those discerning vocations, let's hear from you!

[strugglingalong]

I am starting to discern again after a long period of thinking God was calling me to the married state of life. I am going to be 31 in November and had discerned about priesthood and/or religious life in the past. It’s coming up again because the more I grow in my spiritual life, the more I am drawn to the priesthood and/or religious life. Also because I find myself unattracted to life in the world and very much attracted to a life whereby everything is given to God. I’ve always been drawn to celibacy, poverty, obedience. My main love is theology so that fits in with it too. I have a great desire to serve Christ and His Church.

There’s a lot of barriers and things in the way. Honestly, I think that the past years have been satan keeping me from God’s will - not because I am something special but because satan always tries to keep us from what God has for us to do. I think that repeated failures and lukewarmness were part of it. St. Faustina recalls in her dairy how when she had given up the hope of entering the convent that she gave herself over to worldly things. I understand all too well. Because of my habitual mortal sins I had given up on a vocation to the priesthood or religious life (and I am still wary of the idea to some degree) but I think part of giving in to them was giving up on God’s will too. In addition I think I tried to make the married state God’s will for me but found no peace in it. I tried but I don’t think it is God’s will for me, oddly enough.

My plan is to now take the next few years - however long it may take in God’s will for me - and prepare myself for my vocation, whatever it may be. If it’s to be a priest, blessed be God. If it’s to be a religious, blessed be God. If it’s to be married or something else, blessed be God. Also I need the time to work on my debts and things. I just want to be God’s and whatever His will is for me will be the best place and way to do that.

So that’s my story. I’m discerning. I’d love to be a priest or religious and am very drawn to it but I want whatever God wants for me. May I be the least in His kingdom but wholly His own. May we all know and follow His will for us in all things.

Pax Christi tecum.

 

[JohnnyReb]

Mine is a little weird(Imho). I started out planning on being a S. Baptist Minister/History teacher, and more or less had all my life planned out. But the more I understood about Baptist doctrine, I knew, I couldn’t do it, but I still felt the call. Well, it was my freshmen year of H.S. when our the school librarian, who knew I was looking into different Churchs said something to me. We were talking and she gave me this really weird look and she said, “Joel…you would make a wonderful Priest.” My very first thought was, “Oh…so you don’t think I’d be a good Dad or something…” I was kinda offended. Well, a few days later she asked me to midnight mass, and I, nicely, turned her down.

I then got to reading more on the Catholic Church and I realized, yeah, the Catholic Church is for me. But I also thought, well, I could never be a Priest, so I kinda gave up that idea. But as I was joining, I kept having people tell me they could see me as a Priest, and people kept telling me to pray about it, Well, for a while, I didn’t. But after I joined, I did, and it just kinda hit me…maybe I am being called, even if that means my life wont be liked I planned it to be. But hey, tis better to follow what God wants, not yourself. So I hope to start seminary within the next year.

Pray for me!!

My story is similar to yours except I discoved the Catholic church while in Protestant seminary, I converted after I graduated. I had a Catholic relative ask me if I had considered the priesthood. I said nicely, please don’t go there, I to become Catholic and then I will see where God will lead me. I am discerning a vocation to the priesthood or the religious life. Its a long process, but right now I feel a stronger pull towards the priesthood, but we will see. I cannot rule out the religious life either.
stugglingalong:

My plan is to now take the next few years - however long it may take in God’s will for me - and prepare myself for my vocation, whatever it may be. If it’s to be a priest, blessed be God. If it’s to be a religious, blessed be God. If it’s to be married or something else, blessed be God. Also I need the time to work on my debts and things. I just want to be God’s and whatever His will is for me will be the best place and way to do that.

You have a great attitude. It is all about God’s will, regardless if your vocation is to the priesthood, religious or marriage. I cannot accept any of these for myself, and I do believe there will be signs in our life that point to our vocation in any of these areas. I will even be happy with marriage if it is God’s will, but right now, I do not see any signs that it is, but I could be missing them too!

 

[strugglingalong]

I will even be happy with marriage if it is God’s will, but right now, I do not see any signs that it is, but I could be missing them too!

Yes, I understand. For the last few years I tried to make married be for me. I said, “It must be God’s will for me.” I never had any peace. It never seemed right or to fit. My desire was always for something more austere, somewhere to give myself without reserve to God, and I longed for something more. So I’m more open to it now and actually thinking God’s will is either priesthood or religious life because of what I’ve experienced and signs too. But I think our main goal has to be to please Him and love Him more, wherever He asks us to do that.

Pax Christi tecum.

 

[lpp]

For the past year and a half I have been praying about a call I believe is leading me to the sisterhood…at first it was terrifying because I desperately want to be a wife and mother. In fact, it was so terrifying that I lost my faith for almost the first year of it. However, as God began to call me back and give me my own miracles to hold onto, the calling has become less and less frightening…to the point that sometimes I truly desire to commit myself to it. I still want to be a wife and mother first, but right now I have decided that I’m going to wait and pray on it (I’m only in high school, so I have a while to be sure) I already know that, should I not be married by a certain time in my life, I will join the sisterhood. If God doesn’t have me marry before then, it is only good that I should marry the church. Right now, I am still not sure where God is leading me, but I’m trusting in Him and putting it all in His hands. Please pray for me in this journey

In Him,
Brittany

I also have similar experiences. I’ve also decided that if I am not in a religious life or in the process of one by 35, I will work toward marriage (which I absolutely don’t want) or a single life.

 

[JesusSaves17]

I also have similar experiences. I’ve also decided that if I am not in a religious life or in the process of one by 35, I will work toward marriage (which I absolutely don’t want) or a single life.

I’m no expert, but that doesn’t sound like the best of attitudes, maybe you didn’t mean it like that. It sounds like you’ll force yourself to get married only after age 35, but you don’t want to. I’d think that if that is God’s will for you, then you’d actually have some desire to do that, not just a desire to please God, but a desire to actually be married. You say you absolutely don’t want that, so it doesn’t seem like God would call you to do that. Could you ever tell your wife “I absolutely didn’t want to get married, but the religious life didn’t work out.” She’d feel pretty crushed. Good luck with your discernment.

 

[lpp]

I have no intention of getting marry, not now and not in the future. However if it is God’s will then I will follow it, whatever His will is, I will follow. I have had this thought since elementary school and it is still going strong. The desire to be closer to God has increased tremendously the last 2 to 3 years by the way of a religious life. It may not have sound like the best of attitude, but it is how I feel and I am leaving it all up to God to take me where He wants me on His own terms and not mine.

 

[Nick9]

I am leaving it all up to God to take me where He wants me on His own terms and not mine.

Are you convinced that God will take you where He wants you to be? I am hoping this for myself. My parish priest suggested that I “lay a fleece”, like Gideon did, to see what God’s will is for me. I laid two for each of priesthood, religious life and marriage and all came out negative. The only positive result was for God leading me ***somewhere ***in the future. I only did this because my PP suggested it during Confession and I took it as from the Lord. Was it putting God to the test? I am not sure, but I did it in good faith.

 

[lpp]

I don’t see why believing and having faith in God to lead you to where He wants you to go in life is testing Him. I ask God out of my own free will to lead me in this life on earth. I sin and I don’t always do things that pleases Him or keep His commandments, but I am trying and praying that He will grant me the permission to do His will on His own terms and not mine.

 

[Nick9]

I don’t see why believing and having faith in God to lead you to where He wants you to go in life is testing Him. I ask God out of my own free will to lead me in this life on earth. I sin and I don’t always do things that pleases Him or keep His commandments, but I am trying and praying that He will grant me the permission to do His will on His own terms and not mine.

I didn’t mean that you were testing God, I was referring to myself in laying the fleece. I have the same attitude as you, in hoping that God will lead me and, in a way, that He will take the initiative. I am so tired of looking. I have considered most paths, but nothing has seemed right yet.

 

[GilChrist77]

This is for both Nick and Ipp.
I know right now it may seem like you have no idea where God wants you but God will let you know where He wants you. He will never just leave you hanging. So you have to trust in Him and He will lead you.

God bless
~Betsy

 

[Nick9]

This is for both Nick and Ipp.
I know right now it may seem like you have no idea where God wants you but God will let you know where He wants you. He will never just leave you hanging. So you have to trust in Him and He will lead you.

God bless
~Betsy

thanks Betsy. I am trying to trust that God will indeed lead me into His will. Until then I am just trying to follow His promptings in the little day to day things. **Trust **does seem to be the key to finding God’s will, otherwise fear can make us draw back when opportunities arise. Also, if I don’t trust I may not persevere in the search. I asked the Lord to speak to me a couple of weekend Masses ago and the reading was about stepping out on the water. This is one of several signs I have received about the need to trust the Lord. I think the latter sign was to prepare me for leading a group which I was a bit nervous about and which in the end went very well indeed. Thanks be to God

 

[toknowservelove]

My SD suggested I do this, and afterwards I felt that it was the way I had “laid down a fleece”. It really helped me in my discernment.

You will need magazines, two pieces of poster board, scissors, tape and/or glue. I also put a Miraculous medal and a St. Benedict medal on each poster, but it’s optional.

First, go through the magazines and cut out any pictures that speak to you of vocation. I also downloaded a few pictures off the internet that I knew spoke to me. They don’t have to be “religious” pictures.

Next, arrange them into two piles, depending on what you are discerning. Maybe it’s two different communities, maybe it’s active/contemplative. Maybe it’s religious/marriage. It is best to keep it to two options.

Then make two collages. One for each option.

Finally, spend at least two weeks praying before them. Write down thoughts as they come to you either in a notebook, or right on the poster board. You can pray with both posters together or alternate.

I would pray the rosary with each poster, and after each decade I’d write down thoughts. What surprised me the most was that it turned out to be neither option, but something that took what I liked best from each one! Isn’t God awesome!

My SD suggested this as a way to stop over analyzing and get in touch with my heart. It really worked, so I hope some of you might try it and discuss it with your SD.

 

[rgriego10]

I am 49 years young, and will begin the discernment process with a spiritual director, on becoming a sister. :nun2: First, I went through a personal discernment process to decide if I should go through the discernment process! I was widowed 13 years ago and have two beautiful and independent daughters (24 and 28). Although I thought about becoming a sister when I was very young, I did not believe it was a calling. After my husband passed away, I looked back on our life together and realized that although I looked to my husband for support and guidance, it was the truly the Lord working through my husband to provide for us. It was then that I fell in love with Jesus. Before that, I expressed all of my joys and fears to my husband and leaned on him for the support and guidance. It took my husband’s death to show me that Jesus is the ONE that will support and guide me and now He is the ONE that I share my joys and fears with. :extrahappy:
The one question that I pondered, over and over, was regarding my daughters and that is only because the secular world can give me fears about it. I’ve heard, “What about when you have grandchildren?” “Don’t you want to babysit for your grandkids?” or “Can you leave your family like that?” Then I went to speak to a priest about it and he told me what I had told myself everytime the guilt tried to seep in; “What do you have to be guilty of?” My daughters and I have a very special bond and we love each other very much, but they don’t have to call me everyday, nor do I have to call them everyday, but we do talk at least once a week. They lead successful and independent lives and our relationship will never change except that our love can grow stronger. I do not feel guilty about the possibility of entering the sisterhood; I feel blessed to be able to serve God in everything I do. Blessings to all who read this.

 

[gospachild]

I’ve recently been divorced by my husband after many years of abuse. The priests I sought direction from advised me to get out of the situation, which was very hard for me because in spite of dangerous health and safety issues, I thought it was for better or worse and that it was my cross.
Well, after leaving the situation, he filed, which I feel was a blessing.
Anyway, I’m only starting the annulment procedures.
I know of some wonderful people in a lay Catholic community and had been interested in that for years, but lately, thoughts of becoming a nun have been becoming more and more freguent,.
I have been blessed with wonderful friends, we call each other “soul sisters”.
They are very deep in their faith, and we’ve spoke about orders that take older woman.
Well, right now I’ve been selling my possesions, giving things away, paying off debt, then I pray to follow the Lord where ever He leads me.
I KNOW He has a plan for me. I also know a lot of times we learn on a need to know basis.
Please keep me in your prayers, I want what the Lord wants. I have been feeling much more at peace in my life :heaven:
It is so wonderful to read the posts and know that God is calling and drawing more into the religous life.

 

[rgriego10]

What a blessing to have “Soul Sisters”! Have you thought about a specific order? I already feel a kinship with the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. It is amazing how everything I find out about them solidifies that discernment is the way to go. I want to do the Lord’s will.

 

[poor_sinner_1]

I’ve been discerning for the past year or so. I’m considering a vocation to priesthood, serving in either a diocese or a traditional order such as the FSSP. (I’m torn about the prospect of joining an order because I know that many American dioceses are in dire need of priests.) So far I’m not ready for making any commitments, but I feel like I may need to make a decision within the next year. And then there’s always college to keep me busy!

• V

I hear you brother, I’m torn between a Traditional Discalced Carmelite monastary in Wyoming, the English Province of the Order of Preachers and the Diocisan priesthood in my home and native Diocese which is hemmoraging priests and is relies hevially on retried andreligious priests to keep it going as well as nearly a fitfh of them being former anglican ministers, I believe that even our last Bishop who is officially retired has his own Parish.

 

[Sister_Helena]

I’m curious, does anybody know of the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm? Is there anyone interested in the care of the elderly?

 

[littleladysadie]

I want to say that I am greatly inspired and heartened by the beautiful vocations expressed here. I pray for vocations almost constantly, and sometimes feel very sad because it seems so many people never find the love that Christ offers. Jesus has given me so many blessings, and the gift of a vocation beyond my greatest dreams, it seems only right that others should have the graces that He has bestowed on my unworthy person.

Where do I begin? I first became enlightened with the idea of a religious vocation at eight years old. I was a poor reader, but when I picked up some saint books I began to read them rapidly, drinking in the stories of heroism and holiness. I was infatuated with the idea of sainthood, and considered it the highest possible ambition. To me, at that age, nuns were beautiful, happy, and good… and I wanted it so badly.

I will not bore you with the story of my life, so I will fast forward a bit. At thirteen I visited a Poor Clare Monastery in Barhamsville, VA. I was very wary of them because I was traditional, and they had the “Novus Ordo” Mass. But while I was there I discovered that the religious life was everything I thought it would be, and more. My eyes opened to the mystery of a vocation, and I had my first sensation of the great unifying love of the Trinity.

After this visit I began to visit a Benedictine Monastery nearer to where I live. Last year I went through a period of very, very intense longing. I felt as if my heart were breaking because it seemed that Jesus did not want me… I told Him that I would marry and remain in the world if it was His will, for love of Him. I was a sophomore in highschool at that time, and began immediately to take courses at a community college to show Jesus I was willing to lead that life.

During a retreat with the Dominicans of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, I came to the understanding that Jesus really wants me, that my dream to be a nun is also His will, and that it will come true. I was so happy! I returned to the Benedictine Monastery and decided that I was willing to enter it after college. But what about the Poor Clares? I had to clear this up first, so I returned to the Poor Clare Monastery.

My first day at the monastery I saw their poverty and austerity and was utterly convinced it was not for me. However, the next few days were agonizing. I shook and burned and cried… I couldn’t concentrate, and was fearful and nervous. While sitting in Adoration my third or fourth day there, I felt peace, and Jesus revealed my vocation to me. I will be entering the Poor Clares at Barhamsville, VA in less than a year’s time. You can read more of my vocation story here, if it interests you to do so, since I do not wish to speak excessively.

While I long to live a hidden and contemplative life, God has given me a gift for writing. Therefore I am keeping a discernment blog to help others, like yourselves, find their vocations and realize Jesus’ love for them. I have such a deep love for my fellow discerners that I value their vocations deeply, perhaps more deeply than my own.

Thank you all for sharing your wonderful stories! I must say I am most inspired by you converts who are considering the priesthood. God bless and protect you, and may you find purpose and love with Him.

Through the Holy Trinity,
Sadie​

Please visit my discernment blog: Seeking A Vocation.

 

[Biedrik]

Ever since I was 11 the idea of becoming a priest was bouncing around my head. I loved the idea, and I also knew that now was a time when all men being called were needed due to the huge lack of priests. The fact that one of the churches in my town nearly was closed because of this made it a reality to me. I also wanted to bring a lot more emotion and traditionalism than I saw at mass where I go to church. People are rarely enthusiastic, nor do they usually understand many of the beliefs of the church. And while I do not wish to slander the priests at my parish, I must admit that they sadly do not go beyond saying “yeah…just be good and have faith” in their homilies. I cannot remember a time when they took a strong stand against something like abortion or homosexuality. All this made me want to join the priesthood even more, so that I could try to counter this.

Now, this urge was running around my head for some time, and when I was 15 I admitted to my mother that I was thinking about it. She is strongly anti-Catholic, and she did her best to discourage me. Sadly, it worked and I put the idea away for several years.

Now I am 18 years old, and thinking about it again. I definitely think that God is calling me to be a priest, I just do not know where he wishes me to serve, be it as a diocesan priest, or in an order. While I feel a bit of a pull towards being a diocesan priest, I am still not sure, so I pray daily for guidance in this matter. I will be going to a normal college for a year while I try to discern my path, but I think that by 2011, I shall be trying to find my way into a seminary.

 

[tbtcom1213]

I am a Catholic Christian man discerning the call to the diocesan priesthood; I have always thought about this ever since my reversion to the one holy and apostolic church. In my pre adolescent years I didn’t have much faith in Santa Romana Ecclesia because my immediate family wasn’t into Catholicism as they had been in my early years. My mom was a Baptist because of my aunt and my father was a non practicing Buddhist. The fact that the family was split up didn’t help much. Since the separation of my parents I ended up going to Baptist Church with my mom and aunt alternately. The extended family members who were Catholic weren’t good role models of the faith.

I always felt something was missing. I may have always had faith in Jesus but something was not right. Eventually God led me back to his one true Church. After catechesis I began to partake in the sacraments of Confession and the Holy Eucharist frequently. As I learned more and more about the faith my eyes were opened and I was just amazed.

One thing led to another and now I serve the Traditional Latin Mass thanks to the invitation of a kind Pastor. That same priest is also helping me discern my vocation as well as receiving the Sacrament of Confirmation. My current plan for now is to first receive Confirmation, keep talking with my Pastor, finish college and then enter seminary God willing.

Please pray for me and for other men and women discerning a vocation to a life in the service of the Lord. Pray also for men and women who are called to the married life that they will be faithful to each other and will cultivate their children in faithful service to God and his Church Amen.