prayer & discernment
DISCERNMENT
retreat
participants
pray with the
Carmelite
Fathers of
Middletown, N. Y.
Come and see!
Vocation discernment retreats offer opportunities to experience
the prayer life and work of a religious community and let you get
a feel for this unique way of life.
is TEninG is the main task of
discernment,” says sister Mari-
ette Therese Bernier, o.s.B., vo-
cation director for the Benedictine sisters
of Elizabeth, new Jersey, as she reflected
on her experience at a vocation discern-
ment retreat before she entered religious
life. “in daily life, it’s not usual to come
in contact with other people considering
a religious vocation. i attended a discern-
ment retreat and enjoyed the interaction
BY
LAURA
DODSON L
Laura Dodson is a freelance journalist blessed to
be able to combine her pastoral ministry education
and experience with her passion to spread the good
news of the Catholic faith.
with other discerners. it was a time for
personal reflection and with the community—it furthered the process of my
calling. The more time i spent, the more
i realized that it was my calling, and the
more comfortable i became, the more i
realized that i could do this.”
“Just come”
A discernment retreat is a stop along
the journey to explore God’s purpose
for an individual life. it offers a chance
to come away, to be with others on a
similar path, and to find a place of quiet
to listen so as to hear God speak. it is
20
VISION 2013
