What Made You Discern Becoming A Nun Or Priest

[OnlySunshine]

[quote name='InPersonaChriste' timestamp='1346160288' post='2475286']
I shook the hand of a Nashville Dominican.
[/quote]

And yet you still aren't a Dominican?

[EmilyAnn]

[quote name='FuturePriest387' timestamp='1346186748' post='2475397']
What's that? I can't hear you over the deafening silence of the Quarr Monks and their lack of being able to respond to email!
[/quote]

I'll set Mother Mistress on it immediately.

[PhuturePriest]

[quote name='EmilyAnn' timestamp='1346188680' post='2475419']
I'll set Mother Mistress on it immediately.
[/quote]

I actually think the message didn't send. I'm not sure what their email is. It showed something that looked like an email on the website, but I don't think it is actually their email.

[emmaberry]

[quote name='EmilyAnn' timestamp='1346185523' post='2475394']
Ignore her! Remember Quarr!
[/quote]

Ignore her...remember...I got nothing.

[PhuturePriest]

[quote name='emmaberry' timestamp='1346189389' post='2475432']
Ignore her...remember...I got nothing.
[/quote]

Ha ha ha. Well, the Franciscan Brothers Minor is the Community I have been seriously discerning with for eight months now, which is a world-record for me, so I think that is a pretty good sign. Perhaps I should remember them?

[Lil'Monster]

Well......I don't know what made me discern.....maybe it was at a Dsmme Retreat.......I think

[emmaberry]

[quote name='FuturePriest387' timestamp='1346189617' post='2475434']
Ha ha ha. Well, the Franciscan Brothers Minor is the Community I have been seriously discerning with for eight months now, which is a world-record for me, so I think that is a pretty good sign. Perhaps I should remember them?
[/quote]

Yes! You could come celebrate Mass at the Roswell PCCs! Remember [i]them[/i].

[Kayte Postle]

Honestly speaking, The Sound of Music and the Sister Act movies....

I was somewhat obsessed with nuns from an early age, no idea why exactly especially since I grew up in a luke-warm methodist/agnostic family. I would often find myself saying, "I think it would be really razzle dazzle to be a nun". During my sophomore yr of HS I started to desperately look for protestant communities (of course I had no luck), and during my senior year in HS I painted a self portrait of myself as a nun...(even though I was still very anti-catholic at this point). Then when I started attending mass with a friend my second year of university, I realized three things. 1) I not only wanted to, but [b][i]needed[/i][/b] (with every fiber of my soul) to be Catholic, the Church was where I belonged and what I was made for, 2) That suddenly that silly notion of "I want to be a nun" was a reality that I could pursue. and 3) That the "silly notion" was never that, but a calling from the Lord.

edit: silly emo-cons never work for me....

Edited August 29, 2012 by Kayte Postle

[PhuturePriest]

[quote name='emmaberry' timestamp='1346202296' post='2475497']
Yes! You could come celebrate Mass at the Roswell PCCs! Remember [i]them[/i].
[/quote]

The Franciscan Brothers Minor are actually in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They do, however, have cloistered Poor Clare Nuns that are a part of their specific Community.

[ChristinaTherese]

I started discerning in a way long before I even considered becoming Catholic. (And, as an aside, I'd love to quote a whole ton of you just because your stories line up so well and/or I just like them, but I'm afraid that that would make my post monstrous. So I will refrain. Now, to get back to the story. Or, at any rate, to begin it.) I guess it started shortly after I was baptized at the age of eight. I read a lot of missionary stories, partly for school, but partly because I just really liked them. The men and women in those stories had given up so much for God, and I began to feel a very strong call to be one of them. I thought, and told my parents as much (at something like the age of nine or ten, I think), that "Jesus/God [I don't know which I said] wants me to be a missionary." My parents reacted by looking at me and saying something to the effect of "You?!? You can hardly say one sentence straight to someone you know and trust! You'd never survive as a missionary." That made sense, so the idea was shelved. Besides, I don't think I'd really liked the instances where I read of woman (¿women?) missionaries that I admired taking on positions of authority and such, like standing as a judge for the people. So, as I said, the idea was shelved for a while, until I was sixteen.

When it came back, I was still pretending to be Protestant. Pretending, I say, because a few months before I'd finally found someone else who agreed with me about salvation and discovered that it was the Catholic view, right around the time of God's call returning I stopped receiving communion at our church, shortly thereafter I defended Purgatory (Do not, I repeat, do not, pick on one person in particular and force them to agree with you due to how brilliant your logic is. If you don't like Plato doing that, why should you? (Okay, so I only read Plato over a year later. But it was still less than kind.)) to my Protestant Sunday school class (While pretending to not be sure about it. But the teacher was talking about Catholicism and he was wrong.), and I was altogether becoming quite Catholic in my theology. (And if you're confused about where I am, don't worry, I am too. Allow me to go back a couple of sentences (and far too many nested sentences (This is an example of a nested sentence. (I promise, I won't demonstrate any more.))) to find my place and see what I was saying when I launched into explanation.) So, as I said, I was still pretending to be [s]Catho[/s] Protestant. My brother had taken me to a monastery (Mount Angel Abbey! Fantastic place. ) near our home at the end of the summer. I already had an odd way of daydreaming and making up stories about all sorts of things, but for some reason I decided to make up stories about me being a nun after that. It seemed like such a wonderful thing, but I passed that off as probably just something all Catholic girls want, like wanting to be a princess. (Right now is the time to ask why I referred to myself in the group of "Catholic girls", to which I have no answer. We are now moving on.) Then my brother told me that his girlfriend thought that I'd be a good nun. Hm. That made me think more. Then over the course of the next while, I kept being kicked by people (who I had seriously either never seen before or had seen only once) asking if I was discerning or something else coming up.

I could probably go on, but I'd have way to many nested sentences, and this is probably way too long (which I can't see, due to the box I'm typing in), and you didn't ask for everything just for a decent statement which I have by now given far more than, and because it's still in process (id est, I'm kind of not much of anywhere anyway right now, and I just want to get back to college so I can talk to Father again).

Anyway, that is my answer. And some of why I'm currently thinking I'm probably called to be a contemplative nun.

[emmaberry]

[color=#222222][font='Helvetica Neue', Arial, Verdana, sans-serif][size=4][background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]

[quote name='FuturePriest387' timestamp='1346208566' post='2475555']
The Franciscan Brothers Minor are actually in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They do, however, have cloistered Poor Clare Nuns that are a part of their specific Community.
[/quote]

Oh yeah. I seem to remember you/other PMers telling me this already. So sorry about that. Whatever poor nuns get me will have to deal with this terrible memory I seem to have. [/background][/size][/font][/color]

[quote name='Christina Thérèse' timestamp='1346214252' post='2475619']
When it came back, I was still pretending to be Protestant. Pretending, I say, because a few months before I'd finally found someone else who agreed with me about salvation and discovered that it was the Catholic view, right around the time of God's call returning I stopped receiving communion at our church, shortly thereafter I defended Purgatory (Do not, I repeat, do not, pick on one person in particular and force them to agree with you due to how brilliant your logic is. If you don't like Plato doing that, why should you? (Okay, so I only read Plato over a year later. But it was still less than kind.)) to my Protestant Sunday school class (While pretending to not be sure about it. But the teacher was talking about Catholicism and he was wrong.), and I was altogether becoming quite Catholic in my theology. (And if you're confused about where I am, don't worry, I am too. Allow me to go back a couple of sentences (and far too many nested sentences (This is an example of a nested sentence. (I promise, I won't demonstrate any more.))) to find my place and see what I was saying when I launched into explanation.) So, as I said, I was still pretending to be [s]Catho[/s] Protestant. My brother had taken me to a monastery (Mount Angel Abbey! Fantastic place. ) near our home at the end of the summer. I already had an odd way of daydreaming and making up stories about all sorts of things, but for some reason I decided to make up stories about me being a nun after that. It seemed like such a wonderful thing, but I passed that off as probably just something all Catholic girls want, like wanting to be a princess. (Right now is the time to ask why I referred to myself in the group of "Catholic girls", to which I have no answer. We are now moving on.) Then my brother told me that his girlfriend thought that I'd be a good nun. Hm. That made me think more. Then over the course of the next while, I kept being kicked by people (who I had seriously either never seen before or had seen only once) asking if I was discerning or something else coming up.
[/quote]

Your post was just fine! I just wanted to say that I converted from Protestantism (I was in every denomination before I converted) 3.5 years ago and the Sunday School 'Catholic Bashing Hour' is no fun at all when you are a Catholic sympathizer. That is what my family calls people who defend some/all of the Church's teachings but haven't actually converted. Anyway, I totally feel you on that situation.

Did your family convert with you? How did they feel about it?

Edited August 29, 2012 by emmaberry

[emmaberry]

dp

Edited August 29, 2012 by emmaberry

[PhuturePriest]

[quote name='emmaberry' timestamp='1346214745' post='2475621']
[color=#222222][font=Helvetica Neue', Arial, Verdana, sans-serif][size=4][background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]Oh yeah. I seem to remember you/other PMers telling me this already. So sorry about that. Whatever poor nuns get me will have to deal with this terrible memory I seem to have. [/background][/size][/font][/color]
[/quote]

Ha ha ha. Well, just remember that the Franciscan Sisters Minor and Carmelite Nuns are always happy to have another postulant, bad memory or nay.

[ChristinaTherese]

[quote name='emmaberry' timestamp='1346214745' post='2475621']
Your post was just fine! I just wanted to say that I converted from Protestantism (I was in every denomination before I converted) 3.5 years ago and the Sunday School 'Catholic Bashing Hour' is no fun at all when you are a Catholic sympathizer. That is what my family calls people who defend some/all of the Church's teachings but haven't actually converted. Anyway, I totally feel you on that situation.

Did your family convert with you? How did they feel about it?
[/quote]

Sigh.... My brother was confirmed last Divine Mercy Sunday (Fr. Hoffman (sp?) didn't think it good to take the college students away from their families on Easter.) and I'll be confirmed sometime this next school year, and my parents are not happy about either one of us. (It isn't going to be fun when I have to talk to them about vocation and stuff... although it might be easier than watching Daniel's pain (from parental displeasure in regards to his confirmation) was. And they won't be happy even if I decide to get married and all, so I may as well get used to it. And they'll come around sometime anyway, probably.)

Somehow that Sunday school class ended up happening during a series on "other religions". Huh? But oh well. Right now I'm just inclined to look at myself back then and laugh.

Oh, I've been possessed of a desire, by the way, to say that I really like your signature. So. Consider it said.

Edited August 29, 2012 by Christina Thérèse

[emmaberry]

[quote name='Christina Thérèse' timestamp='1346217042' post='2475634']
Sigh.... My brother was confirmed last Divine Mercy Sunday (Fr. Hoffman (sp?) didn't think it good to take the college students away from their families on Easter.) and I'll be confirmed sometime this next school year, and my parents are not happy about either one of us. (It isn't going to be fun when I have to talk to them about vocation and stuff... although it might be easier than watching Daniel's pain (from parental displeasure in regards to his confirmation) was. And they won't be happy even if I decide to get married and all, so I may as well get used to it. And they'll come around sometime anyway, probably.)

Somehow that Sunday school class ended up happening during a series on "other religions". Huh? But oh well. Right now I'm just inclined to look at myself back then and laugh.

Oh, I've been possessed of a desire, by the way, to say that I really like your signature. So. Consider it said.
[/quote]

Your parents wouldn't want you to get married? What?

Yes, our particular Sunday School class was paired up with Mormonism for the "Other Religions That Pretend to Be Christian" section of the material.

Thank you! It is from the very last page of a wonderful pamphlet that was posted here on VS: [topic='109682']All American Girl[/topic]

[Katiebobatie94]

honestly in 7 grade i started thinking about after i became an altar server, but i didnt really know any religious. the only nun i had ever known was the 70 something year old presentation sister who was assigned to my parish........and then i kinda dropped the idea until like 10 or 11 grade when i saw the DSMMEs on oprah, but like all that time i was involved in CYO Teenage Federation (youth group). and i dont know the sisters were so joyful and it made me start to think about it again. and yeah......thats it

[maximillion]

I took the Little Flower's name for Confirmation (age 12) and began in my own childish way to see the value of striving to do little things perfectly.
After that it was a no brainer.
Perfect Spouse? Jesus.
Perfect way to marry the perfect Spouse? Go into the cloister. As I said in another post, I just knew this was what was going to happen. There was no question........

[ChristinaTherese]

[quote name='emmaberry' timestamp='1346218787' post='2475644']
Your parents wouldn't want you to get married? What?

Yes, our particular Sunday School class was paired up with Mormonism for the "Other Religions That Pretend to Be Christian" section of the material.

Thank you! It is from the very last page of a wonderful pamphlet that was posted here on VS: [topic='109682']All American Girl[/topic]
[/quote] Oh dear.... I think I communicated confusingly. Partly, I was tired and not feeling altogether well and should have been in bed. The other part, it's not that they wouldn't want me to get married per se, it's that they might well take issue with things like not birth control (my dad thinks that overpopulation is a problem) and infant baptism (Yay! My brother's children get that much younger than we did! (We were 8 and 10. (Which is really one of the most unimportant facts in the world, except maybe to Father or something what with the fact that I'm going to be confirmed and all and he needs a baptismal certificate.))) and such other rather Catholic things. The other part, I think I just wanted to make myself stop thinking ahead an unknown number of bridges and worrying, so I said something. Something probably dumb, but something. (Tangent: What they really would like, I think, is for me to marry/be dating a certain super-senior at my college who happens to be kind of fantastic with Chemistry and stuff (I'm a biochem major. What'll ever happen with that, I'm sure I don't know, probably absolutely nothing.) and developed a crush on me. Right around when I was looking around and thinking that Jesus really did want me to be a nun, and how could I refuse Him anything. So, no, I don't think that they'd really mind me getting married.) Moral of the story, you shouldn't write everything you think, especially not if you're starting to feel unwell and it's late at night and you think it would probably be one of the worst decisions ever to ride nine miles before breakfast in the morning to go to Mass. (Darn..... (About Mass, that is. (Which comment is probably an example of something that is not necessary to say, as might well be cut in the moral of this. But I'm not cutting it, because it shouldn't be confusing. It's just very unnecessary.)))

[VeniJesuAmorMi]

Like another posted on here, I also started my discernment to the religious life before I entered the RCIA Class to enter The Church. I believe I have received many, if not all of the graces that have been given to me, by Our Blessed Mother. I can't doubt this because of how my conversion came about, but also that it was Our Lord's Will that He come to us through Her and so it remains His Will that we still receive all that He chooses to give us through Her. Just think how beautiful it is then that we are able to give everything back to Him through Her because She will make it all beautiful, pure, and perfect for us to give to Jesus and make it more pleasing to Him.

Oh, and of course because I love Him so much (and thats probably from Her too.) I love to contemplate that I was created to be only His and love Him completely with all that I am. I think its a beautiful reality.

"Jesus will always be my joy,
My heart's comfort and essence.
Jesus is there through all suffering,
He is my life's strength.
The desire and sunshine of my eyes,
My soul's treasure and bliss;
Therefore I will never let Jesus go,
Neither from my heart nor from my face. "

[emmaberry]

[quote name='maximillion' timestamp='1346255593' post='2475827']
I took the Little Flower's name for Confirmation (age 12) and began in my own childish way to see the value of striving to do little things perfectly.
After that it was a no brainer.
Perfect Spouse? Jesus.
Perfect way to marry the perfect Spouse? Go into the cloister. As I said in another post, I just knew this was what was going to happen. There was no question........
[/quote]

I like this. A lot. Out of props but I will come back tomorrow.