Becoming a religious woman...I'm sixteen...Help?

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jeanne71350

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Hi everyone,

Well, I really think possibly I might have a vocation to religious life. I’m sixteen and I’m very religious. The one thing in the whole world that makes me happy is being with God. I don’t get the same feeling of love and happiness from dating as I do spending time with God in prayer and adoration. I absolutely love service. I just want to keep doing it, because I know it brings me closer to God. That’s all I want. Just to be with Him.
I’ve been open to becoming a sister, but I sort of had my doubts. People expect me to get married and have a family, but I’m really attracted to living religious life, and spreading the message of Jesus wherever I go, instead of family life.

This weekend I made a retreat with my Confirmation class. We were praising God in Adoration, and I just went out crying. I don’t know if I was slain in the Spirit, but I curled up on the floor and wept my eyes out. My teacher came and prayed over me. And she whispered to me, “God wants you to listen to His call. He knows you’ve been having doubts, and He says that He knows what’s in your heart. He will strengthen you and guide you in the right path.”

My teacher knew nothing of me wanting to enter religious life.

Can someone please give me some advice? I still want to go to college. I’m really interested in teaching at college. I think teaching at a seminary would be awesome.

-Jeanne
 
It sounds very much like you could have a calling to the religious life. I take it from what I’ve read that you are interested in an active order (one that serves people in the world through active service.) It seems you are particularly interested in teaching and there are many orders that have teaching and education as their apostolate. You have two options. 1. You can enter the convent right out of high school and they will put you through the necessary college courses needed for your life of service. 2. You can obtain your college degree in teaching (or nursing or whatever you feel called to), pray about things a little longer, and then enter the convent you feel called to.

I also spent some time in the religious life. I felt just like you. That there was no other calling for me but prayer and service to the Lord. So I spent two years in active discernment. It was during those years of prayer and discernment that I found my TRUE calling, to be married. So you never know what the Lord will have in store for you and you must be open to whatever HE wills. I will never look at that time as “lost” time. In fact, the religious life prepared me to be the wife I am today! I cannot thank God enough for those two precious years.

I think you certainly should try it out. Right now you can make discernment weekends. Many convents offer those. You can feel free to private message me anytime about questions you might have. I am also going to private message you a name of a young woman just a little older than yourself who is also in discernment right now. She might be able to help you out some too. 🙂
 
Don’t let others discourage you from wanting to enter into religious life. You sound like it is something you sound serious about. Good for you, I think it’s great…I don’t know anything about orders but I’m sure you have to be 18 at least…but you probably could start looking into them…God Bless you:)
 
Don’t feel that you are alone, I too feel a calling but to what yet I am not sure of. I also have been discouraged and have had my doubts and confusions but right now I am just looking for ways to find answers. I know that Mary hears my prayers and I know that if I pray to her that my prayers get answered.

My advice to you would be to pray to Mary as well.
 
Don’t feel that you are alone, I too feel a calling but to what yet I am not sure of. I also have been discouraged and have had my doubts and confusions but right now I am just looking for ways to find answers. I know that Mary hears my prayers and I know that if I pray to her that my prayers get answered.

My advice to you would be to pray to Mary as well.
 
I want to join the religious life too! To me, I feel my call is to be a cloistered nun, maybe as a Carmelite. I hope you reach your goal! 😃
 
I would contact a religious order … some have retreats for girls just like you…They might be able to help you decide if it is a true call or just a passing fancy

You are quite young yet, and could change your mind , or not…nothing is sealed in stone at your age…I think they could be quite helpful to you
 
jeanne71350 said:
Hi everyone,

Well, I really think possibly I might have a vocation to religious life. I’m sixteen and I’m very religious. The one thing in the whole world that makes me happy is being with God. I don’t get the same feeling of love and happiness from dating as I do spending time with God in prayer and adoration. I absolutely love service. I just want to keep doing it, because I know it brings me closer to God. That’s all I want. Just to be with Him.
I’ve been open to becoming a sister, but I sort of had my doubts. People expect me to get married and have a family, but I’m really attracted to living religious life, and spreading the message of Jesus wherever I go, instead of family life.

This weekend I made a retreat with my Confirmation class. We were praising God in Adoration, and I just went out crying. I don’t know if I was slain in the Spirit, but I curled up on the floor and wept my eyes out. My teacher came and prayed over me. And she whispered to me, “God wants you to listen to His call. He knows you’ve been having doubts, and He says that He knows what’s in your heart. He will strengthen you and guide you in the right path.”

My teacher knew nothing of me wanting to enter religious life.

Can someone please give me some advice? I still want to go to college. I’m really interested in teaching at college. I think teaching at a seminary would be awesome.

-Jeanne
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The Holy Ghost works on attraction.

When you say that you feel closest to God during service–can you elaborate?

Have you devised a Personal Prayer Rule for yourself? Do you have a spiritual director who can help get your inspirations focused?

Don’t beat yourself over your age. There are many youth feeling called to consecrated religious life, and I will not stifle the Spirit where they are concerned!

If you feel drawn, you are welcome to apply to our young vocations group:

groups.yahoo.com/group/young_vocations/

Blessings,
Cloisters
cloisters.tripod.com/
 
Before I forget, you need to contact any religious orders in your area you are attracted to. When you go to visit, don’t just go to one place, visit many. You may not like the first the one, so keep looking. Also, if for some reason being a sister does not work out for you, remember that looking into all of this was a great experience - That’s what I heard from others! Good luck!🙂
 
Fr Groeschel said he knew from the age of 7 he was to be a priest
 
What an amazing thing to be called at such a young age . . . I am glad he reached his goal, and I hope this young girl reaches hers too. 🙂
 
Wow, you are so nice! I suggest you go and visit different communities. I have a friend, she’s 14. She wants to be a Minim Nun (The female branch of the order founded by Saint Francis of Paola) and whenever she’s on vacation from school, she’s with the sisters helping them do the chores. She also studies Church teachings, staying at the parlor. She’s waiting to reach the age of 16 so that she can enter. Her father supports her so much! Hope you’ll be inspired by her. Visitng different communities and being active in the life of the Church will be a great source of nourishment for God’s call.
 
When I was 18 last year, I want to say that I have a Vocation, but I am at college still. I am still thinking about becoming a religious woman. I been on two retreats with only one religious group.

carmelitedcj.org/retreats.asp

Here is there link.
 
As a person who can say that she has experienced similar things before . . . you’re probably are going to be a nun. :eek:👍(jk)

And how can I say this from personal experience? It also started in Adoration. Now, I was praying during Eucharistic Adoration when all of a sudden, I started remembering on how I prayed to God once about this when I was 8. Then, it was just this random loud voice coming from the direction of the Host, who bluntly put it this way:

[SIGN]“You are going to be a nun.”[/SIGN] (Go figure, right? :D)

Well, okay, maybe yours isn’t as blunt. 😉 But seriously, you probably are going to be one. However, as a side note, I would want to make sure you keep on discerning about this: even after that experience, I still asked God to give me more signs to confirm this call. You shouldn’t just base it on one experience . . . you should be certain that He will help you on this path not just on that one event but on others as well.

(Rely on faith, but also rely on your reason. 👍)
So, here goes my other example. I was at Mass when I was trying to figure out whether that blunt call was actually true (you see, this was a few weeks after the fact, if I remember correctly). Thus, I prayed to God that He would give a sign so random that even I wouldn’t have imagined it happening before.

Then, I saw a nun come by and sit at the first pew (this event is very rare in our church, since we’re basically out in the ex-urbs of DC). And after I took Communion, there was the one random elderly man whom I never met in my life whatsoever, saying that “it’s good to be religious!” (By the way, this was all in front of my mom, who was nearby!) If that wasn’t weird enough for that to be a sign from God, I don’t know what is. (Also, about that elderly man, I never saw him again. Ever. [cue in Twilight Zone music :hypno:])

From then on, I knew that I was going to be a religious. Now, I have to tell you, I’m not right now (I’m a sophomore in high school). However, it would be good to start researching orders and their spiritualities as you try to p(name removed by moderator)oint your life, and to confirm that this is your actual path and not just some freako event in the universe. Okay? 😉

May God bless you through Mary and St. Jean Vianney.

Sincerely in His Most Sacred Heart,

– Jean-Therese Delacroix
 
To address you directly Jeanne, go for it, don’t let people stand in your way, and let people know about your calling, contact your dioceses vocations office for info on discernment retreats etc., I am fifteen and some change and am feeling called towards the religious life of a Friar, and I’ve contacted a couple different orders to weigh my options, and I have had mixed emotions too, sometimes I want to know why god wants me to do this, why he is sending me down this path becuase I have have done things in my life I am so ashamed of I can’t bring myself to admit it in reconciliation, but in the end lets pray we’ll find our way to an order that will put us in a position we are able to use gods gifts to us. God bless you Jeanne,
 
Deirdra said:
Whoa! That’s young! :eek:
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I knew from a really young age (about 3 years old) that I wanted to be a religious. When I went to church with my Mum (who would help keep the church clean and would do flower arranging) I would sit on the floor and look up at Our Lord crucified. I didn’t know much about Him but I knew that he loved me and I didn’t want to be away from Him as I thought He might get lonely so I decided I would be a priest and would spend all day in the church. When Mum told me I couldn’t be a priest because I was a girl I was upset but she told me that there were women who spent time in the church and they were called nuns. I didn’t even have to think about it before I said “Then I’ll be a nun and will never leave Jesus alone in the church.”🙂

As I got older I learned that Jesus wouldn’t get lonely but my desire to be with Him never wavered. I went to school and college and enjoyed myself but I always knew that I would one day be His bride and when I was 18 I joined my order and here I am!😃

I know not everyone is lucky enough to know their vocation from a young age so I would advise you to pray and seek out a Spiritual Director who can help you. You may want to go on retreats with orders that you feel drawn to also.

I wish you every success and much happiness in your discernment. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me.👍
 
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