First and foremost, the role of the parent is one of unconditional love and support.
Your child is in the process of making and committing to a radical commitment in today’s world and needs a solid foundation backing them on this journey. It is important to understand that this is a discernment process that will take years before your child commits to this way of life
forever.
Knowing that your child has the support of their parents is a huge relief, and a weight off the shoulders of the discerning child. While being supportive of your child’s decision it’s also comforting to know that there are experienced sisters and priests assisting your child who specialize in the discernment process. This process does not always result in a child entering religious life or the priesthood, but sometimes discerning that they are in fact not called to this way of life.
One of the hardest parts of parental vocational support is to provide it from an unbiased position, of neither for nor against so as not to unduly influence their discernment either way.