Discerner un appel de Dieu à devenir religieuse

Starting point to determine if you want to know if God is calling you to be a sister…

So, how is God calling you? Who is God calling you to be? What is God calling you to do with your life? How do you know if God is calling you to be a sister, a woman religious? What do you do if the question arises within you? How can you discover if it is a call from God?

If you want to know if God is calling you to be a sister then relationship with God is your starting point. What’s that relationship look like? How do you understand God’s love for you? If God wants only what is good for you, [and God does] do you trust God? Spending time in prayer is the start of a relationship with God. Taking time to be with God in the Mass, by reading scripture, meditating, journaling, through silence or using our imagination will help you to grow in friendship with God. As you grow in relationship with God you will be able to discern your vocation.

How do you “discern” if God is calling you to be a sister?

Usually, it is over time that you discover and understand God’s call. One step leads to another until you live into the answer. It is best to be accompanied by an individual knowledgeable and experienced in discernment processes. A spiritual director can guide you in your prayer life and reflect back to you what you share is happening interiorly. This helps you to understand yourself better and what God is nudging you towards. A vocation director can help you to get at the deepest desires in your own heart through discernment processes and to either share with you the life of a sister or provide opportunities for you to experience the life of a sister, such as at a Come and See Vocation weekend or a live-in visit. This is where we can help you.

Moving towards a decision about whether God is calling you or not to be a sister: To move towards a decision, you need to set aside a period of time to discern if you are called religious life or not. Usually this takes place over six – 12 months. During this period you give time to prayer, learn about a vocation and visit a few communities. You do not want to drag out the discernment process, but come to a decision about whether God is calling you to be a sister or not. That’s the question.

What is discernment?

  • It is taking time to pray and to talk to God about God’s call and your hopes and fears and desires.
  • It is good to frequently go to Mass and receive the sacraments.
  • Talk with a spiritual director
  • Talk with a sister – a vocation director – about your vocation
  • Learn about religious life by reading
  • Visit a few communities you are attracted to – go to a Come and See Weekend
  • Know that it’s a two way street and being open to the vocation director’s guidance will help you to understand if God is calling you and to which community given their charism; she will even provide guidance for personal development to help you grow humanly.
  • At the end of the discernment you will have a fairly good sense of whether God is calling you to be a sister and whether you should continue discerning with the idea of applying to a community to enter.

If you want to learn more about discerning if you are called to be a sister or not, connect with us to learn how we can help you with discernment of your vocation.