Sr. Allison Lorraine Masserano, a 2012 graduate of Georgetown University, is one of three Georgetown alumni featured in an article about religious vocations in the modern world. The following was originally published July 29, 2022, on Georgetown.edu and is republished with permission. The article can be viewed in its entirety here.
I grew up around sisters. My community, the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, teaches in the school in the Bronx that I attended. My mom worked at the school, and we lived across the street.
The sisters were a normal part of my family life. I enjoyed spending time with them, but I didn’t necessarily want to be one . But I think the first step to any vocation is wanting to pursue a relationship with God. I wanted God to be a part of my life. Over time I began to sense a call from God, but it wasn’t clear to me what exactly that call meant.
When I went to Georgetown, I met a couple of people who were discerning religious life. They were like, ‘I’m from Pennsylvania, I’m studying international relations, and maybe I’m going to be a sister.’ That was the first time I met anyone my age who was considering religious life … and they seemed normal! I thought, oh wow, maybe that isn’t a crazy idea.
Georgetown was a great place to learn and to grow, and to fail. It was a supportive, encouraging environment. I loved that we had such an interfaith campus ministry life. I was able to attend Shabbat services and iftar dinners. I went to mass a lot. We developed the Catholic Student Association while I was there. My experiences at Georgetown helped deepen my prayer life and my relationship with God, which are vital to discerning a vocation.
After I graduated, I moved home to the Bronx, and I started working at the school that I went to. The question of vocation came up again. I thought I’m not going to become any more sure about this without trying it out. So I worked at the school for two years, and I entered the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in 2014.
When I was entering, someone asked, ‘Why do you want to do this?’ I was like, I think it’s the best way for me to love people, you know? It’s not the only way. It’s not everyone’s call. It’s no better or worse than anything else. But for me, this is the life that helps me to be my best self and to love the best that I can.
It’s been eight years since I’ve entered. I can’t imagine anything else.