Be Open to God's Call During National Catholic Sisters Week

CLEVELAND - March 11, 2014 - PRLog -- This year, March 8 -14th is recognized as the first ever National Catholic Sisters Week! This new initiative is meant to increase awareness for religious sisters, and engage young women in honest discussions about religious life:

"National Catholic Sisters Week is launching the second week of March as part of National Women's History Month. It is intended to shine a national spotlight on the good works and good will of Catholic sisters. It recognizes past and present sisters, from the movers and shakers pressing the front lines of social change to the faithful praying in cloistered chapels."

Why religious life? All religious orders find joy in living as brides of Christ. As Mercedarian Sisters, one of the characteristic virtues that is required for us to practice is JOY.

A Mercedarian Sister must be joyful even in the midst of struggles and difficult times. Of course, the only way to do it is to remain in the presence of God, especially in the Eucharist where we feel loved and loved completely. We also must show joy to others. Because we are loved by God, we cannot keep this love and joy to ourselves!

Make the Most of National Catholic Sisters Week

In light of the upcoming Year of Consecrated Life, National Catholic Sisters Week is the perfect "excuse" to reach out to a religious sister and learn more about the lives of these women! This week - and the Lenten season in particular - can also be a time of inward reflection and prayer for discovering God's calling.

Below is a beautiful reflection from Bl. John Henry Newman which is particularly insightful when our vocation seems unsure or hidden from us. We trust that God will grant us discernment and guidance in our lives:

"God has created me to do Him some definite service. He has committed some work to me which He has not committed to another. I have my mission. I may never know it in this life, but I shall be told it in the next. I am a link in a chain, a bond of connection between persons. He has not created me for naught. I shall do good; I shall do His work. I shall be an angel of peace, a preacher of truth in my own place, while not intending it if I do but keep His commandments. Therefore, I will trust Him, whatever I am. I can never be thrown away. If I am in sickness, my sickness may serve Him, in perplexity, my perplexity may serve Him. If I am in sorrow, my sorrow may serve Him. He does nothing in vain. He knows what He is about. He may take away my friends. He may throw me among strangers. He may make me feel desolate, make my spirits sink, hide my future from me. Still, He knows what He is about."

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Shadow the Sisters this Spring

Would you like to learn more about the religious life? Is the possibility of becoming a sister tugging at your heart? Come visit us for a day or two, or stay overnight during our open house, which runs April 10-17, 2014.

Young women will have the opportunity to visit our Cleveland home and "shadow us" as we go about our prayer life, community life and apostolate. For more information, and to register, please visit our website, http://mercedariansisters.org/.

Be sure to like our Facebook page,https://www.facebook.com/mercedarians, for more updates and news!

If you think you may be called to become a Mercedarian Sister of the Blessed Sacrament, take our simple Test Your Call survey at http://mercedariansisters.org/Formation/TestYourCall.aspx. I'll write a personal response.

Sr. Jeanette Marie, Vocations Director