Sr. Rezebeth Noceja S.P., Sisters of Providence, is one of 10 members of the Archdiocesan Vocations Awareness Committee. Sr. Rezebeth is 41. Here she shares her personal vocation story.
I was a new member of Singles for Christ when a woman in her early 20s was introduced to me by a friend. This woman entered a contemplative order of Religious women and in the process found her vocation somewhere else. My friend then told me something along the lines of, “our plans may not always align with God’s plans but in the end, we will be where God is calling us to be”. I then asked myself, “Where is God calling me? What if I’m called to Religious Life but I just didn’t know it?”. These questions haunted me for a very long time until I decided to take the plunge—to discern Religious Life.
I was raised in a Catholic home that was heavily influenced by my prayerful mother. We were not rich, but we were not lacking with resources either and I remember my mother always told us that whenever life was tough, God always finds a way to provide. I had Catholic education and upbringing, but like many other young people of my time, I somehow had a period in my life when religious practices were put aside in favour of more tangible rewards that the world can offer.
I came to Canada in 2008 as a foreign worker and settled in Fort McMurray. I was one of many Filipino overseas workers who worked abroad to support their families. I am the oldest of four children and, together with my father; I helped fund the education of my younger siblings.
Things were going great in the beginning, but after a year of working in Fort McMurray, I felt a quiet yet persistent discontent within me. I felt that something was missing, and I knew that I was in a stage of my life when I was looking for my purpose—my reason for existence.
That’s when I responded to an invitation to join Singles for Christ around the year 2011. That was the impetus of my renewed relationship with Christ and the beginning of my vocational discernment that led me to the Sisters of Providence.
I met the vocation director of the Sisters of Providence in Edmonton in 2015 when I first visited the convent. The weekend I spent at the convent was an affirmation that I was taking the right route of discernment, even though a lot was still unknown.
I then decided to move from Fort McMurray to Edmonton in 2016 to continue with my discernment. My previous employer was gracious enough to allow me to transfer to Sherwood Park office so I could continue working as I navigated this transition.
I was just beginning to pack my things when the massive forest fire called ‘The Beast’ happened in Fort McMurray. Although the forest fire caused chaos and confusion, I knew that the only way forward was to continue with my discernment.
Hence, I moved to Providence Centre on May 12, 2016 for my Come-and-See to discern my vocation.
After about seven months in the Come-and-See stage, I was accepted into the community as a candidate (postulant is the more traditional term used) in December 18, 2016. For candidacy, I was missioned to our convent in Calgary where I spent almost a year of learning the ways of the community, orienting myself to communal living, and having exposure to the ministries of our community with the elderly population.
On November 17, 2017, I became an official member of the Congregation by being accepted as a novice. For my novitiate, I had to move back to Edmonton and live in the Novitiate House for one year during the canonical year. Canon Law prescribes only 12 months of Novitiate but for many Religious Orders, there is an added 12 months that are intended for apostolic formation. This is why we have 2 years of Novitiate that is divided into a Canonical Year and an Apostolic Year. My apostolic year was the beginning of my discernment for ministry—this is the part where we ask ourselves, “what is the call within the call?”. I volunteered at a prison facility and at social service agencies, which led me to take a Bachelor of Social Work degree.
On November 9, 2019, I made my first profession of the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, and after almost five years of further discernment, I made my perpetual profession of vows as a Sister of Providence on August 24, 2024.
It took a long time, but God is patient with me. He was (is) walking with me every step of the way, especially during the most difficult times, because formation in Religious Life is not a walk in the park. It took commitment, openness and a great deal of humility, and many times I didn’t want to let go of my pride. With prayers, perseverance, a lot of support from my community, my family, and friends, and God’s providence, I reached the final stage of my initial formation in Religious Life.
Yet, as anybody in Religious Life will say, formation is life-long and discernment is never ending. I currently work in social services with some of the most vulnerable youths in our community. It is there that I try to respond to the call within the call and manifest God’s providential care to those most in need.
For information on the Vocations Awareness Committee, contact Sr. Mary Clare Stack: mctstack@outlook.com.
Read Friar Aldin Canobas’s vocations story
Read more about vocations in the Archdiocese
Subscribe here to receive news from the Archdiocese each week