A Vocation Dedicated to Defending Life — with Sr. Antoniana Maria, SV
Season 1, Episode 22 | Originally aired on December 2, 2019
Sr. Antoniana Maria (far left) with her fellow Sisters of Life on a 2-week speaking tour to Australia at the invitation of the University of Notre Dame in Sydney and Fremantle. From left to right: Sr. Antoniana Maria, Sr. Zelie, Sr. Mary Grace and Sr. Jeanne Marie.
"It was like this fire in my heart, I really want to do everything I can to support these women who feel like they have no other choice."
Initially, Sr. Antoniana Maria thought that she would have to choose between her desire to support women and protect the unborn and her desire to give her life to Christ as a religious sister. But through a careful discernment of God's voice and embracing His love for her, Sr. Antoniana Maria saw God fuse both of these calls into one super call. Sr. Antoniana Maria is a Sister of Life, and currently serves as the Local Superior for the convent and mission in Toronto. In our conversation, we talk about the ways that God called Sr. Antoniana Maria to serve, what her mission is like as a Sister of Life, and how she sees God's love and mercy work through her own ministry and outreach.
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Meet Sr. Antoniana Maria, S.V.
Sr. Antoniana Maria, S.V. is a Sister of Life. The Sisters of Life are a community founded in New York City by John Cardinal O’Connor, that proclaims the beauty and dignity of every human life. She professes the vows of Poverty, Chastity, Obedience and a fourth vow to Protect and Enhance the Sacredness of Human Life. She is originally from North Vancouver, British Columbia, where she studied at the University of British Columbia receiving her Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science. After hearing God call her to love Him with an undivided heart at World Youth Day in 2000, Sr. Antoniana entered the Sisters of Life in August 2002. On August 6, 2010 she professed her Perpetual Vows. She has served as the Vocations Director, Assistant to the Superior General and the Local Superior of the Motherhouse in New York. From 2007-2009 Sr. Antoniana was part of the first community of Sisters to begin the Toronto Foundation. After 10 years in New York, she returned to Toronto in September 2019 and is currently serving as the Local Superior of the Toronto Convent.