Meet Sister Stephanie Gabriel, IHM

Name: Sister Stephanie Gabriel

Current Ministry: Director of Evangelization & Religious Education

Hometown: Manassas, VA

Profession Year: 2016

Previous Ministries: Middle School teacher; High School Theology Teacher

Question #1 - What attracted you to the IHM Sisters? 

When I first met the IHMs and came on my first discernment retreat, I was really attracted to the joy among the sisters, as well as how down-to-earth they all seemed. I had decided to come on a retreat after I learned that our sisters shared the spirituality of St. Alphonsus, which I had been attracted to several years earlier when I first went to work for the Redemptorists, who were founded by St. Alphonsus. 

Question #2 - What would you say to a young woman who feels drawn to religious life but is unsure or afraid to take the next step? 

I was "haunted" by the question of a vocation for many years, and I was afraid to follow those nudges for a long time out of fear of what others would think. I was also afraid of making a mistake and then having to rebuild if it didn't work out. To anyone struggling with similar feelings I would encourage her to find a good spiritual director and other faith-filled wisdom figures to talk with because it helps to voice those fears rather than keeping them inside. I would also encourage her to remember that the Lord never leads us somewhere where his grace won't follow. 

Question #3 - What is your favorite way to pray? 

I love Eucharistic adoration. Just being in the Lord's presence and speaking heart-to-heart! 

Question #4 - What is one word that describes your vocation?

fiat