Discernment Group

But what is this discernment? The word used in Psalm 119:66 means “taste.” It is the ability to make discriminating judgments, to distinguish between, and recognize different situations and courses of action.

For vocations, bringing groups of men and women, separately, to learn, pray, and discern together can help and guide key aspects of discernment, such as prayer, celibacy, seminary, and more.

High School and College-level resources

• The Melchizedek Project is a small discernment group for teenagers and young adults. Materials for the group are provided for free on their website. To guide discussion, members use To Save a Thousand Souls, the definitive guide to discerning priesthood, by Father Brett Brannen.
• The Avow Project was created by Sr. Clare Matthiass, CFR and Vianney Vocations. Our goal is simple: tohelp women draw closer to Jesus as they discern a possible vocation to religious life. We use the tried-and-true model of “discernment groups” because they work. When women learn together, pray together, and support each other, it is much easier to discern with clarity. Avow uses the book Discerning Religious Life and a similar format as The Melchizedek Project.
• A Living Sacrifice: Guidance for Men Discerning Religious Life– A comprehensive guide to help men discern if God is calling them to religious life. Written by Fr. Benedict Croell, O.P. and Fr. Andrew Hofer, O.P. 
• And Mary’s ‘Yes’ Continues– By popular demand comes a beautiful new book written by the Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist themselves, providing a much-needed inside view to vocation discernment entitled And Mary’s ‘Yes’ Continues. It finally fulfills a longing by many hearts for an intimate resource and generous sharing of the journey into a beautiful vocation.
• Regardless of your state in life, you can begin preparing for marriage right now. Whether you are single, dating, seriously dating, engaged, on a break, or grieving a breakup, you can make use of this time for fruitful growth toward becoming a healthy and holy spouse. We believe that intentional discernment of marriage starts today, even if you haven’t given or received an engagement ring. Discerning Marriage is a website full of resources.
• Other books and videos can be found at our Discerning? page on this website.