Kristy Bui: The calling to an unexpected life

Written by Kristy Bui

“God, You surely have a good sense of humour" is my thought when thinking about my vocation discernment.

Initially, I discerned my vocation with the Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province in Houston, TX, in 2017, where I entered and underwent formation for 2.5 years. However, due to severe back pain from herniated discs, I was unable to continue. Leaving the religious life, which I genuinely felt was my calling, was heart-wrenching and led me to believe that, perhaps, it was not my true vocation.
​
To rebuild myself, I focused on physiotherapy for my herniated discs and explored new academic paths. I eventually chose nursing as a career, motivated by a desire to support people in their most vulnerable moments; because I understood from personal experience how pain can impact one's life. 

Being accepted into nursing school brought me immense joy, and I dedicated my heart and energy to this new path, feeling once again that I was fulfilling my calling. At this point in time, I was certain that I had found my vocation in nursing and had completely dismissed the possibility of religious life, believing it was not aligned with God's will for me. 

That was until I heard a homily preached by a Dominican friar on November 2, 2022, for All Souls’ Day. There was something about this homily that made me leave the church feeling so passionate about living my life for souls, and only for souls. I began to pray more and offer more sacrifices for the souls in purgatory. Perhaps it’s because the love of God and the love of souls go hand-in-hand that somehow my heart was opening up to Him and His ways again, without me even realizing it.
​
Since the day I heard the homily, I kept hearing the words “dòng kín” (Vietnamese for “cloistered life”) deep within the silence of my heart. I brushed this off as a funny thought, but it persisted every single day for about two weeks. During these two weeks, I found myself engaging in conversations with various friends on topics unrelated to religious life. Interestingly enough, these discussions invariably shifted towards religious life.

Out of curiosity, I started researching cloistered Dominican nuns and ended up on the Archdiocese of Vancouver's webpage, looking at the link to the Dominican nuns in B.C. There was something inside of me that couldn’t stand being bothered anymore, so I finally clicked on the link and contacted the vocations director. However, I was still doubtful about this and, upon sending the email, made a small condition with God. I told God that the nun must respond to me within less than 24 hours, thinking that since nuns prayed all the time, they probably would not check their emails often. Then God turned the tables on me as the vocations director responded to me within 12 hours. I chuckled a couple of times when this happened and decided to play along with God a little longer. I met with the vocations director via Zoom, and by the end of the call, she told me I should consider visiting them to see for myself.

I thought there was no way this nun was telling me I might have a vocation to the cloistered life. Yet again, I thought I’d humour God by playing along with Him for just a little more. I booked a flight ticket to Squamish, B.C., in February 2023 to visit the Dominican nuns. I went with the thought that as long as I just go, maybe I could get God off my back about this whole idea of cloistered life.

I arrived on a Saturday by 2 pm, and I remember as I entered the chapel to greet Jesus, I felt a burden lifted off my shoulders. It felt as if I went someplace far away and finally came home. I initially ignored this feeling, thinking that wherever Jesus was, that was home. However, by 8 pm on that same Saturday, I walked back to my room thinking, “God, this is all I ever wanted, but I never knew that I wanted it.” As soon as I thought that I knew what God was asking of me.

I spent the time in the monastery by myself in silence, following the nuns’ schedule while also giving myself ample time for personal prayer and leisure in silence. Perhaps in the eyes of the world, living the same schedule day-in and day-out seems boring; but for me, each day brought about a new adventure with God, making life so fulfilling. Living the life in silence showed me that I can be hidden from the world, yet fully present and attentive to its needs. The silence in the monastery brought a fulfillment and satisfaction in my life in which I have never experienced before. So, when my visit to the monastery was coming to an end, I couldn’t bear to leave.

In obedience to God’s Holy Will, the guidance of my spiritual director, and the recommendation of the monastery, I did leave. Back in Calgary, I focused on finishing my studies in nursing school very diligently. I eagerly counted down the months and days until the time that I could finally enter the monastery as an aspirant. Although it was difficult at times with many temptations, it only solidified my conviction in following God’s will in discerning with the Dominican nuns.
Over the past couple of years, I encountered many different people in the hospital through my schooling and in the work I did with the Serra Club, and everything pointed back to my purpose: to offer myself as a living Holocaust for the sake of souls. I am very grateful for my past discernment with the Dominican Sisters in Houston and for the years spent earning my nursing degree, because it all showed me the need for prayer and that every sacrifice offered is very worthwhile for God’s glory and for the salvation of souls. I can say that everything started because of God’s generosity in being patient with me and even allowing me to play with Him along the way.

I never thought I would ever be called to the cloistered life, but God has a good sense of humour. As someone who desires to be His spouse, I should also have a sense of humour so I can play along with Him. I hope I can spend the rest of my life making God laugh by living the life that I initially thought was funny, offering every moment of it for His glory and for the salvation of souls. Most importantly, I hope that when the time comes, God will also say to me, “My love, what a good sense of humour you’ve got there.”