A Fruitful Discernment Week At A Convent in Cleveland

A few weeks ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to visit the Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Ohio. I stayed at their formation house, where I met sisters in various stages of religious life, which was influential on my discernment process.

I am so excited about writing this that I do not know how to organize my thoughts. My soul rejoices at the remembrance of my stay with them! I felt the Holy Spirit present at every moment, and I am not exaggerating.

Before I get into the visit, I will preface by saying that while I started my discernment journey recently, the Lord has blessed me tremendously with his love and learning opportunities to love him better. Who would’ve thought saying “yes” to God would set my soul on fire fervently?

I’ll detail my discernment journey some other time, but in short, I have offered my heart to Jesus, and I am excited to see where He leads me regarding my specific vocation. You see, I recently learned, through a discernment series the Mercedarian Sisters hosted (they are so great!), that everyone’s vocation is to love God above all. To help us better serve his earthly kingdom, however, God gifts us a specific vocation, which could be marriage or religious life.

Meeting Madre Jeanette

After getting in touch with Madre Jeanette, the mother mistress (that’s a fancy religious term for “the one in charge”) at the formation house of the Mercedarian Sisters, I was invited to their “come and see” event. This event is where you get to stay with the sisters for a couple of days to see their day-to-day routine.

It was my first time flying out to meet strangers by myself, which was nerve-racking, but I knew the Lord was taking me somewhere good, so my worries turned into excitement fairly quickly. The day was approaching, and I was ready to explore the unknown!

November 3rd marks the beginning of this beautiful and memorable journey.

Madre Jeanette kindly picked me up from the airport, and during the car ride, gave me a brief rundown of the convent life.

Anyway, once we got to the convent, I was greeted with warm hugs from Sister Grace and Sister Chelsea, along with a friendly smile and wave from Sister Katherine as she ironed something. As the day went by, I was introduced to the rest of the lovely family of Mercedarian sisters (Madre Isa, Sisters Estella, Ines de Jesus, and Josefina, and the postulates Ashin, Audra, Megan, and Sarah) and the other young lady visiting, Stephany!

Their joy and amicability made me forget it was the first time I was meeting them; I felt truly welcomed. (Feel free to read the letter I dedicated to them about the charisms they taught me during my stay!)

A Brief Overview of the Schedule

Earlier I said I felt the holy spirit present throughout my visit, so I’ll elaborate on that. It didn’t realize this until I journaled at night, reflecting on the day. After reading over what I had written, I knew God had been with me through it all. Here are some excerpts from my journal:

Overall, I learned that God is ever-present. I know he loves me and wants to sanctify me so I may one day dwell in all his glory for eternity. Going to the convent was a big step toward healing. I was oblivious to how much pain and fault I kept subconsciously hidden, and this trip was the perfect opportunity to hand it over to Jesus so his love could purify my sorrows.

So while this come-and-see week did not help much in discerning my specific vocation, it did give me clarify on God’s desire for me, and everyone, to be saints and love him above all. I am still learning to trust him and not depend on myself for anything. I’ll admit that it is hard to let go of my selfish impulses, but the more I open up my heart to Jesus, the more I see him transform my soul into one that reflects his faith, hope, and charity. What more could I ask for?

God is Good

Like Madre Jeanette says, “Our God is a God of peace, joy, and love. Anything that results in anxiety or depression is a lie from the enemy.”

To conclude, my visit was a gift from God. Peace echoed loudly in my heart as I learned about the charisms of the Mercedarian sisters through their reverence, charity, humility, and humor. I am happy to share this with you, and if you ever get the opportunity to visit the Mercedarian sisters, please give them a big hug on my behalf.

!Viva Jesus, Nuestro Rey Eucaristico!

As always, let me know how I can pray for you.