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ANSWERING THE CALL I 9 DENVER CATHOLIC REGISTER I JULY 2, 2014 Support Your Advertisers! That's right, they're your advertisers, too. Without their support, we couldn't have brought you the Denver Catholic Register for over 114 years. Help your advertisers by supporting them. Whenever you need goods or services for your home or family, check the Denver Catholic Register first. With the help of our advertisers and your support, we'll be around for at least another 100 years! www.DenverCatholicRegister.org For 114 years your advertisers have helped support the Denver Catholic Register! The Denver Catholic Register 1909 The Denver Catholic Register 1964 The Denver Catholic Register 2014 The Denver Catholic Register 2014 The Denver Catholic Register 2014 Two Denver women take the plunge into religious life BY JULIE FILBY Teri Tolpa, 29, felt restless. Since graduating from college, she'd had jobs she enjoyed in pro-life ministries but she longed to get out from behind a desk to evangelize. Feeling she needed formation to do that, she left her job with Human Life International in Vir - ginia and moved to Denver in 2011 to study at the Augustine Institute. Two years later, she graduated with a master of arts in theology. "It was a great place, a great expe- rience," she told the Register from Lighthouse Women's Center where she serves as a missionary with Christ in the City. But the restlessness in her heart remained. "I was in a new place, a new environ- ment and I still didn't feel at peace," she said. A question that had been lingering in her mind and heart for years, one she hadn't acknowledged, was grow- ing stronger and couldn't be ignored: "Am I being called to religious life?" she wondered. "I had to answer the question once and for all," she said. "I needed to fig- ure it out." It was advice from a college friend, a recently ordained priest, that helped her take the next step. "He told me, 'Teri, sometimes you just need to cannonball into the deep end,'" she said. "You just need to trust and not be afraid of where the Lord's calling you, and realize it's been on your heart for a long time." Tolpa responded by visiting several religious orders including the Sisters of Life, a contemplative and active community founded in 1991 by Car- dinal John O'Connor, then archbishop of New York, to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life. She was attracted to them not only because of their shared pro-life fervor, but because of their eucharistic prayer life. As she opened her heart "more and more" to what God wanted her to do, the restlessness began to dissipate. "God seems to work in my life in a gradual way, very gently," Tolpa said. "His timing is infinitely more perfect that ours. It's not always when we think it will be, but it's when we need it." Tolpa applied to the Sisters of Life and was accepted. She will begin for- mation at the order's convent in the Bronx in New York City in September. Didn't see it coming Kate Sweeney's call to religious life was unexpected. "I didn't see it coming, I didn't real- ly anticipate it," she said. "It's a gift of God, it's pretty much that simple." Sweeney, 32, has spent the last sev- en years as director of programs for (Educating on the Nature and Dignity of Women). She's been instrumental in helping thousands of women under- stand their God-given dignity through the apostolate's series of studies, which now extends to 125 dioceses. "I had a great gift to work at Endow," she said from her Greenwood Village office. "The Holy Spirit's always been working in my life, and in my heart, in regard to recognizing the dignity in persons, especially women. "My heart was created for this mission." As she worked with women all over the country, she experienced a deepen- ing desire to give her whole heart and life to the mission of the dignity of the person. "I just always thought that would be at Endow," she said. Through her work she traveled to the Archdiocese of New York where she re- connected with a friend from college that was now a Sister of Life: Sister Vir- ginia Joy Cotter. The two wrote letters, and Sweeney visited a few times. "I was so impressed as she shared their charism and how they serve wom- en, particularly those in vulnerable sit- uations," Sweeney said. "They give the entirety of their lives to the dignity of the human person and the gift of life." Sisters of Life, in addition to tradition - al vows of poverty, chastity and obedi- ence, take a fourth vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of human life. "We had so much in common," Swee- ney said. "It was so much fun." A profound moment came one day in April 2013 as Sweeney and Sister Cotter were talking in the convent garden. "As she described the charism, the movement of the Holy Spirit was tangi- ble in an awareness of my own heart," Sweeney said. "Even a year earlier I couldn't have heard or understood what God was doing." A few months prior, her spiritual di- rector had challenged her to deepen her personal prayer life by spending more time in silent prayer. "This is really what set my heart in a place to discern in a way I never had in the past," she explained. She was accepted to join the Sisters of Life last March. "It's who God made me to be," Swee- ney said. "It's a joy that trumps every- thing else." Once joining the community as pos- tulants Sept. 6, Sweeney and Tolpa will live and pray with the sisters, take classes, assist in the apostolates includ- ing serving pregnant women, hosting retreats, providing post-abortive heal- ing and otherwise building a culture of life, while continuing to discern God's will. There are currently 80 sisters in the community. For more information, vis- it www.sistersoflife.org. Julie Filby: 303-715-3123; julie.filby @archden.org; www.twitter.com/ DCRegisterJulie Cannonball! PHOTO PROVIDED SOON-TO-BE-POSTULANTS, Kate Sweeney, left, and Terri Tolpa, right, spend time with Sisters of Life Mary Elizabeth and Mary Karen during a visit to Vail June 18. The Discalced Carmelite nuns invite the faithful to attend the annual triduum liturgies honoring the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at their Littleton monas- tery. The liturgies will be held at 7 p.m. on July 14, 15 and 16 in the monastery chap- el and include the rosary, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, the blessing and distribution of the Carmelite scapular and a sermon. "People are most welcome to come and bring their prayer inten- tions," said Mother Mary of Jesus Doran, O.C.D., the prioress. "That's what we're here for, to pray for the priests and the people—for the Church." Priests leading the liturgies will be: July 14, Father Joseph Hearty, F.S.S.P., parochial vicar of Our La- dy of Mount Carmel Church in Littleton; July 15, Father Jim Thermos of St. John Vianney Theological Seminary; and July 16, Father James Jackson, F.S.S.P., pastor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Littleton. The Discalced (shoeless) Car- melites rely entirely on alms. Each year the Friends of Carmel, a group dedicated to helping the nuns, ask the laity to send a check of any amount directly to the monastery in a fundraising drive. Send donations and prayer requests to Carmel of the Holy Spirit Monastery, 6138 S. Gal- lup St., Littleton, CO 80120. Check serves as a receipt. Faithful invited to Carmelite triduum at monastery

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