Julia Taylor has always had a flair for serving others, but she never thought about becoming a Sister until her mid-40s."I never explored all my options," says the Kansas educator. "I didn’t realize religious life was a choice for me."

God’s call eventually made its way into Julia’s life, although it took some time. Julia grew up in Kansas and Arkansas with two brothers and a sister.Attracted to education, she earned a degree in elementary education at the University of Arkansas and went on to earn two graduate degrees, in special education from Fort Hays University in Hays, Kansas and educational administration from Friends University in Wichita, Kansas.

She began the first 10 years of her professional career as a teacher in Great Bend, Kansas. Julia spent the second decade of her work life with the Sedgwick County, Kansas Special Education Cooperative. A change in job status and new opportunities prompted a move to Wichita, Kansas where she first made contact with the Adorers.

"Sr. Renee Kirmer opened doors for me in that gentle way that the Adorers have," says Julia."She’s the first person I met when I went to the Cathedral. She got me involved in parish life, encouraged me to become involved in RCIA, and I ended up sponsoring two people in the program."With Sr. Renee’s encouragement, Julia immersed herself in parish life, serving at various times on the Social Justice Committee, as a Eucharistic Minister, and on Pastoral Outreach Council.

Julia’s love for service hasn’t been limited to parish involvement. She’s currently a tutor to urban kids, helping them with elementary math, reading and spelling. Other times, Julia has volunteered at Lord’s Diner soup kitchen in Wichita and has even donned a bear costume to become "Happy Bear," a character who teaches children who have been victims of sexual abuse.

While Julia may not have connected her parish involvement and love for service to a religious vocation, others did.

Sr. Stella Rosenhamer, a fellow cathedral parishioner, asked her, "Have you ever thought of being a Sister?"To which Julia replied, a bit fearfully,"What do you mean?" Julia sensed that,"God might be pulling me definitely in a new direction, but I assumed my age was a factor and I was too old. I thought perhaps I would explore the Adorers Associate program rather than the Vocation Office."

Around that time Julia noticed a story in the diocesan newspaper, The Catholic Advance, about an upcoming Lenten retreat the Adorers were offering in Wichita. She recalls,"I remember meeting ASC candidate (now second year novice) Michelle Woodruff who asked me,‘Are you thinking of becoming a nun?’ I laughed and told her,‘No, I think I’m pretty old.’ "

Yet the seed was planted."The weekend had a strong impact on me and our retreat director, Sister Janis Yaekel gave me a lot of good questions to think about regarding discernment and being open to God’s will," says Julia.