Mary Johnson

Mary Johnson was 17 years old and walking down the hallway of her high school when she saw a picture of Mother Teresa on the cover of Time magazine.

Her personal website says she read the article about Mother Teresa and immediately wanted to follow in her footsteps.

Johnson wrote letters to the Missionaries of Charity and at 19 she became a sister.

She served 20 years as a sister, and for 15 years she was stationed in Rome and often lived in the same corridors as Mother Teresa.

Mother Teresa sent Johnson to the Gregorian University to receive a diploma in religious studies.

She was assigned the duty of updating the Constitutions of the Missionaries of Charity.

However, Johnson openly admits on her website that although she valued her time as a sister, she experienced desires she simply could not ignore.

Johnson chose to leave the Missionaries of Charity in 1997.

Shortly afterward, she attended Lamar University and acquired a B.A. in English Literature.

Later, she studied at Goddard College and received an MFA in Creative Writing.

Johnson teaches creative writing and Italian to adults, and serves as the Creative Director for A Room of Her Own Foundation, an organization she helped found for women authors.