Ave Maria, all! I was supposed to do this yesterday, but it completely slipped my mind; I was hoping each follower who reads this may simply offer up a Hail Mary (or if you are not Catholic, a prayer of your own choosing) for my dearest sister, and Canadian friend, for her religious vocation. Her name is Afra Moffat and she is hoping to enter the monastery before her 18th Birthday; she is in the middle of a novena right now that ends on the 30th (feast of the Patronage of the BMV- Carmelite feast day in honor of Our Lady of Mount Carmel).

This young lady is by far one of the brightest, extremely holy (though I am sure I am making her blush in saying so) and exceedingly advanced in her path to union with the Beloved. She was raised Lutheran and found the Catholic Church by a sheer miracle and grace on Our Lady’s part. She has offered to translate our entire book into French and during my own waiting, meeting her has been one of my greatest blessings. We have never met in person, yet we connect so frequently I feel as though she is my sister.

Story behind her name and patron:

“Saint Afra was martyred during the Diocletian persecution. Along with Saint Ulrich, she is a patron saint of Augsburg. Her feast day is August 7. Afra was dedicated to the service of the goddess, Venus, by her mother, Hilaria. Through his teachings, Bishop Narcissus converted Afra and her family to Christianity.”