Vocations
Meet Sister Teresa Gunter (AKA Sister T)
“The hardest part of my decision to become a sister was telling my boyfriend. After college, I was teaching school and I was dating someone. It was getting serious. I knew that if I married him, I’d always wonder if I should’ve been a nun. It’s something I’d thought about off and on since high school. So I visited the monastery for a retreat. I just wanted to get it out of my system and then go marry my boyfriend and live happily ever after. But when I went to Indiana, I fell in love with the sisters.
“Before I entered, there were so many things I wanted to do that I thought I couldn’t if I became a sister. I wanted to serve in another country, like through the Peace Corps. But I’ve gotten to do everything I wanted and so much more. As a sister, I lived and served in Guatemala.
“I love to go hiking and camping. I spend two weeks backpacking in New Mexico every couple of years—it’s amazing. I love anything that gets me outdoors: biking, skiing, swimming, Ultimate Frisbee. I also play the guitar and get together with friends to jam whenever I can.
“If religious life is something you’re thinking about, you’re not going to know if it’s for you unless you try it. You’re not going to lose anything by trying; you’ll gain so much. And what you learn, you take with you no matter what your call ends up being.”
“Being a volunteer firefighter has given me the humbling experience of being with people in stressful times. Whether it’s a medical call, an auto accident, or a fire, I get to spend a few moments with people when they are most in need. I have the opportunity to pray with them, comfort them, and explain what is happening. It’s a ministry I’m not sure I would have been part of if I weren’t a sister. It has been a time of grace for me.
“Before I entered the Sisters of St. Benedict, there were so many things I wanted to do that I thought I wouldn’t be able to if I became a sister. I wanted to serve in another country, like through the Peace Corps. I also wanted to have a lot of children. I never would’ve believed that I would serve in Guatemala for a year or that I would be responsible for over 300 youths and love them as my own. But that’s some of what I’ve done, as a sister.”