Andrea Slivka: Paying off College Debt before Entering a Religious Community

Andrea Slivka grew up in Bowling Green, Ohio, and graduated from Bowling Green State University in December 2008 with a degree in Journalism and a minor in Art. She is currently working part-time jobs for a little more than minimum wage to pay off her college debt prior to entering the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of the Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Andrea has always had a passion for writing and worked at the campus newspaper and submitted a few articles to the local Catholic newspaper. During this time, she was growing deeper in her Catholic faith and became interested in writing for a Catholic publication. When she attended the March for Life in Washington D.C. in January, 2007, she interviewed and was hired by the Catholic News Service for the summer of 2007. “I was the first to apply so I was lucky. It was the best job ever.”

While at Bowling Green State University, Andrea was active on the leadership team of a Catholic student organization called Creed on Campus, which paved the way for a new organization called Veritas.  She also enjoyed coordinating retreats and joined some Creed friends on a pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi, and Fatima—a trip she describes as an “incredible experience.” As early as her freshmen year in college, she had already begun thinking seriously about a call to a consecrated religious life.

She attended a discernment retreat hosted by the Dominican Sisters of Mary the Mother of the Eucharist in Michigan. Watching and listening to the sisters pray the Divine Office was particularly moving for her. “It helped me to see the beauty of religious life for the first time and helped me to be really open to it,” said Andrea. “It was also a great visit because I realized that sisters are not a bunch of grumpy old nuns. I loved seeing their joy.”

When she returned, she sought spiritual direction and began to set aside more time for prayer. “The more I prayed, the more I wanted to pray,” said Andrea. “I began praying the Divine Office, going to daily Mass, and spending time in the chapel each day.”

She had many friends supporting her during her discernment and they have helped her grow and learn about her faith. “Your friends help keep you on track.” Andrea’s parents and sisters were also very supportive of her call. She has a Great Aunt who was a consecrated religious and some uncles who attended seminary, although they were not ordained.

Andrea began to look at religious communities online, “to see what was out there.” At first, she did not consider cloistered communities. “I really enjoyed campus ministry, so I looked for communities that had that as their apostolate, but I couldn’t find any.”

After a few silent retreats, and with her experience working with the Catholic News Service (CNS), she began to think about a cloister “where I could seek God in the silence,” said Andrea.

In an effort to have more solitude, she moved out of the apartment she shared with three women and into an apartment near the chapel.  While she appreciated having more time of prayer and reflection throughout the day, she also came to realize the good of living in community. During this time, she also visited the Sisters of the Visitation in Toledo and a community of Dominican Nuns at the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament, but she did not feel called to the Dominican charism.

She then discovered the cloistered community of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Ada, Michigan, in March of her senior year at Bowling Green State University. “The Carmelite charism resonated in my heart. I felt at home in it. Being there was like being alone with God on the mountain like the first Carmelites on Mt. Carmel. I love the solitude, the community support, and the charism of bringing God’s love to the world through prayer and sacrifice.” She spent a week inside the monastery with the sisters and she says that she feels ready to enter now, but entrance will have to wait until she finishes paying off her college bills as many religious communities have no means to pay back those student loans. Andrea hopes to enter community in October, 2010.

“I feel engaged to be married. I feel ready to enter, but I know it is all God’s timing. If He wants me to enter sooner, He will provide the means. I am praying God will use this time for good. I stay involved with my friends and campus life and I enjoy this time with my family. I am trying to start a discernment group on campus.”

Once she enters community, her family can visit three times a year. Family members can write unlimited letters and Andrea is permitted to write to them once a month. “I have heard sisters say that parents don’t lose a daughter, but they gain a community.”

Reflecting on this journey of discernment, Andrea said, “I would tell others to be open to whatever God may call you to. God’s plan for you will bring you great joy and happiness. I would also suggest researching communities and talking with sisters. The more you learn the better. Also, get a spiritual director, have some silence and a regular prayer life. Daily prayer is important to hear God’s voice in your life.  And recognize that discernment takes time – surrender it to God’s hands and don’t worry about it or obsess over trying to figure it out.  Just do your part to research, place it in God’s hands, and trust that He will reveal His plan when the time is right.”