Student-loan debt delays dream of becoming nun
Student-loan debt delays dream of becoming nun
http://lifeinc.today.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/05/02/11488298-student-loan-debt-delays-dream-of-becoming-nun?lite
Sister Mary Joseph of the Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, left, and aspiring nun Nicole Ferko.
By Eve Tahmincioglu
Nicole Ferkos $60,000 in student loans made her put off her dream of becoming a nun for a decade.
Ferko, who lives in Grand Prairie, Texas, graduated from a private Ohio Catholic university in 2002 and walked away with a huge loan burden.
I knew I wanted to give my life to God, but I expected after college Id go right in and work toward becoming a sister, she said. But she discovered that individuals looking to become priests or nuns need to be debt free.
It took her until late last year to pay off her loans because she was unable to find many good-paying jobs and ended up racking up $20,000 in credit card debt. With the loans and credit cards paid off, Ferko, 32, is now on track to become a sister with The Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth, but she wont reach her ultimate goal of donning a nun's habit until shes 39 because the process takes that long.