By Emily Dillon
“In my quest to find a cross to wear publicly to express my faith in God, I did not imagine I would find one so special.”
Lisa Voss started searching for a cross she could wear around her neck and was led to a local antique and jewelry store managed by her friend Lorie. She wanted it to be a source of comfort, protection, and grace, but when looking through her stock of religious jewelry, none of the items felt right. Lorie assured Lisa she would look at a jewelry show she was going to and found a cross with Latin inscriptions on both sides in a bin of what she described as “junk” silver. She texted Lisa back immediately that it looked old and may have belonged to a priest, but when Lisa started researching the Latin phrases, she came across an article by Sister Marcella Louise Wallowicz that proved the cross had at one time belonged to a Sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth.
“If you believe in Christ and His messages to us in the Gospels, then there is always hope in life eternally with Him,” Lisa said. “Like the CSFN cross, we can get lost in the ‘junk’ pile of worldliness, but God always wants us back. When you are lost and too weak to find your way, there is hope when you acknowledge your weakness and pray for God to give you strength to follow His commands.”
Lisa converted to the Catholic faith when she was 18 years old. She had attended Baptist church services every week with her parents until one day her high school boyfriend asked her to attend a Catholic Mass with him and his family. “I was not sure what to expect, but that day changed my life forever. I was used to a simple church service with a lengthy sermon and a few hymns, but that day I worshiped in an atmosphere of candles, incense, stained glass, and statues,” Lisa said. “People genuflected and kneeled and knew all the responses. When it came time to receive the Eucharist, I was told to remain seated. Later, I found out Catholics believe the Eucharist to be the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Christ.”
When the Mass ended, Lisa knew she was a Catholic at heart, but out of respect for her parents, she waited four years to tell them she was going to convert. She continued to attend Baptist services with them, but searched for any Catholic literature she could find and looked forward to occasional visits to Mass with her boyfriend. During Lisa’s first semester at college, she started RCIA classes and was confirmed in the spring of 1989. Her parents attended and were supportive of her decision, and ten years after attending her first Mass, her high school boyfriend became her husband.
Now working as a librarian, she finds reward in helping people find and access information they need, whether it is filling out a job application or researching health information for a medical problem. Though Lisa has often been confronted with evil in people, books, and the internet, she is currently trying to stand up to the culture of death and evil.
“My search for the right cross led me home to my own jewelry box. It seemed I had overlooked my small, gold cross that my parents gave me for my confirmation 35 years ago,” Lisa said. “In addition, I had a Miraculous Medal that had also been given to me for my confirmation by a seminarian who helped me during my RCIA process. My patron saint was Catherine Labouré, the saint of converts and the visionary of the Miraculous Medal.”
Lisa took the cross and the Miraculous Medal to Lorie, who helped her find a long silver chain for them. While Lisa now wears them every day, the CSFN cross has been returned home.
“It makes me happy to think a sister received this cross after professing her vows.”
