Think of your Vocation Director as a guidance counselor or a mentor. She will be with you on this journey to listen, accompany, support, encourage and provide you with the resources you will need to fully explore the potential of religious life. Ultimately, she can help you discover who God is calling you to be and where you can best serve God with your own gifts and talents.
Someone who listens
The Sister who accompanies you will listen deeply and actively to gain insight about your life’s story and how God is working in you. As you get to know each other, she will invite you to share more about:
- your prayer life and how you find God in your daily life
- what has attracted you to religious life
- what you find appealing about the Handmaids
- your relationship with God and with others
- your gifts and what you feel passionately about
As she listens to what you share with her, she will accompany you and support you by:
- praying with and for you throughout the process, and suggesting ways to pray as you deepen your relationship with God
- helping you to recognize and explore your gifts and challenges
- responding to your questions about religious life and life as a Handmaid
- inviting you to participate in a Come and See weekend where you will meet other discerning women
- providing tips on choosing a religious community or congregation based on your values and gifts
- helping you recognize whether there is anything holding you back from freely making this choice
- guarding your freedom to discern your vocation at your pace and in a confidential manner
Someone who takes you on a “Tour”
A Vocation Director is like a tour guide. She will introduce you to the Congregation and help you get to know the community and our sisters. While you are on your ‘tour,’ you will experience the spiritual and community aspects of Handmaid life, and you will begin to explore the history of our Congregation. During this time of getting to know the community, she may invite you to:
- a “Come and See” retreat
- an experience as a Volunteer with Project Fiat or Oasis Católica Santa Rafaela
- a mini live-in experience
- an occasional conference, gathering, or ceremony, such as an entrance ceremony or profession of vows (temporary or professed)
- a visit to one of our local communities to pray or to share a meal
Finally, throughout this journey of faith and discernment, you and your Vocation Director will continue to listen to the Holy Spirit for guidance.