Has the thought of
religious life
ever crossed your mind?

Is your heart burning with God's love?
Start the first step today! .

In the name of Jesus, we witness trust in Divine Providence as we share our love of Jesus with others as Franciscan women of peace.  Has the thought of religious life ever crossed your mind?  Is your heart burning with the fire of God’s love?  Are you willing to journey in faith and joy – sister, brother, and servant to all?  Join us as a Vowed Sister or as a Lay Associate and serve God’s people in the United States, Brazil, Liberia, Mozambique or the Dominican Republic. 

Ways to Get Involved

Become a Sister

Explore a life dedicated to prayer, service, community, and the Gospel. Learn about the vocation of religious life and the steps to discerning a call to become a Sister.

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Become an Associate

Share in our mission and spirituality while living your own vocation. Associates partner with the congregation through prayer, service, and a commitment to Franciscan values.

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Mass Information

Join us in worship and prayer through the celebration of Mass. Find Mass schedules, locations, and opportunities to gather with our faith community.

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Discernment: Listening to God’s Call 

Discernment . . .   discovering God’s will for me.  The process of making a decision about your life with the help of the Holy Spirit is called discernment.  It is a process of discovering God’s will for you.  As you begin, remember that both you and God desire the same thing – your happiness.  Therefore, you and God are working for the same goal.   

 

“Vocations are not the results of planning, but an encounter with God that changes your life.” 

~ Pope Francis 

 

“Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”
—Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ 

 

“Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, falling in love in a quite absolute way.  What  you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.  It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.  Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.” 

~ Father Pedro Arrupe, SJ 


Four Step of Discernment

  • Step 1 – Know Who You Are

    God created you with a unique personality and personal history, and both are part of your call. Take time to understand your likes and dislikes, your fears and dreams, your hopes, interests, strengths, and limitations. Notice how you respond to stress, authority, freedom, and structure, and be attentive to how others see you. Seek the guidance of a spiritual director or a trusted person who can help you reflect honestly and objectively.

  • Step 2 – Be In Touch With The Lord

    A vocation grows out of a living relationship with the Lord. Develop a daily life of prayer, making time not only to speak to God but also to listen to Him. Because God meets each person uniquely, be open to different forms of prayer and allow the Lord to draw you closer through those that best express your relationship with Him. Reading Scripture, spiritual authors, and the lives of the saints can deepen your awareness of God’s call.

  • Step 3 – Make A Decision

    As you grow in self-knowledge and prayer, seek information about religious life and the ministries of sisters. Speak with priests, sisters, brothers, and others in ministry, and visit religious communities to experience their life and work. Consider your alternatives carefully, reflect on how each choice may shape your life in the years ahead, and prayerfully discern what seems to lead you closer to God.

  • Step 4 – Confirm Your Decision

    After making a decision, remain with it in prayer for a time and ask the Lord for confirmation. True confirmation is marked by a lasting sense of peace and interior freedom, not simply relief after a difficult choice. Allow this peace to remain and deepen over weeks or months as you trust the Lord’s guidance.

A Bernardine's  Identity and Mission

Spirit and Charism 


To be a Bernardine Franciscan Sister is above all else, to be a contemplative in the world; to be in touch with God in all of creation; to be able to see God’s hands in all the events of our lives, in creatures, in nature, and in all people.  From that flows a concern for God’s people, especially those who seen most in need of God’s help, whatever their life circumstances.  Saint Francis of Assisi had a deep awareness that in Jesus, we are all brothers and sisters with one another.  That compels us to treat others with dignity and respect, to work for justice in this world, and to serve the poor. 


Mission and Ministries 


To carry out the mission of Jesus in today’s world, we need courageous women who will accept the challenge and respond to God’s call in their lives.  The mission of the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters is the mission of Saint Francis: to live the Gospel.  Rooted in contemplative prayer and committed to ongoing conversion, we strive to create communities of love and service wherever we are.  We currently work in areas of education, health care, pastoral service and foreign missions, always faithful to the Church and to our charism.  We seek justice, peace and reconciliation, especially as we work with and in behalf of the poor.  We are currently ministering in Connecticut, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Brazil, Liberia, Mozambique and the Dominican Republic. 


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The Journey of Formation 

1: Inquiry – A first conversation with the Vocation Director. 

2: Aspirancy – A time to explore your call more deeply while living close to the community. 

3: Postulancy – A year of prayer, discernment, and Franciscan living. 

4: Novitiate – Two years of deep formation in Franciscan spirituality and vowed life. 

5: Temporary Profession – Three to six years of living the vows before final commitment. 

6: Final Vows – A lifelong “yes” to God in joy, simplicity, and love. 


Contact Our Vocation Director

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Aspirancy

 The aspirancy program is designed to help a woman discern her vocation and ability to live religious life in a community in the Congregation of the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters.  The duration of the program is a minimum of one year and a maximum of three years, focusing on the interaction between the specific local community and the aspirant.  The appropriate age for admission is between eighteen and forty years.  In case of exceptions, the decision will be made by congregational leadership.   


 



Postulancy

The postulancy program emphasizes the woman’s discernment for embracing the Franciscan evangelical lifestyle in the Bernardine Franciscan Congregation.  Focus is on human and Christian formation, a capacity to live in fraternity, and a desire to serve the people of God.  The postulancy lasts a period of three to six years and is a time to gain a deeper understanding and experience of living the vower Franciscan life and mission. 


 



Novitiate

The novitiate is a two-year period of intense initial formation. This period consists of two phases: canonical and ministerial.  The twelve-month canonical phase provides the novice with an opportunity to deepen her relationship with God and imbue her with the spirit and charism of the congregation.  The programs include the following: guidance in various forms of prayer;  life; the study of Scripture, Liturgy, Church teachings; instruction in the vowed life; integration of the charisms of St. Francis, St. Clare, St. Bernardine and Mother Veronica and the study of the Rule and Life of the Third Order of Saint Francis, and the C 


The Constitutions and Directives of the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters. 


 


During the ministerial year of the novitiate, the novice has the opportunity to live for short time periods in other local fraternities of the congregation and to engage in active ministries, and live out the vows within the diversity of ministries.  The novice strives to integrate the Gospel and Franciscan values of justice, peace, and the care of creation into her life and service. 


 


At the end of the novitiate, the novice makes a public profession of the evangelical counsels according to the Rite of profession.    



Temporary Profession

Temporary Profession is a three to five year formation period. During this phase, the opportunity to live the consecrated life becomes real.  It is a time of living and working among the sisters in active ministry, as she continues to deepen her discernment before final commitment to religious life. 


 


Each year, a sister in temporary profession publicly renews her profession of vows.  The sister undergoes a period of self-evaluation and evaluation by the local fraternity, and  


presents a written request to renew temporary profession.   


 



Final Vows and Mission

A celebration that marks the completion of discernment, initial formation and the start of a new life commitment to follow Christ in a continuing formation begins with final vows, also known as perpetual vows. At the time of the profession of final vows, a ring will be placed on the sister’s left hand which symbolizes her lasting covenant with God and her espousal to Christ. From here onward, she will strive to allow herself to live, learn and grow each day while spending time both with the sisters and the people she will meet in her ministry spreading God’s love. 

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