consecrated life
Consecrated means holy or set apart. Those who live a consecrated life seek to grow in holiness through their relationship with God and their service or ministry to and for others, with the support of their religious community. Their life is a vowed life.

discernment
Discernment is decision-making with God. It is a process of coming to understand God's desires and hopes for you – God's will or plan for you.

For discernment about becoming a Sister, this involves reflection and prayer, dialogue with some people who know you well, and conversation and experiences with those in a religious community that interests you.

God's will
God's desire is for our good and for our happiness. He has a personal plan for each of us.

Although mystery is involved here, God is not trying to hide His plan from us. We can discover His will through prayer and reflection.

prayer
Prayer is talking with and listening to God or just being with God, aware of God's presence and love. God speaks to us in our hearts, and as our relationship with Him deepens, we become more able to recognize His voice. One way to recognize God's voice is to realize that He always speaks to us lovingly, positively, and wisely. We may not always understand right away, but God is never trying to confuse or frustrate us. He calls us to Himself.

reflection
Reflection is a quiet process of coming to know ourselves and God better. Reflection that helps us toward discernment includes thinking of how God has been guiding us in our lives so far; what gifts and talents He has given us; what activities interest and energize us; and in what ways we find satisfaction in helping others. Reflection can include our hopes and dreams, our heroes and adults we admire, and memories of times of deep peace and happiness. The best reflection is prayerful reflection.

Writing (perhaps in a journal) and talking sincerely with someone who knows and cares for you can be very effective reflection times.

religious community
A community is a group of people who are united concerning what's most important to them. They are different individuals who share a common spirit, a common vision, and common goals and ideals. For a religious community all of these elements find their origin and strength in God and in His Church.

Religious communities refer to groups of women or men who have been officially founded within the Church to give of who they are and what they do to God and to God's People. They live a vowed, consecrated life.

religious life
Everyone is called to live a life that is religious. By “religious life,” we are usually referring to a choice to live publicly as a Priest, Brother, or Sister. For a Sister or Brother, this is also called the consecrated or vowed life.

vowed life
Vows are promises made to God. Like the covenant (agreement) that God made with the Israelites in the Old Testament, Sisters' vows are rooted in their relationship with God. The Vowed Life is a Sister's freely chosen way to focus with others in her religious community on God and God's People.