A Day in My Life M US +
Meet Sally Koch, a sister from California
My name is Sally Koch and I’m 34 years old. I’m the youngest sister in the Los Angeles Province Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet. I live in a house with two other sisters near Northridge, in California, which is about 40 minutes from Downtown Los Angeles (or DTLA).
We’re sisters but we’re not nuns, so we’re Christians but don’t live in a closed religious order. We work in the real world, practicing a balance of the contemplative and the apostolic.
I grew up on a farm in Nebraska. My master’s degree from Santa Clara University, California, was in pastoral ministries. Through that, my spirituality and my relationship with God grew. In 2016, I became a candidate with the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet, taking my first vows in July 2020. If I decide that this life is for me, I’ll take my permanent vows in three to six years’ time.
As sisters, we have real jobs – anything that we feel called to do. I’m in an interesting place right now – because of the pandemic, I don’t have a job as such. However, I’ve been working on a project for the “Season of Creation,”
“I’m passionate about justice and spirituality”
which is an annual celebration of creation by Christians around the world. This year, we’re concentrating on the impact of single-use plastics, and I’ve been working on a prayer journal around that theme.
After communal prayers at 8:30 a.m., I spend most of the day on the computer, either working on the journal or attending workshops on subjects such as anti-racism or poverty. I take breaks and try to listen to my body. In the afternoon, I usually go for a walk in the nearby park. There’s something called “grounding,” where you put your bare feet on the ground to connect to Mother Earth. I always do that.
Sometimes, I take my journal with me. I write about what’s happening within myself – going deeper, praying, healing. I also love working on my garden, where I grow cherry tomatoes and kale. I often say that I’m an accidental vegetarian, because most days, I just eat vegetables! The sisters I live with and I take turns making dinner. I like to cook soups and Thai food, and to experiment in the kitchen.
Being a sister means being in a community: All of our resources go into a pool that’s shared out among everyone. When I eventually get a job and start getting paid, my wages will go into this pool. I’m not sure yet what my job will be, but I hope it involves music. Playing music and singing are forms of prayer for me, when I feel most closely connected to God. I’ve played the piano since I was five and I’ve recently started writing songs. I’m passionate about justice and spirituality, so if I write and produce songs, they’ll be around those themes.