What goes through the hearts and minds of women considering life as vowed religious? How is the calling nurtured over a lifetime? What role does the family play in vocations? How can lay people support these women in their journeys?
Vocations are ignited quite often by watching a vowed woman serve others. The spark grows in their lives until they seriously begin investigating their future and listening to God.
For those wanting to learn more about that call, the Sisters of Providence, like most other orders, host Come and See retreats.
Women from Chad, Congo, Nigeria and Cameroon gathered at one such retreat earlier in the year for a few precious days of reflection and discernment. In spite of the noisy, smoke-covered African marketplace just down the hill, these women had the opportunity to spend quiet time listening to God and to meet one-on-one with vowed Sisters.
They are students, teachers and nurses, with a range of ages and living conditions.
“Life is busy,” said Rita, “and the retreat gives us a chance to take a breath and focus on prayer and discernment.
“It’s a time for recollection and, at the same time, to stop and listen to God, to what the Lord wants and, of course, in connection with the Sisters of Providence, to discover God’s will. It’s a time of grace.”
In addition to the Come and See retreats, often Sisters will work individually with women contemplating a vocation. This is happening now in El Salvador where women see the exceptional ministries led by Sisters of Providence.
For a video series on the discernment journey, many of the women now considering entering the Congregation talked about their experiences.
The insights in the videos reveal the prayers and challenges of entering religious life:
Ministry and Vocation – “I want to say that the zeal to continue as a religious strikes me when I see poor people on the streets, when I see people who need help so much; I really want to share my life with the people outside who are poor, who really need help from others.” – Regina, Nigeria
Signs of a Call to Religious Life – “I’ve been searching for this way of the Lord for many years. I feel Love is drawing me to religious life and I must take the time to discern what God wants for me.” – Rita, Chad
Why the Sisters of Providence – “I like how they accompany the people who need it most, especially the support they have given to my family.” – Marili, El Salvador
Family Support – “[My family is] very, very supportive. My mom can pray for you over the phone. She will always call and tell me she is praying for me even when I was coming to this retreat. She had to pray so that I arrived safely.” – Michelle, Nigeria
Challenges – “Financially, it would be quite difficult for my family to support me in my discernment because we are of low resources in many things, but they would completely support me in my decision, even if I have to go to another country for formation.” – Marili, El Salvador
Above all, the women trust in a Provident God to see them through.
“Mother Emilie whenever there was nothing to feed the children would go to the Blessed Sacrament,” recalls Michele about a story she heard during the retreat. “‘Good God’, she prayed, ‘these are the children you gave me. I do not have means to take care of them.’ Before she could finish, somebody was already at the door with food.
“That made me see how she had trust in God and that I should also have that kind of trust in God. Because God is always faithful with us and always provides for us.”
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The videos are posted on the Sisters of Providence YouTube page and social media platforms. You can view the short, one-minute clips here: https://www.youtube.com/user/SOPMotherJosephProv