Vocations
If you are visiting our website, I trust that you are seeking to know how to respond to a call from God. I believe that the Holy Spirit is present to you as you explore where and what God is calling you to do with your life. I invite you to discern God’s call with me. God’s grace will accompany us throughout this discernment time. My role is to listen to how God is working in your life.
On Monday, May 8, 2023, I responded to a call that I didn’t expect: to become our vocation director. I am Benedictine Sister Marilyn Mark. With courage, I trust that my “Yes” to God and our Benedictine community will enable me and guide me in this new ministry. Calls come at various times in our lives and God’s grace accompanies us.
What are some signs that you might have a call to religious life?
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- You have the desire to look for something deeper in your life.
- You have a deep hunger to serve God.
- You are active in your youth group and other parish gatherings.
- You actively participate in parish ministries.
- You are researching a variety of religious orders.
- You sense there is something missing in your life.
- You have feelings of exploring religious life that linger with you no matter how hard you try to ignore them.
Beginning to Discern
We will engage in discussion with women who want to begin mutual discernment. We will engage in conversation and explore the signs listed above together in an open manner. When the time feels right, we will consider possible membership into our community. The following criteria are necessary for a woman interested in beginning the dialogue:
- You are a baptized Roman Catholic who has celebrated the sacraments of reconciliation, Eucharist, and confirmation or you are a convert to Catholicism and have been worshiping regularly with a Roman Catholic community during the past two years.
- You are Catholic and currently worship regularly with a Roman Catholic community.
- You are single, widowed, or divorced with an annulment.
- You have post-secondary education and/or work experience beyond high school.
- You are not being treated for any health concerns, mental health, or physical conditions that would prevent you from fully participating in the life required of being a member of a monastic community. If you are uncertain, please connect with the director of vocation ministry.
These are the basic prerequisites to begin the dialogue for a religious vocation in our Benedictine monastic community. For more information, please contact:
Marilyn Mark, OSB
Director of Vocation Ministry
osbvocations@csbsju.edu
(320) 363-7180
What are some prayer forms of Benedictine spirituality?
- Liturgy of the Hours
- Lectio divina (prayerful reading of Scripture)
- Eucharist
What does Benedictine spirituality include?
- Seeking God
- Using the Gospel and the Rule of Benedict as a guide
- Listening to one another
- Attending to God within
- Communal participation in Mass and Liturgy of the Hours
What are the signs of a Benedictine monastic vocation?
- Desire to live in community
- Love of prayer
- Willingness to accept obedience to one another and to the prioress
- Recognizing the importance of ongoing discernment:
- With yourself
- With the director of vocation ministry
- With the community
- With the prioress
What is monasticism?
Monasticism is a life where the priority is prayer. Prayer, work and community living are the key components of a monastic lifestyle.
What is a monastery?
The monastery is the place where Benedictine women live together in community.
How does monasticism differ from apostolic life?
The apostolic life focuses on active ministry.
What promises do you make as Benedictine sisters?
We make three promises of commitment:
- Stability
- Conversatio morum (continued fidelity to the monastic way of life)
- Obedience
Celibate chastity and monastic poverty are also indispensable to the common life.
What do the sisters do for work?
Our primary work is prayer through Liturgy of the Hours. Our ministries of service reflect the current needs of the Church and world.
How do I know if God is calling me to Benedictine monastic life?
Reflect on the following questions: Is God calling you…
- To a deeper faith life?
- To a deeper relationship with God?
- To be part of a community committed to other women who are also seeking God?
- To a life of structured prayer, service and community living?
- To become your best self through a vocation in religious life?
- To religious life itself?
- To live under the obedience of a prioress?
- To follow the Rule of Benedict?
How do I apply for a visit to Saint Benedict’s Monastery?
Fill out an online application to schedule a visit. The director of vocation ministry will contact you and have a phone interview to see if an on-site visit is the next step for you.
What can I expect when I visit?
If you spend the night, you will be a guest of the welcoming community. The sisters who live in the welcoming community will help you feel at home and accompany you to prayers, Eucharist and meals. You will have a private room prepared for you with bedding, towels and reading materials about our community.
Please keep in mind the communal activities of prayer in the Oratory, Eucharist in the chapel, and meals in our dining room. We ask that you wear clothing that speaks of simplicity, such as pants or a knee-length skirt and a modest blouse or sweater top. You will want clothes to work in, walk in, and hang out in when with the welcoming house community.
Based on your needs, a schedule will be set up with Sister Marilyn Mark. She will talk about the opportunities available to you during your visit. There will be time for you to spend in quiet reflection, go for walks, and exercise if you so choose.
Once a woman has requested application to the community and visited with the prioress, she begins a more formal process of discernment with this specific Benedictine monastic community. The stages of formation are outlined below.
Affiliation
This is a time of becoming more familiar with the community through frequent visits while living and working independently of the community.
Postulancy
This stage is generally nine months long. The woman lives within the community learning the life of prayer, work and community living. You will learn about Benedictine spirituality and prayer through participation in daily Liturgy of the Hours, lectio and scheduled classes.
Novitiate
This stage is a canonical year of intense prayer and reflection on the Benedictine monastic way of life in this community. It is a time for the novice and the community to continue to get to know one another. This year is one of discernment as the novice and her formation director ask the question, “Is this the best community for her to seek God?”
First Monastic Profession
This stage is a period of four to six years. The woman lives as a professed member of the community, continuing to learn the balance of prayer, work and community. She is discerning if this is the best place for her to seek God and make a lifelong commitment to the community.
Perpetual Monastic Profession
If a woman decides to become a permanent member of Saint Benedict’s Monastery and the community agrees, she will make a lifelong commitment to seeking God according to the Gospel and the Rule of Benedict. This decision comes after several stages of formation and discernment.
