As part of Vocations Awareness Week, we shared the stories of young people who have taken steps to explore God’s call in their lives.

Sister Catherine Elizabeth is a novice with the Dominican Sisters of St Cecilia in Nashville, Tennessee. Having completed her postulancy, she has now received the Dominican habit and begun the first of two years of novitiate.

Previously she was a student at St Andrews University in Fife.

Here she reflects on preparing for religious life, the experience of making her habit and the importance of trusting that God will provide the grace needed to follow His call.

What will the novitiate look like?

We have two years as a novice: the canonical year, which I am starting, and the apostolic year.

At the start of the canonical year, we receive the habit of St Dominic and our religious name. As canonical novices, we spend more time in prayer and silence to foster a deeper intimacy with the Lord, and we study the evangelical counsels and the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.

In addition to theology and Scripture classes, we also study our rule, constitutions and community history.

In the apostolic year, the novices are able to become more immersed in our apostolate, which is teaching. We begin to take education and teaching classes, have opportunities to visit missions and experience the community’s apostolate.

What has been the highlight so far?

A highlight from this past year of postulancy and preparing to enter the novitiate has been growing in knowledge of God’s love for me and experiencing His love through our prayer, studies and community life.

Another highlight was sewing the habit. As part of our preparation for becoming a novice, we sew our habits ourselves. It was a very grace-filled time of both material and spiritual preparation, and it helped me grow in appreciation for our religious habit.

It has also been very beautiful to develop a deeper awareness of His grace in my life.

What advice would you give to other young people?

There is a phrase we hear a lot in the convent which has definitely helped me: “The grace will be there.”

It is a wonderful – and needed – reminder that when the Lord calls you to serve Him in a specific way, He will give you all the grace you need at that moment.

That is just as true in reference to a vocation as it is to learning how to do something new.

So, I think my advice would be not to be afraid, but to wholeheartedly trust in the Lord and be open to receive His graces, because He is always faithful and will always give us the grace we need to follow Him.

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.