Flagstaff teenager to
enter religious life

FLAGSTAFF -- Katie Blanchard is not your average teenager.

The 16-year-old San Francisco de Asís parishioner has decided to enter religious life. Next week, she and her mother Christina will travel to Ann Arbor, Mich., headquarters of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. The sisters comprise one of the fastest-growing religious orders of women in the United States. 

“The desire to be a nun has always been in the back of my mind,” Katie said. “As long as I can remember I’ve always loved the saints, especially St. Catherine of Sienna and St. Dominic.”

Things began coming together last summer when Katie attended a Steubenville West retreat.

“Stronger than I’ve ever felt before, I felt called to be a sister,” Katie said. “It wasn’t a quiet whisper in the back of my mind anymore  -- it was very strong.” Still, she had questions.

A boy she knew from the Life Teen youth group was thinking about becoming a priest. “He really put my mind at ease reiterating that what God wants for me is going to make be happiest,” Katie said.

She had always been active in her parish, serving as a lector and on the core team for the junior high religious education program. Her mother homeschooled her and her five siblings, and even though Katie is only 16, she had finished all of her high school credits.  

At a retreat last spring, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, five of whom live in a convent next to St. Thomas the Apostle Parish, were on hand to discuss religious vocations with the attendees. Katie spoke with two of the sisters and was invited to attend a discernment retreat held last May in Ann Arbor.

Her pastor, Fr. Pat Mowrer, found a donor who was willing to pay Katie’s plane fare in order to attend. “All the support I’ve received from the community showed me a vocation is not a decision made by a single person but by a community,” Katie said. “You rely on that bond of faith.”

She felt at home in Ann Arbor and found out she had a lot in common with another young woman, 17-year-old Sr. Joshua Mary, who will no longer be the youngest member of the community once Katie enters.
“Living with the sisters for a week was a huge confirmation for me that this is where I belong,” Katie said. “When you find where you belong there’s something in your heart that just clicks.”

Greg and Christina Blanchard, Katie’s parents, weren’t surprised at their daughter’s decision to enter religious life.
“I would say there were times when she thought, ‘No way, I want to get married and have kids,” Christina said. “She’s had a boyfriend, but it’s always been there -- it’s always been an undercurrent.”

Katie was worried what her parents’ reaction would be to her desire to enter religious life at such a young age.

“My mom, God bless her, all she said was, ‘Katie, we only want for you what God wants for you.’ I can’t imagine how much faith and trust she must have,” Katie said.

A total of 23 women -- including Katty Paulino of Phoenix -- will begin their journey with the Dominican Sisters come August. The order has grown to 98 sisters and has run out of room at the motherhouse in Ann Arbor. The average age of the sisters is 26.