After the Retreat:
Where do I go from here?
Here are a few suggestions for your continued discernment:
If you are feeling drawn to a particular religious congregation:
Spend
time with the Sisters, so that you will get to know them, and they will
get to know you.
Time spent getting to know each other is essential in helping both you and the congregation to decide whether or not this is a good "fit" for you.
Ask questions about their mission.
Ask yourself if you have the gifts needed for the life and the work of these
sisters.
If it seems that you don't, talk to the Sisters about it. It may be that they see in you gifts that you don't see, or that they don't view the gifts you lack as essential to their mission.
On the other hand, God may be calling you in a different direction.
Ask yourself if you feel at home with
these sisters.
Remember that you are not the only
one discerning your call. The religious congregation also must discern.
Pray every day.
Find an experienced spiritual director
to help you listen to how God is working in your heart.
If you do not have a particular congregation in mind:
Find
an experienced spiritual director to accompany you in your discernment.
Check out various congregations.
Visit the "Links to Explore" page.
Talk to Sisters in your area or from congregations whose mission attracts you. Ask questions about their life and their mission.
(You could also e-mail one of the sisters on our Contact page. Please let her know that you are writing from Vocation Quest.)
Call the vocation director for your diocese.
Pray every day.
Always remember that, as
a living work of art, you are in process! Don't expect to be complete
any time soon! Trust that God's Spirit is working in you.
Information on Religious Orders
