On Feb. 14, 2026, the Daughters of St. Paul in Jamaica Plain celebrated the first profession of vows of novice Catherine Addington. The Mass was celebrated at the chapel at the Daughters' convent in Jamaica Plain by Father Oscar Pratt, the pastor of St. Katharine Drexel Church in Dorchester. Upon making her vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience for the first time, Catherine also received the religious habit and a new name: Sister Catherine Lucia Phoebe, FSP. We caught up with Sister Phoebe in the days following her profession to hear about her vocation story and what this milestone means to her.



Q: What exactly is first profession?

Sister Phoebe: First profession is both an end and a beginning. It is the end of a period of initial preparation for religious life -- in my case, two years of postulancy and two years of novitiate. But it is also a public commitment to God in and through the Church that marks the beginning of my life as a Daughter of St. Paul. This commitment consists of the three vows known as the "evangelical counsels" because they imitate the life of Christ in the Gospels: poverty, chastity, and obedience. The word "first" indicates that these are temporary vows, binding for one year at a time until my perpetual (also called "final") profession in about five years. This gives me an opportunity to renew my commitment annually and make my "forever yes" in full freedom.

Q: What inspired you to consider a religious vocation?

Sister Phoebe: When I was in fourth grade, my class was invited to our teachers' convent. They were Sisters of St. Joseph (of Philadelphia). I remember seeing the sanctuary lamp lit up in their chapel, and it was like a lightbulb going off for me: nuns get to live with Jesus! I was so attracted to a life lived in intimacy with Jesus. Later on, as I prepared for confirmation, I became passionate about becoming a saint when I grew up. Those two desires -- to live with Jesus, and to become a saint -- were already firmly rooted in my heart when I met the Daughters of St. Paul and discovered that they shared those same passions.



Q: Why the Daughters of St. Paul?

Sister Phoebe: What first drew me to our community was our spirituality, which is rooted in the Word and the Eucharist. In these two "schools" of prayer, in meditation upon the Scriptures and Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, I came to experience God as a communicator, as one who has a message of love for me and for the world. The mission of the Daughters of St. Paul is all about communicating that message, both through the media -- from books to podcasts to social media and beyond -- and through our example. As I got to know our community and spent time with Jesus in prayer, I realized that this was where he was calling me to live in intimacy with himself and to become a saint.



Q: What is the story behind your new religious name?

Sister Phoebe: Because religious consecration is a deepening of the consecration we receive in the sacraments, I retained the name I received in baptism (Catherine) as well as the name I received in confirmation (Lucia). However, I also chose to ask for a new name at profession, a practice rooted in the Biblical tradition of receiving a new name alongside a new mission (like "Simon" becoming "Peter"). Specifically, I asked for the name of St. Phoebe, a close collaborator of our congregation's patron, St. Paul (see Romans 16:1-2). Since "Sister Catherine Lucia Phoebe" is a bit of a mouthful for everyday life, I've decided to go by "Sister Phoebe" in order to put my Pauline identity first.



Q: What's next for you?

Sister Phoebe: I have received my first apostolic assignment, which will take me to our community in Alexandria, Virginia. There, I will be assisting our vocations team, serving in our book and media center and developing Spanish-language programming for Pauline Media Studies. Meanwhile, I will continue my formation as a sister in temporary vows, also known as a "junior professed" sister. During this time, I will seek to fully live the Pauline way of religious life that I studied in novitiate, bringing my vocation to maturity in communion with my sisters. Please pray for me and know that I will continue to pray for the Archdiocese of Boston, where I have received so many graces!