SW News: Freelance artist Holly Rodriguez had been an atheist all her life and never thought about God or considered joining a religion or going to church. Holly lived in a small, quiet, seaside town in Kent, England. One cold winter morning in 2016, she got up to make herself a cup of coffee, as was her habit, but was taken aback by a strange desire to go to church, for no reason at all. This unexpected desire took Holly by surprise as nothing unusual was going on in her life at that time.

She found that there was a Roman Catholic church at a walkable distance from her house and decided to contact them. The church secretary kindly answered her questions and said that she would inform the assistant parish priest, Fr Mark, of her enquiry. "It's amazing how blind we are to the presence of God, and how near He is to us when we walk the path of life with a closed heart," says Holly. She didn't know what a Catholic church was or had never met a priest before. So, she decided to learn about the Catholic faith. When Fr. Mark called her back, Holly was struck by his friendliness and enthusiasm. "I had never in my life met someone so eager to meet me and welcome me," recalls Holly. Fr. Mark invited her to join the RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults), and attend Sunday Mass. The very first Mass she attended that Sunday had such a profound effect on her that she eventually started attending daily Mass. The following year, she was baptized and confirmed in the Catholic Church during the Easter vigil Mass.
Holly dove deep into the Catholic faith, began praying the rosary and joined the Legion of Mary. She started doing mission work around the town to bring lapsed Catholics back to Mass and took house calls for Rosary prayer. Over the years, Holly learned about saints like St Teresa of Avila, St Therese of Lisieux and St Josemaría Escrivá whose spiritualities deeply influenced her. Holly then started discerning a call to religious life. Although it was not an easy process, she opened herself to God's will for her life.
This year, Holly Rodriguez will join the Carmelites as a cloistered nun, where she hopes to spend the rest of her life praying for the Church, for the world and the priests. She says, "St. Thérèse of Lisieux referred to Carmel as her desert where our Lord spent forty days in contemplation and prayer, but for me it is the garden of Gethsemane where our Lord sat among the olive trees in agony. I will join Him in His agony with unbridled love and walk with Him on the Via Dolorosa."

Holly Rodriguez's story is an example of how God reaches out to his children to reveal himself. He didn't need anybody to speak to her about Him. He simply knocked on the door of her heart and she welcomed Him.