First Profession for Sr. Maria Johanna (Barrett ’14)

On the morning of August 8, the Feast of St. Dominic, Sr. Maria Johanna (Barrett ’14), O.P., made her first profession as a member of the Dominican Nuns of Summit, New Jersey, who devote their lives to perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and recitation of the Holy Rosary. The above photo, taken during her first-profession Mass, comes from a gallery that is available on the Summit Dominicans’ website.

In an interview at the time of her 2014 graduation from the College, Sr. Maria Johanna observed that she had not considered the Order of Preachers until earlier that year, when she providentially stumbled upon a copy of One Mind and Heart in God: Dominican Monastic Life. “I put it on my shelf, and then only sometime later started reading it,” she said. “And it was kind of amazing, because it was exactly what I wanted.”

The serenity of life at the College, Sister added, gave her the contemplative setting and peace of mind that allowed her to discern God’s will more clearly. “Here, things are slower, so you are able to think more deeply and pray more.”

Thanks be to God for her faithful response to His call!