Sister Jean Ann Walton
What stands out to you about your years in religious life?
To begin with, I’ve only been a Sister for 15 years. I’m still a teenager, and yet I am 75 years young. But seriously, it took me most of my adult years to figure out where and to what I was being called.
At times, I wished I had figured this out long before now, but I also believe that everything has its own time and place. And this is my time. It is a time of joy, peace, contemplation, fun, learning, and happiness. But the one thing that stands out is when someone tells me how much they appreciate what I have said or done for them. It always surprises me because I never know who or how I have affected someone. It just doesn’t get any better than this!
What do you cherish, and how would you describe it?
I cherish it all. Our Sisters coming from Brazil, hosting Vietnamese Sisters and pre-seminarians, praying out in nature, reconciliation, seeing turkeys, deer and eagles, giving a mission talk in Spanish, teaching someone how to quilt, playing cards with my Sisters, retreats, falling and shattering my shoulder, giving Advent and Lenten reflections, learning about human trafficking and helping to set up a recovery home and program for the victims, time to sew quilts and giving away quilts for charity, the list is too long. It just doesn’t get any better than this because God has given me an incredible gift!
