Frequently Asked Questions

“Those who let themselves be seized by this love cannot help but abandon everything to follow Him” (Vita consecrata).

The call to religious life is a call to totality, a complete self-gift to Christ. As a young woman begins to explore the possibility of a religious vocation, it is natural for questions to arise in her heart.

Below we provide answers to questions about discernment and about our St. Cecilia Dominican life and community.

How do I know if I have a religious vocation?

There is no one-size-fits-all answer to this question. Each person’s vocation story is as unique as her relationship with God, and no formula, book, or program can provide a foolproof “discernment technique” to produce absolute clarity. However, as you seek to understand the Lord’s will for your life, you may wish to consider the following questions:

• Are you happy, yet find that deep within you there is an unfulfilled longing? With all that you have, is there is a sense that it is not enough?
• Do you feel drawn to daily Mass and more prayer than your present schedule permits?
• Do you desire to do something great or heroic with your life—to make a tremendous gift of love to God?
• Do you enjoy sharing your faith with others, most especially those who are searching for God?
• When you first considered religious life, did the idea catch you off guard-like someone who has been picked out of a crowd and responds, “Who me?”
• Do you find that you possess a great love for the Church and her teachings?
• When you have contact with priests and religious, is there a sense of connection, an attraction to the joy and conviction they possess?

The simplest question to ask is: Do I want this? An authentic, generous desire for religious life is a grace. If you are sincerely and humbly seeking the Lord, you can trust your good desires to lead you to Him. 

What can I do to discern God’s call more deeply?

The best answer to this question is to pray, pray and pray some more. God speaks to us in the silence of our hearts. It is tempting to look for extraordinary signs, but God works best with our cooperation in prayer and honest investigation. As you grow in your life of prayer, consider the following elements:

• Frequent reception of the Sacraments.
• Daily prayer, especially meditation on the Scriptures.
• Daily Mass and/or Adoration, if your schedule and locale permit.
• Spiritual reading of Catholic classics such as the lives of the saints and writings on prayer and the spiritual life.
• Devotion to our Lady, especially through the Rosary.
• Growth in self-knowledge, rooted in an awareness of God’s infinite love.
• Balanced asceticism, especially by limiting your use of social media

Participation in retreats can be very helpful. Some Orders offer vocation discernment experiences, while others provide in-depth opportunities for prayer. Either way, there is much to be learned from such exposure and attention to your spiritual life.

Finally, talk to a sister! Having experienced what you are going through, she will understand whatever apprehensions or concerns you may have. Learn as much as you can about the way the life is lived.

 Do I need to have a spiritual director?

Not necessarily. As you grow in your relationship with Christ, allowing the Holy Spirit to lead you more deeply into the love of the Father, a spiritual director can provide support and help to mirror back to you the ways the Lord is working in your life. However, there is certainly no requirement! Whether or not the Lord provides a spiritual director, you can have confidence that He is at work in your life to draw you to Himself.

 Are there any basic requirements for acceptance into this Community?

Acceptance into any religious community is a process of mutual discernment: the young woman and the community seeking God’s will together. In order to pursue a religious vocation with appropriate freedom, a young woman must have sufficient health (physical and emotional), an ability to live happily within community, sufficient age and maturity, and a proper motive for seeking the religious life. This community requires a minimum of a high school education, and the stated age limit is 30, although exceptions can be made.

 What if I am not a teacher?

Very few people come to us with teaching experience! While some already have a college degree, most need certification and training in what it means to be a Dominican teacher. Our young sisters attend our own Aquinas College and are educated not only to be teachers but are formed in the Dominican tradition of study and the pursuit of truth. This allows the sister to apply what she has gained by study into the teaching apostolate.

The question to ask is, do I enjoy people and could I pour out my love for Christ in the context of a classroom? What is needed is zeal for Christ and generosity. Religious life is not a career; it is a way of loving.

Speaking of education, my parents are worried that if I do not finish college first, I won’t be well educated.

To be Dominican is to spend our life in study. We take seriously Dominic’s insistence that those in his Order should be given the best in education. By possessing sound knowledge of the truth, the religious is able to share that truth. Our sisters are prepared for the apostolate with an initial program of studies that provides them with exposure to both sacred and secular subjects. Usually, the sisters continue their studies to pursue master’s degrees in theology and in secular subjects for the apostolate with an initial program of studies that provides them with exposure to both sacred and secular subjects (History, Administration, Philosophy, English, Music or other fields that will best prepare them to serve the community and the Church). As teachers and Dominicans, we cultivate a love for study both for its own sake, and for the sake of the good of souls.

I can’t sing well! Is that an impediment?

Not at all! People come to us with a variety of gifts and talents. Singing doesn’t have to be one of them. While it is true that we highly value the enhancement that beautiful music brings to the liturgy and our communal prayer of the Divine Office, quality of voice and musical ability are not necessary.

What is the best age to enter?

The best age to enter is when God calls. The greatest impetus comes when God’s grace makes us “ready.” For some this call comes around the age of 23 or 24, while for others He surprises the world and calls a young woman at the age of 18. Occasionally circumstances are such that an individual has not considered the religious life until the age of 28 or 29. Whatever the case, God’s call is mysterious. What is most important is not full maturity but deep self-knowledge. If someone knows herself and has prayerfully considered religious life in its essentials, she may possess a sincere and well-informed desire. This is God’s gift. When discussing the idea with friends and family it is important that it be seen not as a career choice but as a call from God.

 I find that I am attracted to both religious life and marriage. Does the fact that I would love to be married and have a family mean that I don’t have a religious vocation?

No, this simply means that you are normal! The desire for marriage and family is written into our hearts. Religious life does not destroy our capacity for love. Rather, as sisters, we discover Christ as our Spouse, growing in intimacy with Him through prayer. This intimacy overflows into spiritual motherhood for the students we teach and for the whole world. For those who are called, these expressions of sacrificial love are life-giving and tremendously fulfilling.

While I’m discerning religious life, is it a good idea to date as well?

Because the call to religious life is an invitation to freely follow Christ and choose Him as Spouse, dating in the midst of discernment often only throws shadows on how to proceed. The call to religious life, like that of marriage, is a radical call to surrender oneself wholly to the other. In the case of religious life, this surrender is to Christ alone in the totality of our self-gift. Because all of our loves are ordered in and through Christ, we can lose nothing by setting dating aside for a time to allow Christ to speak to our hearts and direct the love He has first given to us.

What is your relationship with your family after entering the convent? Can you visit with them?

When the Lord calls a young woman to religious life, the grace is extended to her family as well. Especially in today’s ultra-connected digital world, the separation from family can be difficult. However, we know that the Lord always blesses sacrifice and makes it fruitful.

As a sister grows nearer to Christ in her days of formation, her love for her family deepens. The visits they have together and the letters they send become precious opportunities to share with one another on a deeper spiritual level. We have a great debt of gratitude for our families since it is from them that we have been given life, love and the gift of our faith. With time and the power of God’s grace our relationships actually grow stronger. The hundredfold promised to those who leave everything to follow Christ also flows into our families.

At the beginning of formation, the sisters have scheduled visiting days 3-4 times each year when their families come and see them at the Motherhouse. In May of the postulant year, the sister may go home at a designated time for a visit of 7 days. Four years after the postulant home visit, the sister may go home for a week each year. These visits become special opportunities for the sister and her family, a time that is treasured by all.

These regulations are based on solid religious practice that has shown itself to be effective through years of lived experience within the Church and specifically within our Congregation. They are intended to make our relationship with Christ the most primary one in our life. All others are to flow from that one source.

I know religious life involves a lot of sacrifice—giving up a lot of good things. What if I’m not happy?

The grace of a religious vocation is to respond to God’s call to leave all things to follow Christ (see Matthew 19:21). This entails sacrifice. Yet this sacrifice, joined with Christ, brings great joy.

A call to the religious life is an invitation to look beyond the things of this world in all of their goodness, in favor of the ultimate realities of heaven. Through the vow of poverty, Christ detaches us from possessions so that we may have full freedom to possess supernatural realities. Through the vow of chastity, He frees us for single-hearted devotion to Christ as our Spouse. Through the vow of obedience, He conforms our wills totally to His. In this way, we anticipate heaven where all will live, in effect, as those consecrated to Christ.

What if I enter the convent and then change my mind later?

This congregation has a one-year postulancy and a two-year novitiate before profession of first vows, when the sister lays her life down for the Lord in a definitive way. There are five years of temporary vows before perpetual profession. This period of initial formation allows each sister to discern the Lord’s will clearly, as well as to provide the human and spiritual growth necessary for her to make a complete gift of self. For those who are called, a life totally committed and surrendered to the Lord is a life of freedom and joy!