Poor Clare Mother Mary Leo and Sister Mary Christiana talk about Sister making her solemn profession to the community in St. Louis, MO.
The sign of a woman’s true strength is not a measure of independence or success, but rather her persevering love.
Just ask Sister Mary Christiana of Our Eucharistic King, who recently made her final solemn profession as a member of the Poor Clare nuns.
A native of Ste. Genevieve, the 25-year-old made her final profession at a Mass Jan. 1, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, after six years of formation with the cloistered, contemplative Franciscan community of women religious located in South County, off Telegraph Road.
At that moment, Sister Mary Christiana left behind everything she had — including a culture that encourages women to be independent, successful individuals — and professed for the rest of her life the four vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and enclosure, so that she might live the Gospel in entire poverty, just as Christ did. It was exactly as St Clare did when she founded the community almost 800 years ago in Assisi, Italy.
Born Camille Marie Schwent, the 2004 graduate of Ste. Genevieve High School, began considering a religious vocation in high school, after her mom became involved as a youth minister through their parish, St. Agnes in Bloomsdale, and began taking her daughter to various activities.
“I was furthest from being interested in all of that,” Sister Mary Christiana said, but “there came a point when the Lord just kind of touched my heart.” There was a pilgrimage to Medjugorje her junior year in high school. Then came the visits to religious communities — the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus and the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George. They were welcoming, but not quite what she was looking for. Suddenly, she felt called to look at cloistered communities. She first gave a call to the Poor Clares.