VOCATIONS – new - Sisters of Life

“The Sisters can give Christ because they have Christ. They have Christ because they love Christ, because they are consecrated to Christ and Christ is consecrated to them.”
John Cardinal O’ConnorFounder of the Sisters of Life

Vocational Information

What is a vocation?

A vocation is an avenue of grace where we are called to receive and give the love of God in our daily life. The word “vocation” comes from the Latin word vocare meaning, “to call.” Our lifelong foundational vocation is to grow in our identity as a daughter.

Your vocation is a gift meant to be received and gives shape to how your heart is created to love and be loved. Responding to a vocational call is living out the fullness of how God has made you to love. A good question to pray with when pondering your vocation is: Lord, how have you made my heart to love?

What is Religious Consecration?

“This is the meaning of the call to the consecrated life: it is an initiative coming wholly from the Father (cf. Jn 15:16), who asks those whom he has chosen to respond with complete and exclusive devotion. The experience of this gracious love of God is so deep and so powerful that the person called senses the need to respond by unconditionally dedicating his or her life to God.” (Vita Consecrata 17)

While all of the baptized are called to a life of holiness, God calls some to be consecrated totally to Him through the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience. Religious consecration is a deepening of our baptismal consecration.

“God calls a person whom He sets apart for a particular dedication to Himself. At the same time, He offers the grace to respond so that consecration is expressed on the human side by a profound and free self-surrender. The resulting relationship is pure gift. It is a covenant… established for God’s glory, the joy of the person consecrated and the salvation of the world.” (Essential Elements 5)

What are things I can do to dispose my heart to discern God’s will?

“It is he who first seeks us and asks us for a drink. Jesus thirsts; his asking arises from the depths of God’s desire for us. Whether we realize it or not, prayer is the encounter of God’s thirst with ours. God thirsts that we may thirst for him.” (CCC 2560)

Times of silence and prayer every day are essential to any journey of growing in divine intimacy and hearing the voice of God.

“We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be able to touch souls.” -St. Teresa of Calcutta

Growing in attentiveness to the work of the Spirit.
Spiritual reading to nourish the heart and soul.
Spiritual Direction with a trusted guide for intentional accompaniment. For example, with a priest, religious or trained lay mentor. You are not meant to be alone on your journey of discernment.

Helpful videos to watch:

What does Discernment

with the Sisters of Life look like?

Through the Charism of Life and our vow to protect and enhance the sacredness of all life, we reverence your unique journey of faith and walk with the Lord. Each heart is beautiful and an icon of the living God. You are good and your love is good, meant to be shared in the fullness of life that God is calling you to.

We have found that those who are ready to discern with our community:

are 18 years of age and above
are spending time with the Lord in daily, silent prayer
are in good health physically, mentally and emotionally
have lived a vibrant sacramental life in the Catholic Church for at least 2-3 years after conversion to the Church or reversion back to the Church
For recent converts, we require a waiting period of 3 years after entering the Catholic Church before beginning the process of discernment to deeply live the graces of a sacramental life.
have experienced living in freedom from addictions for 2-3 years.

The best way to begin is to fill out the vocational inquiry form in order for the Vocation Director to be able to pray about the best way for us to accompany you on your journey of discernment.

VOCATIONAL INQUIRY FORM

“I say to you dear young people: Do not be afraid of Christ! He takes nothing away and he gives you everything. When we give ourselves to him, we receive a hundredfold in return. Yes, open, open wide the doors to Christ- and you will find true life.”
Pope Benedict XVI

Pray with us

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