The Road Less Traveled

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference. (The Road Not Taken, Robert Frost)

I was in sixth grade when I was first introduced to this poem, and it resounded immediately within me. Of course at 11 or 12 years of age, I did not know why. But as time has gone on, and now after 32 years as a Sister of Saint Joseph, the poem continues to describe my life. 

I had a major “Saint Paul spiritual conversion” experience in my late 20’s. That awakening to Christ and his love changed the path on which I was traveling. As I grew in my relationship with Christ and the Church, my overwhelming desire was to share God’s love and mercy with others. A few years after that conversion, I felt the call to live my deepening relationship with Christ through a vowed life. I was 32. Choosing “that road” has certainly made all the difference!

As a Pastoral Associate in a large Catholic parish, I am able to share the love and mercy of Christ every day, in varied ways. I minister to grieving families who have lost a loved one, I meet with couples preparing for the Sacrament of Marriage, facilitate RCIA sessions, or my favorite… mentoring others as they seek to deepen their life of prayer. Recently, in leading a group of adults in a guided meditation, at the conclusion, one of the women excitedly said, and with great surprise, “I met Jesus on the road – he was really there with me – I saw him, I saw the road we were walking on, we were talking and I was a little girl!” She met the risen Christ on her Emmaus road, and her joy and wonder I will not soon forget.    

Helping others grow in their knowledge of God and the Catholic faith or supporting them as they grow in the spiritual life - it is a wonderful, blest and exciting journey. 

I love my life as a Sister of Saint Joseph! I chose the road less traveled by and that has certainly made all the difference…for me and for others.  

Sister Kathleen Rooney SSJ

Sister Kathleen is the author of the book: Sisters: An Inside Look. Published by St. Mary’s Press.