As we mark Vocations Awareness Week, we are sharing stories from people who have responded to God’s call in different ways and are discerning where He may be leading them.
Among them is Hannah, who has been part of the Catholic community in St Andrews for the past five years. This month, she is entering St Cecilia’s Abbey on the Isle of Wight, a community of Benedictine nuns, to begin life as a postulant and continue discerning her vocation to religious life.
Before leaving for the Abbey, Hannah spoke to us about preparing to enter the community, saying goodbye to family and friends, and why she would encourage other young people to be open to exploring their own vocation.
How did you prepare to enter your Community?
I made a ‘live-in’ with my Community for several months, participating in their prayer, classes, work, and daily life with the novitiate.
This time was a great gift of learning more about the Sisters, and gave me a lot of certainty and peace this was the community that the Lord was calling me to. I then wrote asking to be received as a postulant and we set an entrance date for this September.
I am preparing to enter by spending lots of time with my parents and brothers, and visiting my extended family and friends to say goodbye and enjoy the time we have together.
Practically there is also a small packing list to organise of clothes, bedding, and shoes I need to bring with me.
What was the highlight of this time?
It has been an intense time of goodbyes, to all my family and friends, and to my parish church and community in St Andrews, which has been my home for the last five years.
Yet this has made me so aware of how grateful I am to the people and places that have shaped my life profoundly.
Seeing the Lord’s Providence in this time before entering has been so precious to me, in how He is taking care of my family and all I am entrusting to Him.
All I have to do (that I often fail at and am learning anew each day!) is to trust Him, even when I can’t see the path very far ahead, that He is unfolding everything for our good and salvation.
What advice would you like to give to other young people?
My advice to others would be you can’t discern by yourself in your head.
I had all kinds of misconceptions and doubts about religious life and myself. It was only visiting that allowed me to see what monastic life truly was like.
I went with a friend to visit for the first time and meeting the novice mistress dispelled many of my worries. I learned that nuns are normal, kind, funny, and generous women of all different personalities and backgrounds who desire to dedicate their whole lives to the Lord, living for Him alone.
The depth of His love for us is so great; exploring your vocation will only ever bring you to a closer knowledge of Him and yourself regardless of what He is calling you to.
It is for this reason we may so confidently pray with Jesus to the Father, ‘Here I am Lord, I come to do Your Will’.
For young women considering whether God may be calling them to religious life, the Archdiocese is hosting an Explore Retreat Day on Saturday 14 November, from 10:00am–7:00pm at 9 Upper Gray Street, Edinburgh. The day includes Holy Mass, reflection, prayer, a Holy Hour and time to socialise. To register, email Sr Mirjam Hugens FSO at religiousvocations@staned.org.uk.
