T.S. Eliott writes, "What does God require of us? Not less than everything."

As a talent scout for God working near Hollywood, I have the joy of listening to young adults who experience a call to go beyond and to be "more." Some of these young adults have achieved the dream many would hope for --- the secure lucrative job, the home (sometimes near the beach!) and the flashy car. But there is a longing in their hearts for more.

These women and men feel a gentle tug on their heart, often in the midst of their parish ministry or volunteer service. Sometimes it is a gentle nudge from God to go deeper and to look at radical possibilities for living discipleship. Some of the youth and young adults have not realized this American dream. They have struggled to learn a new language, to attend school while working to help support their families and they too, feel that gentle nudge or a tug on the heart, not to fall into the trap of consumerism.

Every other week since last fall, The Tidings has featured stories of our seminarians giving their backgrounds and discernment journeys. A new publication features the women from parishes in our archdiocese that have traveled a similar journey of discernment into convents and formation programs.

There are 1,700 sisters working in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. There are 80 women that I know of who are studying to be sisters who entered the convent from parishes in our archdiocese. In the archdiocese we have 116 religious communities of women ranging from cloistered contemplatives to missionaries. The reasons that women have entered the convent are as varied as the charisms of their religious orders.

A charism is a distinctive gift given to an individual or a religious community to be put at the service of the Church. Religious communities were often founded to respond to a need in the Church or the world. The heart of this service comes from the gift or charism of the community. The women who become sisters go through a journey of exploring religious communities and finding one with a charism that resonates with the call they experience along with a distinctive spirituality.

Some feel called to sit at the feet of Jesus in the posture of the disciple learning from the Master. Others feel called to go to the streets, into the prisons, the parishes, the art studio, the schools, the courtrooms, the hospitals, and the Capitol, not only to feed the hungry but to fight for systemic change that will create a culture in which the poor are empowered and afforded opportunities. Whatever the form of ministry the call takes, it leads to radical gift.

You can view the photos and stories of these women from our parishes who are studying to be sisters on our website at http://www.archdiocese.la/ministry/vocations. Here, some of these women offer the reasons they were attracted to a particular community:

"I was drawn to the Salesian sisters because I love the Salesian charism which is joyfully proclaiming the good news to the young and educating them with reason, religion, and loving kindness."

---Lan Vy Tran, St. Dominic Savio, Bellflower

"The Holy Spirit pulled me to the community of the Sisters of Social Service because of their charism being advocates for the poor and the marginalized."

---Sr. Nodelyn Abayan, Precious Blood, Los Angeles

"What drew me to the Sisters of Notre Dame is that the sisters radiated God's joy and their faith and trust in God's Providence."

---Sr. Valerie Marie Roxburgh SND, Our Lady of the Assumption, Ventura

"I was drawn to this Congregation (Union of Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary) because I felt at home, a real sense of community and prayer and a group of women simply trying to live the Gospel and to meet the needs of the time especially with and among the poor."

---Sr. Dina Potter, San Miguel, Los Angeles

"What drew me to this particular community was that both the apostolic and contemplative ways are balanced in the life of the community."

---Bridget Krestyn, St. Paschal Baylon, Thousand Oaks (Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist)

"I felt drawn to the Servants of Mary because of our mission of caring for the sick in their own homes free of charge and also because of the joy I saw in the sisters I met. When I looked in their eyes, I knew they had something that I wanted."

---Sr. Elizabeth Miles, S.deM., St. Julie Billiart, Newbury Park

The women in formation from our parishes are diverse in age, culture, life experience, education, and spirituality; just as the 116 religious communities in our local Church are diverse and gift us with distinctive charisms and a wide array of lifestyles. One thing we all have in common is that we follow Jesus by loving inclusively and chastely, living simply and listening obediently. We are women disciples of Jesus learning to be contemplatives in action as we share in community, pray daily, and give ourselves in ministry.

Who would do this, you ask? Check out the website and see the faces of future sisters along with their reasons for following Jesus so radically.

Religious Sister of Charity Kathleen Bryant is director of seminarians for the Office of Vocations.