Catholic Vocations

Vocations

Choosing A Community

Sr Elizabeth's Guidelines for Choosing a Community

I thought a list of things to keep in mind when looking at religious communities might be helpful for those who are currently "looking". I searched for a long time and learned a lot in the process. I hope this helps.

1- What am I looking for in a religious community? (keep in mind that no community is perfect)

2- What is their spirituality?

3- What is their main mission?

4- How old is this community? How much experience do they have as a religious group?

5- Are they local or international?

6- Is this group I am looking at approved by Rome yet?

7- Is this community diocesan?

8- What does their formation program look like?

9- Are they contemplative only? If they are contemplative, are they cloistered or semi-cloistered?

10- Are they apostolic? If they are apostolic, find out how important prayer is in their daily lives.

Many, many other questions can be asked on the journey, these are 10 questions that I found very helpful during my search.

Prayers and blessings,

Sr Elizabeth SDS