God Is Full of Surprises
by Sister Helen Marie Raycraft, OP
Professed in 1959
I am writing this as I celebrate 47 years of vowed life as a Sinsinawa Dominican. I would sign up again! I was surrounded by our Sisters when I was growing up. They were family to me. My aunt, Sister Mary John Kallal ,OP, lived at Dominican University, River Forest, IL, which was one block from my home. She came to our home often, and I visited her regularly because the Sisters who cooked for the college would give me fresh bread to take home. I began taking piano lessons from her when I was in first grade, so I saw her every week. I was educated by our Sisters both in grade school at St. Vincent Ferrer in River Forest, IL, and also at St. Clara Academy at Sinsinawa. I also went to Camp WeHaKee with our Sisters. My mother died when I was 2 years old, so the Sisters became mentors and friends and were very formative in my life. Even though I had a sense that God was inviting me to be a religious, I fought the idea until I met Sister Marcella Connolly, OP, my sophomore year. She talked to me about Jesus and introduced me to Him as a real person and a living reality in my life. From then on I wanted to know this person who had influenced all these marvelous religious women that I had known. I began to take time for personal prayer and loved to spend time in the Mound chapel. Gradually I stopped fighting the call and began to listen to God, to open myself to His overwhelming love and to realize that I was being invited to become a Sister. I was afraid to let Dad know because I was his favorite and the image of Mom. When I told him he was most understanding and told me that he had known for a long time. I know that it was not easy for him to see me go, but God gives graces to the parents of the one being invited.
To me, one of the most wonderful realities throughout these years has been to be part of a group of dedicated, creative women who together believe in bringing about a just society through our lives and ministries. My first assignment was teaching the primary grades in the Bronx. I began to study Spanish and eventually volunteered to go to our missions in Bolivia where I ministered for nine years. While there, some of us formed the Dominican Missionary Preaching Team, and I have now been preaching and evangelizing with Hispanics since the team began in 1972. Never did I imagine that I would be working in six countries and over 35 states. God is full of surprises!