Have you ever wondered what a vocation director does? In our community, the primary role of a vocation director is to journey with young women and help them recognize how God is calling them, whether to married life, single life, or consecrated life. In our congregation, Sr. June Fitzgerald and me (Sr. Maidung Nguyen), are dedicated to this fulfilling and rewarding role.
As we talk with discerners one-on-one in monthly Zoom sessions or in person, we give a woman an opportunity to discuss her concerns and receive individual guidance. We listen to her story and invite her to listen prayerfully with an open heart to how God speaks to her. We encourage her to examine her gifts, hopes, dreams, challenges, fears, and personality as God speaks to us through our humanity – through who we are and what we care about.
For me, walking with a woman and guiding her through the discernment process is a blessing. I enjoy meeting with discerners individually, in person and via social media, and find my own call enriched by walking with a discerner. After meeting with a discerner, I pray and praise God for her desire to search for a deeper meaning in her life. I see so much beauty in a woman’s desire to deepen her relationship with God and I experience so much joy in walking with a discerner as she discovers how God is acting in her life and how God is calling her.
As vocation directors, we also serve as ambassadors for our community, letting people know who we are and what our charism and mission mean as Dominican Sisters of Peace. We promote vocations to the consecrated life by traveling to churches, schools/colleges, and conferences to meet people, giving vocation talks, distributing vocation materials, advertising vocation events, and engaging in conversations about religious life and our community.
Besides working with a woman individually, I also find our vocation discernment events important and meaningful in helping a woman know how God is calling her. These events allow discerners to reflect more deeply on how God is calling them and guide them in the discernment process so they can freely make a decision they are at peace with.
Recently, we hosted a Come and See weekend retreat at our St. Catharine convent in Kentucky. Five young women from various locations throughout the country and with different backgrounds attended this event. The weekend was filled with vibrant energy as Sisters shared their stories, with deep gratitude for their call to the four pillars of Dominican life--prayer, study, community, and service. Retreatants shared where they were in the discernment process and their concerns and questions regarding how to respond to the call.
Discerners experienced different prayer forms to build a more intimate relationship with God. These included journaling, Ignatian Examen, Taize style Vespers with Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, meditation, praying with nature as we took a hayride, Liturgy of the Hours, and the Nine Ways of Prayer of St. Dominic.
In presentations throughout the day on Saturday, Sr. June introduced discerners to the discernment process with tools and exercises to help them understand how it works. Sister Shingai Chigwedere and Sister Mary Vuong shared their vocation stories and discernment experiences. Two more Sisters, Sr. Terri Schell and Sr. Annie Killian, shared how they live the congregation’s motto, “to be peace, build peace, and preach peace.” Discerners also had opportunities to ask questions of our sisters in formation and hear about their vocation journeys.
Discerners had many opportunities to mingle with sisters and to visit our elderly sisters at our Sansbury Health Care Center. Each discerner also met privately with a sister who was chosen as her companion during the retreat.
The weekend was filled with a joyful, peaceful, and contemplative spirit. Laughter and peace showed up on the faces of discerners and sisters. I kept singing quietly to myself, “How great thou art.” These events fill my heart with inspiration, gratitude, and hope for the future of religious life. I thank God and my congregation for entrusting me with this ministry.
Our Come and See Weekend Retreat is just one of our discernment events. Other ways that we provide support is to connect discerners with their peers through two monthly Zoom programs--our Discernment Prayer Group, and Emmaus Discernment Group. At these sessions, we introduce different prayer forms and discuss various topics around religious life. See our Upcoming Discernment Events webpage for forthcoming dates and topics for these two group programs. In fact, this Sunday, September 22, we will use Lectio Divina to pray for peace and invite you to contact Sr. June to let her know you want to participate.
As vocation directors, we are here to help Catholic single women (18-45) discern their call. If you or someone you know wants to explore religious life, please introduce her to us or contact us. Helping a discerner become who God calls her to be is our greatest joy and blessing.