"People look at nuns and say, 'Oh you poor nuns locked up behind convent walls.' Forget it. If a lot of women knew the beauty of the religious life, we'd have to have gates around our convents (to keep applicants out)."
Sister Beth had wanted to be a nun since the eighth grade, inspired by the Dominican sisters who taught her. The order is named for St. Dominic, the teacher.
"In high school, I discovered the world of dating and dances, but I went into the convent anyway. When I went, my mother begged me to stay at least six months 'so the neighbors will know you were interested.' "
Pasted onto the trunk she took with her to the convent were the words that have come to embody her philosophy of life:
"To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances. To seek him is the greatest of all adventures. But to find him is the greatest human achievement."
She concluded: "Thirty years later, here I am. The first part, I have already done. But the seeking and the finding are what I do constantly. It isn't unusual that a nun should go looking for God in the prisons, in police work, in my classes. He's everywhere and in everyone. There's no end to finding God."
