MADISON — Getting away for the weekend can often include a fun road trip, a new-to-you destination, and a lot of great memories, but for a local group, a recent weekend included something a bit atypical: Religious Sisters.
Last month, Fr. Greg Ihm, Diocese of Madison vocations director, led a group that included 10 St. Ambrose Academy students, a mother of one of the teens, and four other Madison-area women on a journey of prayer and discernment.
A ‘Nun run’
While Father Ihm’s primary role is supporting men in their discernment of the diocesan priesthood, he also seeks to make other opportunities available, especially for women.With so many Religious communities not locally represented in Madison, Father Ihm knows from experience that “young people have a hard time discerning what they don’t know or don’t see as a real possibility. I know a number of women who don’t know where to start.”
For Father Ihm, a Nun run “is a way for young women to meet some Sisters, talk with them, have some of their questions answered, and do so without any commitment.”
Going on a visit does not mean a woman will inevitably become a Religious Sister or a Nun, but indicates an openness to discerning where God is calling that individual.
Having found a lot of enthusiasm for trips like this from St. Ambrose students in the past several years, Father Ihm looked to the Academy and promoted a visit to the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus, the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation (known as the ‘Nashville Dominicans’), and the Discalced Carmelites of Our Lady of Divine Providence near Stillwater, Minn.
An array of experiences
Reading a part of St. John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation on the Consecrated Life, spending time among the three communities, praying, helping clean a convent, going to Mass, and sharing meals and conversation gave participants an array of experiences with Religious Life as expressed in three communities.
St. Ambrose Academy sophomore Maria Draves noticed this diversity, saying that “the most important part of the weekend for me personally was that, even though all the communities had different charisms and differing rules, all of the Sisters had felt the same strong desire to serve and love God by entering Religious Life and that the longing/call was the same, but it was satisfied for each individual by a particular community.”
Maria Pfeil, a St. Ambrose junior, echoed her classmate’s comments about the value of this contact with Religious Sisters.
Pfeil noticed a theme popping up during these personal visits and how, “after hearing the Nuns’ vocation stories, I realized that a lot of people find their vocation in Eucharistic Adoration, so I resolved to go to Adoration weekly.”
Coming back to Madison, Draves reflected on the weekend and how “being at St. Ambrose has also put me in the presence of others who are intentional about living out their faith and being witnesses to those around them which has helped me want to explore my faith and my vocation more by going on retreats like this.”
A “Nun run” is just one piece of a journey of vocational discernment.
Continued discernment
Having a supportive school environment that encourages regular prayer and open conversations about faith plus taking advantage of opportunities for retreats, service, and other faith-based events, students like Pfeil and Draves are an encouraging sign of continued hope for the Church in Madison.
No matter which vocation young people like them ultimately discern as God’s plan, their efforts to seek God will be rewarded, as they are for all who turn to Him.
Carolyn Averill is the advancement director for St. Ambrose Academy in Madison.
Discerning?
Anyone interested in a discernment event like this or who has questions about discernment is encouraged to contact the Diocese of Madison Vocations Office by phone at 608-821-3089 or visiting www.madisonvocations.org