She worked with the youth in my church while I was doing my confirmation classes!! She was definitely an inspiration for me.

Many saints and blesseds were rejected by religious orders initially and sometimes by quite a few. God allows us to be tested in many ways. He either wills it or allows it for our own good.

I was FIERCELY called to be a Dominican and even stayed as an aspirant in a monastery. I realized I wasn't strong enough physically to be a nun (later, a sister) even before the formation director talked to me about anything like that and was really bummed and "gave it up" for a year or so. I had heard how St. Rose of Lima and St. Catherine of Sienna were Dominicans but not nuns or sisters, and I was like, how does that work? From internet searches, I wandered onto the website for the Third Order Dominicans and realized I could finally be one, where I was at in the world! Not counting the 2 hr commute. lol. It has been amazing (and rough but in a redemptive way). So, don't drop your aspirations (see what I did there lol) of being a nun, sister, etc. because of concerns a community may have. Please don't overlook third orders!

I was on depressant pills and it made me more depressed and crazy. I just gave myself to the lord, I stopped talking the pills and I never had a problem. If my crazies kicked in I ran to adoration, the rosary or whatever I needed to do in order to control my emotions.

Thank you for posting this!! People do not understand how hard it is to discern. First, the fear that comes with discerning and having to give up everything in your life. Next, taking the leap and following God's call. Then, being discerned out because of [insert your own reason here]. For me it was my past trauma that was affecting me or "could" affect me in the future. During my own discernment, the poor choices of my parents and trauma of my childhood (abusive dad, separated parents) are what led to me being discerned out of an order I loved and that I deeply felt God calling me to. Although, the order only told me that it was "not a good fit." I was never told anything else. I was devastated. And many people that I knew from church, who knew I was discerning, scorned me or saw me as a failure. Breanne is absolutely right when she said being discerned out feels like God rejected you. I struggled with that for so long. As I sat in prayer one day after going to daily Mass, contemplating leaving the faith, I heard St. Peter's words in my head: "Lord, to whom shall we go?" And in that moment, I knew I could never leave the Church. I carried on with life and eventually joined a Third Order. God has brought me on a journey and I know that the place I am in now is where He intends me to be. I still have a very close relationship with the Order that discerned me out. I am not married, and I may never be, but if that is God's will, I accept it. Although many people judge me for not being married or having children. More Catholics need to be made aware of the hardships of discernment and should be more supportive of those who discern out. They do not understand the journey that I have been on. I did not choose for this to happen. I just followed God's will as best as I could. While I do not know what the future holds, I trust in His will for me!

I was rejected because I had too much abuse in my past. Obviously not my fault, and it still stings a little. But I have 5 beautiful kids now, so.

I also wasn't allowed to be a nun, due to the fact that I had an eating disorder, despite being healthy for 7 years. I still don't think it's fair but am trying to accept my vocation and hoping to get a husband, at least.

Props to Pints for posting this clip…. It’s far too often a romanticized version of religious orders we are presented with. I’m a married man with 2 kids but I can’t help but fantasize about what life would be like in a monastery. Videos like these help keep me grateful for my own vocation.

I know of someone who was asked to leave her convent because she had a stomach ailment. Another friend who had to leave hers for her OCD and scrupulosity. My husband, a former seminarian, knows more men who left the seminary than the very few who became priests. A former seminarian who was one step away from the diaconate is living with my husband and I. Everyone I know who has left active discernment was left to figure out this feeling of rejection from God by themselves, all spiritual direction is ceased. No one checks in on them after they’ve given years of their young life to the church. I understand God is in control in every situation and has a calling somewhere for all rejected from religious life, but I think there is some sort of influence from the superiors which is not of God. Obviously, I know we want those who should not be priests or religious weeded out early as possible. But this is coming from someone who benefited from a seminarian leaving and not becoming a priest because she eventually met and married him due to God’s beautiful plan and perfect timing. However, people need to talk about this phenomenon more, thank you for talking about it Matt.

The problem with this is that they would have known about the anti depressants before they let her in. They let her do her initial six months knowing that they were going to reject her. That is beyond cruel. The other orders who rejected her up front were actually the kind ones. To string her along was so dreadful, I can barely comprehend it.

5:25 Imitation of Christ. The garden, being from Nazareth, rejection.... This is a blessing.

Many holy women were unable to enter a convent. St Gemma Galgani found her vocation as a lay Passionist. St Zélie Martin found her vocation in marriage and family life . Her daughter, Servant of God Léonie Martin, was rejected three times before she could enter a convent for good. Servant of God Edel Mary Quinn found her vocation as a lay apostle for the Legion of Mary in Africa, despite her delicate health.

This happened to me too. It is only that God wants us to be saints in the world, among the world: and what better than a person who has lived and fallen in the world to evangelize it? Be a holy person, praying and offering, remaining in the world and you will bear much fruit. Be blessed 😇

I felt that God was calling me to be a nun and I went through some of this, eventually becoming a postulant in a religious order. Its easy to idealize the religious life. The truth is that religious orders can be dysfunctional just like families can be. A lot of older sisters entered their orders right out of high school and have never dated or lived alone. They dont really understand modern women, and their rules and expectations can seem out of date and unfair. At a party I was not allowed to sign a birthday card for one of the sisters, because i had not taken my final vows. They had a lot of strange rules I didnt get the point of, and thats when I knew it wasnt for me. They also required me to have one or two MA degrees, but without any debt or loans. And I couldnt figure out how to do that.

Love how God used this too teach her how to love life again. So beautiful. Legit a character development moment

Thank you for such content. I have always want to be a nun missionary nun. Just because it’s sounds Holy - it is still may not be God’s will. Very deep. Mystery indeed. 😅 Humility humility humility. I did not become one as I was a Protestant. Lol! Missionary I became. But still I was lost when that was taken away from me. Today I am a Catholic in the heart - RCIA starting soon for me in a couple of months time. 🎉🎉🎉 God is still doing His work in my life my soul. Thank you for your videos.

I am going to pray for this young lady. I am sorry she was rejected. I did not know that convents rejected women wanting to become nuns. I thought there was a nun shortage.

The Lord is ALWAYS in charge. He has a plan that is often not what we want but he leads us to himself in ways we would never imagine. Joining a community is not just about what we want and how well we think we are doing. It isn't about the individual alone but what is best for the community, too. Count your blessings and move on. I did.

No, that was wrong. Totally wrong for this order to have her uproot her life, spend six months with them, only to be told something from ten years ago was the issue. No. They should have told her that UPFRONT. I'd say she dodged a bullet if that's how they treat people.

I had similar experiences with trying to enter an order. I was told I was too old and rejected by so many. Two were finally willing to give me a chance, but one has significant issues falling into modern day feminism and we're clearly moving against Church teaching and by the time I started discussions with the second, I met my now husband. I didn't realize until I was in a relationship with him and seeing the fruits of the Spirit in our relationship that the obstacles were God's way of guiding me where he wanted me, but there are SERIOUS issues in our American convents and the fact that most only want young girls and are in lock step with feminist bs should concern everyone.

I was a sister for 13 years in Mother Angelica’s community in AL. I ended up leaving which I know now was a huge mistake. I want to return to Religious life and I don’t know how to do that now that I’m in my 40’s and it’s a bit harder with age limits etc. I feel the same thing you did. If you want to be a nun act like one. I’m thinking if I can’t return to Religious Life then I’m thinking of being a hermit.

Why on earth would they reject her for being "too old"??? In her twenties!

Matt, I would love for you to interview a Consecrated Virgin and hear there story 😇

This really resonated with me. I was in a cloister community, the way they dealt with the formation sisters, and the canonical vowed sister is problematic. I wish I would’ve heard in any of these stories that somebody turned to the formator that would laugh, and say “you’re joking!” because of who I was with, and I had gone in at 18 after high school living Catholic intent on going in to the cloister for the rest of my life. I haven’t been able to receive a yes, from any other community since. And I have asked four or five others. I would encourage others to keep trying. I still feel the pull on my heart of the heart to anywhere He would lead me, if they would just say “Yes” Fiat. My exit from the infamous set was very cruel. I feel like my rejection from other communities has been because of who they were/still are. I would encourage every other human being, who is called to religious life and rejected by one to keep looking for the true vocation of service and prayer in community.

I was rejected after 5 years of living in a convent. It was devastating. They told me I'm not good enough because I'm highly sensitive person. I'm over forty, and have no hope to find my path and my place in the world.

I was thinking the requirements of that convent were too harsh until the moment she said she starting pounding alcohol during the first month out of the convent. That right there proved the convent was correct in their decision. This beloved daughter of God had serious substance addiction problems she had NOT resolved that needed healing. It just proves we can't assess things by how good we feel. She felt she was thriving but its clear she had deep seated unresolved alcoholism.

Wow I needed to see this

This is such a sad story. I really wonder how the Church will attract enough younger women, then, because in my time, roughly 1/3rd were on depression meds in their teens. I suspect that number has increased over the decades.

I saw a spanish documentary about cloistered monks and nuns. One of the nuns interviewed told she was married and had 6 children when she got the call and therefore consecrate her life to Christ in a convent. So girl, I wouldn't rule it out yet. No one knows when the Lord can call you.

Augustine wouldn't be good enough for many so-called leaders of the Church

She is great. Loved her story.

Oh no ☹️. I’m discerning religious life right now. I’m 24 and have had depression in the past, took medication for it and I am no longer a virgin. I’ve spoken to the communities about my depression and no one has told me anything about it. I hope it doesn’t become a problem because i really do feel like it’s the vocation in which my life would be fulfilled.

Excellent thanks for telling your story.God Bless you.

Powerful story. God bless

The likely reason for the orders being so exclusionary is the very large number of nuns and priests who initially passed muster and later jumped ship. Suspect they want to weed out anyone they think might be even a mild risk ahead of time.

That is a wild story. I need to hear more

Monastic communities are communities. Aspirants need to fit in, and assist the community in its mission or ministry. Nor must they be a burden. No one has a right to belong to a community.

The church (people) crushes dreams. I was on fire for missions. Then I came back to the church because of the Eucharist in 2000. It’s been such a cross…. Seriously a big heavy cross. Too old (at about 34 years old) for this, to “wounded” for that… not “rock star” enough for this, too much of a past… depression in my background. I continued missions until 2019 but honestly some of the priests and the ones “in charge “ were soul crushers. A very terrible seminarian I met in 2006 nearly pushed me off the edge. Such an immature punk. No charity in his soul. Suffice to say he did leave the seminary after being a total sh…. Towards me. You know what? I’m 58, still in the church… dreams crushed but I’m staying ONLY because, first and foremost Jesus Christ in Holy Communion and also I’d add : my access to the TLM and silence in church keeps me sane. Today is Corpus Christi in the old church calendar celebrated at TLMs. Reminds me why I remain Catholic. Crushed soul but I will stay with Jesus.

That was very interesting!

Discernment works both ways. The potential aspirant discerns whether they have a vocation to that community and the community discerns whether the aspirant has a vocation there. And, even if the aspirant does have a vocation it doesn't mean that they have the ability to live that vocation. I think we need to stop criticizing religious communities for what is a normal part of the discernment process. Any community would be right to be very wary about someone who is taking any kind of psychoactive medication.

As the story is told to us it is simply an injustice. Unjust things happen to good people. Try being a novice when a predator in the community starts propositioning novices.

Awesome video

Thriving in a convent doesn't necessarily mean that you belong there forever.

I got a call to the Permanent Diaconate in 2015. I said "yes" to God for that call. The head of the vocation meetings for our deanery would not even meet with me to discuss this. Later, that priest asked to be laicized after being accused of many sexual scandals. Had I been ordained a deacon, I would be busy today with parish ministry. I would have also missed my REAL call: a call to pray for the poor souls in Purgatory,

I would loved to have heard more from her, l can relate to some of it. I never had a calling but the rejection l can understand, it happened to me in my work life, l kept getting passed by and in my prayer life the same.

And the Church wonders why there's a "lack of vocations".... Clearly there is some instability in this case, but haven't we had a fair number of unstable saints? Plenty of unhealthy, old, young, and formerly profligate ones too. God is glorified in our weakness, not in our perfection. I can understand communities wanting to avoid scandal, discord, and liability, but that is going to happen no matter what. But the one who is forgiven much will love much.

I ve been sober 21 years. I can be married to GOD even though I have grown children, abused alcohol and drugs in the past, had an abortion early on in my life, went my own way in life etc. but now Ive abandoned old ways, and live my life for God. I’m celibate, modest in dress, grateful, blessed, provided for by GOD , am in my ninth year of reading entire Bible in a year. I don’t wear makeup, I head cover. I’m 60 years old and GOD is still working on me til I enter into HIS kingdom. I’m not perfect and never will be. I take prescription medication for various reasons, and was diagnosed with MS and a brain tumor in 2000. The brain tumor was benign and I’m not in a wheelchair. there by the grace of GOD I can still do my chores on my own . Thank you my LORD and Savior Jesus Christ for your mercy endureth forever. ❤

“The stone that the builders rejected is the cornerstone!”

Her rejection from the convent is shocking and painful. As a non-Christian, I don't understand how that kind of behavior is supposed to align with forgiveness and repentance.

Yeah... The church is presently made of some serious sinners. Look how often they proclaim low vocations yet act as they did to you. You definitely had a vocation if you made it that far. They will pay for that in purgatory

Strange - I don’t remember Jesus saying no to his followers because of their past

Whenever any church organization or ministry is unwilling to forgive the past of a person who has obviously repented and put it behind them with the Lord, they are not living and working for Jesus as their Lord and Savior as they claim to be. God doesn't care who we were before He saved us and restored us to new life with His Son, He cares who we are now with Jesus and our new mind and heart with Him. If there is nothing more to this with the nuns than what was presented they should be ashamed of themselves (and get right with the Lord and Breanne for doing it). We are people of change/repentance, not ones who play kick the sinner forever once the Lord has set them free! In Christ, Andrew

God knows ourselves best- we dont understand now but will later. The women was not spiritually there and there would be another problem later. Rejection is protection from God from what would made us unhappy either here but mostly in the other world. God bless this woman and strenghten her faith that God has ALL in His control🙏🕊❤🕊🙏

After hearing this whole story I agree she should not have been allowed to enter a convent. The church has these rules for good reasons. There are too many scandals and so many people are broken from the lives they led. Yes Grace and redemption are freely available but the effects of those sins remain. Just look at Michael Voris.

Her experience is similar to St Faustina. She was denied by so many Orders until she finally found one. Our lord never said that the road to sainthood would be easy.

I can't but think she some similar parallels occurred with Maria Von Trapp. Yes, Breanne's story is different, yet even the Mother Superior had to let Maria go. Maria wanted final vows, yet she received them in her marriage. Breanne is married, serving and loving her Lord through her husband. Maria Von Trapp did the same; the rest was musical history and cinema.

Amen ✝️☦️🕊

She felt the call, find a community that isn’t ridiculous and rejects vocational calls.

God love her ❤

When you're up in age and have a desire for religious life, but have a messy past, it is very risky because the fact a person had a long history of participation in sin and the material world can easily regress. And people of a certain age are very hard to change.

The Orthodox Church accepts women into the monastery even if you’re older or have a past. It’s about repentance.

We often hear horror stories of priests who prey on vulnerable children but nearly just as disgusting are the petty, vindictive, resentful post-menopausal Mother Superiors (Mothers Superior?) who take the bitterness springing from their mid-life crises out on young, idealistic novices, crushing their zeal and enthusiasm before they have a chance to blossom. They also tend to foster a strict social hierarchy and the toxic environment of bullying that goes with it, which has caused no shortage of nuns to leave not only their religious orders but also the faith itself. In that sense, Breanne may have dodged a bullet.

Please let this woman know I think she just helped me with something very profound... I'm desperate for a loved one to come to Christ, through His Church, so much so I've pushed her so hard and she's refusing to budge and it's getting worse.. But I realized she may not be Called yet to Him for some reason, known only to Him and it takes the pressure off me and my burden about it... Interesting... He obviously has a plan for this woman you interviewed outside what she thinks she needs to do for Him... So maybe I have to accept that same type of thinking in my own situation with my loved one...

I think orders are dying because they are not excepting older vocations. They should not judge the past especially if you were not with God at the time when your depressed . I don’t suffer depression anymore like I did when I was young

Didn't knew that.

Sory for the feeling of rejection but if that's what happened, that's God's will.

It is important to meditate on your last end with situations like this. If you remember that God will judge you alone at the end of your life, and you will spend an eternity with Him or spend forever in Hell, it can help everything find its proper context. It can be very appealing to our modern minds to fixate on vocation as it is the primary impetus of our eternal destiny, but the Church teaches that our first and fundamental vocation (the basis for our secondary vocation, e.g. marriage, priest, etc) is holiness. God will judge us based on how we served and loved Him (holiness). Vocation is the context by which we will be judged.

There ARE convents that accept older people just like there are places that accept older men. You just need to find them....or just accept that God says no and perhaps do like st rose. She created her own habit and so on.

If you can support yourself financially, and are 35 years or older, you can discern becoming a consecrated hermit.

I must say something about the tattoos on her arm and her thought process, which is self-referential. Being a nun is not about being cool, but being holy. Christians in general no longer understand that the body and the soul are to be one, not divided, and are to be holy and unstained, as James communicated to us in his epistle. Jews nor Catholics stained their bodies with tattoos, because we are to aspire to be like the angels, spotless and aglow with holiness. Tattoos are opaque, make the body ugly, throw up antisocial barriers, and have always been a sign of paganism and evil, going back to the first murderer, Cain. Statistics show a high correlation between tattoos, drug use, and fornication, which is a form of adultery. James: "True religion is to care for widows and orphans in their distress and to keep oneself unstained from the world." Unfortunately we are paganizing our religion in the 21st century. The bishops must repent and teach the apostolic ethics again in the seminaries.

well you never know what God has for you , God s life is not what you want - is what God want you to do

It just means Jesus had other plans for her and this was part of her schooling for rejection. If our father in heaven wanted this it would have happened 🌹🌹🌹

mam, 🤔 ú máy stl do charity work even if you're not a nun. The 'rejections' are a blessing in disguise. You have nary an idea of what & how life is inside the convent.

We 12-steppers have no shortage of opportunity to serve those in desperate need

THIS IS WHAT'S WRONG WITH THE RELIGIOUS LIFE

I haer what the convent did for you but...what did you do for the convent ?

Ms. Demarco, maybe your calling is to take a cue from St. Teresa of Avilla and start your own community.

The rejection will make sense in time. It hurts in the moment, definitely. I know.

The Churches judgement of others is a large part its decline. I am an abstinent homosexual who was not allowed to be a priest. I also couldn't afford the education to become one.

Sister Faustina had a lot of obstacles like that, too. The Prodigal Son is supposed to be welcomed, but they clean forgot.

some people are appalled and repulsed of anything sexual and want to remain single, if they choose to be make monastic vows they are totally free to do that at any age. monastic vows are vows of chastity and no age requirements exist for that, they chose to remain unmarried for their whole lives. some people lived in communities in poverty and obedience but were not monastics, because that is not what monasticism is about. some monastics were non-cenobitic and had personal things. a more proper word is more likely modesty rather than poverty. and even in cenobitic communities a monastic can move out in cases of abuse. monasteries could offer access to resources and a place to stay for monastics that struggle to survive by themselves, but if a monastic is subjected to less or no human interaction in his private house and that might be a much better and peaceful option

I cannot stand that they are so selective. A friend of mine loves Jesus and can’t become a nun because she’s disabled. I have mental health issues and ADHD so I guess I would have been rejected too. Im sure it really does feel like getting rejected by God. 🥺

If a woman starts dating someone rich who is doing a lot of tithing would any priest who is benefiting form the same be insulting to her while she is seeking counselling from him?

Does she realize while she was talking, that she turned her time into an idol? Maybe i am wrong, we all go through our trials. It is never about human acceptance, but about our acceptance and our growing love and trust in our Lord. There is more, but well, since i am not articulate, it will let it lie. Thank you for sharing this vulnerable time with us, it is a gift to hear

Look, it's not about "You're not worthy." It's about "If you were called to be in today's very rough religious life, it's likely that God would make you stupid healthy and strong, in mind and body." Orders can't afford much medical care, or psychological care; and religious life necessarily includes a lot of potential triggers for people to go off the deep end. It's a lot more problematic that orders want people to have gone to college, in a world where going to college means incurring debt, and yet they don't have facilities for people with debt. They should encourage would-be monks and nuns to learn a trade, which they could then bring to the convent.

Given how many pill pushing doctors there are; I don’t think it’s a good rule in this day & age. Everyone has such pills pushed on them by age 20 whether needed or not.

Why does the Roman Catholic Church have such strict requirements for becoming a Monastic? That seems really odd to me. Isn't the purpose of becoming a Monastic to benefit your Salvation? Just take a look at St. Mary of Egypt.

So basically you have to be an angel to get accepted. Got it. Instead of helping out a thriving soul, let’s dump her like she’s trash for having a past. Got it.

No one has the authority to discern their own vocation in the Church, apart from the structure of authority that exists. No one has a right to join the community that they like the best. It’s not a fair comparison to juxtapose female religious orders with diocesan priests. Male monastic orders also make sure that postulants are the “right fit.”

Maybe they rejected her because they get their recruits from certain sources.

non-cenobitic monasticism is possible. no age requirements exist. virginity is a quality everyone has from the beginning of their existence and everyone knows how it is to be single, that is nothing unusual

Jesus calls us to the Great Commission (evangelism ), not to stay in a convent.

It’s wrong for them to send you away bc of past medications. What was their problem with past meds if you weee doing well? That’s a problem in religious life these days, they have ancient out of date rules that don’t make sense.

On the one hand, I'm sympathetic because I know there are corrupt people within the Church who manage to get into religious orders and Holy Orders that are far more offensive than this woman. And it's harsh when someone wants to serve and is rejected. On the other hand, this woman has so many red flags. Why is she dating an atheist in the first place? We have a sexual history, medications, mental illness, substance abuse, and impulsiveness present here. It raises a lot of questions on fitness when listening to this. I do wonder if one is rejected from a particular institution does that blacklist them from all other institutions?

Jail is the only place to be in a world gone mad. Thoreau.

with all this tatoos?

I reckon it was the Tatts 😅

St Philip Neri wasn’t allowed To join the Jesuits. Anyways. Carry on

Hahahaha. All that piety then she decides to go to Al anon. Duh...

NO religious community asks a woman if she's a virgin, that's nonsense.