Benedictines or Trappists

[brycehecht]

Hello Everyone. I am currently discerning a vocation to religious life. I am just wondering if you could tell me what order you think would best suit me based on certain aspects and aspirations of my life.

I do want partial silence, but still want to talk.
I want to engage in manual labor.
I want to be able to engage in scholarly pursuits.
I don’t need meat to be happy, I could be a vegetarian.
I have a desire to be a vegetarian.
I want to get an advanced degree like a Master’s Degree or PhD.
I feel more called to be a brother than a priest.

Please give a detailed response as to why you think a certain order would suit me better.

Thanks and GOD BLESS YOU ALL!

 

[Kaboda]

I think the Benedictine order will suit you well. I’m a lay person but grew up in Benedictine education.

For Benedictines, a major part of your life will be silence but since most orders have a school, you will most likely be able to talk to students in the Benedictine campus. Some monastery does allow for the monks to do manual labor such as the monastery in southern Philippines wherein the monastery grow coffee and peanuts.

Because the Benedictines are in the academe, you have lots of opportunity for scholarly pursuits.

I hope this provides some enlightenment. I’ll be praying for you.

 

[Lamentation]

I do want …
I want …
I want …
I have a desire …
I want …
I feel more called to be a brother than a priest.

Discerning is all about finding what God wants, less what you want.

To be fair though, why do you feel that God has suggested:

Silence, complete or otherwise
Manual Labor
Scholarly Pursuits
Brotherhood

Specifically, I ask this because Trappist and Benedictine life is primarily a work of prayer (the physical works are primarily to pay the bills), which you haven’t mentioned at all in the above. I could be wrong, but perhaps you aren’t looking in quite the right place.

Where do you feel that God is calling you the strongest, in the sense of spiritual labor? (Working with the poor, migrants, education, missionary work, etc) I think this the question I’m most interested in as a fellow discerner.

 

[rogue43]

Franciscans