Maria & Missionaries of Charity
Donation protected
Hello! My name is Maria Glaser. I am the daughter of Ron and Cindy Glaser of Spalding, NE. I graduated from Spalding Academy in 2010 and from Benedictine College with a BA in Mathematics and Secondary Education in 2014. In June of 2015 I started working as the Director of Religious Education and Youth Minister at St. Michael’s Parish in Spalding, NE.
Two years ago I traveled to India with 8 others to serve with the Missionaries of Charity (the religious order started by Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta). For two weeks we woke up at the crack of dawn to pray with the Sisters and celebrate Holy Mass. We would then work with the Sisters in the orphanages of Calcutta. In the afternoon we would travel across the city to Kalidad, the home for the sick and dying. Kalidad is the first house that Mother Teresa started after she heard Jesus’ call to work with the poorest of the poor.
I’m not going to lie; the first day was very hard. I had never seen poverty to that extent before and I was completely out of my comfort zone, not to mention I didn’t speak any of the languages of the people we served. I have never felt so helpless, so out of place, so small. That night at the tomb of St. Teresa I asked for her guidance, and from then on I felt the safety of a Mother’s arm around me! I learned how to do little things with great love, how to communicate through a smile, and so much more.
At the end of our two-week mission trip I had some time to pray at Mother Teresa’s tomb before we left for the airport. As I knelt by her tomb I prayed for a sign. Well, needless to say that sparked a plethora of daydreams of the coolest signs I could ever get. Finally I was able to recollect my prayer and asked Mother, if God wanted me to be an MC Sister, to have an MC Sister ask me to join them. As I left the Missionary of Charity Mother House it was completely empty, not a Sister to be seen.
We made our way to the airport, checked in our bags, and then a group of Missionaries of Charity walked through the door. So with a little bit of coaxing by our leader, he brought us over to say hello. While we were talking to the Sisters one of them stopped, looked around our group and said, “One of you will be a Missionary of Charity.”
Then she looked at me, “Will you be a Missionary of Charity?”
My mind was catastrophically BLOWN! I was speechless! The only thing I could get out of my mouth was a strange squeaking noise.
It has been two years since this incredible life-changing experience. I have spent this time working to pay off my student loans and dreaming of a life in total service to God, serving the poorest of the poor. In November, I went to Chicago for a two-week come-and-see so I could more closely observe their lifestyle and they could observe me. At the end of those two weeks I gave them my application for acceptance.
This New Year’s Eve, the Sisters contacted me and said that I can enter in June if all my loans are paid. I have worked and paid off more than half of my student loans but I still owe $24,000. I am eager to answer God’s call but I need your help by March 31, 2017. Anything that you can give would be greatly appreciated! But most of all I would like to ask for your prayers. God is so good and His plan for each of us is beyond our wildest dreams! Be assured of my prayers for you!! God Bless!
Two years ago I traveled to India with 8 others to serve with the Missionaries of Charity (the religious order started by Saint Mother Teresa of Calcutta). For two weeks we woke up at the crack of dawn to pray with the Sisters and celebrate Holy Mass. We would then work with the Sisters in the orphanages of Calcutta. In the afternoon we would travel across the city to Kalidad, the home for the sick and dying. Kalidad is the first house that Mother Teresa started after she heard Jesus’ call to work with the poorest of the poor.
I’m not going to lie; the first day was very hard. I had never seen poverty to that extent before and I was completely out of my comfort zone, not to mention I didn’t speak any of the languages of the people we served. I have never felt so helpless, so out of place, so small. That night at the tomb of St. Teresa I asked for her guidance, and from then on I felt the safety of a Mother’s arm around me! I learned how to do little things with great love, how to communicate through a smile, and so much more.
At the end of our two-week mission trip I had some time to pray at Mother Teresa’s tomb before we left for the airport. As I knelt by her tomb I prayed for a sign. Well, needless to say that sparked a plethora of daydreams of the coolest signs I could ever get. Finally I was able to recollect my prayer and asked Mother, if God wanted me to be an MC Sister, to have an MC Sister ask me to join them. As I left the Missionary of Charity Mother House it was completely empty, not a Sister to be seen.
We made our way to the airport, checked in our bags, and then a group of Missionaries of Charity walked through the door. So with a little bit of coaxing by our leader, he brought us over to say hello. While we were talking to the Sisters one of them stopped, looked around our group and said, “One of you will be a Missionary of Charity.”
Then she looked at me, “Will you be a Missionary of Charity?”
My mind was catastrophically BLOWN! I was speechless! The only thing I could get out of my mouth was a strange squeaking noise.
It has been two years since this incredible life-changing experience. I have spent this time working to pay off my student loans and dreaming of a life in total service to God, serving the poorest of the poor. In November, I went to Chicago for a two-week come-and-see so I could more closely observe their lifestyle and they could observe me. At the end of those two weeks I gave them my application for acceptance.
This New Year’s Eve, the Sisters contacted me and said that I can enter in June if all my loans are paid. I have worked and paid off more than half of my student loans but I still owe $24,000. I am eager to answer God’s call but I need your help by March 31, 2017. Anything that you can give would be greatly appreciated! But most of all I would like to ask for your prayers. God is so good and His plan for each of us is beyond our wildest dreams! Be assured of my prayers for you!! God Bless!
Organizer
Feld Fam
Organizer
Kearney, NE