Signs of a Vocation

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

JohnnyReb

Guest
I’m having difficulty figuring something out, I have conflicting desires

I have been a practicing Catholic for 2 years, and was confirmed in 2008. Prior to that, I studied and obtained a M.Div from a Protestant seminary. It was my studies of Christianity and the history of the church that led me to Catholicism.

When I became Catholic, I thought that I would do a secular job for the rest of my life. I decided to enroll in nursing school.

I have developed an attraction to the religious life, to such groups as the Carmelites and the Cistercians. People have also said I would make a good priest, but I laughed that off. I have a hard time seeing myself in the married life, yet I have a desire to have a wife and children. Due to financial constraints, I’m not sure I can afford to date and find a wife right now.

None the less, my financial situation would probably keep me out of the religious life, because I have school loan debt. I am scared to consider becoming a priest because I’m not sure how I could finance going to seminary.

Are there ways that the Catholic church uses people’s skills (those of laypeople, for instance) like teaching or in my case, nursing, to do the work of the church? I am not sure how to find a spiritual director, because he could probably help me with this.

Any thoughts on how to look at the religious life, priesthood and if its for me, or how to use skills as a nurse to do aid in the work of the church?
 
JohnnyReb said:
I’m having difficulty figuring something out, I have conflicting desires

I have been a practicing Catholic for 2 years, and was confirmed in 2008. Prior to that, I studied and obtained a M.Div from a Protestant seminary. It was my studies of Christianity and the history of the church that led me to Catholicism.

When I became Catholic, I thought that I would do a secular job for the rest of my life. I decided to enroll in nursing school.

I have developed an attraction to the religious life, to such groups as the Carmelites and the Cistercians. People have also said I would make a good priest, but I laughed that off. I have a hard time seeing myself in the married life, yet I have a desire to have a wife and children. Due to financial constraints, I’m not sure I can afford to date and find a wife right now.

None the less, my financial situation would probably keep me out of the religious life, because I have school loan debt. I am scared to consider becoming a priest because I’m not sure how I could finance going to seminary.

Are there ways that the Catholic church uses people’s skills (those of laypeople, for instance) like teaching or in my case, nursing, to do the work of the church? I am not sure how to find a spiritual director, because he could probably help me with this.

Any thoughts on how to look at the religious life, priesthood and if its for me, or how to use skills as a nurse to do aid in the work of the church?
Click to expand...
Have you thought (consider you are a nurse) about becoming a brother ? or perhaps a permanent deacon? (Deacons perform many works of charity…which might put your nursing skills to use & Deacons can preach/teach)

Just an idea…
there are also lay theologians who teach ( ex: Peter Kreeft, Scott Hahn…)… thats a possible choice

Talk to your priest about it, pray about it , ask God to guide you in the right direction

Your brother in Christ,
Zachary
 
Hello. I just want to share something I read that reminds me of your question. It’s from Chapter 3 of Saint Francis de Sales book, Introduction to the Devoted Life.

“When God created the world He commanded each tree to bear fruit after its kind; even so He bids Christians - the living trees of His Church - to bring forth fruits of devotion, each one according to his kind and vocation. A different exercise of devotion is required of each - the noble, the artisan, the servant, the prince, the maiden, and the wife.”

So whatever you chose - be it religious life or nursing and raising a family - you will still have the opportunity to serve God as you do your work.

So not really an answer, but maybe it helps?
 
JohnnyReb said:
I’m having difficulty figuring something out, I have conflicting desires

I have been a practicing Catholic for 2 years, and was confirmed in 2008. Prior to that, I studied and obtained a M.Div from a Protestant seminary. It was my studies of Christianity and the history of the church that led me to Catholicism.

When I became Catholic, I thought that I would do a secular job for the rest of my life. I decided to enroll in nursing school.

I have developed an attraction to the religious life, to such groups as the Carmelites and the Cistercians. People have also said I would make a good priest, but I laughed that off. I have a hard time seeing myself in the married life, yet I have a desire to have a wife and children. Due to financial constraints, I’m not sure I can afford to date and find a wife right now.

None the less, my financial situation would probably keep me out of the religious life, because I have school loan debt. I am scared to consider becoming a priest because I’m not sure how I could finance going to seminary.

Are there ways that the Catholic church uses people’s skills (those of laypeople, for instance) like teaching or in my case, nursing, to do the work of the church? I am not sure how to find a spiritual director, because he could probably help me with this.

Any thoughts on how to look at the religious life, priesthood and if its for me, or how to use skills as a nurse to do aid in the work of the church?
Click to expand...
Go to your diocese and talk to the director of ministries. They may honor your M.Div. We had no catholic M.Div.program in our area and a M. Div.non-catholic program was accepted. for one person. M. Div’s are running parishes in some areas as Parish Life coordinators-where the priest has 2 or more parishes and becomes a Sacramental priest and does not run each parish that he serves. We already have one parish run by a deacon who is a family life coordinator.

good luck:thumbsup:
 
Thanks for the responses. I talked once with the director of vocations in my Diocese a year ago, but my life looks much different now than a year ago. I will drop him another e-mail. He left the door open with me to meet again, but I never took advantage of it. Maybe I should this time and present my concerns to him.
 
Dear Johnny,
Pasted below is a small exert from a website that may be of help to you. Since you feel drawn to the Carmelites and Cistercians, you might want to begin there by visiting communities to get a better feel for their way of life;
**Seven Practical Tips for Discernment **
The following are a few points that one might follow during the discernment process.


  1. *]Take action. Religious communities welcome discerning guests to stay with them. Make arrangements to visit certain communities for a short period of time (perhaps 4-6 days). They will provide you with food, shelter, water, shower, bathroom - in short, everything you need. All you need to bring is yourself, changes of clothes, and perhaps some work clothes.
    *]Repeat #1. If a man were to approach marriage in the same way that some people approach discerning religious life, then he would remain single all his life. He might read books about relationships, or research dating on the internet, but would never actually spend time with the woman he is to court, to get to know her personality, to see whether she is to be his future wife. In much the same way, discerning religious life requires more than reading or conducting research on the internet. The more exposure one has to religious communities, the better position they will be in to make an informed decision. At the very least, a person should grant the same amount of exposure to discerning a religious vocation, as was granted to past relationships. In the mean time, by pursuing this higher calling and making visits to various communities, a soul will begin to learn invaluable lessons in prayer, penance, and community life – for nowhere else on this earth is there a better training ground for prayer than in religious communities. The time spent visiting religious communities, if even a few days at a time, will be of great benefit to the soul, not only in its discernment, but for its spiritual growth as a whole. Thus it is a “win-win situation”, as it were.
    *]Consecrate yourself to the Blessed Virgin Mary, and ask Her to take you under Her maternal care. Saint Louis De Montfort stated that a soul that is a devoted child of Mary, is a soul that can easily and quickly attain the highest degrees of perfection possible. Ask Our Lady to take you by the hand on the path that brings the greatest glory to her Son. And do not be surprised when She does. Do not be surprised if, after having stormed heaven day and night for this purpose, begging all the hosts of angels and saints to inflame your heart with love for our Mother, you wake up one day and find your heart burning with a new love for Her, eager to be nailed to the cross out of love for Her.
    *]Avoid relationships with those of the opposite gender. At the very least, give primacy of place to time spent discerning religious life. Give the respect due to the higher calling. If God wants you to be married, then He will send the right person in due time, and you can be sure that it was His will, and not your own.
    *]Frequent the Sacraments. Go to confession often, and to daily Mass if possible. Also spend an hour in Eucharistic Adoration daily, if possible. It is unimaginable how many graces God grants a soul through Eucharistic Adoration. If it is within your capacity, also try to pattern your daily life closer to that of religious life. Spend time in prayer and spiritual reading when you awake, and before going to sleep. Mortify yourself, wake up early, and stay on your schedule. This in itself is a test of your vocation.
    *]Find a competent spiritual director, if possible. Do not trust your feelings, but allow God to direct you under the direction of a wise and learned priest, preferably one who has experience in religious life or ample training in mystical theology.
    *]Remember that there is no commitment. Even if you were to formally enter a community as a postulant, you do not take perpetual vows until 6-8 years into religious life. The postulancy and novitiate periods are considered times of ongoing discernment, and a person is free to leave at any point if they feel God calling them elsewhere.

    religious-vocation.com/discerning_religious_vocation.html

    .
 
Put the financial obligations aside for a moment. There are ways to take care of that. You must first discern the following:
  1. Do I have a call to the religious life?
  2. Do I have a call to Holy Orders?
They are not the same thing. A man can have a call to one or the other or to both. You will need to do two things.
  1. Get a spiritual director.
  2. Contact a recruiter, either for a diocese (if you do not have a call to the religious life) or for a religious community (if you do have a call to the religoius life).
Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
Francisan Brothers of Life
 
Thanks both of you for the last two posts. Very insightful. Thanks!
 
With your current situation it sounds like the Deacon life is for you. You can do alot as a deacon and still have a family. I agree with what Jreducation said before, you must dicide either religous or clergy(secular priest or deacon). There are both very diferent and you must decide which one is for you. This is why prayer is really important in this situation, If you do religous or clergy it will require alot of sacrafice and hard work. In your case you have debt and most orders require that you be free of debt. THere are special organizations out there than can help you with debt but you got to put some work in too. BTW it so great that you are considering serving God especialy with all the education you have! Most people will just cash in but you want to serve. God bless you and I will pray for your discernment.

Peace and Good will
 
JohnnyReb said:
Thanks both of you for the last two posts. Very insightful. Thanks!
Click to expand...
If you are in FL, we are starting a new community guided by Pope John Paul’s Evangelium Vitae following the Rule of St. Francis. We can always use good nurses.

Fraternally,

Br. JR, OSF 🙂
Franciscans of Life
 
Pace e Bene (Peace and Good) Johny !
We are a Catholic Comunity of Friars and Nuns (Sisters) who want to live ALL of the Gospel with the facts and in the Truth.
We also live with out wanting, asking or touching money, not that it’s bad to touch it as also the desciples had a safe keeping, but our hearts greatly desire to live also as Jesus says: “go with out bread, back pack, cane or money” (Cf. Mk 6, 7-8). We are also studying for priesthood.

Jesus say’s:
***“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat (or drink), or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? …] seek first the kingdom (of God) and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you” (cf. Mt 7,25. 33) ***

For what ever your Spiritual need be, with the Grace of God and within our limits, We are at your service !..
The Website we use is:
www.poorfriars.net

Best wishes of Holiness (Thes 4,3) and Beatific Immortality !
The Little Friars and Sisters V.V. of Jesus and Mary.
JohnnyReb said:
I’m having difficulty figuring something out, I have conflicting desires

I have been a practicing Catholic for 2 years, and was confirmed in 2008. Prior to that, I studied and obtained a M.Div from a Protestant seminary. It was my studies of Christianity and the history of the church that led me to Catholicism.

When I became Catholic, I thought that I would do a secular job for the rest of my life. I decided to enroll in nursing school.

I have developed an attraction to the religious life, to such groups as the Carmelites and the Cistercians. People have also said I would make a good priest, but I laughed that off. I have a hard time seeing myself in the married life, yet I have a desire to have a wife and children. Due to financial constraints, I’m not sure I can afford to date and find a wife right now.

None the less, my financial situation would probably keep me out of the religious life, because I have school loan debt. I am scared to consider becoming a priest because I’m not sure how I could finance going to seminary.

Are there ways that the Catholic church uses people’s skills (those of laypeople, for instance) like teaching or in my case, nursing, to do the work of the church? I am not sure how to find a spiritual director, because he could probably help me with this.

Any thoughts on how to look at the religious life, priesthood and if its for me, or how to use skills as a nurse to do aid in the work of the church?
Click to expand...
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top