How Will I Know?   When most of us began considering a religious vocation, we asked ourselves questions such as:

How will  I know if this is for me?
What is God's will for me in my life?
Where will I find peace and fulfillment in life?
What is the ultimate purpose of my existence?
How can I be sure that God is calling me to be a sister? An Associate? 

While we may never know with absolute certainty that our choices are the best ones for us, we can walk through a process that can help us become more clear about whether or not we are being called to religious life.

First, ask yourself about your readiness to discern these questions.

Availability and openness:
Am I open to whatever God is calling me?
Am I free to respond to that call?

Desire:
Do I sense a degree of potential satisfaction, hope or joy
when I consider religious life?

Proper motivation:
What is my primary motivation in considering religious life?
Would I experience peace and a sense of  fulfillment as a sister?

General disposition:
Am I able to become a sister at this time in my life?

Am I reasonably healthy, emotionally stable and spiritually centered?

If you feel comfortable with your answers, you may want to enter into a more specific spiritual discernment process that can help you know more clearly if religious life might be a healthy and good choice for you. The following outline of a possible discernment process combines reflection, prayer, dialogue and scripture. Go to Discernment Process