Initial Discernment

Initial discernment prior to candidacy

The call to community life is an invitation from God. To hear and respond to that call involves being in conversation with God, with the community, with your deepest desires, with others who know you well. Over time, the conversation, which we call discernment, leads to more clarity about God’s call for you. Discernment brings clarity to our deepest life questions.

• What is the purpose of my life?
• With whom do I want to live and how will I express my love?
• How can I use my gifts and talents and whom do I want to serve?

A woman discerning a call to community life will want to know the process for entering Benedictine Women of Madison, the length of time required, and who might apply.

Process

Community living involves developing relationships based on communication and lived experience. The initial stage of discernment is a time when we become acquainted with each other. You share some information about yourself as you get to know us, and we share our lives with you. After this initial phase, we ask you to visit the community several times to continue the conversation with the formation director and the other sisters.

Length of time

Discerning a call to community life requires a period of time. Since each person is unique, the amount of time and the process varies according to your familiarity with the monastic life, distance from the monastery, overall health and financial status. A woman is in contact with the community for the length of time needed for her discernment. This could be six months to two years.

Potential candidates

Membership in the community is open to single women between 25 and 50 years of age, without dependents. Exceptions to age are considered. She will be a baptized Christian living a celibate life. She will have a high school diploma or GED. A college degree and/or several years of work experience are highly desirable. Generally a woman is asked to be free of large debts and to have sufficient funds to cover insurance and living expenses during candidacy (the first stage of membership).

Divorced and widowed women are welcome to seek membership; however, discernment may take longer. In order to love and serve God and one another, and to be of service to others, celibacy is part of our life. We require women seeking entrance into the community to have lived a celibate life long enough to know it is right for them.

“That they truly seek God” is the only requirement for monastic life that Benedict mentions in the Rule of Benedict (RB), however, newcomers are not to be granted an easy entrance (RB58). Benedict asks for maturity of character and emotional stability of those who wish to enter into community.

Our desire is to assist you in determining how God is working in your life. Prayer is especially important. The grace of a call to community life flows from fidelity to our Christian commitment, as a further living out of our baptismal promises.

For more information, contact Lynne Smith, OSB , director of membership and monastic formation at (608) 831-9305.

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