How do I know if I have a religious vocation?

Published: May 12, 2007

By Sister Kimberly Prohaska, OSB
Special to Arkansas Catholic

Sister Kimberly Prohaska

How do I know if I have a religious vocation? Many young people ask this very question; in fact I asked it myself not very long ago. The answer is not something you can find and define in a simple way. It is a mystery.

I asked a friend once, "So, how do you know?" She promptly said, "Kim, you will know it when you know it." That was not the answer I was hoping for, but by all accounts, she was right. The answer will come and you will know it, you just have to determine if you're willing to find it.

For me, I wanted clarity and I felt God was not delivering. Then I realized to understand the call I had to pay attention.

One of the first things you can do is simply pray. You would be amazed how prayer can help you sort out the cobwebs of a searching soul. With all the noise and demands of life, just taking time out to be quiet and talk to God is a big step in the discernment process.

Through my prayer I found I wanted to be alone with God. I looked forward to those contemplative times in life. After discovering St. Scholastica Monastery, I learned that this quiet time with God is what St. Benedict called, "Listening with the ear of your heart."

I realized God had been showing me the way all along. I sought spiritual direction everywhere. I began looking into all the possibilities, asking others questions about marriage, single and religious life. The more I looked, the more I began to see that religious life fit better than the others so I chose to seriously examine if God was calling me to this life.

I could hear Jesus' words, as if directly to me, "Come follow me." There were times when I doubted or was unsure, but God always led the way.

Eventually it was apparent when in both my prayer and through my loved ones, God's message was, "It was I who chose you, you do not choose me." No matter what I did or where I looked, that message came to me. The words of my friend came back to me, "Kim, you will know it when you know it." As many times as I found myself hanging up on God (which I did literally), through erudite attentiveness, prayer and investigation, I began to trust that God's call was as genuine for me as it is for anyone.

It is imperative that parents be open to how their children may be feeling or thinking about a life other than marriage or single life. All vocations are wonderful, but I think, sometimes, we forget how life-giving religious life can be.

I don't think my parents realized how important their opinion and feelings were to me. My father, with my mother's support, advised me to give St. Scholastica a try for one year of discernment.

My parents wanted nothing but my happiness, and I believe all parents want that for their children. So if your child expresses a desire to explore a religious or priestly vocation, please listen to them.

So, how do you know if you are being called? Start by reflecting on these questions:

Do I find myself wondering if there is more to life?

Do I have a desire to know God more deeply and give my whole self to him?

Am I drawn to pray and participate in the liturgy?

Do I take an active role in the life of the Church?

Do I feel called to live out the Gospel?

Do I desire to live a simple lifestyle?

Do I feel called to share life, ministry and faith with others?

Do I value the multicultural abundance in our world?

Am I concerned with the unmet needs of others, especially the poor and those treated unjustly?

Do I believe I can live the life of a religious sister or nun?

Do I think I can live a life of continual conversion?

Do I believe we can do more together than alone?

Do I want a challenging life lived with deep satisfaction and love?

If you answer "yes" to many of these questions, God may be calling you to religious life.

There are many "Come and See" opportunities for discerners to find out what religious life is all about. See this link for a list of religious orders serving in Arkansas. It includes contact information and opportunities to visit and learn more.

Sister Kimberly Rose Prohaska, OSB, is vocations director at St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith.

Return to Vocations 2007 section index.