Co-Journer Sisters

As part of our initial discernment process, a co-journer sister may be matched with a discerner. This relationship is established after the discerner has met with the charism promoter several times and is very serious about the possibility of joining the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia as a vowed member. The charism promoter will consider the needs of the discerner and the gifts of the co-journer sister and match them accordingly. The co-journer sister’s role is to walk beside the discerner as a companion as the discerner gets to know the congregation better and learns more about our Franciscan spirituality and theology, our values, our history, our ministries, etc. Conversations may take place in person or via Zoom or Skype if at a distance. The discerner may be invited to join the sister and her local community for prayer and dinner or they may meet for coffee after Mass or simply go for a walk on the grounds of our motherhouse. The possibilities are endless. We encourage creativity in meeting the needs of the discerner and the co-journer sister. Books, our website, movies, Church documents or activities, and personal stories and experiences may be included. This is an additional opportunity for the discerner to meet another one of our sisters and for one of our sisters to answer questions, share information less formally, and get to know the discerner.