Feeling alone in my vocation

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GilChrist77

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I am 17 years old and have known since I was 12 that I’m going to be a nun. My family and friends are VERY supportive and encouraging about it. I still feel alone though because there isn’t any convents in Lansing, I’m not close to any sisters and no one I know has this call. It’s very hard for me because when I try to explain that, yes I do have a choice because I have free will, I don’t truly have a choice. I don’t know… Does that make sense? :confused:
I guess I just need someone who is living the life and who understands it.

JMJ+
~Betsy

<3 Totus tuus Maria!
 
Hi, Betsy…

Yes! I know exactly what you mean! I was once there myself; I was a couple of years older than you (19 at the time) and I absolutely knew that I would enter religious life and that there was no other option for my life…because, as you say, we all have free will, and because I knew that I could “be sucessful” at anything, it was sort of hard to explain to people.

Then a Sister knew exactly what I meant…though we are capable of many things, for those whom God calls to serve Him, following the path to religious life is really the ONLY option!!

I am also from the Diocese of Lansing (I entered the convent in the Diocese of Kalamazoo and teach in the Archdiocese of Detroit, but still live in a local convent in the Diocese of Lansing…my home parish is also in the Diocese of Lansing…hmmm…guess that makes me “Tri-Diocesan”! :)). Maybe you could visit some Sisters in local houses even though you don’t have a Motherhouse near by…it is a good way to get to know the Sisters - by visiting those on mission. Also, read up on some various communities and, if at all possible, correspond with and visit some…when you find the community to which God is calling you, you will “just know”, and it will be a joyful discovery!

May God bless you in your journey! My Sisters and I will pray for you! God bless! :signofcross:

I’m always delighted to hear of young women experiencing God’s call to give their entire lives to Him as Sisters. 👍
 
Offer it all up in prayer sister. After I had to give up being a social worker and take early retirement due to illness I would pray, ‘Lord+, what am I for? What is your plan for me now?’
Those were very difficult times for me, but prayer made the difference and in God’s+ own time my path became more clear. At the right time the right people will cross your path and not always in the way that you’ll expect it to happen either. :hug3:
 
GilChrist77;5288755]

I would advise you to go to your computer and type in the search Box, US DIOCESES
and it will list your diocese and it will tell you if there are sisters, brothers, and religious priests.

It is impossible for me to believe that you have no sisters in Lansing, but please do as I told you and you willl find a list of religious brothers, sisters, and priest in Lansing.

Good luck and it is always nice that people are still interested in religious life.

God bless you, now.
PROVIGIL​

 
Thank you all so much!

JMJ+
~Betsy

<3 Totus tuus Maria!
 
GILCHRIST:

I told you to click in the search box US DIOCESES and look under the Diocese of Lansing and it will tell you about religious sisters.

I do not undertand where you got your concept that your Diocese has no religious sisters.
This is absolutely DECEPTIVE

About 5 minutes ago I looked up your Diocese and found these religious sisters in your DIocese:

DOMINICAN SISTERS
FRANCISCAN SISTERS
ORDER OF ST BENEDICT
RELIGIOUS SISTERS OF MERCY
SISTERS OF CHARITY
SISTERS OF THE LAMB
SISTERS OF MARY and more.

So, you do have many sisters you can talk to.
PROVIGIL​

 
GilChrist77 said:
I am 17 years old and have known since I was 12 that I’m going to be a nun. My family and friends are VERY supportive and encouraging about it. I still feel alone though because there isn’t any convents in Lansing, I’m not close to any sisters and no one I know has this call. It’s very hard for me because when I try to explain that, yes I do have a choice because I have free will, I don’t truly have a choice. I don’t know… Does that make sense? :confused:
I guess I just need someone who is living the life and who understands it.

JMJ+
~Betsy

<3 Totus tuus Maria!
Click to expand...
Hello Betsy,

Don’t feel alone in your search for vocation. Take SisterSnowflake’s advice on post #2. We all had the same feelings when we first discovered a religious attraction. I also felt I didn’t have anybody who understood me until God led me to a Carmelite Monastery where I became very good friends with the nuns. They guided me and spiritually nurtured me until I was ready to make the final “YES” to Jesus. Until that day comes, try to live your Catholic Faith to the full. Look around and see if you can give yourself to a particular type of apostolate that is to your attraction (check with your parish church). Nourish your soul with good spiritual books. In other words, start with the basics of the spiritual life and God will open up the way for you. “Bloom where you are planted.”🙂
 
*Hi Betsy.

First ,know that you are not alone. there are thousands of people that pray daily that those discerning vocations will hear the call and be able to respond
Perhaps you could contact your vocations director in your Diocese. Ask them what communities of sisters are in your area?
Even if there is not a community you are specifically drawn to? Just making contacts is many times helpful…
Have you tried looking up communities in the " A Guide to Religious Ministry?"?

Again reach out… ask your parish priest… and Sr Snowflake in post #2 had some sound advice.

Blessings on your Journey!
*
 
Provigil said:
GILCHRIST:

I told you to click in the search box US DIOCESES and look under the Diocese of Lansing and it will tell you about religious sisters.

I do not undertand where you got your concept that your Diocese has no religious sisters.
This is absolutely DECEPTIVE

A bit strong don’t you think? Perhaps she just had not found them? I don’t believe she was intended to be deceptive and am sure that she will be quite happy to look into some of the communities you have found. To me it sounds like she will be happy for any information any of us might find for her.
Blessings!

About 5 minutes ago I looked up your Diocese and found these religious sisters in your DIocese:

DOMINICAN SISTERS
FRANCISCAN SISTERS
ORDER OF ST BENEDICT
RELIGIOUS SISTERS OF MERCY
SISTERS OF CHARITY
SISTERS OF THE LAMB
SISTERS OF MARY and more.

So, you do have many sisters you can talk to.
PROVIGIL​

Click to expand...
 
GilChrist77 said:
I am 17 years old and have known since I was 12 that I’m going to be a nun. My family and friends are VERY supportive and encouraging about it. I still feel alone though because there isn’t any convents in Lansing, I’m not close to any sisters and no one I know has this call. It’s very hard for me because when I try to explain that, yes I do have a choice because I have free will, I don’t truly have a choice. I don’t know… Does that make sense? :confused:
I guess I just need someone who is living the life and who understands it.

JMJ+
~Betsy

<3 Totus tuus Maria!
Click to expand...
Betsy,
A calling is a wonderful thing. Comforting and scary at the same time.
Perhaps you could share more with us what type of community you might be looking at? What stage of discernment are you in? What type of apostolate speaks to you, or rule? Are you thinking of entering an active order? A Contemplative one? [Have you gotten that far yet?.. No worries if you haven’t]…

You were on my mind last night, and I thought of you while attending Mass this morning… I wanted to encourage you to find some type of support system for yourself. It can be the priest at your parish. A sister in a nearby parish. Your spiritual director. The vocations director for you diocese.

Also although it has been posted in various threads it never hurts to repeat:
  1. The vocations director of your diocese or your spiritual director might help you to locate communities to look into.
  2. Look at the official websites for any orders you might be considering For Instance Franciscans, Poor Clares, Dominicans, Carmelites etc]
  3. There is a wonderful book called " A guide to religious Ministries"
    [www.RELIGIOUSMINISTRIES.COM]](www.RELIGIOUSMINISTRIES.COM])*
    ( if you can’t afford it many parishes have one you can borrow)
Sorry I had a few other websites by my email seems to have frozen up.

At any rate I do hope you won’t feel alone. Perhaps keep posting here until you connect to people in your area?

Blessings of Peace and All Good!
 
QUOTE=Provigil;5290371]GILCHRIST:

I told you to click in the search box US DIOCESES and look under the Diocese of Lansing and it will tell you about religious sisters.

I do not undertand where you got your concept that your Diocese has no religious sisters.
This is absolutely DECEPTIVE

About 5 minutes ago I looked up your Diocese and found these religious sisters in your DIocese:

DOMINICAN SISTERS
FRANCISCAN SISTERS
ORDER OF ST BENEDICT
RELIGIOUS SISTERS OF MERCY
SISTERS OF CHARITY
SISTERS OF THE LAMB
SISTERS OF MARY and more.

So, you do have many sisters you can talk to.
PROVIGIL​

Sorry that wasn’t clear. I didn’t mean there are no convents in the Lansing Diocese what I meant is that there isn’t any in the city of Lansing and I don’t really have the money or time to visit convents in other city’s right now.

Thank you all for the encouragement and prayers.

JMJ+
~Betsy

Totus tuus Maria!
 
I am not a nun but a married lay Catholic. True if God calls you to a particular vocation you can only say yes or no. You don’t always choose the vocation he has called you to. However, hopefully we would not call you to a vocation in which you would experience no happiness and he knows what is best for you. So I don’t think I would have been happy as a nun but at the same time getting married wasn’t the easiest decision.

I can’t help you with being a nun. Bye
 
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