The Vocation Accompaniment Process is the first step in getting to know the Daughters of St Paul. In general, it would involve the person inquiring visiting with a Sister from the nearest community once every two weeks or so for a period of about one year. However, this process is intended to be adapted to the circumstances of each individual inquirer. The National Vocations Director will be in regular contact throughout this time.

The Accompaniment Process is broken into three stages, with the person inquiring and the community each discerning whether or not they wish to continue on to the next stage together.

The aims of the Accompaniment Process are that the inquirer:

1. gain greater clarity of her vocational options and motivations;
2. be enabled to know more about the Daughters of St Paul, their spirituality, mission and lifestyle, and learn more about the type of commitment religious life requires of the individual
3. reach a point of deciding whether or not to continue in the formation process with the Daughters of St Paul

Throughout this important period of time, the inquirer will be encouraged to deepen her prayer life and relationship with Jesus, and to come to know herself more deeply. She will discuss with the Sister accompanying her the direction in which she feels herself being called and be invited to take part in some form of ministry. In doing so, the inquirer can experience the richness and variety of our concerns and also assess whether she feels suited to our mission.

If, at the conclusion of this period, the inquirer feels she would like to continue journeying with the Daughters of St Paul, we would invite her to come and live in one of our communities for a period of about three months or so, allowing the inquirer to experience our community life more closely. After this experience in community, the inquirer returns home and, if she so desires and also has the support of the vocations director, she can make her application for Postulancy!