The Story of a Soul

Details: 30 March 2012

I recently asked some members of the Catholic fraternity, "Do you want to be happy?" They all said, "Yes!" I replied, "Then be holy! If you do not want to be happy, don’t be holy!"

Remember that our pursuit of holiness is done in the context of a particular vocation. Don’t forget that contrary to popular opinion, a job or career choice is not a vocation in the strictest sense. All of us are called to be single, married, or a priest or religious. If someone asked a married nurse what their vocation is, they should say, "My vocation is to the married life and my career choice is a nurse." That said, true happiness in the fullest sense is obtained pursuing happiness in the context of the vocation God is calling us to. Why is there a shortage of priests and religious in certain areas of the world? Is it because God is not calling enough young men and women? The answer should not surprise anyone. God has always called enough young and men to the priesthood and religious life, but the sad reality is that many walk away from the lofty calling like the rich young man in the gospels (Mt 19:16-30).

In August 2010, Catholic Social Services was fortunate to have hired Kristine Bennier for a case manager position with the agency. She grew up on the west coast in a loving Catholic family with parents open and supportive to the will of God in their children’s lives. At the age of 13, she and her family moved to the Lincoln Diocese and were able to tour the Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph before it was closed to the public. She admits that it had "a lasting impression on me."

After graduating from Christendom College, she knew that God was calling her to the religious life but was initially resistant. With time, her calling from God became clearer, especially after visiting the tombs of Sts. John of the Cross and Teresa of Avila in Spain. After returning from Europe, she decided to enter Carmel after a friend’s wedding. That is where CSS came in to the picture.

Some say, ‘hindsight is 20/20.’ She later admitted that coming to CSS "was a key step to really understand my vocation and appreciating it. God led me to CSS to educate me." She went on to say, "During my time at CSS, I daily interacted with the poor and struggling of my community. I was able to witness the poor that Christ speaks so frequently about. I came to correctly understand that while monetary assistance is helpful, what most people need is for their hearts to be healed. So many of them have gone through abuse or abandonment and struggle to know their own dignity and worth. Many do not understand what love is and seek it in the wrong ways. CSS does a beautiful job trying to educate through example and instruction but God is ultimately the mover of hearts. That is the ‘job’ I want to embark on now. I want to intercede for these people and pray for their healing." What a beautiful story of a soul. May the stories of our souls be as beautiful! Please pray for Kristine as she will pray for us!