I appreciate their generous surrender in giving their lives to Our Lord. It’s pretty bold and I love that because it takes courage. Its a desire, an invitation and a mystery that makes me so proud and humbled that Our Lord has called them to be his bride. I can say I have the most perfect brother-in-law.  I also enjoy telling others about my family and typically I get questions about the sisters, and I enjoy answering questions that come up.

 What were some struggles you had to work though when sister entered?

I would say that I experienced some grief. I was used to seeing them in their normal routines around the house. I specifically recall the night before they entered, and it struck me to the core. There was the realization that they are not coming home or at least won't return the same woman that they left to be. It's hard to accept that. There is a sense of loss and desire to experience the adventures of life with them. All of my siblings can speak to this, but I can say that my sisters contributed heavily to household chores and cooking and we spent a lot of time together so there were gaps once they left that that we had to help fill.

How do you see your sisters vocation benefiting you?

By their witness to their vocation, it has encouraged me to become more faithful in my vocation. They have and continue to challenge me to understand and share the Faith in my capacity as a son, brother, husband, and father. I also have seen their witness inspire or instill a certain amount of openness in discernment for my other siblings. I don’t know that I will comprehend the total impact, but thus far, we have been more abundantly blessed in our day to day lives. They are praying and making sacrifices on your behalf, it’s incalculable.

 What do you like about the IHM community?

To be honest, I love their habit and the significance of the colors and the Rosary of the Seven Dolors that they wear. They are genuine people. There is a uniformity that the sisters live by and makes them remarkably similar to each other, but at the same time each sister is uniquely different.  I enjoy that they serve the community in different ways primarily in education as I had them as teachers. They also offer various public offerings, including First Saturday Mass, Novena leading up to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, May 13th and October 13^th procession to Our Lady of Fatima on the property, Lenten retreat, the list goes on. For those who are able to donate food, it is such a cool experience to bring some food to the sisters and be greeted with smiles and a humble sense of gratitude. They are full of laughter!

 What are some works of encouragement to other families?

Get to know the community and their charism, or way of life. Life has not ended; it has changed. Don’t forget about them, I can say that I need to be better about this myself but write them letters to tell them you are thinking of them and ask questions about what they are doing, learning, or reading. Ask Sister what you can do to support her. You might be surprised at the answer. Be patient with yourself and don’t let division establish a root in your heart.