New Beginnings

“During this time of transition from life in the secular world, the postulant learns 
to grow in intimacy with Jesus Christ through Eucharistic prayer, the practice
of recollection, generous self-sacrifice, and joyful community life.” 
 - Constitutions of the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa

Entrance day! For the Community, it is an occasion of great joy. We have been communally and individually praying for our newest Sisters for years. Even before we met them, we prayed for them and entrusted them to the loving care of St. Joseph. The months immediately preceding their arrival were filled with loving preparations united with our Blessed Mother’s spirit of joyful expectation. ​

A woman who reaches the point of seriously considering Religious life has come to this point because her heart is yearning for more than the world has to offer. As Spouses of Christ, that “more” is not a thing or a possession, but a Person and a relationship. ​

Christ invites, the heart is drawn to joyfully respond, but there ordinarily remains many human reactions to the idea of leaving everything one knows and loves - even when one knows the Pearl of Great Price is to thus be obtained. We asked the Postulants to share a little about their experience of discernment and entrance.

What was discernment like for you?
“It was a mystery. Even though I wasn’t quite sure what I was doing, God led me from one step to the next ... I knew that I wanted to have a better relationship with Him and that He was all that mattered, especially during great hardships.”

“A rollercoaster! I remember that I first thought about it when I was 12 or 13 (before I’d ever actually talked to Sisters). I toyed with the idea as a teenager but lacked the conviction to make the leap of entry. I was too wrapped up in what I would be losing by entering Religious life that I didn’t weigh the gift to God and the Church – and, ironically, what God would in turn give me – as more important than those sacrifices. I remember sitting in a college class, while we were being talked to about graduate school, thinking, ‘I want more than this!’”

What was leaving the world like for you? . . . 

To hear the rest of the responses from our postulants, we invite you to read our Fall Newsletter here. If you would like to read any of our past newsletters, or if you would like to subscribe, click here.