Eyet Blogs: Help Tara Clemens become a Nun

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•·Vocations·•

The Catholic Anchor has a wonderful story about a young Anchorage attorney, that converted to Catholicism, jumped head first into the faith, and is now attempting to answer the call of a religious vocation. Her name is Tara Clemens and she needs your help. She is trying to become a Dominican Nun at Corpus Christi Monastery. (A contemplative cloistered order in California)

Here is part of her story from the Anchor:

In praying to find a job, she “stumbled across” a vocation prayer which she began to say.
Then, one day in the kitchen, Clemens’ Protestant mother articulated a possibility that had never crossed Clemens’ mind.
“She said, ‘Just promise me you’re not going to become a nun,’ recalled Clemens, whose “jaw hit the floor” at the idea.
Still, Clemens couldn’t make the promise.
“I said, ‘I can’t do that. I don’t know what God might call me to in the future.’”
But the idea of the religious life was anathema to Clemens.
“Inside, I was like, ‘No, no, no, no, we are not going there!’ But I felt like I needed to take it to God in prayer,” she explained. So she did – in addition to reading about religious vocations and attending discernment retreats.
Now, two years later, she is applying to enter the Corpus Christi Monastery — a Dominican congregation of contemplative nuns in California.
The nuns promote devotion to Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and pray for the salvation of souls. To support themselves, they bake altar bread for Mass.

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•·Financial Obligations·•

Like many professionals that receive a religious calling, paying off debt plays a huge part in the overall process. To enter most religious orders, one must be free of all debts. Tara is a lawyer, and I can tell you from personal experience, law school loans are no easy thing to "take care of."

So how can you help? Well Tara has joined with The Laboure Society to help satisfy her financial and debt obligations. The major way in which they succeed in doing this is through the generosity of others. Tara has also set up a website to help in this effort. (http://supporttarasvocation.wordpress.com/)

There are many ways to support those called to be priests and religious – prayers and various activities to encourage our priests and religious are vitally important. But an article published by National Catholic Register in 2007 highlights another problem: educational debt. More than ever, young men and women called to give themselves in service to God and the Church need your spiritual and financial support.
I am deeply grateful to those who have already responded or will respond to the prompting of the Holy Spirit to support priestly and religious vocations, including my own. In addition to working to pay down my debt, I, like many others, are depending on the generosity of others to be free of the educational debt that hinders pursuing God’s call. To that end, I have decided to work with The Laboure Society to reach this goal. The Laboure Society exists to provide financial assistance to individuals who must eliminate educational debt in order to pursue their vocation to priesthood or religious life in the Catholic Church. All contributions are tax deductible and donations may be made online through their website or by mail.

Please prayerfully consider making a contribution and please pray for me, as I will be praying for all of you. God bless!

So please think about helping her out! Check out her website, and maybe leave a comment and tell her that you are praying for her. Also, leave a comment at her blog and tell her where you heard about her story, maybe she will pray for me!

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Prayer

In the meantime let us pray for Tara and others discerning Dominican vocational callings:

Blessed Jordan, worthy successor of St. Dominic, in the early days of the Order, your
example and zeal prompted many men and women to follow Christ in the white habit of Our Holy Father.
As patron of Dominican vocations, continue to inspire talented and devoted men and
women to consecrate their lives to God. Through your intercession, lead to the Order of
Preachers generous and sacrificing persons, willing to give themselves fervently to the apostolate of Truth.
Help them to prepare themselves to be worthy of the grace of a Dominican vocation.
Inspire their hearts to become learned of God, that with firm determination they might aspire to be “champions of the Faith and true lights of the world.” Amen.

Saint Dominic