On Feb. 8, the religious communities in the St. Cloud Diocese are hosting a Life Awareness Retreat for people ages 18 through 30 to help them discern the next steps God is asking of them.
Benedictine Sister Laura Suhr, assistant vocations director for the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, said, “Discernment is a huge piece of what young people deal with — they face so many life choices and often don’t know how to make those decisions. So our religious communities are collaborating to offer a one-day opportunity to see where God might be calling them.”
The Life Awareness Retreat includes the Franciscan Sisters of Little Falls, the Crosier Fathers and Brothers, the Benedictine monks of St. John’s Abbey and the Maryknoll Missioners, in addition to the Sisters of St. Benedict. This is their first collaborative discernment retreat.
To keep the registration process easy for retreatants, Sister Laura is the contact person and will be collecting all registrations. Members of the sponsoring orders will be present at the retreat and will also encourage participants to look beyond the diocese if there is an order that is likely a better fit for them. This retreat is about listening to God and finding the right vocation, not about recruitment to these particular orders.
“The Holy Spirit will guide the right people to this retreat,” she said. “Members of each order will be praying for those who will attend.”
Sister Laura said that young people have a different way of discerning now than in earlier decades.
“It takes courage for young people — or anyone — to talk about these concerns, with us or with each other, and not feel intimidated,” she said. “We know people are hesitant and will try to keep the door as open as possible.
“We’ve heard about young adults who are wondering, and a year later are still in the same place, having done nothing because they didn’t know what to do. At this retreat we’ll point out the skills they already have and give them a few new tools. Besides that, they’ll realize that others are asking some of the same questions and they can connect with each other.”
No particular preparation is needed, she said. This gathering will welcome attendees and their questions and even their doubts as they share stories, sharpen their skills for listening and discernment and experience the impact of their Catholic faith in service to others.
The retreat consists of conversation and prayer to explore the question: How am I being called to serve others? Some may be interested in serving the Church as future priests, deacons, religious sisters and brothers while others may be leaning toward lay ministry or as lay missioners. Some may feel led in other directions. Some of their families may not support their choice of a religious life.
“We want each person to find the right vocation and the right community for them, whether one is drawn to becoming a consecrated virgin or lay minister. As they discern their charism, we hope they feel open as to how is God calling them and how they want to use their gifts,” Sister Laura said.
Members of the orders will share during the day so retreatants get a flavor of each one.
She described a broad variety of “next steps.”
“At the end of the retreat, one person might realize they’ve been neglecting their prayer life and might plan an hour in adoration to focus on discernment. A different person might be deliberating whether God is calling them to be in a particular job, while others might be considering joining an order or in need of a spiritual director. We will offer them tools and contacts so they can reach out to any of us.”
People may go back to an order several times, or visit a few different orders, before starting more intentional discernment with a particular community. It’s a process that can take time, which is exactly how it should be, she said.
“Discernment is ongoing, even in communities,” Sister Laura said. “We make decisions continually to seek God and build on the tools of discernment as our leaders ask us to take on new responsibilities and tasks. We ask ourselves: How does that fit with my charism? God continues to guide us in whatever vocation we’re in — these tools work for our whole lives.”
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If you go:
What: Life Awareness Retreat
Who: Catholic singles between ages 18-30
When: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Feb. 8
Where: St Benedict’s Monastery in St. Joseph
Cost: A donation of $20 is appreciated but not required.
To register by Friday, Jan. 31, visit https://bit.ly/40MLlhS or for more information contact Benedictine Sister Laura Suhr at 320-363-7100 or lsuhr001@csbsju.edu.