| Wendy
Olin to celebrate First Profession
Novice Wendy Olin will celebrate First Monastic Profession in the chapel at the Monastery of St. Gertrude, 465 Keuterville Road in Cottonwood, Idaho at 1:30 pm, on July 24. 
“My life has been full of detours,” said Novice Wendy, “but God has been patient and has placed people along the way to help me get back on track.” Wendy was raised in Reno, Nevada, and had plans for her future – none of which included becoming a Catholic nun. It wasn’t until she was attending college at University of Nevada, Reno, in fact, that Wendy entered a Catholic church for the first time when she attended mass with a friend whose grandmother was critically ill. When they got to the door of the church, Wendy froze. “I will not genuflect, I will not cross myself and I will not kneel,” she blurted. Her friend assured her it was alright. Inside the cathedral, however, the hair stood up on the back of Wendy’s neck and she felt the overwhelming presence of something bigger than herself. She returned to attend Mass every week afterward and joined the Catholic Church in 1975. Two years later, her life took a detour when she graduated from college and got her first elementary teaching job in Grandview, Idaho. Away from her family, friends and home, Wendy also fell away from the Church. Again, there was someone to draw her back. While attending a teacher’s workshop in Sun Valley, she met Sr. Mary Anne Glodowski, a Benedictine sister from St. Gertrude’s. They became friends and Sr. Mary Anne invited her to visit the Monastery of St. Gertrude in 1986. “From the moment I walked into the chapel, I felt I belonged here,” recalled Wendy. “I felt I’d prayed those prayers and sung those songs before.” She met Sr. Mary Ann’s biological sister, Sr. Barbara Jean, during her stay and afterward made regular trips to Boise to see her for spiritual direction. Wendy returned to college, going into the nursing program at Boise State University. She also began to examine the possibility of a calling to the religious life and finally entered the Monastery of St. Gertrude as a postulant in 2006. Novice Wendy is comfortable changing direction in her life, having been a teacher, camp counselor, school bus driver, nursing student and truck driver. Since entering the postulancy, she has worked in the monastery archives, taught religious education classes for the local parish and recently accepted the position as curator at the Historical Museum at St. Gertrude. The public is invited to attend this special event. For more information, please contact the monastery at 208-962-3224 or monastery@stgertrudes.org. |
 |