HELENA Posted July 3, 2015 Share Posted July 3, 2015 Please let me know how to became a num, the steps I have follow . .I want to be a servant of God. God bless you Helen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
veritasluxmea Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Welcome to phatmass! The first step would be to google religious communities in your area, or country. Pick two or three you like the most. If you can't decide, just pick the ones that are closest to you. Call them (or e-mail or write a letter, which ever you prefer) and introduce yourself and say you're "interested in discerning a vocation." They will take it from there. If you let us know what area you would like to find orders, just let us know and I'm sure someone will have suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strictlyinkblot Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 It can be good to go on 'Come and See' weekends or days, even if you don't think you're attracted to the particular order. Just be sure to tell them that you're just starting out and exploring your options. Some 'Come and See' events include representatives from several different communities. Vocation match (I'm not sure of the website, google it), can suggest suitable orders for you. Have you a general idea of what kind of community you would like? I found the DSMME vocation retreat great, even though my inclination was towards contemplative monastic life. Well over 100 women participate at each weekend but its not as crazy as it sounds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sr.christinaosf Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 When you say "nun," do you mean a cloistered, contemplative religious? Many people use the term nun to refer to any religious sister, though in a proper sense its meaning is more restricted. If you mean it in a more inclusive sense, the rest of my writing will be more pertinent. The CMSWR has a wonderful directory (available online at cmswr.org) of their member communities in the US. If you are asking about the steps in formation, it varies a little. I'll give an outline based on our community of Dillingen Franciscans in the US. Affiliate - maybe a year - you are interested in the community, visit and you get to know each other. Postulant - 6 months - 2 years - live, work and pray with the sisters novice - two years - at the beginning of this period, you receive a white veil and the name "Sister ____" - which is either your given name or a new name. You spend more time in prayer and study, intensive formation Temporary profession - usually 5 years (make vows for three years and then renew for two more) also referred to as "first vows" and juniorate Final / perpetual profession - you make vows for life I just celebrated my two year anniversary of perpetual profession - a happy day to remember gratefully On another note, if you'd like a little more insight into how religious life is lived in our Francsican community, you might want to check out: https://ourfranciscanfiat.wordpress.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriela Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 (edited) Sorry, I had to. EDIT: Welcome to Phatmass! Edited July 4, 2015 by Gabriela Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vee Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 I was waiting for someone to point that out. Welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Please let me know how to became a num, the steps I have follow . .I want to be a servant of God. God bless you Helen You don't say whether you're interested in monastic religious life or an active order. The basic steps as outlined by Sr. Christina would be pretty much the same, but monastic life involves more prayer + staying in one monastery your whole life (in general) whereas ministry in an active order often involves moving from convent to convent - maybe even city to city - depending on where you're needed. When you contact any congregation or monastery, you might want to ask whether they have an upper age limit for aspirants. They often do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sr.christinaosf Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Not to dis-credit the above statement, but how often you move can really depend on the community and its circumstances. I live with a sister who has been here for about 40 years. Also, in monastic communities, a sister might be asked to go elsewhere to help found a new house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sister Leticia Posted July 4, 2015 Share Posted July 4, 2015 Helena - welcome to Phatmass. You can be sure of prayerful support and fellow-feeling. I think it would help people here to help you if you could tell us a bit more about yourself. For example - how old are you? People have suggested you go to Come & See weekends, but if you're under 18 you would need your parents' permission to do this. They might not let you, maybe because they think you're too young or because they want you to focus on finishing your education, so you might be limited for now in how much contact you could have with different communities. Also, how long have you been a Catholic? Some orders ask very recent converts to wait at least a year before they can starting visiting or discerning; others might let you visit and start discerning, but wouldn't let you enter until you'd been a Catholic for 2 or 3 years. And - very importantly - do you have someone with whom you can talk about feeling called to religious life? I suspect you don't know any sisters (or maybe you feel you can't approach the ones you do know) and I know a lot of discerners are reluctant to take up a busy parish priest's time, but maybe there's someone wise and prayerful you could speak with? - a parish youth worker, for example or a trusted friend or relative? Here in the UK we have quite a lot of discernment groups around the country, but I don't know where you are and what's available in other countries. But even more importantly - even if you can't visit or find someone to talk with, you can spend time in prayer and continue to make this a fundamental part of your life. Discernments are nourished by individual prayer and the Sacraments and if possible by belonging to parish prayer groups or bible study groups and opportunities for service in the parish or local community. All this will help you become more and more open to God and more tuned into what he may be calling you to. For info, in case it's useful to you or others - here's the link to discernment groups in England and Wales http://www.ukvocation.org/discernment-groups Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luigi Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 According to her profile, HELENA is not under 18, and she's in Miami, Florida, US. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sister Leticia Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Thanks Luigi. I had quickly hovered over Helena's profile but didn't check it properly. But Helena - if you were indeed born in 1956 then of course that raises different issues/questions concerning upper age limits for entrants (vary according to congregation) and things like family commitments and health. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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