By Reagan Scott
for the Register
More than 40 young women between the ages of 18 and 30 participated in a Fiat Discernment Retreat at the Missionary Benedictine Sisters’ Immaculata Monastery in Norfolk Sept. 1-3.
Created for women who are seeking God’s will for their lives, the goal of the retreat is for attendees to “walk away with a greater understanding of religious life, and a greater desire to grow in relationship with Jesus Christ,” according to Fiat Ministries’ website.
The weekend marked the first time the retreat had been held in the Archdiocese of Omaha, and only the second time it has been held in Nebraska after the Lincoln Diocese hosted a retreat weekend at Camp Kateri Tekakwitha in McCool Junction a few years ago.
While the retreats are run by a team of lay people from Fiat Ministries, consecrated religious from across the country also participate in the retreats giving talks, sharing testimonies, meeting one on one and in small groups with attendees and spending time with them in recreation and prayer.
Last weekend’s Fiat retreat included the Marian Sisters and School Sisters of Christ the King from the Lincoln Diocese, the Missionary Benedictine Sisters in Norfolk, Little Sisters of the Poor from Kansas City and the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word from Birmingham, Ala.
Father Scott Schilmoeller, the director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Omaha, was one of the coordinators for the event. He said he wanted to give young women throughout Nebraska the chance to step away from their busy schedules and spend time with each other and with sisters from a variety of religious orders.
“My hope was that the retreat would help these young women to be deeply rooted in their identity as a daughter of the Father and prayerfully pursue their vocation, that is, how Jesus is calling them to be given away as gifts to the Church. I believe this retreat helped dispel fears and stigmas about the vocation to consecrated and religious life,” he said.
Sister Mary Jacinta, C.K. had been on a couple of Fiat discernment retreats previously, and found the weekends to be a good fit for women, no matter where they are on their discernment journeys.
“It’s just amazing to see what the Holy Spirit does in making the retreat fit any woman,” she said. “Rather than it being a recruitment opportunity, the women get the joy of being supported and affirmed in their discernment and relationship with God. From there, their discernment flows. It’s a joy of being in relationship with God, rather than that pressure cooker.”
The weekend marked the 16th Fiat retreat for Sister Amy Marie Havlat, the vocation director for the Marian Sisters. Sr. Amy Marie was a part of the first Fiat Discernment retreat held in Wichita, Kan., in 2014, and has participated in almost every one of the retreats that has included Marian Sisters.
Sr. Amy Marie also commented on the accessibility of the weekend, saying she’s seen women attend who were just starting to open their eyes to a potential call to vocation, those who have heard a clear call, and everything in between.
“There aren’t really retreats like this,” Sr. Amy Marie said. “It’s not just about the question, ‘Am I called to religious life?’ It’s equipping the women for authentic discernment in their life.”
Sr. Amy Marie said that the themes discussed during the weekend—femininity, prayer, mercy, consecrated life and discernment are meant to bring attendees back to their relationship with God. And in fact, it isn’t until the last day of the retreat that consecrated life is really discussed.
Sr. Amy Marie said, “The picture is so much bigger than ‘getting sisters’ out of the ministry. We’re reminding people of their call, of the love that God has for them, and equipping them for that call to holiness.”
At last weekend’s retreat, Sr. Mary Jacinta gave the talk on femininity—encouraging the attendees to embrace who they are as women, and using their feminine gifts from God.
Sr. Amy Marie gave the closing talk on consecrated life and discernment, which touched on what it means to be a consecrated woman religious, and tips for continued discernment after the retreat.
Sr. Amy Marie also gave the women a challenge to ask the Lord to help them discern their next best step once the retreat ends.
For some, that could mean going on a date. For others, it could mean participating in a “come and see” weekend hosted by a religious order, finding a group of other discerning women to meet with or participating in spiritual direction.
During the course of each Fiat retreat, Sr. Amy Marie has noticed a change in the participants as they gain a greater clarity and confidence in how the Lord is working in their lives.
She said, “They’re being called into a deeper relationship with the Lord, and a deeper awareness of God’s love for them. He wants their ultimate happiness in life, and later with Him in Heaven.”
Throughout the weekend, the sisters in attendance have the opportunity to be a witness to religious life for the attendees.
“We’re just living our lives in front of them,” Sr. Amy Marie said.
She noted that the weekend gives young women an opportunity to encounter religious sisters in a way they may never have had before, and it’s part of the reason she has travelled to so many different states to assist with these retreats.
Sr. Amy Marie said during a retreat in Georgia, an attendee told her that she was the first religious sister she had ever talked to.
“Some of these dioceses don’t have the religious that we do,” Sr. Amy Marie said. “Where there is that poverty in different areas in the U.S., there is a need for women to be exposed to us, to see that religious life is still alive in the Church.”
Sr. Mary Jacinta said, “Even for me it’s been a huge gift to be there with so many different sisters, and that does give the attendees a greater picture of religious life.”
Sr. Mary Jacinta said the role of women religious in the Church is first to simply be brides of Christ and witnesses to the joy that awaits everyone in Heaven.
But also, “to make manifest the heart of holy mother Church, to be that tangible love. We’re daughter, bride, sister and mother but in a specific way, set apart so that we can be for everyone,” she said.
Sr. Amy Marie also spoke to that fact, describing the role of women religious as the face of the motherhood of the Church, and being mothers to souls. But really, she said, the answer boils down even more than that.
“To be love,” she said. “That’s the most simple, basic answer. To be the love of Christ in the world.”
Sr. Amy Marie said that for someone who may be looking to discern a call to religious life but isn’t ready to sign up for a “come and see” weekend at a religious order, a Fiat retreat could be a helpful tool. But ultimately, she said that Fiat retreats are for everyone.
Sr. Mary Jacinta agreed that any young woman could participate. She said, “If they’re willing to let themselves be loved by the Father and willing to ponder his dreams for them, they would be blessed by this retreat.”
Dates and locations for future retreats can be found at fiatministries.org/retreats.
