Going Against the Current

We candidates are just at the beginning of our journey of discerning God’s vocational call for us, but we are inspired by our founder to look back on how our Blessed Mother got us this far.

In today’s day and age, there are so many reasons to run away or ignore a vocation to religious life. There are many distractions, busyness and misconceptions about religious life, pressures of security and success, worries about the unknown, and sometimes lack of understanding from family and friends that make taking the leap intimidating. I remember feeling overwhelmed by the process of online searching and contacting religious orders and by the worry of how my relationships would be impacted by this choice.

But there is great reason for hope. Surprisingly, the millennial generation is more likely than its predecessors to consider religious life. The Salesian Sisters Western Province we have had 7 young women enter formation in the last 2 years. For us, we felt God pulling on our heartstrings to follow Him and Our Blessed Mother led us here. Now we are knee-deep in a discernment process of prayer, self-knowledge, and reflection to verify if Salesian life is the path that will make of us the most sincere and total self-gift.

Mary Help of Christians has brought us this far, but please pray for us that we would cling to her and let her guide us day by day to her Son. And please pray for all young women of our generation that are considering a call to religious life, especially to the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians, that they would have the courage to trust Christ and “Do whatever He tells you.” (John 2:5)