By: Sr. Janice Bachman, OP

In the Final Document of the Synod on Young People, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment, we are reminded that “the vocational journey is not about self-fulfillment but about making a gift of oneself to others” (77).  God has gifted each of us with life, and each of us has been created with a specific purpose that God has in mind.  Vocational discernment helps us discover the underlying purpose of our lives.   

Frederick Buechner, the famed literary novelist and preacher, submits that a vocation is ‘where your deep gladness meets the world’s deep hunger.”   A vocation is not something we choose but rather something that chooses us.  A vocation is the place of intersection of our deepest joy, our unique gifts, and God’s call.  When we sense a possibility of being called to live the vowed life as a religious Sister, we can also sense that we do not have a choice but can only ask ourselves, What is my responsibility here?   It’s not a matter of what we expect from life but rather what life – God – expects from us.

Many signs can awaken us to our vocation, but how do we know what our vocation is?  The answer generally does not come from an overpowering flash of insight, or in some extraordinary movement of the heart, or even in a strong attraction to a certain way of life.  The actual answer usually activates our conscience, as something being asked of us, as something we cannot morally turn away from, and as something we might initially resist.
A vocation chooses us and makes the commitments for us, and those commitments put us in that place in the world where we are best placed to serve others and find happiness.

Those considering a vocation to religious life often wonder:  How do I know it’s God calling me?  How do I distinguish between God’s voice and my own voice?  How do I tell what’s coming from God and what might be simple wish fulfillment, daydreaming or a made-up idea of what I think God wants?  I use these three guideposts to help me discern what comes from God and what comes from my daydreaming:

-What emanates from God will last and bring about transformation and change within us.  What comes from daydreaming will be short-lived, shallow, and not focused on the common good.
-What comes from God has the unique characteristic of seamlessly weaving itself into our own personal experiences and memories.  What comes from my daydreaming is more centered on myself, leaving me with the illusion that I am in control of the discernment process.
-What comes from God draws us closer to God and to each other.  What comes from my daydreaming can easily become divisive.

My own vocational discernment did not include flashing neon lights pointing to the Dominican Sisters.  Instead, I experienced a gradual awareness of being attracted to the Dominican Sisters, who were my teachers throughout grade school and high school.  So, I got to know them pretty well.  A couple of the Sisters asked me if I was considering religious life.  I participated in a vocations weekend in Columbus, where I had an opportunity to talk with a couple of Sisters in formation. This personal contact was very helpful in confirming my desire and calling to religious life as a sister.

Is God calling you to be a Dominican Sister?  Take the next step and begin a deeper phase of your discernment by visiting our website for the  Dominican Sisters of Peace. We have many opportunities for discernment, such as our one-on-one Zoom chats with our Vocation Ministers  and the Discernment Prayer Group. Check out our many upcoming vocation events on our vocation webpage, where you can find a wealth of resources to assist you in your exploration and discernment.