What brings you joy?
There are a variety of things that can bring us joy. What sparks joy in you and brings a smile to your face when you do it? Maybe it is spending time with friends and family, spending time in nature, doing a favorite hobby, spending time in prayer, and learning about our Catholic faith. I invite you to ask yourself, “What is it that brings me the deepest joy?”
Perhaps God is inviting you to use your gifts and talents to serve the Church in our world today. He may even help you discover new gifts and talents along the way.
How do you know if you are called to a Religious Vocation?
Some Inner Signs
- You feel restless about your life.
- While you may be generally content, you sense something is missing or that you want more and that more is not material goods nor success nor fame.
- You feel drawn to share yourself and your talents for a greater good.
- The idea of becoming a nun keeps coming back and won’t leave you alone; it haunts you.
Some Outward Signs
- Personal choices: how you choose to spend your time – you might find yourself drawn to read spiritual books, go to daily Mass, Bible studies, go to adoration, perhaps you stop doing activities you used to enjoy because they don’t seem right to you anymore such as going to bars, watching certain movies or television shows, reading certain books, etc.
- You find yourself living much simpler or have a desire to live more simply.
- Encouragement from others. Someone says, “Have you ever thought about being a nun? I think you would be a good one.” (You may, at first, laugh at the idea but then the remark won’t go away.)
How do you know if you are called to a contemplative/monastic vocation such as the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration?
Some myths: You have to be an introvert to be a contemplative. Anyone in a contemplative monastery is out of touch with the world. The more loud, vivacious, and funny a person is the less chance he or she will be called to contemplative life.
All of the above are false. However, here are some signs - though not all - that you might be called to a community like ours:
- You have a desire to spend time in prayer and can see it as an important ministry to the Church and to the world.
- You desire to live in community with other like-minded people and are drawn to the Liturgy of the Hours.
- You are attracted to the prayer of adoration.
