By Thea Jarvis

Marguerite Zombek, a former parishioner of Sacred Heart Church in Atlanta, has entered the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne's religious formation program at Rosary Hill, N.Y.

The mother of three grown children, Mrs. Zombek had worked at the order's Atlanta facility, Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home, for nine months. She attended the 6:30 Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help's chapel each morning and prayed the liturgy of the hours with the sisters even after her employment as a medical records clerk at South Fulton Hospital.

"For many years, I almost felt a part of the community," Mrs. Zombek said in a telephone interview from Rosary Hill. "It was like my second home."

Mrs. Zombek, 54, had considered a religious vocation in high school but met her husband and raised a family. Mr. Zombek died 10 years ago.

Entering religious life "wasn't a shock" to her daughter, Gina, a teacher at Griffin Middle School in Cobb County, who still lives in the family home in East Point.

"Mom was very involved in the church for as far back as I can remember," she said, adding that she often accompanied her mother to morning Mass at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Home.

"I'm very proud that she pursued (religious life)," her daughter said. She watched her mother balance an outside job with a strong prayer life and commitment to the church for many years, she said, observing that "it's not easy to do."

The most difficult part of her new life has been the separation from family, said the new postulant, who speaks to her children by phone and writes a great many letters.

At one point, "I had thoughts of entering a cloistered community," she said, "but God steered me to this active life."

She believes it was for the best. "It almost wouldn't be fair to my family to lead an enclosed life."

Mrs. Zombek's son, Stephen, attends the University of Georgia in Athens. Another son, Anthony is an air traffic controller in Gastonia, NC.

During her postulancy, Mrs. Zombek completed certification as a nursing assistant and now works at Rosary Hill Home, which, like Our Lady Of Perpetual Help in Atlanta, cares for terminally ill cancer patients.

The knowledge that "you're helping the people of God in such a necessary way" is very rewarding, she said, though she was somewhat concerned about the physical demands of the ministry.

It's "taxing," she admitted, but has been relieved that, "with the grace of God it hasn't been too difficult."

Remembering the rigors of full-time employment and family life, she said she appreciates the discipline of the community.

Before entering, "I was not a bit disciplined about going to bed on time. Coming here probably saved me from an early death," she laughed.