Become a Member
“My intention is that the entire world may know love and adore
this marvelous mystery of Your infinite love.”
~ Jeanne Chézard de Matel
To continue our service as Sisters of the Incarnate Word, we must continually invite and mentor new women considering a call to our community.
Vocations are vital to the continuation of our tradition. Through the vocation process, we inform and encourage women to consider a call to become a Sister and help them as they begin on their pathway. As spiritual guides, we journey with these women through discernment and formation, walking with them, talking with them, and praying with them.
We have contact with a number of women each year on varying levels about becoming a Sister. On average, two to three women visit our community each year from anywhere between one day to two months. These women live with us, share prayers, meals, and community life, engage in service to the community, and participate in discussions with Sisters on spirituality, Scripture, and discernment.
To become a Sister of the Incarnate Word, a woman is required to:
- Be Catholic: One seeking membership in an Incarnate Word community, or any religious community, must be a single, active Catholic.
- Be an Appropriate Age: Although ages can vary, generally the woman is at least 18 years of age. It is not unusual for women in the 40s or older to discern a call to vowed life also.
- Be Free: The woman must be free from responsibilities to family, spouse, or others, be financially stable, and have the inner freedom to choose vowed life as a response to God’s call in her life.
In the spirit of Jeanne Chézard de Matel, we orient our lives in an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word. Therefore, a woman seeking membership must be first and foremost a person of prayer. In addition, she must be a person for others, able to give herself fully in service to people, places and works of ministry.
To live fully and happily as a Sister of the Incarnate Word, certain life-skills are needed, which include social and communication skills, expertise in a ministry of evangelization, leadership talents, and personal maturity. No one comes to our community with all of these competencies fully developed, so openness to grow and to be formed are essential.
For more information about becoming a Sister of the Incarnate word, please contact Sr. Margaret Taylor, Congregational Leader at [email protected].