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Religious Life

Vocation to Religious Life

You might be thinking that only priests, Brothers and Sisters have a “real” vocation. However, every baptized person has a specific calling, that is, a vocation to a committed relationship that centers your life.  This can be through the vocation of marriage, through the vocation of a single person living a life of service, or through the vocation of a woman religious, a religious brother or a priest.  Are you seeing yourself somewhere in this picture?

What God desires for us first and foremost is our happiness, the fulfillment of who we truly and uniquely are as God created us. The path of prayer and discernment leads us to the particular way of life to which the Holy Spirit is calling us.  Some of us respond to this early in life and others find their authentic calling later in life.  By living this call as fully as possible each of us experiences the true joy of coming home to his or herself.

The vocation you pursue and embrace is your primary commitment, your primary relationship and your primary pathway to God.  In particular, the vocation to religious life is a God-quest out of which all resulting commitments flow.

One form of religious life is the ministerial life of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ.  Our lives, centered in God, are rooted in prayer and are informed by our vowed commitment and the bonds of community.  As we embrace the adventure of religious life we express our love in service by partnering with others in responding to the needs of the whole community of life.

We offer an integrated life of prayer, ministry and community expressed through our charism, our vision and the sharing of our gifts to contribute to the reality of the reign of God in our time.

If you are interested in experiencing the joy and purpose of a vocation with the Poor Handmaids and would like to engage firsthand with the Sisters and others who are considering a vocation, please click here to learn more about our ongoing Come and See events.

If you are interested in contacting the Poor Handmaids or pursuing a process of discernment with us, please connect with Sr. Connie Bach, PHJC.   cbach@poorhandmaids.org

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Director of Vocations
Sr. Connie Bach, PHJC

cbach@poorhandmaids.org

Vocation Promoter
Sr. Veronica Adeduro, PHJC

veroadeduro@gmail.com

Vocation Promoter
Sr. Nkechi Iwuoha, PHJC

niwuoha@poorhandmaids.org

Wisdom Along the Way: What We Wish We Knew Sooner

In our life as Poor Handmaids, we often say that formation never ends—it simply evolves. Religious life is a continuous unfolding, marked by lessons that deepen with time and the Spirit’s guidance. The Life panelists in this Global Sisters Report piece share candid reflections on the wisdom they have gained—wisdom they wish they had embraced earlier. Their words echo the humility and truth we know so well in community: that learning to love, to listen, and to let go are graces that come not all at once, but slowly and with intention.

Saint Katharina Kasper reminds us, “Go onward quietly and do what is right, simply and humbly.” These words remain a guidepost for all who continue to be transformed through religious life.

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Reflection on Formation: “When I Entered the Novitiate…”

As Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ, we hold dear the sacred beginnings of our journey into vowed religious life. Those early days of formation remain etched in our memory, not just as a season of discernment and growth, but as a deep encounter with God, community, and the call to serve. In this month’s Global Sisters Report, The Life panelists offer beautiful glimpses into their novitiate experiences, capturing the blend of vulnerability, joy, and sacred tension that shapes so many of our own stories. Their reflections invite us all to remember our first “yes” and the grace that carried us through it.

Saint Katharina Kasper once said, “The dear God always shows us what we are to do, if we only pay attention.” These stories call us back to that attentive listening that guided our earliest steps in community.

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Seeking Vocation: Choosing Freedom Over Anxiety

By Maria Mellis

What does God want me to do with my life? Where is he calling me? Will I ever find my vocation? Few things cause as much anxiety for Christian young people as vocational discernment. I’ve been there, and I’ve seen it — over and over again.

Yet St. Paul tells us to “have no anxiety at all” (Phil 4:6), and Blessed Solanus Casey cautions us to “be on guard against” worry as “this most insidious enemy of our peace of soul.” God’s plan for vocational discernment is one of peace, trust and freedom, not one of anxiety and fear. If you are in a place of seeking God’s will for your life, I pray that these reflections will lead you to peace in the present.

Happiness

We all too easily buy into the lie that, if God calls us to a certain thing, we are just going to have to grit our teeth and bear it — that we will somehow manage ...

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