From “Call Stories to Help You Discern,” republished with permission from VISION Vocation Guide 2025, pp. 19-21.
The stories of how God calls people to religious life are as varied as the people in that life. Here we share Sister Limétèze’s story, unique but with some common threads. Like others, her story shows how God’s call is persistent, requires openness, and may just surprise you with a sense of belonging that you never thought possible.
By Sister Limétèze Pierre-Gilles, S.S.N.D.
Sister Limétèze Pierre-Gilles, SSND, ministers from Towson, Maryland with Beyond Borders, a nonprofit in Haiti.
My journey to become a religious began when I was a child, several years before I left my birthplace in Haiti to join my family in Florida. What is clear to me now is that God has always been present, leading every step, even when I did not notice.
I was a very quiet child who loved to read. I read the whole Bible more than once. What was mostly available to me were books about the lives of the saints. As I read and pondered their stories, I became more and more intrigued by God.
At some point, I met some of the saints not written about in books. Some of them even looked like me. They were Catholic sisters who devoted their lives to serving children and those in need. Some had left their countries to work in remote places in Haiti. I told myself that if they could leave their countries and all the comfort of home to work in Haiti, perhaps I, too, could do the same. I found both the missionaries and the Haitian sisters inspiring, and I wanted to give myself in God’s service just like them. However, I wanted an education, and becoming a sister was not going to happen until after I got it.
I kept going to school, while at the same time, I volunteered and worked in my parish in Haiti. Eventually, one of the priests in the parish introduced me to some religious congregations. I even went to a “Come and See” weekend with one community. After much prayer and reflection, I decided not to enter. I stayed focused on my education, thinking that was the end of my quest for religious life.
I met some of the saints not written about in books. Some of them even looked like me. They were Catholic sisters who devoted their lives to serving children and those in need.
Then I moved from Haiti to Florida to join my family, and education remained my focus, I wrote down my plan, which included learning English, attending the community college, working with attorneys, and eventually going to law school. Entering religious life was not part of the plan, while in the meantime perhaps God was conspiring to get me back on track.
One obstacle to my plan was that I needed a monthly bus ticket to go to school five days a week. This was less than affordable for me. After much resistance, I agreed to go with the parish priest to St. Ann Place in West Palm Beach, Florida, to ask the sister there for a monthly bus ticket. Upon my arrival at this ministry to the homeless, Sister Carleen Cekal, SSND, introduced me to the two other sisters, the staff, and an associate of the School Sisters of Notre Dame who ministered there.
My tour of the center included a stop in Sister Carleen’s office. A picture on the wall grabbed my attention and I asked, “Who is this woman in the picture?”
My question prompted another question from Sister Carleen: “Are you interested in religious life?” Neither yes nor no was the correct answer at the time. I needed time to think and pray about whether I was interested – again. “I don’t know” was the safest reply I could give at the time. It turned out it was more than what God needed to work with.
I met with the School Sisters of Notre Dame in West Palm Beach. I also searched for and met sisters from other congregations. I went to another “Come and See” weekend. Eventually I met with the SSND vocation director and kept in close contact with the community.
Sister Sharon Kanis, SSND, (left) with Sister Limétèze Pierre- Gilles in front of an image of the SSND Foundress, Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger, whose portrait triggered a conversation that eventually led Limétèze into religious life.
The SSND ministry in West Palm Beach is what first attracted me. They were ministering to homeless people with dignity, love and joy. I learned later that this value, joy, is part of their constitution. When they occasionally invited me to their home for evening prayer and dinner, I was able to experience their prayer life in addition to their community life.
We continued to meet, discuss, and share. We prayer together, and I learned about the life of Blessed Theresa of Jesus Gerhardinger, the woman in the picture in Sister Carleen’s office who founded the School Sisters of Notre Dame. How curious I was to learn her fascinating story!
Perhaps it was the same curiosity I had about the saints when I was a child that prompted me to ask my question about a woman in a picture frame – a woman, a saint, who risked everything and gave her life completely to God in the service of others.
And so I said yes to religious life and the School Sisters of Notre Dame!