Mary is your Mother and she wants to take care of you

Sister Faustina, a Sister of Life from New York City, recalls a story about a former exotic dancer who returned to the Church through the power of the Holy Rosary.

Sister Faustina explains that shortly before Christmas, the Sisters of Life sing carols and distribute hot chocolate and cookies to fill their Manhattan neighborhood with joy.

Several years ago, an exotic dancer stopped by the event. The woman said her name was Casey. Casey told Sister Faustina about the many sufferings she endured throughout her life, including the loss of friends to addiction. Sister Faustina saw that Casey, who was raised Catholic, exhibited an "open quality of heart" and "was searching for something." "I was struck with the treasure of her soul, and I [immediately told her that]," Sister Faustina recalls.

"She stopped and looked at me and I said, 'You know you can talk to the Blessed Mother the same way you're talking to me. You know she's our Mother and she wants to take care of you. You have a beautiful heart. She loves you and she misses hearing from you," Sister Faustina told Casey. Sister Faustina then helped Casey remember how to pray the 'Hail Mary.' The two then prayed together and Sister Faustina explained the power of praying the Rosary.

Casey then asked for a Rosary.

At the time, the sister carried only one rosary--one that belonged to her father. However, she felt called to give it to Casey.

"I was happy with the thought that she wanted [a rosary] and I reached into my pocket. Then all of a sudden, my heart sank because in my pocket was only one rosary. It was the rosary my father gave me. It was very special to him and he had just given it to me a few weeks before that, and I loved it. "I knew it was intended for her, so I put it in the palm of her hand and said, 'You know, this is my dad's rosary, but it's yours now,' the sister explains.

Sister Faustina said Casey hesitated but took the rosary. The two then discussed the baby Jesus' absence from the Nativity scene. Sister Faustina told Casey that Jesus would "come on Christmas. He'll arrive."

"All of a sudden, I said, 'You know it's just like our hearts. They feel kind of empty without Jesus,'" Sister Faustina told her. "Jesus wants to come into your heart. All we have to do is ask Jesus to come." 

Two weeks later, Casey went to the sisters' house. Sister Faustina was not home, but the sisters took a message for her.

Casey said, "Can you tell that sister I quit my job at the strip club that night and I gave my life to the Baby Jesus?"

Sister Faustina says that Casey did not communicate with the Sisters of Life for four years after that.

One day, however, as the Sisters of Life walked the streets of Manhattan, a woman asked for prayers for an upcoming heart procedure. Sister Faustina and Casey then recognized one another. Casey said, "You're the sister who gave me the rosary. I still have it and I pray it every day, and I know that God loves me."

Jacqueline Burkepile, October 5, 2023 

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