Have you ever heard someone complain about their boyfriend or girlfriend with regards to their inability to commit? It almost seems as if we live in a world of endless questions……

What if she’s not the one for me? I love him now, but what about after we get married? Am I ready to give up some of my freedom for her? Will he always remain faithful to me?

These are all very good questions that I’m sure we’ve heard many times from friends, or perhaps we have asked similar questions ourselves.

Discerning a Vocation to Religious Life and Priesthood is not much different. There are many questions that each one of us have. Often the questions bring about doubt and uncertainty. The questions could even scare us into not making a commitment, or scare us from even trying to learn more.

However, there comes a time when we have to take a risk, and trust God with what we are experiencing in our heart. If we believe that God is calling us in a certain direction, then we need to take God by the hand and see where we might be led. Finding out more about a religious vocation, or even entering into the formal Formation Program is not signing your life away. It just means that you are taking the steps to find out for sure if you feel at home with our way of life and ministry.
The only thing worse than finding out you don’t have a vocation to a certain call like Redemptorist Life and Ministry, is not even trying to see if that call is at all there.

So, how do you know you are ready to apply to the Formation Program? This is a very good question. It is a question that we often shy away from, even often avoid. But the question needs to be asked and responded too. When we ask the question, “Apply? Or not apply?”, it is really a question of readiness. Often we confuse readiness with worthiness. If worthiness means perfection, being free from sin and temptation, then none of us is worthy to begin this intimate process of discernment, and living out the call that we sense in our hearts.

However, readiness is the question and key to knowing when to apply to a formation program. Let’s look at what “readiness” might look like:

• Developing a Prayer Life – this is not only key to discernment, but for being a follower of Christ throughout your life.
• Ongoing Spiritual Direction – the process by which you and a qualified spiritual director look at how God is working in your life.
• Understanding the Community – Do you know us? Are you beginning to feel at home with the our mission, sense of community life, and the Redemptorists that you know? Have I been meeting with Fr. Santo and the Redemptorists for about a year?
• Have a sense of your call – What is your dream for your life of service? What are the gifts that God has given you to use in the service of the Gospel and to the mission and charism of the community?
• Academic Preparation – Have you completed your Bachelor’s Degree? Have you taken courses in Philosophy?
• Are you free to come and see – Do you have family obligations? Financial Debt? Other commitments?
• An Open Heart – A willingness to come and explore where the hand of Christ the Redeemer is leading you.

Are you ready to apply? Perhaps! Together let’s discern if you’re ready to begin the process! Someone who might apply to the formation program might do so in the winter and spring time prior to entrance to give enough time to complete the required elements of the application, like interviews, application forms, references and the like.

Take the Online Virtual Discernment Retreat , or better yet, attend one of two upcoming Vocaton Weekend Retreats taking place on the following dates:

Saskatoon: February 25-27, 2011 (deadline to register – February 4, 2011)
Toronto: March 4-6, 2011 (deadline to register – February 25, 2011)