God’s Love : Sister Judy Dewig

I, Judy Dewig, O.S.B., thank God for my life and its many blessings.

As a young child, my parents told us that there were three vocations in life: religious, married, and single. God had a special purpose for each of us. We needed to pray that we would know what God was calling us to be. They supported us by their prayers and their acceptance of our choice.

I was taught by the Benedictines at St. Joseph. In second grade, I remembered seeing the Sisters and thinking that was what I wanted to become some day. The Sisters’ response to one another and their interest and relationship to us as their class and to each of us as individuals was a key factor.

I find God through community life by being together for prayer, faith-sharing, working projects, encouragement, support, and fun-sharing. For me, my Sisters are an example of God’s love in their constructive support and challenge, or “boost” I might need during difficult or questioning times. In prayer with community and during private times, I recognize God’s presence and sense His graces during difficult times, as well as refreshment during times of gratitude. This does not always happen at prayer time, but because of faithfulness to prayer, I sense it as an affirming support or an advice given to support or challenge a given situation throughout the day. Recognizing and greeting those that I meet and being recognized by them is where I find God in hospitality. Being friendly, affirming, and grateful to fellow Sisters and to all with whom I come in contact is a daily goal.

For me, service and ministry is linked to prayer and hospitality in finding God in the students and fellow teachers with whom I minister. I begin every day asking God for the grace to be an active listener and attentive to the needs of each of my students. Finding it to be more important to be aware of them as individuals and their particular needs at the time rather than the material that needs to be taught.

As a Ferdinand Benedictine, life is listening to God’s will for me through prayer, my Sisters’ encouragement, support, and challenges and I, in turn, doing that for others. Together I pray that we grow in God’s love through prayer, support of one another and in hospitality to all those we meet.