I was deeply concerned with the problem of how to live close to God and above temptation, and I came to the conclusion that separation from the world into a cloister must be the solution.

I was not born into a Roman Catholic family, but was exposed to much of its influence during my childhood. As a teenager, I was determined to find the answer. I began to read all the books I could find on Roman Catholicism and the lives of the “Saints.” I was thrilled as I read the lives of St. Bernadette, St. Theresa, St. Francis, St. Claire and many others. The Ave Maria Hour became my favorite radio program. One thing, however, that impressed me about the lives of the Roman Catholic Saints was their lack of assurance of eternal life—for I knew that the Bible said: “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God” (1 John 5:13).