Consider Becoming
Our Franciscan Sister
What qualifications are needed?
- Being open and desiring to explore what it is God is asking of you
- Professing the Catholic faith for at least the last three years
- Being in good physical and mental health
- Being a single person between the ages of 20 and 45
- Being open to continue learning
- Having work experience and/or education, preferably at least two years of college or other education beyond high school
- Having experience in volunteer service
What kind of Catholic spirituality must I have in order to begin discernment to be a Sister?
Some folks think there are “types” of women that are more likely to be Sisters. Others believe they have to be perfect to become a Sister. To some, “perfect” means wearing bland, unattractive clothing and not caring how one looks, never dating, praying all the time, knowing all the Church’s laws on all kinds of matters, spending all your time in Church, etc. You get the picture.
Remember that the men and women with whom Jesus hung out weren’t perfect by any means. However, their relationship with Jesus kept them changing (we call that on-going conversion) and becoming more like him so much so that they went out of themselves to be present and to bring Jesus into the lives of others. It was in their relationships with others that Christ was made visible in the lives they served.
If you’re even thinking about becoming a Sister, you might want to look inside yourself and see if you have a relationship with Jesus that is growing and developing. Are the sacraments, the Eucharist and the Scriptures a part of your life? How do you bring Jesus into the lives of others in your relationships and your service to others? How open are you to learning and are you willing to enter the mystery of “vocation” without a pre-determined outcome? Self-righteousness, having all the answers, judging others on their compliance with Church laws are not qualities that evidence openness to the Holy Spirit and don’t engender the inclusive love that Jesus practiced.
How do I go about choosing?
The process is called discernment—a decision made in faith in which you enter into an attitude of holy indifference so that you are open to what God is inviting you. You do this by
- prayer and participation in the Eucharist
- a relationship with a spiritual director to help you
- engagement in many conversations with those whose heart you trust, visits to our religious community
- and once your “yes” needs exploration--a relationship with me, the vocation minister from this community where you feel “at home.”
What must I do once I’ve decided on a community?
You and the Vocation Minister will get to know each other better and you will either be invited to join or you will ask to join. You will be given application forms to fill out and have some assessments to go through. Throughout that time we will get to know each other better and you will be invited to communal gatherings as well as individual local communities for meals and prayers.
