Discerning
your Vocation
 If you are
discerning a possible vocation to Carmel, remember that
every Carmelite Sister has been through the same experience. It can be
exciting and daunting at the same time! We understand your desires,
hopes, anxieties and fears and we are here to help you.
A
call to
Carmel is a gift from God and it means that some spark of our Carmelite
charism - or "spirit" - lights up inside you. You will feel some sense
of identity, as if you had a streak of Carmelite DNA! The call of God
to become a Carmelite contains an enabling grace to help you
at
each stage of the journey. Each person's story is unique (you
can
read the story of our Sr. Mary Fionnuala
here).
Tips for the
discernment process:
- Gather as much information as you need
by writing to or meeting with Carmelite Sisters or Priests.
- Do not rush yourself, but do not delay
too long
either as this will make it more difficult. You will never be 100%
sure, but when you feel a strong sense of God's call, then try to
respond fully and trust that God will show you if it is the right
decision.
- Try to find a Spiritual Director or
Priest to talk with and help you by meeting regularly.
- Take quiet time for prayer each day, and
if possible
attend Mass and listen carefully to the readings, especially the
Gospel. God can speak very powerfully through the Liturgy.
- Be open to God's call in all sorts of
unusual ways -
in nature, through friends or family or in the simplest of daily
occurences. After a while, you will recognise a "pattern" that seems to
be directing your life to the place God wants you.
- After some time of contact with the
Community,
remember that you have the option of trying a "live-in" experience with
no strings attached to help you in your discernment process.
Questions to ask yourself:
- Do you
have sufficient physical and psychological health for a
demanding enclosed life?
- Do you
esteem your womanhood - have you a real acceptance of your
sexuality, enabling you to make a free choice of consecrated celibacy?
- Do you have
the basic human qualities needed for community living?
- Do you have
a strong desire to venture your life in order to love Christ
and make Him loved?
- Do you have
a love for a life of prayer and for God's word in Scripture?
- Do you have
a passion to intercede for the Church and the world?
- Do you have
a capacity for solitude and silence as well as the ability to live in
community?
Address
and email for vocation enquiries:
Sr. Mary
Noeleen
Carmelite
Monastery of St Joseph
Upper
Kilmacud Road
Stillorgan
Co. Dublin
Email:
vocations [at]
kilmacudcarmel [dot] ie
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