Active Catholic, Theology and History major at Ohio Dominican University, Youth Minister at Our Lady of Victory, Firey Fish Band Vocals at Jesus Jams, CYSC Volunteer, Postulant Entering with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecelia in Nashville, TN, August, 2009

“Religious life was not on the scene at all,” said Nicole Floetker (left in photo) reflecting back over the journey to her recent decision and acceptance as a postulant with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecelia in Nashville, Tenn.

“Looking back over my life in high school I have had a really big conversion of heart and there is a new, radical spirit in me,” said Nicole.

Nicole has always had, what she describes, as a do something big attitude, but wasn’t sure where she was headed. “I wanted to be a saint, but I didn’t want to pray,” she said laughing.

In high school, she did some typical high school partying, but at the end of her junior year, she decided to get involved in her church youth group at St. Agatha. She really enjoyed it and “got hooked.” Youth ministers Aaron Richards and Dan DeMatte encouraged her to get more involved. She went back to weekly Mass and she also started helping with retreats.

“I got out of a day of school to help with the Confirmation retreat and I thought that was great,” said Nicole. “I saw something special in the youth group and I wanted to be a part of that.”

She had a “huge conversion” at a spring retreat. “I decided that I wanted to give everything over to the Lord.” She admits that saying that is much easier than living it. “I told the Lord that I wanted to get married and have a family, but after my conversion I told Him that I want to get married and have a big Catholic family!”

“I still didn’t get that I needed to discern what God was asking me to do – I was doing what I wanted to do,” said Nicole.

For Nicole, religious life was still “a distant idea” and six months after her conversion she begandating her boyfriend. “God was the center focus of my relationship with my boyfriend as he was also involved in youth group.”

Nicole and her boyfriend dated for a year and a half. Then one night, in August, 2007, he told Nicole that he wanted to discern a call to the priesthood. “I am so thankful for that because I don’t know if I would have had the courage to step out of that relationship on my own,” admits Nicole.

Nicole had lunch with a friend shortly afterward and her friend advised her to just “fall in love with Jesus and see where He leads you.” Nicole took her friend’s advice.

In Nicole’s sophomore year at Ohio Dominican University, she began to really enjoy the sisterhood with her girlfriends. “I liked being on my own and I needed some time to heal. I still hadn’t really started discerning, as I was still healing from that relationship.”

February of her sophomore year, Nicole began to spend more time with the Lord, and she also began focusing on His plan for her life. She attended diocesan Vocations sponsored events, Jesus Jams, and enjoyed meeting local and visiting religious sisters.
“Give the Lord an inch and He opens the door wide open,” said Nicole.

In May, 2008, some St. Paul Outreach (SPO) friends invited her to join them on a trip to Ann Arbor Michigan to visit the Dominican Sisters of Mother, Mary of the Eucharist for a retreat weekend and that was a turning point for Nicole.

“I couldn’t believe it,” said Nicole. “I loved the talks and being with the Sisters. All the stereotypes that I had of Sisters were completely blown away. I thought they were all older women who prayed all day and didn’t have any fun. Wow, was I wrong!”

“These women were real, and they were in love with Lord. They were all different ages, they playedsports, and they had fun. I asked Jesus what he was doing and suddenly I could see myself in this life. I could stay here, I thought.”

But Nicole came back to school and put off the call for a while.

In May, 2008, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecelia came to Columbus for a Vocations event. Nicole again realized she needed to discern, but she didn’t want to. “I was intrigued by being with the Sisters and I wanted to visit them in Nashville, but I was still a little afraid of God’s call,” said Nicole.

By the end of summer Nicole knew God was calling her to the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecelia. “St. Cecelia began stalking me,” said Nicole. “Everywhere I went there was something related to St. Cecelia. Out of the blue a friend told me that her confirmation saint was St. Cecelia, my best friend called with info about St. Cecelia because she is the patron saint of musicians. I just hung up the phone and called Nashville to see if I could visit.” She did visit in January, 2009.

Prior to her visit, in the fall of 2009, Nicole describes this time as a period of deep spiritual growth for her. She took an early Christian writing class with Sister Fatula at ODU and studied the women martyrs. She loved their stories and she was overwhelmed with the desire to, like them, be a bride of Christ.

“I became more convinced that God was calling me to religious life,” said Nicole.

The Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles visited Columbus with the youth group at Columbus St. Patrick’s and Nicole spoke with them. Meeting with them helped her realize that God was calling her to religious life. She went on another retreat in Ann Arbor and the call “started to ring true.”

“I prayed to the Lord to please give me peace and to let me know if this is what He wanted,” said Nicole. “I saw the beauty in religious life and I desired to be there. I told Him that I want this and that I would go and do whatever He wants.”
With the help and support of the Vocations Office, Nicole flew out to visit the Carmelites in Los Angeles. She also took another trip back to visit the sisters in Ann Arbor as she was still discerning God’ call to her.

Then in January, 2009, Nicole, Fr. David Schalk, St. Mary, Delaware, and two other women made a “very blessed trip” to the Sisters of St. Cecelia in Nashville. “We toured the Motherhouse and when I walked into the chapel, I knew that God was calling me here,” said Nicole. “My heart was leaping out of my chest. I asked Him to let me stay here forever. I loved their charism and their spirit.”

Nicole and her friends returned to Columbus on a Saturday evening. Nicole was feeling “pretty sure, but it is still a big, scary step.”

She prayed about it for 24 hours. She felt that she was really was hearing God’s voice and she had other signs that this is where she was being called to serve. She ended up making the trip back to Nashville the following Wed. “I loved it and I felt so comfortable. I asked the Mother Superior for papers to apply,” said Nicole.

Nicole received her acceptance from the Sister of St. Cecelia on March 2nd, 2009. As she describes it, “I am engaged, but not married yet!”

She admits that she has no idea what to expect and she is living her daily life and making the most of it. She is finishing her Junior Year at ODU, she sang at the final Jesus Jam of the 2009 school year, she will help out at Catholic Youth Summer Camp, and do some babysitting.

Nicole is also working with the Office of Vocations to help create a Nun Run video that will help and inspire other women as they discern and visit religious communities—to open up to God’s call away from everyday life.

Nicole continues to keep the Sacraments and prayer time a priority in her life. “It’s so easy to make excuses about the time we spend with God. With our busy culture we can say that we don’t have time. We have to have set prayer time with the Lord to hear what He is asking us to do.”

How did her Dad take the news about entering religious life? “I had talked to Dad about it when I went to Ann Arbor. It wasn’t a shock to him. He was happy for me and has been very supportive. Everyone has been great about it. It is a big, scary, exciting step and I can’t wait ...”