Discernment
Christ is Asking permission
to use your life for the salvation of the world!
Discerning with the St. Mary Sisters
The divine invitation respects human freedom and elicits a personal and wholehearted response.
Gazing with a loving look into the secret recesses of the heart (Redemptionis Donum, 3), Jesus calls whom He wills to “be with Him” (Mark 3:14) in an intimate and radical manner through the gift of a religious vocation. This divine invitation respects human freedom (Code of Canon Law, 219) and elicits from the one called a personal response of wholehearted surrender after the likeness of the fiat of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
steps for Discernment
Intentional Prayer Life – In order to be able to more clearly hear the voice of Christ and what He wills for you, one must desire and live out a rigorous daily prayer life conversing heart to heart with Him.
Faithful Sacramental Life – The Sacraments, particularly the Mass and regular Confession, are a fount of grace essential to fruitful discernment.
Spiritual Reading – Deepening your prayer life is not possible without regular rich spiritual reading, especially books on vocational discernment.
Some Book Recommendations
And Mary’s ‘Yes’ Continues – by Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist (2017) And Mary’s ‘Yes’ Continues Afresh – by Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist (2022) Called by God: Discernment and Preparation for Religious Life – by Rachel Marie Collins Discerning Religious Life – by Mother Clare Matthiass, CFR Paths of Love: The Discernment of Vocation According to the Teaching of Aquinas, Ignatius, and Pope John Paul II – by Joseph Bolin Religious Life: A Living Liturgy – by Fr. Paul Hinnebusch, OP Religious Vocation: An Unnecessary Mystery – by Fr. Richard Butler, OP
Church Documents On religious Life
Lumen Gentium, Chapter VI: Religious LIfe – Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (1964) Perfectae Caritatis – Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life (1965) Essential Elements in the Church’s Teaching on Religious Life (1983) Vita Consecrata – St. John Paul II (1996)
Discernment
Some practical pointers on how to discern a vocation to religious life.
Making Contact with the Sisters
Initial Inquiry – Send an introductory email to the Vocation Mistress at vocations@stmarysisters.org telling her about your interest in the community. First Conversation – After the initial email, the Vocation Mistress will reach out to you to schedule a time to talk about your discernment. Come for a Visit – After speaking with the Vocation Mistress, you may be invited to come for a long weekend visit at the convent in Bismarck, North Dakota. Application – If there is a mutual recognition that the St. Mary Sisters are a good fit, the application process may begin. This involves multiple and various steps which assess the applicant’s spiritual, physical, intellectual, and emotional aptitude for the rigorous life of a teaching woman religious. Prepare to Enter – In the joy of being accepted, the young woman is given guidance from the community as to what she needs to do to be ready to enter the St. Mary Sisters.
Possible Hurdles in Entering the ST. Mary Sisters
A recent dating relationship (within the past year)
Any financial debts
Major medical issues
Severe allergies
Age limitations (18-30)