was born in 1954 in Worcester, USA. She entered Wrentham in 2014 and made first profession in 2018.

The following is from the address of Mother Sofia, the Abbess of Mt. St. Mary’s, on the occasion:

Dear Sister Rose,
Your profession card contains the image of the Good Shepherd, rescuing his lost sheep from a rocky incline. You told me that this image speaks to you of your own long and winding journey to monastic life, especially because you see that the Good Shepherd had to get good and dirty in order to reach you.

Your journey has indeed been longer than most, from your first intimation of a religious calling in grade school ménage, to your professional life as a kindergarten teacher and then as a paralegal, to your ongoing devotion to parish life and continuing education in theology, to your faithful care for your parents in their final years. These experiences brought you to the realization of the Lord’s closeness to you and his desire to bring you yet closer to himself. After all these years, an unexpected question: Have you ever thought of becoming a nun? – brought forth a response which you describe as the popping of a cork on a champagne bottle. It was yes, yes and yes, to the invitation to join a Marian community. As part of your formation, you spent time with us to learn more about community life. And in yet one more twist and turn of the road, you felt yourself drawn by Jesus to dwell close to his heart in the monastery.

Tomorrow, the prayers of Consecration will call upon this Good Shepherd to: “Acknowledge her as a sheep of your own flock and let her so acknowledge you that she follow not after any stranger, but you alone, or listen to a stranger’s voice, but yours alone.”
Life in the monastery, as St Benedict envisions it, is one of total immersion in the obedience of Christ. Benedict’s first word to the aspiring monk is: Listen. Listen, listen, listen, all day and even at night for the life-giving word. Every day should find you bending the ear of your heart to hear his voice calling you to himself anew – through the directions of your superiors, the needs of your sisters, the crying urgencies of the Church and the world, the secret movements of your own conscience – so that you may respond to whatever the moment calls for in ready love and fervent prayer and eager service.
“What, dear sisters, is more delightful than the voice of the Lord calling to us? See how in his love he shows us the way of life” (RB Prol. 19-20).

Your petition began with a psalm:
O Lord, you are my portion and inheritance.
It continued with an offering:
I promise you on this day the full portion of my heart.
And it concluded with an affirmation:
Yes, God, you give me everything – to enable me to give everything.
You have experienced monastic life as a re-creation or renovation of the heart, from the basement to the roof and even the landscaping. The process of conversion is difficult and demanding, though it is the Good Shepherd himself who sets down his crook and takes up the tools of a builder. There is demolition to be done, tearing down as well as building and planting. But the work is good, and the result is a heart spacious enough for the Lord, as well as for a world in such deep need.

May your lifelong listening to the voice of the Lord, your fidelity to a life of prayer and work, and your dedication to life in community lead you to your goal of perfect love – the full portion of your heart.

Please pray for Sr. Rose and all of our Order’s monks and nuns.

For those interested in exploring joining our way of life, we invite you to visit our page Becoming a Trappist