Silvia Diaz, CSJ
Los Angeles
I am a first year novice with the Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet, Los Angeles. I was born in Guatemala and I spent half of my life there. I was an only child for almost thirteen years. My first recollection of desiring to live a religious life goes back to the time I was twelve years old. I felt "at home" at the Santa Clara convent in the city of Antigua Guatemala.
Poverty changed my plans to pursue a religious life. I fell in love later on and the idea went to the back of my mind. My hopes were to be a wife and a mother. However, when the time to make that decision came, I could not go through with it. I felt that something was missing. I did not know what it was.
This feeling kept coming back. I finally decided to explore the reasons beneath the feeling. I came to the conclusion that God was calling me to religious life and I should do something about it.
I met the Sisters of Saint Joseph at a retreat in El Paso, Texas. My experience there was so positive. The sisters were happy, welcoming, friendly, and very understanding. There was something exuding from their presence, that it gave me the feeling of "at home-ness" that I experienced as a child in Antigua Guatemala. I knew then this was the congregation I wanted to fulfill my dream of a religious life.
My ministry experience with youth at risk with Soledad Enrichment Action (SEA) and at Central Juvenile Hall in Los Angeles has enriched my life and deepened my religious beliefs.
My hopes for the Novitiate are to be open to God's spirit, to surrender my will to God's will and to learn from the other novices and sisters. My hopes for the Congregation are to continue being a loving bridge between the dear neighbor and God, to serve with care and respect the needs of our dear neighbor without distinction, and to continue working for a just and safe world for those in need.
My favorite hobbies are drawing and hiking. I am a nature lover, and an eager learner.
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