Called by God: Discernment and Preparation for Religious Life

by Rachael Marie Collins

In Called by God: Discernment and Preparation for Religious Life, Rachael Marie Collins provides an overview of the spiritual life--both its joys and its challenges--and guides women as they discern whether they are called to be religious sisters or nuns.

In a series of letters written by the author to a trusted friend discerning whether to enter religious life, Called by God explores both discernment and spirituality. The key to discernment, Collins argues, is to prepare for religious life by entering deeply into a life of prayer and sacrifice so that one experiences and begins to understand the "work" of a religious before entering the convent.

Called by God draws heavily on the wisdom of great Catholic women such as Teresa of �vila, Th�r�se of Lisieux, Z�lie Martin, Edith Stein, Teresa of the Andes, Elizabeth of the Trinity, Miriam Teresa Demjanovich, Elizabeth Leseur, and Caryll Houselander, among others.

Women discerning a vocation will benefit immensely from the discussions about the difference between religious life and marriage, the nature of a vocation, the supernatural superiority of religious life, and spiritual motherhood in Called by God.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, ebook

Published August 1, 2017

Reviews

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic! If you're Catholic, read this. It has great advice on the spiritual life, discerning or not.

[Nicola Tressler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it possible for a book to read you like a book? This is an excellent read for any young woman who wonders at her call to religious life. I was blown away at the simple insights the author provides for her audience. This is definitely a call to action!

[Wren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Received a copy at the Stuebenville youth conference 2022. The book does not have the imprimatur and has some contradictory and sometimes questionable advice. There was some decent direction and overall the book was an alright read, but this would not be at the top of my list for recommending to a young girl looking into religious life. However, the author includes extensive further reading lists at the end of each chapter which is very helpful.

[Liping · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful book

I love how easy and relatable this book is for young women who are discerning for religious vocation. All young catholic women should read this book to better understand discernment of vocation, whether single, religious or marriage life. It provides many practical guides that are helpful, and many references in the book for further reading. Love it!

[Hannah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a true treasure! I think every young woman should read this as they discern what the Lord is calling them to do, even if it is not religious life. It provides a lot of wisdom and guidance in discerning either vocation.

[M DH · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book with practical advice and tons of information on religious life, discerning, and even marriage. I would recommend to anyone who has even just the smallest thought of "am I interested in the religious life?" Very good!!

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely amazing.

I’ve read multiple discernment books and this was by far my favorite.

[Ania · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely outstanding!

[Merryreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

PHENOMENAL. Regardless of your state in life, age, gender, or vocation you are discerning/pursuing, I highly recommend this book. It's not only a preparation for religious life, but also one for any vocation. It's definitely on my bookshelf for life and will be a resource I will go back to again and again. The author is very Holy Spirit led, Orthodox, articulate, organized, solid, practical, resourceful, and knowledgeable.
I found this book to be so efficacious in my own growth in and my understanding of the spiritual life that I had to share it with my family via starting it again and reading its entirety out loud to them. From my dad to my youngest sibling who is a teenager, everyone is getting so much out of it.

[Florence Bernice · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of good takeaways, but it is not the ultimate discernment book. The most helpful portion I found was in fact the book recommendations and not the book itself.

Sister Matthias' (now Mother Matthias) Discerning Religious Life book is a better aid, speaking as a vocation director herself.