Sister Miryam of the Holy Family professed her simple profession as a Poor Clare nun May 13 in the chapel of the Poor Clare Monastery in Belleville.

Sister Myriam, 22, the daughter of Mark and Sheila Vandal, was born in the diocese of Fargo N.D., the second of six children.

Her family and friends gathered for her profession on the 100th anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady of Fatima. Seven priests were concelebrants at the Eucharist, with Father Stanley Konieczny officiating at the ceremony of simple profession as a Poor Clare to observe the vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and enclosure for a period of three years.

Sister Miryam discerned her vocation to the Poor Clares while a student at the University of Mary in Bismarck, N.D. She entered the monastery March 25, 2014, completing a year as a postulant and two years as a novice.

The Poor Clare Monastery of Our Lady of Mercy in Belleville currently has 11 members, including temporarily professed Sister Myriam and one novice.

The Poor Clare Monastery of Our Lady of Mercy in Belleville was founded in June 1986.
“The sisters are always grateful for prayers for new vocations so that they can continue their hidden ministry of prayer and intercession for the diocese, the Church and the world,” they said.