I'm Where I'm Supposed to Be!
It's a beautiful Tuesday in March at Stella Maris near Baltimore. Sister Paulette Doyas, SSND, welcomes her first-time guest, rolling a state-of-the-art office set-up away from the bed. Despite residing in an assisted living community, Sister Paulette continues to serve as a part-time, remote assistant in NDMU registrar's office.
She chuckles when her visitor gawks at the high-tech equipment. Sister Paulette's computer and electronic tools sit on a sophisticated adjustable mobile desk within reach of her bed. It was a miracle, she says confidently.
"The computer was too heavy to hold on my knees, so I prayed to God for a desk like this," Sister Paulette says. "I got a phone call immediately afterward that one was available for me."
Sister Paulette has worked for the university for 47 years now, in Marketing, Admissions, and the Registrar's Office, moving to her 20-hour-per-week remote position when she could no longer serve there in person. While she loves her job, she is glad to have extra time now for her other ministries. Prayer tops them all.
"I have 10 pages of names to pray for, and you've got to remember them all. One woman asked me to pray for her son. I couldn't remember his name, but thought it was Mason, so I wrote Mason in my notebook. I prayed for him every day. Later I found out his name was actually Nathan. So I started praying for Nathan, but Mason was someone, too, you know? I still pray for Mason, too."
As the list grows, Sister Paulette also prays regularly for her beloved Baltimore Orioles.
"I'm an avid Orioles fan. Everybody knows it. I was interviewed for it on TV. They called me the 'Baseball Nun.' I had lots of bobbleheads and baseballs and other memorabilia. I gave it all away when I moved here."
You can still watch the interview here. https://www.wbaltv.com/article/baseball-nun-isnt-giving-up-on-orioles-2/6817102
Sister Paulette has lived at Stella Maris since 2021, where she follows her favorite birds on the web. She watches the games, keeps up with the standings and includes the team in her prayers.
"Sure, I pray for the Orioles. God hears all prayers. I ask the Holy Spirit to give them the wisdom they need."
Sister Paulette's first inkling that she was called to religious life happened when she was 9- or 10-years-old.
The Holy Spirit gave her the wisdom to choose religious life to begin with, although Sister Paulette remains mystified by the event.
"I was 9- or 10-years-old when I prayed to God, 'If you let my parents die before me, I'll become a nun.' Why did I say that? Who knows! But in my junior year of high school I wrote a letter requesting entrance to the SSNDs and got accepted. I'm celebrating my 70th Jubilee next year. I'm where I'm supposed to be."
