Athe_Merlisha
Ave Maria Convent was meant to form saints.
Instead, it had Sister Martha Junior - twenty years old, emotional, often corrected, and trying very hard to become holy.
Orphaned as a child and raised to believe she was more burden than blessing, Martha enters religious life carrying one quiet fear: that she is difficult to love. Beneath the firm rule of Sister Camini Sylvester, the formidable novice mistress with a rulebook in one hand and consequences in the other, Martha must learn not only scripture, discipline, and prayer, but whether love can still find her when she is frightened, imperfect, and unsure of herself.
Beside her is Sister Isabella - Bella - dramatic, affectionate, impulsive, and forever getting into trouble. Bella longs to belong at Ave Maria and be a real sister without losing the laughter, warmth, and wild Italian heart that make her who she is.
Told through warm, funny, and tender convent stories, Before We Were Saints follows young women searching for love, belonging and discovering themselves, while learning friendship, care, sacrifice, and the truth that sainthood begins long before anyone feels saintly.
**Readers do not need to be Catholic or religious to enjoy this content.