At the age of 15, as a strong willed girl in a small Mexican town, Sister Esperanza told a priest she wanted to become a nun. Today, as pastoral associate and director of religious education at Sacred Heart Church in Coleman, TX, Sister Esperanza is living her dream. "I have always wanted to evangelize others and I have been given that chance," she says.

It's been a bit of a journey from that declaration of her dream as a teenager. She was on a church retreat during that decisive, youthful moment. And although she was by far the youngest woman there, she was already thinking about her future.

"It was really the first time I had thought about religious life," she says. But her parents had other thoughts; mostly that she was far too young to join.

Esperanza's parents were very devout Catholics. When each of their nine children turned 12, they prayed the child would find the right vocation. And they always reminded their children to trust in God. So they listened carefully when the priest whom Sister Esperanza had confided in on the retreat came to visit.

"My parents met with the priest and the message he left them with was that parents must be ready to support their children in the vocation they choose," she says. So with the reluctant support of her parents, Esperanza's inquiry into religious life began.

It was the Augustinian Order with whom young Esperanza first made contact. A friend recommended the Augustinians as a "good fit." When a packet of information on the Augustinians arrived, Sister Esperanza quickly completed the application, expressing her heartfelt desire to join. "I mailed it back and waited," she says.

Esperanza was accepted and began the difficult process of saying goodbye to her family. "In hopes of deterring me, my father said that if I joined I would never see my family again." she says. "I promptly replied that I would see him in heaven." Her father gave his blessing, with tears in his eyes. There were a lot of wet eyes; Sister Esperanza had not told any of her siblings she was leaving until the last minute, afraid they would try to talk her into staying.

Esperanza was just 18, but full of giant-size courage and determination as she left with her father's blessing to join. Despite her show of strength, Sister Esperanza was struggling on the inside. "I was strong in my vocation, but both before and after I entered I often thought of my brother who had entered the seminary and left. I worried perhaps that is what I might do."

Her heart's wandering helped her discover the power of prayer, and her true calling. "Because of my concerns, I discovered prayer as an orientation that leads one to encounter God within his or her own self," she says. "Prayer is the heart of the conversation with God and it helped me to find myself in God's presence."

In her prayer, Esperanza wrestled with her life as an Augustinian Sister and a growing desire to work more with her own people in the Hispanic community. As she attended a meeting of Hispanic Sisters from Washington, D.C. and Maryland, the desire grew. "The responsibilities with my religious community did not allow for exploring this new desire or cause I felt called to. I did not want to leave the sisterhood; I was just not content with where I was. I had a want and a desire to work with my people."

When the opportunity to serve at St. Alfonsus Catholic Church in San Antonio came, Esperanza's future ministry began to take shape. "I began to work in the Hispanic community," she explains. "Everything in me wanted to get back to my roots as a Mexican. I shared so many common traits with these people - tradition, culture and language - and until then, I didn't know they were in need."

As a student in pastoral ministry at the time, Sister Esperanza continued to pray for direction. And then she was pointed by a fellow student toward the Adorers of the Blood of Christ. The Adorers focus on reconciliation, and a rich experience in various ministries of social justice caught Esperanza's eye and heart.

In 1982, Sister Esperanza transferred. "The transition to the Adorers was very easy for me," she says. "I felt very much at home there. They were all so supportive and loving."

She also has always felt welcome as a Hispanic sister. She is exhilarated by the opportunity to work with youth, particularly fellow Hispanics. Her work entails the Support of Christ - centered education for all members, with children, youth and adults. In doing this, she must work with CCD teachers, and youth coordinators, giving baptism instruction, coordinating retreats with young Hispanics preparing to celebrate Quinceaneras, instructing adults and children who are baptized but not catechized and working with adults who wish to become Catholic. Reaching out, Sister Esperanza feels drawn closer to people and to God.

"This vocation energizes me. I love to go and share my story and answer young people's questions about religious life," she says.

Her advice for anyone seeking the same exhilaration in religious life? "Pray, pray and pray," Esperanza counsels. "Through prayer I realized that instead of giving my love to another human in marriage, I would give it to God. Where there is a vocation, there is love."

This was not apparent at first. It was indeed a journey toward this realization. "Joining a religious order is not an easy decision to make. I didn't think religious life was always the vocation for me," she says. "I didn't know any religious sisters, nor did I think it was the best thing for me because of issues related to sexuality and my feelings of not being worthy of religious life. But through prayer I came to realize that I was being called to religious life, and although it was hard for me and my family to accept, we all soon realized that this was God's will. This vocation has filled me with love and joy!"