WHITING – The community of Holy Annunciation Monastery in Pennsylvania, as the heir of St. Therese of Lisieux’s spirituality, is firmly grounded and faithful to the charism of the Holy Mother. It adheres to the Blessed Mother’s desire of directing one’s entire attention toward prayer and contemplation of the things of God, of observing evangelical counsels, in a small sisterly community in the midst of solitude, prayer and poverty.
Recently, one Northwest Indiana teacher took a step forward in her vocational journey and made the decision to live at the monastery, calling it home as she discerns a call to join the religious order.
Marie Beccaloni was born in West Virginia, the oldest of three children. She later moved to Chicago for graduate school, attending Loyola University for a Masters in Theology and enrolling in DePaul University for a Masters in Education.
During her time in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Beccaloni became a consecrated virgin. She was consecrated by Francis Cardinal George in December of 2013.
“This vocation has allowed me to be mystically espoused to Christ and belong entirely to Him while still remaining in the world,” she said.
Looking back, Beccaloni remembers that her father brought the family into the Church when she was nine years old and still can recall the day of her baptism. She continued learning about the faith, attending CCD classes on Sunday before Mass.
“When I was little, I used to sit in my room and use a prayer pamphlet to try to figure out how to pray the Rosary,” she said.
That interest in learning led Beccaloni to start teaching when she was a teenager. Her parish priest allowed her to be a co-teacher for the first grade CCD class. While in graduate school, she taught First Holy Communion and religious education classes at St. John Cantius in Chicago. After that experience, she decided to go to graduate school again so that she could earn a teaching license.
Beccaloni accepted a position at St. John the Baptist School in Whiting. There, she taught a fourth grade class for about four and half years before deciding to further explore a religious vocation. This discernment continues with Beccaloni leaving to live for a time at a religious monastery this February.
“My fourth graders were smart and kind, and brought so much joy to my life,” she said.
SJB Principal Michelle Ondas called Beccaloni “amazing.” Through quiet strength and deep devotion, Ondas said, she showed her students that loving Jesus is life’s greatest calling.
She added, “Her classroom was peaceful because her heart belonged to the Lord – and she gently guided her students to give Him theirs too. She will be greatly missed.”
When Beccaloni first moved to Whiting in 2021, she started attending St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church. It wasn’t long before she became completely captivated by the Byzantine tradition.
“The icons, Divine Liturgy, fasting, and asceticism transformed my life and healed my soul,” she said. “This helped me encounter Christ in a much deeper way. My love for asceticism grew as well as a desire to leave behind the cares of the world to sit at the feet of the Lord and focus on the one thing needed.”
Because of her experience at St. Mary, Beccaloni knew that she only wanted to enter a Byzantine Catholic monastery. She visited three monasteries and spent time getting to know each place and its way of life. Holy Annunciation Monastery in Pennsylvania she said seemed to be the best fit.
“It is a monastery where everything is designed to help the nuns focused on the interior life. Their closeness to the Lord is obvious in their love for others,” she explained.
Beccaloni believes it’s important for Christians to approach discernment as a life long process. She said it is common for young adults to go through a particular period of vocational discernment. However, she feels the process does not stop there.
“Not only do we discern our vocations but also God’s will for every aspect of our lives,” she said. “Our vocations, careers, family life, friendships, etc. must be guided by the Lord. That requires us to spend time in silence and stillness on a consistent basis to learn where the Lord may be leading us.”
Beccaloni shared the process of entering a monastery to become a religious sister will vary by community. Typically, a woman begins the process by visiting a monastery for an extended period of time. Some communities require more visits than others before she can enter. This gives both the discerner and the monastery the chance to see if they are a good fit for each other. The next step would be to write a letter to request formal entry. After that, she progresses through the canonical stages of formation.
At Holy Annunciation Monastery, there are the stages of aspirant, postulant, rasophore and stavrophore. Although not equivalent, this is similar to how the Roman or Latin Church has the stages of aspirant, postulant, novice, temporary vows, and solemn vows. The process to become a nun can range from 7 to 10 years.
Caption: After her last Sunday Mass at St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church in Whiting before entering a monastery, Marie Beccaloni took a photo with Father Andrew Summerson and Pani Laura Ieraci. (Provided photo)
