Thomas Aquinas graduate envisions future as nun
By Raul Hernandez
rhernandez@VenturaCountyStar.com
(May 15, 2005)
Some who graduated from Thomas Aquinas College on Saturday
will go on to careers in medicine, law, education and nursing.
Others will start families or travel to distant lands to see
temples, mountains and castles.
Mary Ann McGrath has other plans. She wants to take the vows
of poverty, chastity and obedience and become a Catholic nun.
"I don't think there is any other way that I could possibly
live my life," the Stockton woman said.
Like other 22-year-olds, she's thought about a career, falling
in love and raising a family. But she ultimately decided to
dedicate her life to God.
"I was praying about it, and I decided that I knew that
our Lord was asking me to give those things up," she
said. "So I told him that I would give them up for him."
This year's commencement speaker, Cardinal Avery Dulles of
Fordham University, surely would be proud of her decision.
He spoke to the 62 seniors about making sure religion has
a place in public life.
"Every doctrine of Christian and Catholic faith is being
subjected to relentless attacks, and for this reason it is
essential to have in the church leaders who can persuasively
articulate the grounds of faith," he said.
The college prides itself on allowing its students to search
for the truth. One way is to read the works of Aristotle,
Homer, Euclid and, of course, Aquinas. McGrath read those
works and the Bible, along with a life-changing book given
to her by a friend four years ago entitled "The Right
to be Merry."
That book, her own prayers and advice from a priest years
ago on the life of a nun inspired her, she said.
McGrath, who has a background in theology and philosophy,
once thought nuns led useless lives.
"I thought it was kind of a stupid thing," she
said. "I didn't think nuns really did anything but wasted
their lives."
If things go as planned, she expects to begin living with
the Benedictine Order of Nuns in about one year and take her
religious vows in about seven years.
First, she plans to work at Thomas Aquinas as a resident
assistant for a year, where she will help students on campus
adjust to college life.
"She has quite a good rapport with the other students,"
said Michael McLean, the college's dean. "I have grown
quite fond of her the last couple of years."
McGrath's calm demeanor is often overshadowed by her gentle
smile. Then, there is the laughter that nearly fills the room
when she talks about what friends think about her plans to
go off to some convent to chant and pray, almost nonstop.
"They're all very happy. Mostly they say, 'Will you
pray for me every day of your life?' " she said. "It's
kind of funny because I always ask them back, 'As long as
you pray for me because I am going to need it, too.' "
This article originally appeared in the Ventura County
Star on May 15, 2005. Reprinted from venturacountystar.com
with express permission.
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