Vocations stories

The Southern Cross  |  August 2021

Are you being called

Have you ever wondered about your life and the direction it is taking? Have you ever reflected and listened to the depths of your heart? What do you hear there now? What are you being drawn towards? What are you resisting?

God is in all of this.

God listens to the depths of our heart and calls us to follow close and draw near and to place all our hopes, joys, longings and questionings in the heart of God.

With God, we wait in the quiet and in the busyness of our lives as we listen closely to our heart and all the nuances of our particular call or vocation in life. This is the same for us all – this ongoing listening of the heart is vital to a healthy and wholesome life bringing joy and energy to our life and to our world – whatever life-path or commitment we follow.

As Religious we vow to this listening to God. We vow to reliance on God and we vow to live a covenant relationship with God.  God is our ‘raison d’etre’ and our foundation and source of life who enables us to live such a life-path and commitment. We have a deep personal relationship with Jesus who is our source of life, inspiration and mission. Our mission, one of prayer and apostolic ministry, are two sides of the same coin. Our prayer sustains us in our mission and our mission is sustained by our prayer.

Our call is a call to love in a covenant relationship with Jesus.   We are committed to live our life in an authentic and personal way in all that we do and in all that we are.  We are real people who, with Jesus, face life’s anxieties and concerns and who, with Jesus, experience life’s joys and happiness.

We believe that in whatever we do, we are not alone.  God is always with us. Our community is with us too. We support and care for each other as best we can to grow into loving and life-giving women and men. We try to be for each other the presence of Jesus in our midst as we hope we all are for others in our world too.

Are you someone with a desire to bring heart to others through whatever you do? Are you someone with compassion for those in need? Are you someone who longs to grow close to Jesus in a covenant relationship?

We believe that others are called to serve with us as Religious sharing in our charisms and spirituality. Could this be you? Are you listening to the drawing and resistances in your heart? Can you hear the call of God to such a life-path and commitment?

If you possibly think so, then you are invited to discern and listen to the God of love who calls. God calls each of us through our baptism.  How is God calling you today?

For an opportunity to share and listen to how God may be calling or to join group gatherings and events, you are welcome to get in touch and to explore.

Sr Jenny Seal fdnsc is SA Vocation Network Coordinator and Archdiocese of Adelaide jenny.seal@olshaustralia.org.au

Picture: Members of the Adelaide Archdiocese’s Vocations Network SA, from left, Fr John Nguyen OFM Cap, Fr William Loh OP, Sr Amelia Fatima fdcc, Fr Kevin Hennessey cp, Sr Nithya Rayappan cp, Sr Jenny Seal fdnsc and Sr Josie Labata SJBP. Absent: Br Patrice Ndemasi cp, Br Tony Simbel cp, and Fr Stephen Tran OFM Cap.