Become Benedictine Sister | Discernment

Become a Sister

To visit with our director of Vocation Ministry, Sister Idelle Badt, please call (701)255-1520 or e-mail: vocations@annunciationmonastery.org

Annunciation Monastery is approximately 7 miles south of Bismarck.

Sisters at the Annunciation Monastery are women who are:

Seeking God
Willing to give of themselves
Committed to the people of God
Willing to surrender their lives to God
Following the Rule of Benedict

What do you think?

Does becoming a Benedictine woman sound like something possible for you?
Do you feel a tugging at your heart to do something special?
Does the idea of becoming a Sister keep coming back, even when you try hard to forget it?

What can you do?

Pray - daily for God's guidance in your life. Prayer is having a conversation with God in a variety of ways, prayer with a community of Sisters, prayer with scripture, lectio, and personal conversations with God.

Share - your feelings, thoughts, hopes and concerns with a spiritual companion. Just talking about it will help sort things.

Discern - gather information: pray, think, talk to learn where the Spirit is leading you.

A Prayer for Generosity

O Gracious God of Our Lives,

Grant us the generosity and courage of Mary at the Annunciation.
So turn our hearts toward you that we would hear the call of your
Son, Jesus, and respond to the gift of our vocation. Protect and deliver
us from selfishness and fear so we can receive abundantly the grace
to give our lives away in love.

We pray most specially, Father, that some among us would receive the
great gift of a calling to live as Benedictine Sisters of Annunciation
Monastery. You are never outdone in generosity, and we thank and
praise you for choosing so many good women to be a prayerful presence
on our prairie, living joyful lives of prayer, community and service.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen.

IMPRIMI POTEST: Msgr. Gene Lindemann, J.C.L., Vicar General, Diocese of Bismarck

Steps toward becoming a Sister

Discernment

Discernment is the process by which a woman acknowledges a tugging in her heart to explore religious life. Through conversations with our vocation director, who directs her in prayer and reflection, she has the opportunity to ask questions and participate in our "Come & See" weekends to experience how Benedictine monastic life is lived at Annunciation Monastery.

If the woman feels drawn to Annunciation Monastery and there is a mutual agreement that there might be a good fit, application can be made to become an "Affiliate." During affiliation, the woman meets with our affiliate director and acquaints herself more with our life of prayer, our monastic community and our ministries by spending brief and extended periods of time with our sisters. This stage may last up to two years. After mutual discernment and agreement between the woman, affiliate director and the monastic community, the woman is eligible to enter initial formation.

Initial Formation

This is the formal process by which a woman journeys to become a Benedictine Sister of Annunciation Monastery. Throughout each phase, the woman and our monastic community mutually discern her call and her capacity to live the monastic life. The steps of initial formation include: Postulancy, Novitiate and First Monastic Profession.

Postulancy

The postulant lives with our monastic community and experiences monastic life through greater participation in community prayer, daily life and the ministries while she continues her schooling or work. Postulancy lasts nine months to one year.

Novitiate

The novice deepens her own spiritual life and her knowledge of Benedictine life by devoting one full year entirely to reflection, participation in prayer and community activities and the study of the Rule of St. Benedict and the Benedictine tradition. In order to give herself to this formative experience, involvement in activities external to the monastic community are limited.

First Monastic Profession

The sister in First Monastic Profession commits herself to live the Benedictine life more fully and further her understanding of it. She continues her formation program of study and reflection while engaging in an assigned ministry. The duration of First Monastic Profession is three to six years.

Perpetual Monastic Profession

At perpetual monastic profession, our monastic community receives the sister and she, in turn, professes stability, fidelity to the monastic way of life and obedience according to the Rule of St. Benedict and the traditions of our monastic community. The sister now fully participates in all aspects of our monastic life.