Frequently Asked Questions
How important is prayer in your life?
Because religious have chosen a way of life which says that God is most important, prayer is central to their lives. Think of it as a deep level of communication with God, similar to the kind of communication that happens between any two people who love each other. Their relationship with God grows and deepens with prayer.
Since prayer is important, many priests, sisters, and brothers spend about two hours a day praying. Part of that time they pray with others at Mass. We also pray other formal prayers like the Liturgy of the Hours or the rosary, or spend time with others less formally reading and reflecting on readings from the Bible.
Part of the time we also pray alone, perhaps reading or just being quiet with God. One of the positive effects of prayer, whatever shape it takes, is to keep them aware of God’s activity in the people, events, and circumstances of daily life.
How long does it take to become a sister?
Once a woman decides to enter the initial formation program the process normally lasts between three and nine years.
A woman interested in membership first becomes a candidate. During this time she lives with a community while working and/or studying. This period enables the candidate to participate in religious life and it gives the congregation an opportunity to see if the candidate has potential for living the religious life. A woman may be a candidate for one or two years.
The candidate moves on to the novitiate. This period marks one’s official entrance into the congregation. A novice spends time in study and prayer and learns more about her relationship with God, the congregation and herself. At the end of the novitiate, the novice prepares for temporary profession of vows.
After the novitiate, the woman vows poverty, chastity and obedience for a period of three years. Usually after a period of three to five years of temporary profession, the woman professes her final vows.
When someone decides to become a sister, what happens to her savings and possessions? What happens to her debts?
Initially, a woman can explore becoming a sister while she retains her wealth and possessions, or has some amount of debt. By the time that she makes her first profession of vows, in most communities, she must be debt free. At that time, she also makes a decision about retaining for the community or disposing of her savings, assets, and valuable possessions (e.g., house, land, IRA's, etc.).
Why are there fewer sisters today than in the past?
While no one could say with certainty why fewer women or men today are choosing religious life, the following are some factors that may be contributing to the change:
- The increase in ministry opportunities within the church for women and men who are not vowed religious
- The dramatic changes within society such as increased consumerism and decreased family size
- Fewer are inviting women to consider religious life
- Some have a fear of making a lifelong commitment
- The face of Religious Life is changing and evolving.
How are the lives of sisters today different from the lives of sisters in the past?
Throughout history religious life has always been shaped according to the needs of the culture it was serving. From the late 1800s to the 1960s, for example, women religious were particularly attentive to the needs of immigrants, especially in the United States. At a time when no systems were in place for education or healthcare, sisters were pioneers in seeing and creating ways to meet the urgent needs of the day. The lifestyle of women’s congregations was structured to enable the sisters to establish and maintain educational and healthcare institutions.
Today while still active in healthcare and educational ministries, sisters also respond to many other needs that cry out for attention and care. What may differ is that communities and individual sisters now take more responsibility for determining how they need to structure their lives to best respond to the needs.
How will I know if I have a vocation to Religious Life?
Religious life is always understood as a calling from God, a vocation. God will call you to a particular task in life. You need to pray for guidance, inquire about Religious Life, seek direction and respond freely to where God calls you.
With whom should I share my intentions?
First, discuss your feelings with those you trust; members of your family, trusted friends and relatives and with a spiritual director. If given some good advice and encouraged, then contact a vocation director in a particular community.
This website has about 45 different community websites listed for your convenience. Each community will have an email address for their vocation director.
Bring the results of your discernment to the Lord in prayer.
What do the letters after the names of religious mean?
The letters are the initials of the congregation's name. For example, HM stands for the Sisters of the Humility of Mary. CSJ stands for the Congregation of St. Joseph.
Am I too old to join a community?
Many Communities have an age limit for new members. This is because older people are used to being independent and find it difficult to adjust to community life. Also older people are set in their ways and therefore it is more challenging for them to be formed as religious. For the sake of these people as well as the communities who would have to live with them, it is better for them to explore other ways to serve God and the Church.
There are exceptions however. Sometimes widows, widowers, and other formerly married people are accepted into communities and live a happy religious life. Each case has to be reflected on and prayed over. For most communities the age for entrance is 18-40 something.
Do religious ever get lonely?
Everyone feels lonely at times, including religious. It is part of being human. You can feel lonely even in a crowded room. Someone who lives in a healthy community has less chance of being lonely. There is a difference between loneliness and solitude. It is when we allow ourselves to be alone with God that we find the most joy.