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Monastic Experience Weekend

- "All creation holds its breath, listening within me,
  because, to hear you, I keep silent."
  
  - Rainer Maria Rilke
- In February and August each year, we offer Monastic Experience Weekends to give women discerning a religious vocation an immersion in our communal prayer and a taste of our way of life through the witness and experience of some of our sisters. These events also offer the joy of meeting other young women who are seeking their place in the Church. Time is provided for individual conversations with the sisters on the formation team.
  
  A weekend experience will not necessarily lead to a decision but it usually sheds light upon each one's path. Young women have found participating in this weekend helpful in their spiritual lives. If you are a single Catholic woman of any racial or ethnic background, between the ages of 20 and 40, you are most welcome. Come and see!
Monastic Experience Weekends

2025
February 14-16
August 15-17
Contact Vocation Director
- “This monastic weekend was filled with the mysterious presence of the Lord. To share in the life of the sister's has opened my heart and mind to a new love. A true love…most pure. A love of silence and prayer. During communal prayer I was completely absorbed in God. This experience is truly a gift and has encouraged and strengthened me on my journey. I am most grateful for the sister's giving so generously of their time. Their greeting was so warm and they were filled with such love for us. I will always cherish this weekend.”
  - Jeanna
- “I came to this Monastic Weekend searching for what has been a call on my heart for quiet a while. I live in the city, and it is loud and distracting and many times a disturbance to hearing Christ. I came although I was afraid. I came although it was an unknown place for me. I came although the flight was long, and the time change tough. If you’re ever debating if you should come and you are reading this, and all of those factors are trying to keep you away, I want to tell you: “do not be afraid.” This was the best weekend of my life. I cried when it was time to leave, and I would have missed out on this weekend if I let fear stop me. Praise Jesus He compelled me by love to come! I learned so much about God, myself and the life I thought I wanted, and the life I know I need. Come. See. Let your heart be changed by the joy and deep faith of the Sisters. Let your burdens be lightened by the praise of God’s Name. You will not regret it. I don’t. And I can’t wait to come back.”
  - Diana
- “Being with the sisters and witnessing silence and solitude in community helped me understand the perfect way to socialize. I am confident that it is the difference between surviving and thriving. Spending time with the sisters, asking questions and listening to their reflections about life at the abbey, was like spending an afternoon in God's backyard. The other discerners and I asked hard questions and the sisters thoughtfully answered every one of them, always careful not to embellish the truth. None of us wanted to leave at the end of the weekend. There is something wholly pure and adoring about the way the sisters look at you, smile at you, and accept you exactly as you are. I cannot fathom anyone in their right heart could leave without feeling the very real yearning to return as soon as possible.”
  - Amy