Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When I think of Christ’s command to “go and make disciples of all nations,” I never imagined it would bring me to Trinidad and Tobago. I was born and raised in Maria Stein and spent my high school years involved in the Northern Vicariate retreats and events. It wasn’t completely surprising that in college I chose to study Religious Studies and Education. In 2013, my college professor at the University of Dayton Sr. Angela Ann Zukowski sent me on an immersion trip to a small island just off the coast of Venezuela.

Trinidad and Tobago is a vibrant twin-island republic in the Caribbean with a lively Catholic community. I spent two months with Living Water Community, a Catholic community with many ministries on the island and throughout the Caribbean. It didn’t take long before I felt God calling me to deeper discernment. I felt God’s call not just to be a missionary but specifically to a life as a consecrated person living in community, also known as a Household member. This meant committing myself to a life of poverty, chastity, and obedience while serving God each day in the community’s ministry. After more than seven years of living in the community, I made my final and perpetual commitment to the evangelical counsels and to life within our community.

Since joining this community, my ministry has been quite varied. I started in the usual way—visiting our homes for the sick and dying to pray and assist the nurses, leading youth ministry sessions, packing bags in our food bank, and immersing myself in formation classes. Things look quite different now, as I have become more deeply involved in leading faith formation classes for adults in our community, coordinating our IT and digital communications, and helping with community administration when needed. It is impossible to summarize the ministry of any of the Household members because we are often pulled in many directions by whatever needs arise at the time. I have gone from fixing the Wi-Fi to praying with and serving a woman in crisis, from making sandwiches and serving breakfast in our coffee shop to working behind the camera for our 24/7 Catholic TV channel. In my vocation, I have learned that if I give what little I have to offer, God will multiply it for His work.

I am often asked why I came and settled here, how long I plan on staying, and—perhaps most frequently—why I didn’t become a nun or a religious sister. In all honesty, I was discerning religious life when I came on mission and felt confident in that call. When I came to visit the Living Water Community for that two-month immersion trip, I never imagined God would turn my world upside down. I didn’t quite understand what a lay ecclesial community was or how a consecrated person within these types of communities fit within the familiar mold of vocations. But within a month of my trip, I felt so at home that the idea of leaving felt shocking, and I knew I had to spend time in reflection and discernment.

I saw the way the people of Living Water Community lived in authentic relationships, responded to the Holy Spirit and the signs of the times, and honored each person they served as God’s child. There was a unique balance of tradition and contemplative prayer mixed with charismatic spirituality, a balance of work and prayer—and within that balance, I saw myself. Over the next couple of years, God opened my heart to this surprising call, and in 2017, I made the move.

God willing, the Living Water Community will be my home for the rest of my life, though my location may change. We currently have a mission in Barbados and have had missions on other Caribbean islands, as well as a mission in Russia. I’m grateful to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Mission Office for their support and for helping maintain a close connection. As I continue to give my life more deeply to God in this vocation, I ask for your prayers. Please know that I hold you all in prayer as well. ✣

Cassandra (Cassie) Schemmel is a Household member of the lay ecclesial Living Water Community in the Caribbean islands.

This article appeared in the October 2025 edition of The Catholic Telegraph Magazine. For your complimentary subscription, click here.