I'm sixteen, and I need someone to talk to about vocations

  • Thread starter Thread starter jeanne71350
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jeanne71350

Guest
Hi everyone,

Well, let me tell you what’s going on with my life. I’m a sixteen year old girl. I’m making my Confirmation this Easter. I’ve been Catholic all my life, and I absolutely love God, Jesus, Mary, and the Saints. A lot of people around me kind of frown upon it, but I really wouldn’t mind being a nun. Helping others makes me so happy. I get so much satisfaction out of it, I just go out of my way to find ways to help others. If I could help others all the time, that would be amazing. I also really want to get close to God. I read stories of people like St. Therese, St. Faustina, and such, and it makes me want to be holy like they are too. I get this longing to better myself as a Christian person. I really don’t see myself being married. I actually never did, even as a little girl. I am in a relationship with a guy, and I adore him, but I love Jesus the most. I’m just worried as to if I have a Vocation, how to tell everyone. Especially my parents. I’m an only child, and it would be hard for them. Can someone give me some advice here? I just ask God to guide me in the right direction, whatever it may be, and help make it happen. Because I just want to do what He wants.

-Jeanne
 
How do you think your parents will react? I think when I first talked about my vocation (calling) I felt a little nervous (embarrassed) as a young person.

Ideally, you would probably share with them (assuming you believe them to be receptive) and then ask to make an appointment with your diocese vocations director. There are tests you can take and it may be helpful to speak with nuns and Sisters (assuming that is the vocation you mean).

You HAVE time and nothing is life or death or urgent. So, take the time (as you have) to continue to explore your vocation and pray about it. There are may orders with different charisms (ie do you feel called to contemplative life or a more active life such as teaching or nursing). If I recall I even read once of a Sister who is an Army doctor.

It all does not need to be decided in the next six months so be patient and allow God to guide you. If possible do get in touch with a vocations director for your diocese for guidance.

Blessings on you and prayers for you!:gopray2:
 
RevDrNorth said:
How do you think your parents will react? I think when I first talked about my vocation (calling) I felt a little nervous (embarrassed) as a young person.

Ideally, you would probably share with them (assuming you believe them to be receptive) and then ask to make an appointment with your diocese vocations director. There are tests you can take and it may be helpful to speak with nuns and Sisters (assuming that is the vocation you mean).

You HAVE time and nothing is life or death or urgent. So, take the time (as you have) to continue to explore your vocation and pray about it. There are may orders with different charisms (ie do you feel called to contemplative life or a more active life such as teaching or nursing). If I recall I even read once of a Sister who is an Army doctor.

It all does not need to be decided in the next six months so be patient and allow God to guide you. If possible do get in touch with a vocations director for your diocese for guidance.

Blessings on you and prayers for you!:gopray2:
Click to expand...
Thank you. I appreciate the prayers. I think my parents won’t take me seriously. They’d be like “Ok, yeah you want to be a nun. Now what do you really want to do?”

I may just be paranoid, but that’s how i think they’d react.

-Jeanne
 
If they don’t take you seriously, what motive have they to stop you from meeting with your diocese’s vocations director? (After all, vocations directors can usually tell when discerners aren’t serious.)

That said, here is my advice to you:

Pray always - or as much as you can. Constantly be in conversation with God. Let your thoughts and ponderings in all things and at all times be a conversation with God. (I like to maintain my own thought patterns as a sort of 3 way conversation between me, myself, and God.) Spend time in Adoration, when you can. Go to Mass (during the week) whenever possible!

In the words of St. Padre Pio, “Pray, hope, and don’t worry!”
 
Jeanne:

As a religioius I advise you to do several things.
  1. Get a spiritual director. It should be a priest, deacon, religious brother or a lay person who knows and understands the religious life. If you you find a sister, go for that. I know that there are not many around.
  2. A spiritual director is not a vocation director. He or she will guide you on the parth of virtue that leads you to discerning the spiritual life. You will need a vocation director. Since you are female, you should visit with the formation directors of the communities that attract you… They know their community better than anyone else…
  3. As one who does formation, let me warn you. Many of us will not touch an inquiry under 18-years of aige, because of legal issues and because there is no reason to do so, since you cannot enter religious life in the USA until you have completed either college or an equivalent life experience.
  4. You mentioned that you like to help people. The natural outcome of a religious vocation is the perfection of charity. However, be very careful in your spiritual journey. Right now over 60,000 women religious in the USA are being investigated by the Vatican, because so many women religious have very little to show for religious life, except the work that they do and all the help that they offer to others. You do not enter the convent to help others. Mothere Teresa said it well when she said that she and her sisters were not social workers. St. Clare said it well when she told Francis of Assisi that her place was not among the poor, but being poor. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton said it well when she told her Sisterso of Charity to be Children of the Church, not teachers, nurses, social workers and scholars. You enter the convent to give your entire life to God, not to be worldly sister.
Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
 
JReducation said:
Jeanne:

As a religioius I advise you to do several things.
  1. Get a spiritual director. It should be a priest, deacon, religious brother or a lay person who knows and understands the religious life. If you you find a sister, go for that. I know that there are not many around.
  2. A spiritual director is not a vocation director. He or she will guide you on the parth of virtue that leads you to discerning the spiritual life. You will need a vocation director. Since you are female, you should visit with the formation directors of the communities that attract you… They know their community better than anyone else…
  3. As one who does formation, let me warn you. Many of us will not touch an inquiry under 18-years of aige, because of legal issues and because there is no reason to do so, since you cannot enter religious life in the USA until you have completed either college or an equivalent life experience.
  4. You mentioned that you like to help people. The natural outcome of a religious vocation is the perfection of charity. However, be very careful in your spiritual journey. Right now over 60,000 women religious in the USA are being investigated by the Vatican, because so many women religious have very little to show for religious life, except the work that they do and all the help that they offer to others. You do not enter the convent to help others. Mothere Teresa said it well when she said that she and her sisters were not social workers. St. Clare said it well when she told Francis of Assisi that her place was not among the poor, but being poor. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton said it well when she told her Sisterso of Charity to be Children of the Church, not teachers, nurses, social workers and scholars. You enter the convent to give your entire life to God, not to be worldly sister.
Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
Click to expand...
Thank you Brother, some good advice. As of now, I’m just going to pray about it, and consider my options. I want to make sure if God wants me to be a sister, that I’m really sure and ready. Once I graduate high school, I’m going to go visit some convents.

-Jeanne
 
Hello Jeanne,
How long have you been thinking about religious life? If it has been on your mind for a long time, like over a year, I would recommend that you at least mention to your parents, or to one of them, that you are thinking about it. They may not take you seriously but at least then, if you do decide to enter religious life, it won’t come as such a shock to them.

Some communities will accept young women straight from high school, so I wouldn’t neccesarily rule that out. I will echo what others have said about seeing if you can find a good spiritual director and speaking with the diocesan vocation director, or at least with your priest. They may be able to recommend some good communities for you to look at.

People are initially attracted to religious life by many different things, just as a person may initially be attracted to the person they marry by their looks, but that is not why they marry them. Your attraction to serving others may be like that. It is one aspect of religious life, but not the reason you should enter.

Keep praying and God will make things clear to you in time.
God bless
 
Dear Jeanne;

A good spiritual director will be a great help to you! Be sure also to pray, maybe to St. Therese and Our Lady, before speaking to your parents. Pray, pray, pray…every step along your way! (I sound like a cheerleader!) Be prepared if your parents do not react in a very supportive way- you still should discern this calling until you know what the Lord is asking of you! It may be possible that your spiritual director may suggest not being in a relationship while you are discerning. This is often helpful. Also, remember to be patient- sometimes discernment takes a while.

Please spend time with the Eucharistic Lord! Do not let your focus be only on vocation, important as that is, but on your relationship with Him. Grow close to Him, desire to do God’s Will, and He will guide you!

Our vocation originates in the Heart of the Father and is a special gift of the Holy Spirit…this is called a charism. Charisms vary from community to community. A spiritual director will be able to help you to discern! A great website to look at is www.cmswr.org. This is not a list of every religious community, but many faithful communities are listed and it might be a great place to start.

I will pray for you, dear one!
elizabeth
 
Take your mind off yourself for a while and see what’s left.
Sometimes we’re not who we think we are; and God’s not who we picture him to be neither.
“God made man in His own image. Ever since man has returned the compliment” (G.K. Chesterton)
“To live is to change. To be perfect is to have changed often” (Henry Cardinal Newman)
We tend to get hold of a concept & build everything around that concept. Dangerous, Life-threatening maneuver. Let God take the lead for a minute. God says, “I can do this bit, I think I can manage. Thank you.”
When we strip our altars it’s surprising what we find.
 
I would definetly encourage you to become a nun. Not because we desperatly need them, but you are recieving a calling from the Lord. I think back on my life and I wish I would have made the call to become a priest. I’m married now but the call on my soul to become a priest was much bigger. I ignored that calling. It would have been great for me to become a priest. Servitude to God, Jesus, Mary, and all the saints…
If I were to have come a priest… even now I keep on thinking above as how to serve the Lord in Heaven so I can have my riches up there. I believe it is a great vocation, and an honor to serve the Lord. And on the side you get to have some personal time for yourself to enjoy your hobbies. At least that’s how it is in Iowa.
Open up your voice and tell your parents. I don’t think they will put you down for wanting to become a religious person. Just say to them this is the profession I want to follow. I will be happy in this profession. Your parents just want you to be happy.
Good luck from someone that should have become a priest.
 
Well, you don’t have to become a nun to go out of the way to help others. You can do other things, but what attracts you to this particular vocation?
 
We never really know why we do things - relatively we may; ultimately life’s a mystery. The ‘religious’ life (be it ordained clergy, brother, nun, etc.) is like any other - small things done thinking at the time we’re doing the best we can. On entering there is a probationary period but even then it is only a glimpse. Remember what Cure d’Ars said about the tapestry? - in this life we see only knots & tangles. From heaven we see the true picture.
We go forward in hope. Or merely we live from day to day with none: the last days of the life of St Terese of Lisieux (a Doctor of the Church), Mother Teresa (a Blessed). Going on not because we believe, but because we want to. God will never take away our free will and the devil can’t.
 
Hello,

I am glad that in such a young age of yours; you have been considering to becoming a nun…But you dont need to be a nun to help and to reach out to others.

What is important is that you want to offer and give you life to God.

What I could really say is pray to the Holy Spirit. That He will direct, guide and show you the way. I truly believe that when God calls, He will supply what you need. God is super abundant that all you need to do is come to Him. If you can spent time in adoration and keep a journal of your thoughts and most of all find a spiritual director.

Please share your desire to your parents or to any member of your family.

When I was discerning my vocation I shared with my aunt. And she helped me to met the founder of my community which at that time visited her parents.Mother superior told me to spent more time in prayer and discerment. To which I gladly follow and I am now 15 years in the community.

God will lead you and supply whatever you need. God bless
 
KrazyKaiju said:
Well, you don’t have to become a nun to go out of the way to help others. You can do other things, but what attracts you to this particular vocation?
Click to expand...
If I pray, go to Mass, recieve the sacraments, and do good works, in a way I get addicted to it. I want to keep doing it over and over again. It pleases me to be with Jesus. I get so much joy out of it. I also wouldn’t mind wearing a habit. I want to be able to give all my focus on God and others, not my appearance. And I wouldn’t mind the simple life. I don’t like frivolity. If I had a bed, blankets, books, a computer to do work and write, a bathroom, and a Church, I’m perfectly happy.

-Jeanne
 
jeanne71350 said:
If I pray, go to Mass, recieve the sacraments, and do good works, in a way I get addicted to it. I want to keep doing it over and over again. It pleases me to be with Jesus. I get so much joy out of it. I also wouldn’t mind wearing a habit. I want to be able to give all my focus on God and others, not my appearance. And I wouldn’t mind the simple life. I don’t like frivolity. If I had a bed, blankets, books, a computer to do work and write, a bathroom, and a Church, I’m perfectly happy.

-Jeanne
Click to expand...
Hi Jeanne.

From someone who is discerning religious life, you may be one of the fortunate who feels convicted about a call to religious life from an early age. My story is quite different, but God works differently for all of us.

Like you, I was never materialistic and found the need to worry about the latest styles, accessories, etc quite cumbersome. I thought I would be married. Only later did it make more sense to me that God had designed me with certain desires (or lack thereof) that would fit very well in the religious vocation. Ultimately, though, I am looking to enter because God has called me to be His own. Everything else is secondary.

Even at your age, you can seek out a spiritual director. It is a blessing to have someone to share all this with the wisdom to guide you.

You are in my prayers.
Teri
 
Good for you for being open to the possibility. I have a friend who is joining a convent in 2 days, and there were nuns teaching at my school. but just so you know depending on the order, you may not have access to a computer and have very limited if any contact with your family and friends. My friend gets one Sunday a month to respond to as many letters as she can, and the convent is considering changing that policy as well. So that is something that you should be aware of as you discern.

Good luck, you have my prayers
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top