(L. to R.) Sisters Stephanie, Jill (on screen), Carol Jean and Bridget make up the SSND North American Vocation Team.
The SSND North American Vocation Team (NAVT) is ready for the New Year! Several opportunities are planned to connect young adults with SSND and SSND with young adults, as this is the demographic most likely to be in a stage of discerning their vocation in life. Please help us promote the following events to young adults within your circle of influence. Bulletin announcements, flyers and other details are available on each event webpage.
The NAVT will begin the New Year participating in the SEEK24 Conference in St. Louis, January 1-5, 2024. This five-day national event for 20,000 college students and young adults offers a plethora of opportunities to connect with today’s young Catholics. SSND will be at booth #741 in an exhibit hall area with several other religious congregations, representing vocations to religious life. If you know any young people (or those who minister with them in schools and parishes) who are attending the event, please encourage them to stop by the SSND booth!
Our first Joyful & Alive Conversation of the year will take place on Thursday, January 11 at 7 p.m. CT. We invite single young women who are curious about religious life and/or how to discern God’s invitations in their own life to bring their questions and add to the conversation. A second Joyful & Alive Conversation is scheduled for Saturday, April 13 from 10:30 a.m. – 12 noon CT. The more the merrier!
Monthly Young Adult Evening Prayer will continue on the fourth Tuesday of every month, January through June, at 7 p.m. CT via Zoom. This is an opportunity for young adults to gather online with SSND to experience our daily communal prayer in the manner of the Liturgy of the Hours. Dates and registration links are available at ssnd.org/events/. Invite a young person you know and offer to attend with them.
There will be two discernment weekends in early 2024: February 23-25 in San Antonio, Texas, and April 26-28 in Baltimore, Maryland. With the theme of “Caught Up in God’s Love,” these retreat opportunities are designed for single young women (ages 18-45) who wish to dive deeper into their heart to listen for God’s call. Each weekend includes both personal and communal sessions and prayer as well as time for fun and relaxation. There is no cost to attend and some assistance with transportation costs is available if needed. SSND make great companions on your discernment journey.
Last but not least, a Summer Service Week at Whole Kids Outreach (WKO) in Ellington, Missouri is planned for July 14-20, 2024. Young women are invited to share in prayer, ministry and community with SSND while volunteering at WKO, a sponsored ministry. Learn more at ssnd.org/events/ssw24/.
As always, the NAVT is appreciative of all your support and participation in efforts to promote a culture of vocation, to plant the seeds of discernment and to teach others how to look, listen, learn about, lean into and love God’s call. Feel free to email sisters@ssnd.org with any questions.
