Praised be Jesus Christ!
Welcome to our vocation pages! It is our greatest desire and prayer that you discover your vocation that God Himself has given you at baptism. If we can be of service in helping you find what God is calling you to, then we will have fulfilled our mission in creating these pages.
Joyful novices receive formation and instruction from their Novice Master.
A vocation is a gift from God that is totally and completely personal. It has to do with the question, "Who am I?" and also, "What is God's will for me personally? What was I made for?" God's perfect and infinite providence wants to guide every soul to what will ultimately perfect us and make us happy. God is our Father through Jesus Christ who died for us. We are God's adopted sons. For this reason, God Who loves us tenderly and with great wisdom directs everything in our lives for our good, especially when we sincerely wish to please Him and serve Him. The perennial teaching of the Catholic Church passed down to us from the apostles shows us how much God wants to be part of our lives and how He intimately works in our hearts to call us to fulfill His will for our lives with perfection. It is only in the perfect fulfillment of God's designs for our lives that we will find total happiness and contentment. This is because we were created to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul and strength. Every good is found in God. Our hearts have an infinite desire for goodness, which is fulfilled only through a generous supernatural response to God's call.
A monk happily polishes a chalice for Holy Mass which will hold the Precious Blood of Jesus Christ.
The first way in which as Christians we fulfill God's will and plan for our lives is through living the Catholic faith through a sacramental life. This means that we weekly live the sacraments of the Church by attending Holy Mass on Sundays and even daily, and going to confession every few weeks. We do this to be filled with the graces that Jesus Christ has given us in the sacraments. But we must also root out of our daily habits and actions all that is offensive to God in order to love Him better and truly. We must strive to overcome our sins. It is not just about not sinning, but about increasing our love for God. To love God truly takes a radical commitment and conversion of heart. It is through the life of the sacraments that this first takes place.
The next important thing is to pray to God as a Father every day, to Christ as our Savior and to the Blessed Virgin Mary as our Mother. We talk often to our friends. We speak regularly to those that we want to commune with and love. For this reason, we must speak to Jesus and Mary every day in order to increase our relationship with them. The more we know Jesus and His good Mother, the more we will be helped by them who love us so much and only want our salvation.
A brother cares for a new colt near the Refectory entrance.
Not everyone is called to religious life, let alone to a cloistered monastery like ours. But everyone is called to holiness of life. Everyone is called to union with God and an intimate filial relationship with Him. Then God can reveal to us through prayer and the sacramental life more details about the specific and personal way that we are meant to follow Him. Are we meant to be married? Are we meant to be a priest in a parish? Are we meant to be a brother who serves the Church with simple work? Are we meant to be an active religious priest? Or are we called to the hidden life of the cloister in order to intercede spiritually and mystically for the Church and the world? These are the various vocations that must be considered when beginning to discern your vocation.
Please know that we monks pray for each one of you individually every day with great fervor. We take you before Christ in the Blessed Sacrament and ask Him to increase grace in your life and to give you the courage to follow Him. We place you under Mary's mantle and Motherly protection. Be encouraged because your vocation is dear to God who never fails His children. We hope these pages help you deepen your sacramental life and your personal relationship with Jesus and Mary. May they also help you to discern your personal call from God.
+ May God bless you!
→ Continue to the next page to learn how to discern a religious vocation...
