Sr. Bobbi's Journey of Finding God ... and Home

By God's grace I am what I am. Rule of Benedict

"I wouldn't have made it as a Sister in the 50s and 60s," Sr. Bobbi Bussan says of her experience as a Benedictine. "I wouldn't have made it in a habit and I'm no good at being told what to do!"

Sr. Bobbi had been active in her parish throughout high school, but had drifted away from the church in college. "I did my fair share of partying," she remembers, "but I also began to know what my gifts were. I really liked organizing activities, and thought I wanted to run a student union someday.

"One of the experiences I had in college was working at a Dominican summer camp. I felt I was able to meet the Lord in a different way. They had great liturgies. I knew inside that God was saying something to me, although I didn't know what.

"Then, after college, a friend told me St. Mary Academy was looking for an RA and I applied. That's how I met the Benedictines (who ran the school). They started inviting me to do things with them, and I found the community a real comfortable fit. I liked the feeling of family, the rhythm of their prayer, their hospitality. I liked that they welcome each person as Christ. I liked their integration of prayer and ministry.

"I entered in 1977. The community always accepted me as I am — blue jeans and everything. I've always marched to a different drummer, and I feel like I belong."

Sr. Bobbi now serves the community as the Vocation Director.