DISCERNMENT: THE
RIGHT “FIT”? Having come to the
conclusion that “yes” God is calling me to consecrate my life to Him as a woman
religious, the discerner is faced with the question: Which religious community
is “the right fit” for me? Dominicans?
Franciscans? Benedictines? Carmelites? Augustinians, or any other? Women and men who are members of a religious
congregation are committed to the vision of the Foundress/Founder of that Order
and the spirituality that person has embraced (that of St. Francis, St.
Dominic, St. Benedict, that of a Marian thrust, the spirituality of St.
Faustina, St. Ignatius, St. Augustine, etc.)
So, a discerner needs to learn
a little bit about the Foundress/ Founder of the community in which she is interested
( an indepth study is part of the
postulancy/novitiate/and temporary vow phase of being incorporated into that
community). To what was the Spirit calling the Foundress/Founder? How did they live out their call within the
Church and the world in their time and space? As
your interest in a religious community grows and if the Vocation Director
senses that you might be called to her community, she will introduce you
to the Founder/Foundress. As you are introduced to the Foundress/Founder of a
religious community, I suggest that you study that bit of information in depth, asking yourself: if I had entered at the time of the
Foundress/Founder, how would I have lived out my calling? How might the Spirit be asking me to live
this person’s gift to the Church today?
Do I even feel a kinship to the Founder/Foundress’ way of living the
Gospel? And, are you interested in
learning more? If “yes,” continue your discernment with this community.
In your discerning,
also consider the following: If the
Community in which you are interested is
a Franciscan Community, (or any other tradition) you might want to look for
some literature in that tradition. If Franciscan, for instance, you might want
to look for a book that will introduce
you to Francis’ spiritualty (there are lots of books written about him and are
available on Amazon.com.). Does Francis’ spirituality, in this case, align with yours in some way? Are you willing
to learn more about St. Francis of Assisi?
If yes, continue your discernment with this Franciscan community.
In other words, a “yes” to the questions I raised above, may
be the Spirit’s nudge to
continue serious discernment with the religious community whose charism/gift to
the Church inspires you.
