Carol and Krista begin the candidacy phase of religious life with the Sisters of Sr. Mary of Oregon in February of 1980.After being accepted in a ceremony as a “candidate”, Krista is welcomed and hugged by Sister Fidelis Kreutzer. Superior General (1980) of the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon.
Before officially entering a community, a woman will spend 6 months to a few years while she and the membership get to know one another. Our community calls this stage “candidacy,” while when I entered it was called “postulancy.”
I entered in February of 1980 and wrote a handwritten letter prior to August 15, 1980 to request admission into the novitiate. Sister Fidelis Kreutzer was Superior General (leader) of our community at that time and was a very special person to me.
As a “candidate” I spent the next 6 months helping out wherever needed, was given a schedule of projects to accomplish and started at the very basic level of getting to know what this life was all about. I started wearing a black skirt and a white blouse. I did not wear a veil and I was not called, “Sister.”
I had a classmate, who joined with me and we were a team figuring things out together. She had just graduated from high school and me from college. Little did we know the exciting things that lay ahead for us. I was ready!
1979 Krista and blood sister, Karla von Borstel at Sigma Kappa, OSU
A former student texted me the question, “What qualified you for work at Boeing and why did you choose religious life over Boeing?”
Great question and one that many people in my situation may struggle with. Returning to that religious experience I wrote about earlier this week where I realized the importance of and shortness of a life, I reflected with Sr. John Therese about my decision to go to Boeing. In my mind I knew there was the possibility that once I got wrapped up in work and life at Boeing, the convent would become a thought of the past. Was it worth risking the opportunity and desire I had always longed for, to live a religious life? It did not take much wisdom from Sr. John Therese for me to see the value in making a decision to enter the convent.
The thought of working for Boeing as a college graduate was very enticing to me. My degree in Industrial Arts with studies in mass production and process management were particularly desired at that time and they contacted several of us at the University to consider working for them. I had completed the extensive background check and was ready to go! Fortunately, I made that trip to the convent.
I have often reflected on how grateful I have been to have worked at Valley Catholic, CYO and Camp Howard over the years. I have always considered the kind of work I do to be “heart work”. A work that fulfils the heart and gives meaning to life. God is never outdone in his generosity to us or the plans he has for our lives. We just have to be willing to trust him and say “yes”.
My Journey to Religious Life by Sister Krista von Borstel – in preparation for Vocation Awareness Week I will write 25 short stories that paint a picture. 1 of 25
VOCATION APPRECIATION WEEK November 1-7, 2020 Countdown 25 days to go…I am going to start with my own vocation story. I grew up in Sherman County in Oregon (North Central) the second smallest county in Oregon next to Wheeler! I remember having a very serious religious experience as a very young person where I realized how short life is and how important it is to make the most of it. This inspiration hit me at my grandfathers funeral, it was also the first funeral I remember. About two years later I went to my first “CCD summer classes” taught by Sisters of the Holy Names in Grass Valley. I knew at that moment (third grade) that I would be doing that some day. Still amazed by that insight. I liked what they were doing and I was inspired to want to do it too. The thought lay on my mind the rest of my youth and through college. Though I dated in college, I knew I did not want to get married because I wanted to enter religious life. I had not yet found the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon. That happened my junior year when I met Sister Maureen Kalsch. We were taking a class together and met one day as we were checking our grades. I invited her to come to my sorority (Sigma Kappa) for dinner and she accepted. Later she invited me to make a retreat in Sublimity (near OSU) where I did go and meet several SSMO’s (Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon) Finally I was invited to make a trip to the Motherhouse in Beaverton and made another retreat. I loved it! When I finished college my Senior year, I had a job offer with Boeing which I had planned to accept in order to pay off my college debt ($2,000). I went to the convent and met with Sr. John Therese to tell her I was going to Seattle and accept the job with Boeing. Before I left the convent that day, I was going to enter the convent in February! A neighbor farmer, and close family friend, John Schadewitz, who was Baptist I might add, handed me a check for $2,000 to pay off my debt and the rest is history. I entered the convent February 3, 1980 with the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon
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In December of 1979 I was asked to make a sign commemorating the area the Oregon Trail passed through Sherman County. I had just finished student teaching and had graduated from Oregon State University. I was waiting for February 3, 1980 to enter the convent with the Sisters of St. Mary of Oregon in Beaverton. A women’s group in the North end of Sherman County asked me if I would make a sign for them. I told them I would be happy to do it. It would be the last thing I would do before entering the convent.
I was living at home on the farm near Kent, OR the southern most part of the county. Wasco was toward the north end of the County. Sherman is the second smallest county in Oregon, only Wheeler is smaller in both population and acreage. The Columbia River to the north, the Deschutes to the west and the John Day to the East cut out the shape of the county.
I found several good pieces of Douglas Fir in the loft of the barn. Who knows how long it had been there. It was just what I needed as it was two inches thick, almost a foot wide and 5′ long. I laminated the pieces together with pegs and clamps to get them to the size I needed. I went to work hand routering the design onto the wood. After finishing, I painted it and finished it. The whole project took about two weeks to complete. I delivered it to the ladies in Wasco and they got one of the farmers to put it up. I saw it over the course of 40 years as I traveled home from time to time.
My cousin, Carsten von Borstel who lives in the county told me the sign had been reported stolen this fall. Someone had seen it in the back of a pickup truck on its way out of the county. There was a lot of commotion on the Sherman County Facebook page over the sign. People were pretty upset by it. No one really knew the details of the sign or how it got to mark the location. My cousin, Carsten informed them. I reached out and told them I would make a new sign. I am posting a photo of the old sign on this blog and at a later date will post the new sign. I have finished routering it on a CNC machine and am in the process of paining it now. It is a different design entirely from the first one. Stay tuned!
1980 Oregon Trail sign commemorating site in Sherman County, Oregon where the trail passed through the county.
Like many people, I like to usher the new year in by going through my calendar, making notes of the highlights and lowlights of the year, write up the highlights in my Christmas card and do a general self reflection as we turn the corner into January.
With the beginning of a new decade, it seems that deeper reflection is called for. As we look at our personal timelines, some of us are looking at the second half of the timeline, the downhill side! For me, that makes reflection as well as staying on track important!
I would like to share some questions I used from a Google search which I tweaked and made my own. I hope you might find them worthy to consider! Happy New Year!
LOOKING BACK
What was one of my best decisions? How did it impact my life?
How am I thoroughly different today compared to who I was in 2010? How am I the exact same as who I was in 2010?
Which people have been the core anchors of my life over the past decade? Who have I relied on in my moments of need?
What has been my deepest suffering and what have I done to embrace it or heal it? How have I chosen to deny it or run away from it?
What have been my sources of deep wisdom, faith and intelligence?
Where have I already achieved intense excellence? Why did that happen?
What were my peak experiences of the past ten years that lead to joy and peace?
Have I found a tribe that I feel deeply aligned with? If no, what concrete things am I really seeking, and why haven’t I found them yet?
What are the most important memories of the past decade and how will I carry them with me?
LOOKING FORWARD
What do I want to achieve in the next ten years?
Am I willing to embark on a bold adventure if life invites me on a journey?
What will I do for the first time in my life?
What will keep me grounded, mentally and physically in the years ahead?
What am I going to do to heal my traumas? How far am I willing to go to really deal with problems?
How am I going to do a better job of exploring and being my true self? (Spiritually, authentic personality, deepest talents, passions, artistic expression, inner voice.)
How do I see my relationship with God as a factor in how I will live my life the next ten years?
How am I going to fully activate in the years ahead? How am I committing to live the most dynamic, intentional, profound, authentic and aligned years of my life?
THOUGHTS ON THE EXAMINATION OF OUR LIFE
Bill Gates said, “We overestimate what we can accomplish in a year and underestimate what we can accomplish in ten years.”
“The unexamined life is not worth living.” Plato
The unexamined life is not worth living, but the unlived life is not worth examining.” Andrew Klavan, The Great Good Thing: A Secular Jew Comes to Faith in Christ
Photo – Lisa Sanders, our Development Director, Rotarian – Eric Johnston, a 2018 Champions of Faith sponsor and Ron Quinonez, Jr. an Executive Board Member for CYO/Camp Howard.
Join us this summer at Camp Howard for a week of making friends, experiencing the great outdoors and fantastic fun designed just for you! Rated “Best Camp Food” by the campers! #CampHoward
Congratulations to the six Jesuit Seniors, former CYO athletes, who signed on February 7th to compete in sports in college.
Left to right: Evan, Joe, Will, Sara, Emily & Anna. See below for their sports and colleges they will be attending.
Emily Buchholz, Fordham University, Crew
Anna Fanelli, Colorado College, Basketball
Joseph Quillin, Air Force Academy, Football
Sara Sanders, Oregon State University, Track & Field
Will Spitznagel, University of Oregon, Baseball
Evan Wyno, Marquette University, Lacross
We invite parents of seniors from all high schools to share their school’s CYO athletic college signings photos and details with us. We would like to blog about all of our CYO seniors who will be competing in college.
CYO/Camp Howard 