Vocation Discernment, Our Congregation, and Our Stories
“We place complete confidence in the Lord who has called us.”
To you, young people, I say: if you hear the Lord's call, do not reject it! Dare to become part of the great movements of holiness which renowned saints have launched in their following of Christ. Cultivate the ideas proper to your age, but readily accept God's plan for you if he invites you to seek holiness in the consecrated life. Admire all of God's works in the world, but be ready to fix your eyes on the things destined to never pass away.
At last I have found my vocation! My vocation is love! (St. Therese of Lisieux)
As the Catholic Church teaches, every person is called to holiness—the perfection of love—as their primary vocation. We were created for intimate relationship with the Triune God. Marriage, religious life, and the priesthood are all ways to live out this vocation of love. God has a plan for us; he has known from all eternity which path is most suitable for each individual to reach this goal of holiness. We are free to accept or reject God's call, but we will find our deepest fulfillment only if we are open to listening to his voice. I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the LORD, plans for your welfare, not for woe! Plans to give you a future full of hope. (Jeremiah 29:11)
How can you discover God's plan for you? Ask him! A life of faith and a relationship with God in Christ Jesus are necessary in order to be able to hear his voice when God speaks. Our advice is to pray, pray, pray! When your heart is open, ready to listen and to respond in prayer and reflection, the Lord will make clear his will for you. Discernment requires not only an open heart but also a head prepared to learn about options and carefully select those choices which will bring greater joy to God, self, and world. If you are feeling an attraction towards cloistered religious life, the invitation of Jesus to Come and see (John 1:39) can help to clear up any doubts or confusion. We encourage you to schedule a visit to our convent in order to meet the Sisters and join us in prayer. For our candidates, we have an Observer Program which allows young women who are drawn to our way of life to spend a few weeks inside the cloister, living with the Sisters and following our schedule. It is an opportunity to find out what our life is really like, with no further obligations. For more information, or to schedule a visit with the Sisters, contact us.
Some other practical suggestions for those discerning their call in life are:
Daily Mass: Participating in the daily celebration of the Holy Mass will help you grow in your relationship with the Lord.
Sacrament of Penance: Through frequent confession of sins and the grace of God, you can lead a holy life.
Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament: Inner silence and recollection in the company of the God who is near to us will help you to grow in the spiritual life.
Daily Prayer: Developing a daily habit and pattern of prayer will help you to hear more clearly the call of the Lord.
Devotion to the Blessed Mother: Mary will teach you to do whatever her Son tells you.
Spiritual Direction: Speaking with a priest about your prayer life and seeking advice from him on a regular basis is very helpful in discerning God's will.
This is the meaning of the call to consecrated life: it is an initiative coming wholly form the Father (cf. John 15:16), who asks those whom he has chosen to respond with complete and exclusive devotion. The experience of this gracious love of God is so deep and so powerful that the person called senses the need to respond by unconditionally dedicating his or her life to God, consecrating to him all things present and future, and placing them in his hands.
If you are a young person trying to discover God's plan for your life, click here for an excellent essay on discernment by Fr. John Cihak and Fr. Derek Lappe.
Entrance Requirements for our Congregation
a spirit of faith which is intent on following Christ in the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty, and obedience
inclination for the cloistered contemplative life and readiness to serve the Church's missionary endeavor therein
aptitude for community living
Some of Our Vocation Stories
Come, Follow Me. While every call has its origin in this invitation to make Jesus the center of his or her life, the Lord is creative in the manner in which he calls. There are as many different vocation stories as there are people in the world! The call is specific and personal, an invitation into a deeper relationship and interior encounter with Jesus Christ. With the divine initiative and the human response comes the grace necessary to live out one's total dedication in the service of God's plan for the redemption of the world.
Sister Mary Cordula
Sister Lourdes Maria
Sister Mary Rebecca
Sister Maria Epifania
Sister Mary Gemma
“In order to grow and mature in love, we open ourselves to the Holy Spirit's action and entreat him to bestow on us the fullness of his gifts. Only the Spirit can fructify our efforts towards that attitude of true humility and availability which we see exemplified in the Lord, who came ‘not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for the many’ (Matthew 20:28).”