Kmetz joins Servants of the Lord
Photo Credit: Mrs. Searcy
Ms. Angela Kmetz, filled with excitement, is warmly greeted by the nuns at St. Gregory University in August.
Mary W. Allen
August 27, 2009
Filed under News, Top Stories
Fall is a time of change. Summer slowly fades away, the weather loses its warmth, and school starts all across the country, much to the dismay of students everywhere. Many make their journeys to new schools and jobs, leaving the comforts of home to study and learn in a new environment. But no one’s journey is quite like Ms. Angela Kmetz’s.
On August 23, the former theology teacher traveled to Malboro, Maryland, to join the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Martara, a religious community. Started in 1988, the group has spread to over multiple countries with more than 900 sisters involved. They participate in mission trips to Argentina and are known to spread the message of God by their joy.
All the sisters must wear a long gray dress called a habit and a blue scapular, which is cloth worn over the neck. No cell phone, no facebook, no email. Letter writing is acceptable, but phone calls on the house phone are limited and must be cleared by a sister superior. “Our days are booked, so we won’t have a lot of time for that stuff anyway. Our lives are basically prayer, chores, service, food, and school. Not necessarily in that order,” Angela laughed.
For such a fun loving and bubbly person, it is puzzling as to how she will adjust to this lifestyle, or why she picked this convent in the first place. She is quick to prove, however, that the community is anything but boring.
“There’s a built-in siesta every day in our schedule. We also play ultimate frisbee,” she continued excitedly. “But, what I really love is the motto for the convent: ‘We celebrate from feast to feast until the eternal feast,’ which shows we seize each day and celebrate it.”
Although Angela is going to live with the sisters in the convent, she will not take her final vows for another six years.
Mrs. Roonie Leittem-Murrell, theology teacher and a close friend of Angela, visited with the sisters of the convent on August 6 at Saint Gregory’s. After her visit, she thinks just as highly of the entire atmosphere as Angela herself.
“The women are crazy and fun-loving. All the sisters were in habits, but their personalities were so individual,” Leittem Murrell said. “When the visit was over, I wanted to hop in the car and go with them.”
Although Angela is obviously excited for her new life as a sister and will be going into a supportive environment, many in the Bishop Kelley community will miss her presence, especially her mother, secretary Mrs. Carol Kmetz.
“At first, I was scared and sad that I was going to miss her so much,” Carol said. “But it made me happy that they were very open about visitors.”
Angela’s past vocations have always been centered around religion; she explains her life as “a progression with wanting to be more generous with God.” After graduating from Benedictine University, she spent two years with FOCUS, a national Catholic campus outreach group, and another two years teaching theology at Bishop Kelley. So it was no surprise to some that her next calling was with the sisters.
“I’ve known it’s been a possibility for a few years, but the finality of deciding hit me kind of hard,” Carol said.
Leittem-Murrell agreed with Carol, saying she sensed Angela’s spirituality early on.
“I knew before she did,” Leittem-Murrell said, referring to Angela’s decision. “She is full of Christ and love; it sort of oozes from her pores.”
Carol continues this thought by saying that “God has been pulling on Angela’s heart, and she has the courage to see if that calling is correct.”
As Angela begins her journey, she is “nervous and excited all in the same moment. It feels like graduation. It’s a big change but I know it’s going to be a good thing.” The parting is bittersweet, but Angela has the support of her friends, family, community and new sisters. And above all, she has the best reasoning behind her decision to become a nun, and her mother explains it simply.
“What Angela wants more than anything is to do God’s will.”