God Calls -- Our Viewers Respond

These letters attest to the attraction religious life actually holds for women of all ages, and to the depth of the convictions of those who feel called to it and pursue it in spite of scant support. They express their attraction to contemplative life, and ask how one goes about becoming a Poor Clare. They ask what to do and where to go to fulfill the strong call they experience to religious life. We would like to share extracts of the sentiments of the women who contacted us. (Words are altered to protect confidentiality.)

I just happen to come across your web site and am interested in learning more. What does it take to become a nun?

I feel a push to become a Poor Clare....

None of my family or friends are Catholic. They will not be able to accept my decision to be a nun.

I think God is calling me....

I am 21. The thought of being a contemplative nun has been with me for a few years now and is getting more intense each day. It is a thought that does not go away....

My dream is to become a nun. I do not come from a religious family. Is that OK?

I am 12 years old. I think God is calling me to be a nun, but I am not sure. I have been thinking and praying about it for a year.

I am looking forward to the day when I can enter religious life.

I feel certain God is calling me to religious life.

I'm 17 and finishing High School and am considering religious life and would like information on the Order of St. Clare.

Could you mail me more information about being a Poor Clare nun?

For some time I've wanted to be a nun and I don't know why....I want to thank you for the outstanding work and prayer you do and for being an inspiration to me.

I have felt called to be a contemplative nun for a long time. I have a very comfortable life, enjoy my work, and have great friends. However, if God is calling me I want to answer affirmatively and joyfully.

I'm 16 years old. I want to be a nun. How do I go about doing this? Where do I go? My mother does not want me to be a nun.

I am a young woman of 25 who is feeling called to religious life. And is extremely attracted to the Clarian way of life.

I'm completing my Doctorate and am currently deciding the possibility of a religious vocation.

I'm very interested in joining the Poor Clares after I graduate. I'm trying my best to explain to my family what it means to me to join the Poor Clares but they do not want to hear about it. I do not know why. Please keep me in your prayers.

For the past few years I have experienced a strong desire to do more with my life. After prayerful discernment I believe God is calling me to a religious vocation.

Just the other day Sister had answered a phone call from a young woman requesting prayers. In the course of the conversation that ensued sister was inspired to ask her if she ever considered religious life. The woman responded in surprise that she had, and was pleased that sister had asked her that question so she could talk about it to someone.

One of these young women inquiring into Poor Clare life expressed what it's like for young adults like herself:

We each want to follow the path that will lead us to becoming the most loving people possible and that will draw us as close as possible towards Jesus. We want to be apostles. The question is 'how'? It is confusing and difficult to really not know where God is calling you - sometimes it is kind of 'painful.' But on the other hand, being in a state of unknowing is really beautiful because it teaches you to depend on God totally. To trust Him and just surrender and know that at the end, you will end up finding your place in the world. There is a sense of freedom that goes along with it. You are free to 'try things on' to see what it's like to have a relationship with a man, to live in community with sisters, to just be single; to party it up or just take some time out for prayer.

You asked me whether it is lonely to be a young woman thinking of contemplative life. The funny thing is that I have met SO many young women, and men, in the last two years who have put serious thought into religious life! I don't feel lonely at all! I think that a lot of young people know that they need 'time out' from the world around them, and as soon as they begin to seek it and wrestle with their faith, they lay the foundations for a contemplative life. One of the hardest steps that I had to take was believing that I was actually loved by God and worthy enough to follow Jesus. A lot of young people give up before they ever really start because they have a lot of feelings of shame: 'I'm a rotten person, what would God possibly want with me? So why bother?' I have a lot of friends who really struggle with their faith, who really wonder what they are on earth for and what they're supposed to do with their lives. People who yearn for a relationship with God, but who don't know where to begin.

Wanting to be a cloistered contemplative nun is the kind of thing that some people just don't quite understand. I remember one of my high school teachers telling me that I was a smart and capable girl, why did I want to throw away my life in a convent - it's the 90's and there are so many opportunities for women these days. I don't mean to be vulgar, but a lot of people just focus on one question, 'What's wrong with you, don't you want to have sex?' Something I have learned is that you just have to follow what your own heart is telling you and not get disillusioned by other people's misunderstandings. At the same time, it's a great opportunity to better understand what vocation means and why you want to be a nun when you really think it out and explain it clearly to another person. In a way, showing that you are concerned about your spiritual life and that God is real and loveable to other people is a ministry in itself - it can do strange (but really great) things to people, open up their eyes to something new and inspire them to return to God.

I think men have a harder time with parents and friends. A lot of the time it is hard for guys, especially when they are the only son, to tell their parents they want to live a celibate life. It is not 'manly' at all to want to be a servant of God and hard for guys to tell their friends about it. Finding a girlfriend/boyfriend who will understand that you see dating as part of your discernment process and that university is about apostlehood, not just beer, is not always easy, but I can attest to the fact that it is possible!

The final thing about seeking out a vocation to the religious life in the 21st century is that at times it feels like there is just too much choice and sometimes like there is nothing out there at all. One can choose from not only any order (and there are so many) but any country and any particular house - one does not just choose from the two or three most local houses to where she grew up, which is how a lot of sisters I've met made their decision. On the other hand, there is so little education about and contact with Religious in the daily lives of mainstream people, that this form of life is very foreign to many people.

Well, I feel like I've written a lot... Please keep me up to date, but especially keep me in your prayers.

Sincerely, your little sister in Christ