What Local Support Did/would Have Helped You?

[andibc]

I'm involved in helping those discerning vocations in our area and have a few questions that will help us to do a better job. These questions are just about local help as there is already a great deal online in terms of general information.

I'm only asking a few questions here in order to keep the information organized, but will post another thread with more questions later.

1-Religious life or priesthood?

2-Which stage are you in? Considering, actively discerning, visiting communities, applying, accepted and waiting (note how much longer until entrance), discerned but on-hold for now.

3-What, if anything, would have helped you when you first started thinking about religious life/priesthood? Was the internet alone enough or would it have been helpful to have access to information in your church?

4-Is there a Serra Club in your area? If yes, did they help you? How? (This question can apply even if it was after the application process.)

I have more questions for those who have applied or are entering, but will ask them next week in another thread.

Incidentally, I'm a female (see profile). I mention this because a few months ago someone saw the andi as male nickname, but that is spelled andy.)

Edited September 21, 2012 by andibc

[OnlySunshine]

Hi andi! I think it's wonderful that you are working to provide help for those discerning as there seems to be a lack of resources, especially for those discerning religious vocations. My diocesan vocation office only promotes vocations to the priesthood and didn't know where to send me when I asked for help.

[i][b]1-Religious life or priesthood?[/b][/i]

[i]I am discerning a vocation to religious life -- specifically active/contemplative community life.[/i]

[b][i]2-Which stage are you in? Considering, actively discerning, visiting communities, applying, accepted and waiting (note how much longer until entrance), discerned but on-hold for now.[/i][/b]

[i]After discerning for a little over 4 years, I am currently in the post-psychological evaluation and application stage with my community. I hope to receive an answer as to whether or not I am accepted within the next few weeks after the Provincial Superior returns from the Motherhouse in Europe. I am currently in school right now, but I am hoping for a New Year's entrance in January or February, depending on whether the community wants me to wait or enter now.[/i]

3-[i][b]What, if anything, would have helped you when you first started thinking about religious life/priesthood? Was the internet alone enough or would it have been helpful to have access to information in your church?[/b][/i]

[i]It would have been much more helpful for me to have access to spiritual direction when I started discerning. I was with an inexperienced spiritual director for about 4-5 months but realized that I was moving nowhere and broke it off. There is a terrible shortage of spiritual direction in this diocese and I'm not the only one who has complained about it. I think parish priests need to be more prepared to answer questions about religious life or provide helpful literature that can motivate a discerner's interest.[/i]

[i][b]4-Is there a Serra Club in your area? If yes, did they help you? How? (This question can apply even if it was after the application process.)[/b][/i]

[i]There is not a Serra Club in my area. I wish there was but there is only the Knights of Columbus and I haven't contacted them for help.[/i]

[emmaberry]

I DID think you were a man. Please forgive me! You are right, the 'i' at the end of your name should have been a good enough hint, but obviously I am clueless. Thank you for helping those in your area discern their vocations. That is not an easy job and I am sure your local discerners really appreciate your help! I will respond to your accepted/entering thread as well when you post those questions.

1-Religious life or priesthood?

[b]Religious life[/b]

2-Which stage are you in? Considering, actively discerning, visiting communities, applying, accepted and waiting (note how much longer until entrance), discerned but on-hold for now.

[b]Accepted and waiting; three months and one week until approximate entrance date.[/b]

3-What, if anything, would have helped you when you first started thinking about religious life/priesthood? Was the internet alone enough or would it have been helpful to have access to information in your church?

[b]The internet was almost enough, but it was hard to cure the feeling of being 'the lone discerner' when you are looking at communities on the internet. Phatmass and Vocation Station are a great place for getting a 'community' vibe with other discerners on the net, but it would have been extremely encouraging to be able to meet other discerning people in my area in person.[/b]

4-Is there a Serra Club in your area? If yes, did they help you? How? (This question can apply even if it was after the application process.)

[b]If there is a Serra Club, I don't know about it! No, they did not help me. EDIT: I just checked Serra's website and they had a club at my university when I was there, but I did not know about that one either![/b]

[Cherie]

I am a former religious, but I'm answering here because support was extremely lacking and would have been very helpful during my discernment period.

[b]1-Religious life or priesthood?[/b]
Religious life (formerly)

[b]2-Which stage are you in? [/b]
Was a religious for 5 years

[b]3-What, if anything, would have helped you when you first started thinking about religious life/priesthood? Was the internet alone enough or would it have been helpful to have access to information in your church?[/b]
Internet was a big help, and it's how I found my previous community. However, I was very discouraged by the lack of support in my parish, Catholic high school, and even diocese (at that point in time). Even having some sort of "discerner's group" would have been helpful; something like that was gathered by the Vocation Director of our diocese in subsequent years after I entered. Thankfully I knew about religious and did a lot on my own, but I think even having religious give talks at the parish or offer some kind of discerning activities would have been helpful, and would have made it less of a "foreign" thing to people I knew who were discerning (and incidentally, may have helped other young people consider religious life or priesthood). I have some other thoughts on this, as well.

[b]4-Is there a Serra Club in your area? If yes, did they help you? How? (This question can apply even if it was after the application process.)[/b]
Yes, there is a Serra Club in our area. They did not help me specifically in entering, but after I entered they asked my mom to come give a talk about what my discernment/entering process was like and what it was like to be the parent of a religious.

[He is Risen!]

Hi there, I was a postulant and novice with a community and the thing that was really helpful to me before I entered was being someplace with opportunity for plenty of Eucharistic adoration. If that was not available, at least a church with the door unlocked during the daytime like our campus Newman center. The internet was helpful but really having the advice of a priest was the best thing for me. I'm sure there was a sierra club in our area but I think they mostly did things with future priests and not so much sisters (?) I know some sisters who have been helped along by the Knights of Columbus. (fundraisers for student debt, health insurance, etc).

[andibc]

Thank you for your replies. I'm going to interpret the lack of a responses as a sign that most people are getting help through the internet and that there isn't that much of a need for local support beyond what we are already doing. This has been helpful.

[Chiquitunga]

Wait, I'd like to add something! In reply to this question,

[b]What, if anything, would have helped you when you first started thinking about religious life/priesthood? Was the internet alone enough or would it have been helpful to have access to information in your church?[/b]

I have found some of the most helpful things to be outside the internet. The internet has a lot of information yes, but I don't think it is good to leave discerners relying on it completely, because it can also be overwhelming and incredibly distracting to discernment!!!

So things outside the internet that help a lot .. vocation retreats!!! I went on one sponsored by my diocese at the very early stages of my discernment and it was helpful, even though no one knew much about cloistered life there.. still it was good to have that time away for prayer and to talk with other religious. Nothing like the internet can replace that.

Okay, "nun run" trips are very good! I have been on two of these sponsored by two different dioceses and hey were very very helpful!

I know there are other things too .. let's see, Discernment Houses seem very very good! but there are only a very very few of these for women spread throughout the country .. the one in La Crosse I know of, and the new one in New Orleans. But there are also Discernment Groups in different dioceses and that I am sure are helpful too

I think also things like putting pamphlets in adoration chapels and parishes is still a good thing! Again, all of this is online .. but there is soo much of it that again, it can be overwhelming! Anyway, my two cents. God bless!

[ChristinaTherese]

[b]1-Religious life or priesthood?[/b] Religious life.

[b]2-Which stage are you in? Considering, actively discerning, visiting communities, applying, accepted and waiting (note how much longer until entrance), discerned but on-hold for now. [/b]Considering, although I'm not entirely sure where the line is between that and actively discerning and I would rather be in the latter stage than the former.

[b]3-What, if anything, would have helped you when you first started thinking about religious life/priesthood? Was the internet alone enough or would it have been helpful to have access to information in your church? [/b]I seem to be surviving with mostly the internet, but encouragement from others who actually see me face to face (both people I knew and people I didn't know) has been very good. I'd love it if I could find a list of contemplative communities inside of the diocese on the diocesan vocations page, but it doesn't seem to be there. I'd also really like the support of a group of discerners locally who I could actually see face to face, but I don't know if there is one locally. Vocation retreats might also be good, but again, I haven't known about any. So, in sum, it would probably be good to have access to people who have information about retreats and communities as well as a support group, and it would be great if these people would encourage young people even before they get up the courage to talk to anyone.

[b]4-Is there a Serra Club in your area? If yes, did they help you? How? (This question can apply even if it was after the application process.)[/b] I found that there is one online, but I know about very little locally and haven't heard about them except when I did a google search after seeing your question.

Edit: Oh, and nun runs sound really good. (Again, I don't know about any.... Maybe I should be less chicken though. Father may well know about things I don't know about.) One really annoying thing about the internet is that you end up finding communities all over the country and realizing that the ones that look really wonderful are on the other side of it and you don't have much spare money.

Edited September 27, 2012 by Christina Thérèse