Is Religious Life for Me?

Could God be calling you to religious life? Every one of us has a vocation and a particular mission to fulfill.  By virtue of our baptism we are called to participate in Christ’s mission of sharing the love of God with others and proclaiming the good news of the gospel with our lives.

From the early Church, God has called some women and men to a special vocation of belonging to Christ in a more radical way.  Religious sisters — and brothers — are invited to live in intimacy with Jesus through prayer, sharing his life in community, and taking his mission as their own.  Their whole life is consecrated to Jesus and his mission through professing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity and obedience; through these vows, religious experience deeper freedom to follow Jesus.

As Teresian Sisters we are called to know and love Jesus and to make him known and loved by the whole world. Our founder, St. Henry de Ossó, invites and challenges us “to think, to feel, to love as Christ Jesus did; to act and to speak as He did; in a word, to conform our whole life to His, to put on Christ.”  With St. Teresa as our guide, we learn to pray, and to try to surrender all that we have, all that we are, and all that we do to Jesus.

Is God calling you?  Some questions to ask yourself include:

• Do I want a personal relationship with Jesus experienced in daily prayer?
• Does my prayer lead me to want to share in Jesus’ evangelizing mission?
• Do I have the desire to give my whole life to serving Jesus and the Church?
• Do I have a generous heart for service, a heart willing to make sacrifices to help others come to know and love Jesus?
• Do I feel called to share life in community and mission with other sisters who are striving to follow Jesus?
• Do I have a love for the poor and marginalized?  Do I feel called to love and be with those whom Jesus loved and gave his life for?
• Do I have the freedom and desire to follow Jesus wherever he might call me to serve?
• Do I have the mental and physical health that will allow me to live a life dedicated to serving others?

If you think that God might be calling you to religious life, the best way to find the answers is to explore the idea and get more information.

• Talk with religious sisters or brothers about their lives
• Visit religious communities and get to know the members
• Attend vocation discernment retreats, service projects and mission trips with religious groups
• Find a spiritual director and a vocation director who can help you explore the call and discern God’s will for your life

If you’d like more information about the Teresian Sisters please contact Sr. Clarice Suchy, STJ at claricestj@yahoo.com or fill out our inquiry form here.