(Sr. Julie Vieira is a sister of the Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She works at Loyola Press. Her blog on life as a nun was featured in a story in Time magazine several years ago. Click on her photo to visit her blog.)
 
Kristen: You’re a cradle Catholic, right? Was your family active in the Church?
Sr. Julie: My parents were very active in our church, St. James in Rochester, NY. They were ahead of the times, working as lay leaders. It was a very “Catholic-y” culture. I was first and foremost a Catholic, then a Vieira, then a student, and so on.

Kristen: Did you like going to Mass?
Sr. Julie: Aside from hating to kneel– I thought I was going to hyperventilate– I loved it! Even when I was young, everything spoke to me– the incense, the prayers, the vigil lights, the statues, and the physical rhythm of the Mass– it all spoke to me!

Kristen: When did religion start playing a more prominent role in your life?
Sr. Julie: When I was an undergrad at Saint Michael’s College in Toronto, I didn’t initially think of majoring in Religious Studies. I wanted to be a journalist, majoring in English and History. But my first semester I got a ‘D’ on a paper about a John Donne sonnet. I was so horrified– I needed to switch majors. Religious Studies was the only class I did well in and found totally engaging. I ended up with a double major in Religious Studies and Philosophy, and then went on to get my masters in Systematic Theology at Regis College.

Kristen: And there you met the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary?
Sr. Julie: Yes! The first IHM I met was my spiritual director at Regis. Later, I learned that another IHM taught at St. Mike’s and another worked with Catholic Charities. I entered the pre-novitiate during the last year of my masters.
 
I was working full time in Washington, D.C., first at the Center of Concern and later at Washington Theological Union. I did candidacy and had a formation director there, and came back to formation events at the motherhouse in Monroe [Michigan].

Kristen: How did your family feel about your decision?
Sr. Julie: My parents were a little surprised. They had a perception of religious life that pre-dated Vatican II. They were afraid I was going to cut myself off from life and not be able to relate with them anymore. In the past, nuns in many communities were unable to visit their families very much.

Two things changed their minds. First, they saw how happy I was! Contrary to being limited, I was becoming “more” of myself. And when they met members of the community, they caught the charism that I felt, and started seeing them as real people. Dispelling all those myths is what made me think about starting a blog.

Kristen: Yes, tell me about that. Did you have to ask permission to start it?
Sr. Julie: (laughs) You know what they say– ask forgiveness, not permission! When I started it, I had no idea what the reception would be like. Once I realized that people were actually tuning in, I talked to someone on our leadership team and she thought it was wonderful. An email was sent to all of our sisters and within a week there was this “love fest” of comments on my blog. Whenever I go home to Monroe, I’m treated like a celebrity.

Kristen: With all of the press you’ve gotten, I’m sure you receive a lot of interesting posts on your blog. Are you surprised?
Sr. Julie: It’s amazing. A number of discerning women come to the blog looking for that next step. There are a lot of people who appreciate direct access to a nun, and ask any and all questions. Some wonder why God is silent to them during a difficult time or what they can do to grow in relationship with God. Some are just curious— reading about nuns is like a novelty. Some think it’s wild that I like the Simpsons [television show] or drink beer.

Kristen: So, I take it the IHM vows do not include silence?
Sr. Julie: No, we emphasize humility, simplicity and zeal. Most of us work in schools and organizations. As sisters, we create a space within that’s not just a quiet within ourselves, but a preparation, and active openness to God. To have that readiness in the midst of our work, there’s a quietness built in for others to receive.

Kristen: And I understand you just made your final profession of vows? Congratulations!
Sr. Julie: Thanks! I didn’t expect my final vows to make a difference, but it changed everything! It was like my DNA had clicked into this “IHM thing.” Everyone was there– my parents, my brother and sister and their families, my friends, my co-workers– all the facets of my life came together and were intertwined. The president of the congregation told my family, “This is your home as well!” So, it became not just me, but all of these people united with me in a community we can call home.

Sr. Julie’s Favorite Quote:
(Sr. Julie wrote her masters thesis on Karl Rahner, a German theologian active during the Second Vatican Council.)

“Rahner asserts that to speak of the human is to speak of the divine and vice versa. He describes God as the mystery in human experience. For him, then, God is the depth dimension in experiences such as solitude, friendship, community, death, hope and, as such, is the orientation toward the future. Rahner goes so far as to say that loneliness, disappointments and the ingratitude of others can be graced moments because they open us to the transcendent. The silence of God, the toughness of life and the darkness of death can be graced events. This mystery of grace discloses itself as a forgiving nearness, a hidden closeness, our real home, a love which shares itself, something familiar which we can turn to from the alienation of our own empty and perilous lives.”
– Annice Callahan, RSCJ, Traditions of Spiritual Guidance, p. 341