MY CALL AS A DSH

I am Sister Antonia Grech, I was born at Zejtun, and my parents are Carmen and Joseph Grech. I am the third child among seven children in my family. At the age of fourteen I was drawn to visit Jesus in the Holy Eucharist after school which I never wanted to do before. When I was of sixteen years old I heard a voice from within me, “I want you for me not your brother,” My brother was two years younger to me, and he was an altar boy, for a long time, till he became a young man. I used to say that I will not get married, so if my brother will become a priest, I will take care of him. I used to hear my father say that his father had a desire to have a priest in the family.

Some time passed, and as soon as I made the decision to become a nun, I talked with a priest, and entered our Congregation to discern my call to be a dsh sister. After a year in the convent, God had His plans for me as I had to look after my sick father who was diagnosed cancer in his head. During this period of transition in my life I faced a lot of trails and difficulties and prayed to the Lord to show me the way which he had prepared for me from all eternity.

During my father’s sickness the DSH sisters at Zejtun were a great help to us through their valuable prayers and frequent visits to my family. On 24th September 1971, my father went to meet the Lord and after that I was drawn again back to the voice of the “Lord come follow me” and I answered his call without minding the coast. It was the fruit of my grandfather’s prayers and desired so much that one of us would become a religious. I am sure that father too is very happy about my choice to follow Jesus in this way of life and they are praying for me to continue to live for Jesus who is my strength and inspiration in spite of many hardships and challenges in my vocation.