From golf to God

BEACON PHOTO | CECILE PAGLIARULO

TO THE CARMEL  The Bishop blesses Juliana Staab at the Diocesan pastoral Center in Clifton before she entered the Monastery of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Morristown.

CLIFTON  She once had dreams to be a professional golfer but God had a much bigger plan for Juliana Staab, a former resident at Casa Guadalupe here.

God called the 26-year-old, who always had a deep yearning for something more in her life, to religious life as a cloistered Carmelite sister.

Staab entered the Discalced Carmelite Sisters at the Monastery of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Morristown on Sept. 24. The cloistered community will be a stark contrast from the possible life she could have lived as a professional athlete. She will be living a contemplative life among a community of sisters behind monastery walls.

“I can definitely make more of a difference as a Carmelite sister and save more souls,” said Staab. “Through the discernment process, God had to teach me that. He wanted me to slow down and discern something deeper. I realize our lives aren’t our own but God’s. You understand this especially when you discern religious life.”

Her vocation journey began during college. Even though she attended a Catholic grammar school in Westchester, N.Y., she never truly knew who Jesus was in her life until college. At the University of Miami, she was living a typical college lifestyle and witnessed how many of her peers experienced a real emptiness in their lives. She had a conversion experience there and wanted to help young people fulfill the true desire of their hearts.

In 2015, Staab moved to Casa Guadalupe here, the diocese’s house of discernment and healing for young women, to reflect and to pray for God’s plan for her. Being a cloistered nun actually was never even a thought for her at the time she first entered Casa Guadalupe.

“It was definitely God’s providence and his love that he allowed me to come to this Diocese,” said Staab. “At Casa Guadalupe, I was received into a family. I remember it was on the Feast of St. Anthony and the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.”

While living at Casa Guadalupe, she attended daily Mass at St. Philip the Apostle Church here. In between the walk between St. Philip’s and Casa Guadalupe is the Diocese’s Chancery Office. She inquired about a job there and began working part-time in the Diocese’s Office of Development. Even in her short time working for the Diocese, she left an impact on her fellow employees. Jane Sudol, manager of development operations, said, “She would have Scripture lessons during our lunch hour and give us prayers to read.”

Staab also recalls conversations she would have with Msgr. John Demkovich, diocesan mission office director, who would share his own vocation story with her. “He gave me much inspiration and encouragement,” she said.

Just before leaving for the monastery, on the Feast of St. Matthew, Father Mark Mancini, pastor of St. Therese Church in Succasunna and an associate judge at the diocesan Tribunal office and Msgr. Demkovich, concelebrated Mass for her intentions at the Chancery’s Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Oratory on Sept. 21. Bishop Serratelli visited with her afterward and reminded her that he and the entire Diocese will be praying for her.

Last year while living at Casa Guadalupe, Staab also traveled to Honduras with fellow resident, Bianca Checho. They joined the Missioners for Christ on a mission trip there that turned into a life changing experience for Staab who felt then that her call was to serve there as a lay missionary.

Eventually, she returned to Casa Guadalupe, and reflected on a visit to the Carmel, which another former resident, Marysia Czaplinksi, now Carmelite Sister Isha, entered in 2012. “I felt a sense of peace that this was the place God wanted me to be,” she said of her visit there.

Now Staab begins her new life as a religious sister belonging to a charism that continues to grow despite what many in the secular world would call a challenging lifestyle. The Discalced Carmelites wear simple rope sandals and a brown habit, live a life of fasting, prayer and sacrifice, secluded from the world, living behind monastery walls just a short distance away from one of the busiest roads in Morristown. Each day is prayer centered with small periods of time devoted to necessary housekeeping or yardwork. The day begins at 5 a.m. with prayers said individually and as a community. Most of the day is spent in total silence, breaking it only for prayer or song during brief times for afternoon and evening community recreation.

“I’m grateful to this Diocese,” Staab said. “There is faithfulness to Jesus here. Living at Casa Guadalupe was such a blessing. If not, I would never have learned about the Carmelites. I pray totally united to Jesus and that we bear much fruit for souls.”