Is God calling you to be a Sister?

Religious life is a call from God spoken to women and men to live out the radical Gospel message of Jesus in today’s world.

How is this call being answered today?

Society tells me that young women struggle with commitment. However, in my work as Vocations Director for the Sisters of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana, I am in awe of the courage and tenacity of the young women I walk with.

They are deep seekers through whom I experience the passion of Christ himself. I am humbled and honored to walk with these young women and I reject the statement above.

‘Strong and Independent’

These women have been raised to be strong and independent, to speak their minds and to think critically. They embrace equality for all, with no exceptions. Many have been raised in privileged circumstances and are extraordinarily well educated.

They rigorously reject the power over paradigm that religious communities and workplaces have used to thrive. They refuse to settle for the sake of a paycheck.

One woman shared with me, “We are a generation that grew up with monthly mass school shooting drills and scheduled play dates because our world was unsafe.” She continued, “I internalized that trauma and realized at a young age how precious life is. Therefore, I refuse to live my life for a paycheck.”

In my conversations with young women today, I hear how affected they are by the grim future they are inheriting. For example, the extreme weather events occurring across our planet, the rising geopolitical tensions and global conflicts at an all-time high, the widespread cybercrime and data breaches, the inequality gap and the social polarization of friends and family.

Not to mention the widespread misinformation and disinformation online. This chaos poses a significant threat to the well-being of our global and humanitarian stability. Let us not forget that these women have grown up with gun violence in our country at an all-time high.

Need we ask why so many struggle with depression and anxiety? The war they face so close to home causes intense volatility to their young spirits. Yet it is their inheritance, by a society that so often prioritizes greed and exploitation for profit by any means.

A ‘Healthy Way of Living’

For these women, mistrust of authority, anxiety, stress, depression and posttraumatic stress disorder are widespread. At the same time, this generation has greatly reduced the stigma surrounding seeking help.

They embrace vulnerability, healing and mental wellness as a healthy way of living. What an extraordinary concept, especially for those of us raised in previous generations!

The women I speak with deeply desire to unite their gifts, talents and hearts with an organization willing to put their money with their mouth is. They desire to grow personally, spiritually and professionally.

They dream of creating a world itself where all of creation and humanity are afforded the opportunity to thrive, get a fair share and have their needs met.

The ‘Call’

The Catholic Church at times falls short of their expectations. Yet it is the “CALL” that brings them: A deep desire to make a difference in this fractured world. It is a mystery why women come searching in this day and age. It is a mystery how they arrive.

But they come and they arrive, each on their own journey seeking what the world does not offer. Filled with hope, passion and deep faith, they come in ones and twos trusting in the One who summons them to this moment.

They are fearless yet fragile. They are courageous yet vulnerable. They are the ones we have prayed for, the ones born to continue the mission of Jesus Christ, and they are the future of Religious Life.

Are you called to be a Sister of Providence of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana? Contact Sister Joni Luna, SP, at jluna@spsmw.org or visit our Become a Sister page.