prayer & discernment prayer & discernment
Family members and friends often pepper their loved ones with questions about being a sister, brother, or priest. A little information can go a long way.
Questions people may ask about your vocation . . . Compiled by Joel Schorn
. . . and some answers you can give them.
Joel Schorn is managing editor of VISION.
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arents and friends of people who express an interest in joining a religious community often have serious concerns about their loved one embracing a way of life that is countercultural, often misunderstood, and sometimes mysterious. The following questions and answers are meant to shed light on this joyful and fulfilling life choice.
1. Won’t you be living with mostly elderly people? Not necessarily. Current younger members stand not on the shoulders of old members but on those of great wisdom, faithfulness, and experience. While every community has elderly members, there are many younger members in congregations across the country and the world. “One of the great gifts religious life has to offer, and to model for the rest of the world,” said Sister Julie Vieira, I.H.M., “is an intergenerational community that values the energy and new ideas of the young and reverences the perspective and insight of elders.” People from all walks of life, ages, and ethnic backgrounds continue to feel called to religious life. It is not uncommon for high school students and young adults to experience curiosity about a religious vocation. Admission requirements vary from community to community, but according to the 2009 National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC)/ Center for Research in the Apostolate Study on Recent Vocations, 71 percent of those 20 | VISION 2014 | VocationNetwork.org
