In a time when many female religious communities in Milan are experiencing a decline in vocations, Anna Maria has chosen to go against the current.

Now in her early thirties, Anna Maria recently made her solemn profession at the Capuchin Poor Clares Monastery in Milan. She has embraced a life of early mornings, prayer, silence, reading, and contemplation. She is joined by nine other sisters in the monastery, some of whom are elderly--one as old as 89.

“I’m not an angel, and I’m not better than anyone else,” she told Corriere della Sera. “But I’ve found a place where I feel whole.”

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When asked if she feels she’s missing anything, she replied: 

“Every choice involves sacrifice. But if you’re building something deep, doubt becomes an opportunity to strengthen faith and trust—not a reason to run away. Sometimes, to understand that life isn’t about ‘things,’ you have to stay where you are.”

Teenage Dreams, Heartbreak, and the Camino de Santiago

As a teenager, Anna Maria envisioned a future filled with love, marriage, and a home full of children.

“I’ve always felt called to community—to a large, open family,” she said.

But after a four-year relationship ended, she decided to walk the Camino de Santiago.

“I walked, I cried, I reflected, and I made friends—especially with two girls and a friar. Every evening, we celebrated the Eucharist together. I realized I wasn’t alone.”

Graduation, Volunteer Work, and Her First Steps Toward the Monastery

Back in Milan, Anna Maria graduated and began working for the Don Gnocchi Foundation. She also volunteered at the Bollate prison.

“I went out, tried dating again… but something always felt missing—like a knot I couldn’t untangle.”

Then came her first visits to monasteries, including Santa Chiara in Gorla and the Capuchin Poor Clares in Brescia.

“I was searching for a space where I could finally hear what all the noise had been drowning out. One day, I just told myself: Stop overthinking. Let yourself be loved.”

A year later, she entered religious life.

Let us remember to pray for vocations!

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