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Ways to Discern a Vocation to Religious Life


Sister Lisa Perkowski

We are called by our baptism to follow in the footsteps of Jesus. We are invited to share our gifts and talents for serving the needs of our brothers and sisters. Below are listed some vocation quotes, scripture passages and reflection questions to guide your journey.

A good vocation is simply a firm and constant will in which the called person has to serve God in the way and in the places to which Almighty God has called him. -St Francis de Sales

Call of Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:4-10)
Call of Moses Exodus 3:4-5
Where is God inviting me to serve – to generously share my gifts and talents?

I hope you come to find that which gives your life a deep meaning for you.
Something worth living for, maybe even worth dying for;
Something that energizes you, enthuses you, enables you to keep moving ahead.
I can’t tell you what it might be, that’s for you to find, to choose, to love…
I can encourage you to start looking, and support you in the search.
-Sr Ita Ford, M.M.

Call of Isaiah (Isaiah 43:1-5)
Call of the Samaritan Woman John 4:1-42
How is God calling me to follow as a disciple? What gives meaning to my life?


My deepest vocation is to be a witness to the glimpses of God I have been allowed to catch. -Henri Nouwen

Call of Zacchaeus Luke 19:1-10
Where in my life have I experienced the presence of God? How am I being called to witness to the God in my life?


The place God calls you is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet. -Andrew Bruechner

Call of Peter John 21:15-23
Where can I use my gifts to make a difference in our world? What is my passion?
What must I leave behind to follow God’s invitation?


The secret of success is making your vocation, your vacation. -Mark Twain

Call of Levi Luke 5:27-28
What path in life will I experience fulfillment and deep joy?


It is important that you choose your career with care, so that you may really follow the vocation that God has destined for you. No day should pass without some prayer to this end. Often repeat with St. Paul: “Lord, what will you have me do?
-St. John Bosco

Call of Samuel (1 Samuel 3:1-9)
Am I taking time to listen to the God in my heart each day? Where do I hear God calling me today?


Be the person you were born to be.

Discovering vocation does not mean scrambling toward some prize beyond my reach but accepting the treasure of true self I already possess. Vocation does not come from a voice “out there” calling me to become something I am not. It comes from a voice “in here” calling me to be the person I was born to be, to fulfill the original selfhood given me at birth by God. -From Let Your Life Speak By Parker Palmer

Call of Mary – (Luke 1:26-32)
Where can I be my best and true self? Where is my heart leading me? What is God’s dream for my life?


Reflecting on the various scripture passages on call; when have you experienced a “call from God” in your life?
What has been your response?
Identify and describe where and when God has been present throughout your life’s journey.
Where is God inviting you at this moment in time?
What might be preventing you from saying yes?
What excites you about saying yes?
Where do you go from here?
What is your next step on the journey?

If you've seriously thought about and prayed about your future in religious life and you'd like to talk to someone, contact Sister Ruth Harkins, IHM.

Director of Vocations
Sr. Ruth Harkins, IHM
IHM Center, 2300 Adams Avenue
Scranton, PA 18509
Tel: 570-346-5413
Email: harkir@sistersofihm.org

 



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Last updated June 9, 2011