Any others Discerning

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discerningnun

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Hey all

Was wondering if there are any others who are discerning?
 
Rough sailing ahead…Stay close to Jesus…Keeping lamps trimmed and filled…Praying for eyes to be opened and people turning to Christ…
 
Hi, I guess you mean specifically discerning religious life/priesthood. Yes there are many others plus myself, so welcome if you are new!
 
This one seminarian, since he is not yet ordained, is still discerning.
 
Oh man. Please pray for me. Confused about my vocation. Also pray for my family, some of whom are in sin. Also for my friend Norberto who is far away from God. I’ve given mass stipends for him (if anyone here wanted t do that, it would be great, but otherwise say a prayer for those priests.)
Thanks:gopray2:
 
I’m not very active on this site, preferring Phatmass instead, but I am discerning a vocation to the religious life as a Sister – specifically with the order of the Religious Sisters of Mercy in Alma, MI. I’ve been discerning off and on for almost 4 years (since Dec. 2007). I applied to the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus in 2009 but ended up withdrawing my application and beginning the hunt again. I am signed up to visit the RSMs in November on retreat in Alma. I can’t wait! 🙂
 
I’m a married man, discerning a possible vocation to the Permanent Diaconate.
 
I’m a sophomore in college discerning a call to the priesthood, and if everything stays the same the next few months, and I get accepted by my diocese, then God-willing I wil enter seminary next fall. 🙂
 
Hi I am now officially discerning with the Sisters of Nazareth in Melbourne Australia 😃
Im so happy that they will even consider me
 
I’m 24 years old and have been trying to decide since high school what I want to do. I graduated from going to Catholic school all the way until college and then attended Penn State. I really thought what I wanted to do was to go to school for computers because I love technology, so I spent four years and got a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology. Unfortunately, by 2009 when I graduated, jobs were scarce and I was still just working at the same grocery store since freshmen year of college. So then I finally got a job at my present location, in customer service, troubleshooting customers’ service. I hate my job and have never been more miserable, but I feel God has me here for a reason so I’m bearing my cross.
I was an eagle scout by the time I graduated high school and my diocese every year had a scout retreat at a boy scout camp that I went to with my friend, a fellow Catholic and eagle scout. So when I went to college, I stopped going to this because I didn’t have the time with school, I wasn’t involved in scouting anymore because my troop folded, and my friend was busy with school as well so I didn’t have anyone to go with. So after I graduated college, I decided that I wanted to give back to scouting and also be active in my Church, whether it’s at the Parish or Diocesan level. So my aunt, who takes her girl scouts to this retreat every year, comes up to me at her sister’s (my aunt’s) funeral and asks me out of the blue if I want to come to a retreat, she explains which one it is and I’m like, “I was just thinking I want to go to that again and help out!” It was so weird, here at her sister’s funeral reception, she comes up to me about it. So I went, and being my first year (and there’s only around 4 people on staff that lead sessions), I basically sat and monitored scouts the entire time while the priests gave their presentations. So then the next year, I started going to meetings and my friend (a Catholic but not a scout) started coming to meetings for the retreat too and we planned it out. The priests are still there but we would run the sessions. The idea being that kids their age or around their age, would teach the scouts about their faith. And teaching the faith is the most amazing feeling I’ve ever had.
After going to that first retreat, the one I went by myself that my aunt asked me to attend, it inspired me so much just being there. I got to know the one priest (there’s two) very well. I went to confession with him and it was the best confession I’ve ever had, I think I was in with him for a half hour just talking about it and things and he asks me, “so have you ever considered the priesthood?” And I answered, “well, it’s crossed my mind and I’ve always felt very close to the Mass and the celebration of the Eucharist and always feel inspired by it.” So after the retreat, him and I started meeting sometimes to just talk and since getting to know him, I’ve really been discerning about possibly becoming a priest.
But I really really don’t know what I want to do with my life. I mean my company I work for will pay for me to go back to school (but not seminary lol), but business bores me, technology is getting kind of eh when it comes to working it professionally, and nothing else that they’ll pay for seems appealing. I mean I love learning and teaching but I don’t know what I want to do. I definitely don’t want to be a teacher at a school, that doesn’t appeal to me either. I pray constantly, “Father, help me to follow Your Will!” But I don’t know what I’m called to do.
I sometimes feel the urge to be a priest or join a religious order or something like that but then when I do the retreat and at other times, when I’m in front of lots of people I can get really nervous/anxious so I don’t know that the priesthood would be right for me, though I love the Church and love the people. Oh I forgot to mention, I was on my Pastoral Council at my Parish but had to quit due to my hours at work (another reason I can’t stand this job). I loved doing this because I loved helping to plan activities in the Church and help the priest out. I’m also an Extraordinary Minister and when you’re standing up next to the priest after the sign of peace, it’s an amazing amazing feeling being right there next to the Eucharist like that and helping to administer it.
Sorry this is so long, I really don’t have a lot of friends that I can talk to about this kind of thing and it feels great to have a board like this of people who care/listen. Hope I didn’t ramble too much but that’s my story of why I am discerning and how it’s going.
 
ptjmc518 said:
I’m 24 years old and have been trying to decide since high school what I want to do.

…

Sorry this is so long, I really don’t have a lot of friends that I can talk to about this kind of thing and it feels great to have a board like this of people who care/listen. Hope I didn’t ramble too much but that’s my story of why I am discerning and how it’s going.
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PTJMC

I can fully understand where you are coming from.
When I was in High School I attended several discernemnt retreats, as I was seriously considering the possibility of joining the Priesthood. At that time in Ireland most orders were advising school leavers to go to university or some other job first for a few years after leaving school. Through those later years I realised that Gods call to me was to be First, a Husband & a Daddy. He sent me prophesies on how to recognise my wife, & specifically told me “She is for you” in a quiet internal voice when I finally met her.
Now I am a husband, and a Dad, and have a 2nd baby on the way… I am again hearing the call to an ordained ministry… I am considering the possibility of a call to the Diaconate… but it could be 15 years away for all I know (theres a normal presumption against ordaining men with young children, and I’ll only just reach the minimum age of ordination (35) in the next couple of years). I have been told that the young children issue has been waived in my dioceses before, but I am certainly not holding my breath, as our bishop dies this year, and we don’t yet know who the new bishop will be or what his attitudes to these issues will be.

There are 3 main questions I would advise you to consider, and I would strongly advise you to get regular spiritual direction from a priest approved for directing people who are considering ordination.
  1. consider: is you call to be a “Father” - an ordained, chaste man married to the church - or to be a "Daddy - married to a woman, and the unordained royal priest of your domestic church, teaching a small family to love the Lord?
  2. If you are called to the chaste ordained life of the Priesthood (or other celibate life) are you called to be a Secular priest, working in the World for your Local Bishop, as a parish Priest or similar?
  3. Are you called to the Religious life in an order, living in a community, to Vows of Chastity, Poverty and Obedience - This is more likely if you feel the Secular life could be too lonely for you. - Less likely if you feel called to the life of a Parish Priest.
You mention that you feel strongly called to teach - but not in a school setting. Seriously look at the Dominicans (Order of Preachers). Their motto is “To Praise, to Bless and to Preach” - if you are in North America they advertise the contact details for their vocations director on EWTN Radio (links on the front page of this website). If you are outside North America you’ll need to look them up yourself.

in discerning options 2 & 3 I would strongly reccomend that you take time (probably on vation time from work) to follow your parish priest for a few days (or another priest willing to let you do so) to see what the daily life of a secular priest is like

Similarly if you feel called to the Religious life, you need to visit the monasteries of the order(s) you feel attracted to and spend time in retreat with them, seeing what their lives are like.

Many people considering vocations are advised to undertake a silent retreat. a spiritual director or vocations director will point you in the right direction.

The best way to discern your vocation is to assume it is real, and act accordingly.

Start to pray some part of the Divine Office every day - all religious are obliged to pray some part of this prayer (most religious pray the whole of it ). It will help you to discern.
look up LOTH or Divine Office on this website. There are several resources available on other websites. You will be introduced to it if you attend a formal retreat at a monastery.

I Love this form of prayer.
 
UPDATE! Well I’m discerning which order to go with, I have to that I’m trying to figure out Missionary Sisters of the Holy Rosary and Maryknoll. Well anyways I had an awesome conversation with a sister with Maryknoll. I’m also meeting with a Sister og the Holy Rosary on Monday. So everything seems to be going very well.
 
Discerning for far too long. I had many things that made me ineligible for life in full community, which is what I felt called to. Am now looking at Third Orders simply to find other persons who are spiritual and might want to share journeys together as friends. I’m having to go to various parishes to meet people in various lay/secular orders but it is fun to see what different groups are doing and meet people.
I am now much less concerned with joining, but much more interested in journeying with Jesus, who I now think of as my Betrothed Spouse, despite any canon law.

To all who have found a fit and a spiritual home within the Church, CONGRATULATIONS!! I pray you will be happy and have peace in your new role. I pray God will bless and be your fulfillment. I pray that you are able to serve the people as Jesus would. I pray you Fall in Love as never before with God.👍
 
Biedrik said:
This one seminarian, since he is not yet ordained, is still discerning.
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This is a very honest and humble response, especially since so many seminarians foolishly think they’re ready to be ordained the second they walk into the door of a seminary. 👍 May the Lord bless you as you continue along the long and difficult path to ordination.
 
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