Changing Discernment From One Vocation To Another

[EmilyAnn]

[quote name='Oremoose' timestamp='1324678515' post='2356522']
Could any one answer this part of the first question? This This is where I ( a young man who has some what recently decerned away religious life) am interested. I wish to do God's will at all times and serve him. Now I am not sure if I should look into other orders or find try to find the woman God made for me if she is ut there. When would one know such things?
[/quote]

I think you've got to be open to God's will. Surrender yourself entirely to Him and let Him guide you. Trust Him and He will show you the way.

[OnlySunshine]

[quote name='Oremoose' timestamp='1324678515' post='2356522']
Could any one answer this part of the first question? This This is where I ( a young man who has some what recently decerned away religious life) am interested. I wish to do God's will at all times and serve him. Now I am not sure if I should look into other orders or find try to find the woman God made for me if she is ut there. When would one know such things?
[/quote]

For me, it was all signs pointing to discerning a different vocation when my discernment with a religious community ended unexpectedly. I've been discerning for 4 years and had a spiritual director for one of those, but have had to do without a regular one for a quite a while. I go to regular Confession and have a Holy Hour. When I went on retreat with my Young Adult Group, our diocesan vocation director was there and he was the next one available when it was my turn to go to Confession. I asked him if should stop discerning altogether and he said not to before I told him my medical troubles. When I told him I have depression and have to be on regular medication, he agreed that it might be time to discern a different vocation. Now, there may be a religious order out there that I don't know about that would be open to me, but no such thing exists at this moment in time, so I open to other vocations. I feel most attracted to marriage and have off and on during the course of my religious discernment. I know, should I get married, I hope to be together with a nice Catholic man who is trying to go down the road of sainthood but understands that no one is perfect.

Like someone else said, it is very important to remain open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. That's what I keep trying to do.

[Sarah147]

[quote name='MaterMisericordiae' timestamp='1324689085' post='2356618']
I know, should I get married, I hope to be together with a nice Catholic man who is trying to go down the road of sainthood but understands that no one is perfect.

Like someone else said, it is very important to remain open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. That's what I keep trying to do.
[/quote]




Most of the time these days I go around like this: Be patient, Joyful, be patient.


.... Still waiting on the RSM to contact... Still seeing what's ahead....

Edited December 24, 2011 by JoyfulLife

[Sarah147]

Ahh! I JUST received snail-mail vocational materials from the RSM!!! It's a start! Now just waiting for an email response from before.. It's exciting learning what God's plan for my life may be, whatever that is...

Edited December 26, 2011 by JoyfulLife

[BarbTherese]

[quote name='MaterMisericordiae' timestamp='1324689085' post='2356618']
For me, it was all signs pointing to discerning a different vocation when my discernment with a religious community ended unexpectedly. I've been discerning for 4 years and had a spiritual director for one of those, but have had to do without a regular one for a quite a while. I go to regular Confession and have a Holy Hour. When I went on retreat with my Young Adult Group, our diocesan vocation director was there and he was the next one available when it was my turn to go to Confession. I asked him if should stop discerning altogether and he said not to before I told him my medical troubles. When I told him I have depression and have to be on regular medication, he agreed that it might be time to discern a different vocation. Now, there may be a religious order out there that I don't know about that would be open to me, but no such thing exists at this moment in time, so I open to other vocations. I feel most attracted to marriage and have off and on during the course of my religious discernment. I know, should I get married, I hope to be together with a nice Catholic man who is trying to go down the road of sainthood but understands that no one is perfect.

Like someone else said, it is very important to remain open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit. That's what I keep trying to do.
[/quote]

Have you looked into secular institutes of consecrated life? I know that with The Leaven (Carmelite O.Carm) one lives in one's own home and this may be an opening for those suffering forms of illness and needing medication. I enquired of them (Rosemary Kinman then I think it was if a bad memory is serving) briefly years ago but cannot recall if we got to the point where I shared I suffer Bipolar. They did ask if I would be able to make at least one visit to one of their meetings. At that time a plane fare to the UK and return was out of the question and so my enquiry went cold. I know that they were open to distant membership i.e. I live in Australia and would continue to do so.
No harm in asking and enquiring and finding out how the land lies - sharing the info too as it may be helpful to others who suffer illness and feel called to a consecrated way of life in The Church.

They are centred in the UK and Ireland and last I heard about 30 members worldwide. They have recently established a fairly informative website: [url="http://www.theleaven.org.uk/"]http://www.theleaven.org.uk/[/url]

That all said, if you feel most attracted to marriage it is some indication anyway of God's Will [i]possibly[/i]. But if you still have some atteraction to religious life, then an enquiry of The Leaven or some other secular institute may be helpful.

Edited December 27, 2011 by BarbaraTherese