It was a joyous day when John and Catherine Reier welcomed their new daughter, just one year after losing twin girls at birth. I was the third of their four children and was named Rosemary after my father’s two sisters, Rose and Mary. I now was part of a loving family with an older brother and sister, Joseph and Barbara. Soon Victoria would join the family.

My love of nature began early in life. I spent many hours in the playground behind our house. Snow always drew me outside, shoveling the porch and sidewalk, building snowmen, or sledding, which always included the dog.

As I look back on those early years of my life, I realize how blessed I was to have such a loving family. I am grateful. Thank you, God.

I was received into the community on June 13, 1961, and received the religious name Sister Ann Celeste. I remember thinking, “I have to save this little paper or I won’t know who I am!”

My life as a School Sister of St. Francis has been amazing. This young girl from Pigeon Hill in Aurora, Illinois, was in for an adventure! Belonging to the Rockford Province, I was sent out right after Profession to the small rural town of Johnsburg, Illinois. There, I took my first steps as a teacher, and there, I learned about community. Blessed were those years.

It was at this time that I realized I had some artistic ability. My life blossomed with this experience.

Then came the invitation to do vocation work. New skills, new challenges. The Tau Volunteer Program: more new skills, more challenges, like a trip to Guatemala to visit our sisters and missions, so as to place young women as Tau Volunteers. One volunteer, Karen, because of her experience with us, started her own company called Our of Africa with Love, working with the poor. She does leadership training to assist women in helping their local communities.

The adventure didn’t end there. Another invitation was to work with our Associates. Not knowing much about Associate Relationship, I dug right in. Those days were wonderful days, filled with new ideas and room for creativity. It allowed for a trip to Assisi with sisters and associates, and a trip to Germany to walk in the footsteps of Mother Alexia. Again, looking back, I am grateful. Thank you, God.

Throughout my life, nature connected me to God. In those quiet moments, I am suddenly pulled into the presence of God. The joy I could experience in watching a garden grow. The wonder of one tiny seed (like that of a tomato) growing into a large plant that produces an abundance of fruit. I learned that the earth itself had energy to feed and heal me, like when I was camping, lying on the earth, sleeping under the stars. Or like the tree at Berakah Retreat Center, which held a message for me that I would come to know by the end of my sabbatical.

I am grateful for the beauty of this planet earth, and I thank you, God.

Friends have been an important part of my life. Friends who stood by me, helped me through the hard times, and celebrated moments of great joy with me. For this, I am grateful. Thank you, God. Now, my life is in your hands.