Seeking a Vocation?
If you are seeking something more in your life, you may have a calling to vowed monastic life. The God you seek is also seeking you.
CALL TO VOWED LIFE
Everyone is called by God to live a Christ-centered life. All life choices—marriage, the single life, religious life, and holy orders—serve as a call to holiness and service to God’s People. The call to holiness, received at Baptism, is a universal call to a lifelong deepening of one’s relationship with God. Religious life is a very special calling. You must have a deep yearning for the sacred and a call to journey with others. We live as we believe at St. Paul's Monastery.
St. Paul’s Monastery Vocations
Click the video link below to learn more about the process of religious vocation at St. Paul's Monastery.
SISTERS' STORIES
Benedictines follow The Rule of St. Benedict. Monastic profession includes vows of obedience, stability, and conversion of life. These vows include celibacy and simplicity of life. We live under the leadership of a Prioress, in a community with mutual listening, respect and understanding for one another. We are part of a worldwide community of Benedictines with a 1500-year-old tradition. The Stages of Formation:
SISTER SHARON
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
SISTER LOIS
“My ministry and service was always to meet the practical needs of a Parish or other religious facility.”
SISTER SUSAN
“So all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting, to the sound of the horn, trumpets and cymbals, and made loud music on harps and lyres.”
The Vowed Sister Process
FINAL PROFESSION
Final Profession is a life-long commitment to seek God according to the Gospel and the Rule of Benedict with the members of St. Paul’s Monastery.
Next Stage
TEMPORARY PROFESSION
The years following Temporary Profession are a time to enter more deeply into the experience of monastic vowed commitment and to develop a rhythm of prayer, community and ministry. At this stage, you receive the title “Sister." This stage is known as “Temporary Profession” and lasts from three to six years. During this time, the new Sister lives as a full member of the Community. During Temporary Profession, a Sister continues her discernment to the final step.
Next Stage
NOVICE
The Novitiate is a 1-2 year period of contemplation, prayer and study. This third step in becoming a Sister includes in-depth study of the Benedictine way of life through prayer, study, reflection, solitude and work. Class work covers Scripture, The Rule of Benedict and monastic profession.
Next Stage
POSTULANT
During Postulancy, you live as part of the Community in order to further discern your call. In this second stage, the discerning woman moves into the Monastery to share our prayer, work and leisure. This is a time for balance of ministry, prayer and community life. This stage can last from six months to two years.
Next Stage
AFFILIATE
The initial stage is a period of time during which you meet with the Membership Director to discern and explore the Benedictine Way of Life and how you can make a difference. During the Affiliation Stage you meet regularly with the Membership Director or another Sister in the Community who can help you discern whether you are called to religious life in our Community. Affiliates are women who have been in communication with us and have expressed an interest in discerning more seriously their call to the monastic life as lived by the Sisters of St. Benedict at St. Paul’s Monastery. This stage can last from six months to two years.
Next Stage