Where Are You In Your Religious Discernment?

[Talithacum]

I just started discerning my call to religious life. I have heard His voice a couple times over the years in adoration and life, but have never really accepted the call, and I am now starting to accept where He is leading me. As I just started the process of discerning my call a month or so ago, after a novena to St. Therese and many answered prayers, I am still getting used to the idea of living my life all for God. I am currently finishing my first semester of college, and think I want to finish out all four years of college before entering because I also feel called to teach in some sort of way. This is why I love looking at communities that are active and involved in education in any sort of way. I have not yet been able to narrow it down to a few communities since school is been so busy that I have not yet had time to visit any local communities. I am hoping over my month long Christmas break to be able to visit a few communities.  Any prayers and advice will be wonderful. :nun1:

[the171]

Well. I'm applying. But I'm still discerning. The goal is to always have a heart open. I suck at it, but grace.

[brandelynmarie]

Me too, the171, me too. :blush:

[ToJesusMyHeart]

Exciting! My best advice is try not to think too much about it. You'll only drive yourself crazy. Maybe now would be a good time to pick up a new hobby, knitting perhaps?

 

Lol college is my hobby. Free time is a vanishing wind, much to my dismay. 

[Eowyn]

Well. I'm applying. But I'm still discerning. The goal is to always have a heart open. I smell of elderberries at it, but grace.

 

 

Grace is what does it for all of us. :) :) :)

[Spem in alium]

I am entering February 7th 2014 to the Poor Clare Monastery in Barhamsville VA.

 

Congratulations!  What wonderful news to come home to  :nun3:

 

As an aside, my final paperwork after a year of formation will be submitted on Friday.  It goes to the Order of Malta headquarters in Washington, D.C. for their approval, and then on to Rome for final approval.  God willing, I will be invested as a Dame of Malta next October (yes, when dealing with Rome, things move rather slowly),  Please pray that all goes well and that my service work to the poor and for the defense of the Faith will be accepted without any problems.  Then we'll have another "Dame" on the board!

 

So excited for you!!!

I have just been accepted as a postulant, so am currently in my year of formation and will hopefully be invested as a Donat. It's such a beautiful time!

[VeniJesuAmorMi]

Its nice to see updates! :) Prayers for everyone discerning and those in the application stage waiting. This time certainly calls for patience and trust; so hopefully that is what we'll have.

 

My application is now complete. I finished my few pages of questions and my autobiography. I will be getting my recommendation today. I got my doctor work done yesterday and he said he should be able to send the letter out in 1-2 days so hopefully that means today. I also found out yesterday that the priest I asked for a recommendation is going to write a letter recommending me to Carmel. This was a great relief because he is the only one who knows me well enough to do this for me. I was hoping that I would be able to receive everything and send it all together, but I am just so thankful that everything got done. I'll be sending most of the application out tomorrow and now Mother will just have to wait for the doctors report and my priest recommendation. I am hoping she will receive these in less than two weeks. How wonderful is Our Lord in all His faithfulness.

 

In your charity, please keep me in prayer. Once Mother does have everything the Chapter will review the application and they will have a vote. I don't know when I will hear back from her. My guess estimate is by mid December. I am hoping in His Mercy that I will get an acceptance letter and be able to enter shortly after Christmas. I talked about this with Mother already and there didn't seem to be any issue with early January. This will be quite a waiting time for me, but I hope all the while to be the way I should be. Thank you all so much for those prayers! :)

Edited November 22, 2013 by VeniJesuAmorMi

[domenica_therese]

Once Mother does have everything the Chapter will review the application and they will have a vote. I don't know when I will hear back from her. My guess estimate is by mid December. I am hoping in His Mercy that I will get an acceptance letter and be able to enter shortly after Christmas. I talked about this with Mother already and there didn't seem to be any issue with early January. This will be quite a waiting time for me, but I hope all the while to be the way I should be. Thank you all so much for those prayers! :)

 

Well as someone who finished applying in June, heard back in September, and won't enter until August, I'd consider that wait to be pretty short! Haha! But all is made longer by anticipation. :)

It's beautiful how God works with each of our hearts according to their nature. Hearing for sure and then entering in such short order would be a very significant leap of trust for me, and hard on my family.

[Feankie]

I have just been accepted as a postulant, so am currently in my year of formation and will hopefully be invested as a Donat. It's such a beautiful time!

 

Congratulations!  The year of formation is a beautiful time of self-giving to the needs of others  and sets the stage for service for a lifetime.  My husband and I just returned from the Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre' in Quebec, which is called the Lourdes of North America.  Lots of discarded canes, crutches, braces, etc. It was a reminder of the beautiful miracles of Lourdes, the physical healings as well as the spiritual healings.  Let me know how your formation year is going.....mine seemed to end too quickly!  Now on to the increased defense of the Faith and the service to the sick and needy that is The Order of Malta's reason for existence.

 

[Spem in alium]

I have just been accepted as a postulant, so am currently in my year of formation and will hopefully be invested as a Donat. It's such a beautiful time!

 

Congratulations!  The year of formation is a beautiful time of self-giving to the needs of others  and sets the stage for service for a lifetime.  My husband and I just returned from the Shrine of St. Anne de Beaupre' in Quebec, which is called the Lourdes of North America.  Lots of discarded canes, crutches, braces, etc. It was a reminder of the beautiful miracles of Lourdes, the physical healings as well as the spiritual healings.  Let me know how your formation year is going.....mine seemed to end too quickly!  Now on to the increased defense of the Faith and the service to the sick and needy that is The Order of Malta's reason for existence.

Thank you! I am really loving getting more involved in the Order's activities with Defence of the Faith and service of the poor. Have you ever made the trip to Lourdes? I hope to do so one day. Your trip to Quebec sounds like it would have been amazing. I will definitely let you know - it's so nice to know that there's someone on Phatmass who is a Member of the Order! :)

[VeniJesuAmorMi]

Well as someone who finished applying in June, heard back in September, and won't enter until August, I'd consider that wait to be pretty short! Haha! But all is made longer by anticipation. :)

It's beautiful how God works with each of our hearts according to their nature. Hearing for sure and then entering in such short order would be a very significant leap of trust for me, and hard on my family.

 

I think you really just said it, that it is all God's work. :)

 

I notice a big difference in myself and my family about entering this time. I had entered religious life before and it was hard on my family, and I wasn't prepared to go either. The obstacles and trials over the past year during my discernment and the perseverance Our Lord gave to me through everything have made my family see that this is for me and they have the joy of thinking about the time when I will be able to go, and not be so sad about it. My dad is now going through R.C.I.A this year and will be Confirmed Easter next year. I think my eagerness for desiring entrance so soon comes from these experiences I've had to go through and now to be given this chance. I have to give mention also to His mercy and grace in my life and how my gratitude and remembrance of all of this stirs up an anxious longing to give Him everything in this life of sacrifice. I was listening to a homily for today's Gospel reading about the poor widow who gave all that she had. Father was mentioning that because she loved Our Lord she gave him everything with the faith and trust that He would provide for all her needs. It struck me because this has been my thought recently about entering; that my heart and will are in this completely and that He is going to provide for all I need to live this way of life and be the way I should be. Its a beautiful thing to be aware of everything He does in our lives, within us, and how everything comes together. All in His time.

 

Are you entering next August? I wasn't sure if I was reading your post right about that. Either way I will pray for your journey and intentions!

 

I sent out my application on Saturday (two day shipping! :)) and so it should arrive there today. The only things Mother has to wait for now is the doctor report and the priest recommendation. I heard from the priest that is writing my recommendation and he is sending it to the Monastery today. So I'm hopeful she'll receive that later this week or early next week, and hopefully along with the doctor letter.

 

Thank you all so much for your prayers! I really can't attribute anything to myself for everything that has been happening, but to the prayers of others and His grace, so thanks again!

[domenica_therese]

 

Are you entering next August? I wasn't sure if I was reading your post right about that. Either way I will pray for your journey and intentions!

 

 

Well, next August as in August 2014. :) I graduate in May, and then I'll have the summer to prepare and be with my family, so the timing is really very good.

 

Thank you for your prayers, you will be in mine as well, especially in these next couple of weeks which I'm sure -- though joyful -- will also come with their share of stresses.

[ToJesusMyHeart]

I will be getting my letter of either acceptance or not this coming week. I also have a flight booked to go visit them for a week on Dec. 12th...so if I don't get accepted that trip will be just a wee bit awkward. 

 

Fiat mihi! 

[OnlySunshine]

I will be getting my letter of either acceptance or not this coming week. I also have a flight booked to go visit them for a week on Dec. 12th...so if I don't get accepted that trip will be just a wee bit awkward. 

 

Fiat mihi! 

 

I'm praying for you!  I have faith!  ;)

[Feankie]

I will be getting my letter of either acceptance or not this coming week. I also have a flight booked to go visit them for a week on Dec. 12th...so if I don't get accepted that trip will be just a wee bit awkward. 

 

Prayers are ascending!