I need guidance on whether or not I should become a nun

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divinemercies11

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i’m a 19 year old college student who was born and raised Catholic. i remember saying the divine mercies with my grandmother from the time i was 3 years old. i love my religion and get the greatest feeling every time i hear religious music or a passage from scripture. recently, our family has gone through a lot of hard times which led us to not go to mass for a year. i really want to go back, but i just don’t know how i’ll feel. i have always pondered if i should become a nun and i think i would be able to meet all of the requirements–the most important one being loving Christ. but, every now and then i’ll get the feeling that i want to have a family and raise children and be married to someone who loves me. it’s an incredibly difficult dilemma i’m dealing with and i would love it if someone would give me some advice or guidance on this subject. i’m in my second year of college and i’m not sure where i should stop my current major and transfer to another school to obtain the correct education. please help. god bless.
 
divinemercies11 said:
i’m a 19 year old college student who was born and raised Catholic. i remember saying the divine mercies with my grandmother from the time i was 3 years old. i love my religion and get the greatest feeling every time i hear religious music or a passage from scripture. recently, our family has gone through a lot of hard times which led us to not go to mass for a year. i really want to go back, but i just don’t know how i’ll feel. i have always pondered if i should become a nun and i think i would be able to meet all of the requirements–the most important one being loving Christ. but, every now and then i’ll get the feeling that i want to have a family and raise children and be married to someone who loves me. it’s an incredibly difficult dilemma i’m dealing with and i would love it if someone would give me some advice or guidance on this subject. i’m in my second year of college and i’m not sure where i should stop my current major and transfer to another school to obtain the correct education. please help. god bless.
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Since you are in college, when you get back to classes on campus, check out either the Newman Center on campus or Campus Ministry (if it is a Catholic college/university). They have contacts with many orders to help guide you possibly towards a spiritual director which may then lead towards a vocation director with some order (or maybe not).
 
Look at www.desertnuns.com and other sites about nuns. You will find a wealth of information there also. Be careful however, and seek help from your priest and other close advisers.
 
If you need the guidance you say you need, then you need a spiritual director.
 
Also, contact the various religious orders’ vocations directors. They can help you. Many times different orders have material (brochure, video, etc) about their order that you can send for to help you in your discernment. God Bless you and in your final decision.
 
Forgive me for commenting on your very important question. Although I’m much older, I faced a similar question when I developed a strong call to be a monk. This call preceded my conversion from Episcopalian to Catholic, and the call was a major reason why I converted–to be closer to what I wanted to be. Except for a lingering call to be a Carthusian, most of my wish to become a monk has slowly ebbed away as I have gotten to know a local abbey and actual Benedictine monks better. They turned out to be much more secular and superficial than I imagined. There’s no way for me to know the Carthusians from personal experience because their charterhouses are too far away. But I need to bring this to a point–my suggestion for you is that you go on retreat with sisters of the order you think you might like to join. Most convents welcome would-be sisters as they (you) discern whether becoming a nun is truly your path. In addition, many nuns have written autobiographies you might read, such as all of the Teresas. But there’s no substitute for your actually visiting a convent for, hopefully, an extended period and actually living with the sisters you are considering joining for the rest of your life. You may be able to involve yourself to a much greater degree than you now imagine by sharing both their work and their worship schedules. You might find a real family there, not a conventional family with husband and children, but a family with other religious who have chosen to give their lives to God. I will pray for you, and I hope to read more from you here. God bless you and guide you in your choice.
 
divinemercies11 said:
recently, our family has gone through a lot of hard times which led us to not go to mass for a year. i really want to go back, but i just don’t know how i’ll feel.
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My sincerest advice to you, based on my own personal experience, is that you need to get back to Mass as soon as you can before making any other decisions. Sunday Mass, certainly, and daily Mass if possible. Make a good confession first, explaining to the Father how long you have been away and why. Then go to receive Our Lord in the Eucharist. Do this regularly for some time and you will start to feel the “channels” opening up again between God and you. You will then be open to hearing what He has to say to you. He may not speak directly about this matter at first…be patient. Or, you may not understand what He is saying. If this is the case, perservere with your prayer life and Mass attendance. If you don’t receive an answer quickly, don’t worry. God wants you to be ready to do His Will.

Continue at your present college if you are doing well there, and if it is not damaging to your spiritual progress, unless you receive a very strong message to do otherwise! You may even graduate from that college still without being sure of your vocation. That’s OK. Many great nuns got college educations before joining their order.

Whether or not you do receive your calling to religious life, you still need to return to Mass. Don’t worry about how you “feel” at first, just do it out of faith, faith that Jesus’s presence at the Mass will heal you. And pray the rosary daily, if you are not already doing so.

God bless. Please keep in touch and let us know how this all turns out for you.
 
divinemercies11 said:
i’m a 19 year old college student who was born and raised Catholic. i remember saying the divine mercies with my grandmother from the time i was 3 years old. i love my religion and get the greatest feeling every time i hear religious music or a passage from scripture. recently, our family has gone through a lot of hard times which led us to not go to mass for a year. i really want to go back, but i just don’t know how i’ll feel. i have always pondered if i should become a nun and i think i would be able to meet all of the requirements–the most important one being loving Christ. but, every now and then i’ll get the feeling that i want to have a family and raise children and be married to someone who loves me. it’s an incredibly difficult dilemma i’m dealing with and i would love it if someone would give me some advice or guidance on this subject. i’m in my second year of college and i’m not sure where i should stop my current major and transfer to another school to obtain the correct education. please help. god bless.
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Hi divenmercies11.
In addition to the good advice from other’s, I’d suggest talking to some nuns.

I found this site via a brief google search.
anunslife.org/blogs-by-catholic-nuns/

There is a list of nuns blogs. I’m sure you can find some help from the Sisters who post on those blogs. 🙂

Lots of other related stuff there as well.

God Bless
 
Dear Divinemercies11
I am sure you are praying that the Holy Spirit guides you. I thought you may find it useful to read a book of St Alphonsus especially for nuns called the true spouse of Jesus Christ right here recopied by me groups.google.com/group/catholic-heritage/files the last file in the list.
God bless
Derrick
 
If God is calling you, I’d be the last to stand in your way, but maybe the best thing for now (especially if you’re not sure) is to finish your degree.
 
Dear Divine Mercies,

From my own personal experience. You need to go back to Mass for starters. also a good confession with a priest that you trust and feel comfortable with is very important. You will gain enormous strenght and grace.

Next intensify your prayer life. Minimum 30-45 minutes per day in silence and solitude this is where you find God. listen to his voice inside of you. If you can spend sometime when you can in front of the Blessed Sacrament. You will be amazed at how much clarity comes to you over time.

Have a humble and sincere heart. God will find you.

Finally, find a spiritual director who can help you. This must be a person of prayer and holiness, integrity of life.

If you do these things and remain faithful to the Lord he will find you and send his spirit over you. And you will know!!! inside your heart what God is calling you to do. Whatever that is, Religious life, Marriage, single life do it because it is the will of God and in so doing you will find happiness.

Mat the blessed Mother and St. Joseph bless you and intercede for you in front of thier most Holy Son.

-]/-]
 
Thank you so much to everyone who gave me advice so promptly. I truly appreciate it. I will definately keep you up-to-date with my decision making process. Take care and God Bless.
 
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