Erin Bechtel spent five years as a religious sister with the Servants of the Lord before discerning out. Recently, Bechtel moved to Minnesota from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.
When discerning religious life, Bechtel visited the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus and all her misconceptions about religious life changed. She thought to herself that she could be a spouse of Christ.
“From that moment on, I was like, yes, this is what I want to do, and this is what I think the Lord wants of me,” Bechtel told “Practicing Catholic” co-host Leah Heselton for an episode that debuts at 7 p.m. March 27 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM.
Bechtel continued visiting the Handmaids, but eventually, the Handmaids discerned that Bechtel did not have their charism. She then went to Rome to visit the Servants of the Lord. She explained that when discerning religious life, it is a two-way street.
“Kind of like when you’re discerning marriage, the man say(s), ‘Yes, this is right,’ and the woman can say, ‘No, this is not right, I’m not going to marry this person,’ or vice versa,” Bechtel said. “Both of you can say yes or no. The religious life, you have to fit and you have to have their charism. And a charism is something that’s … given to you at baptism. It’s something that is like a part of you.”
Living with the Servants of the Lord in Maryland helped Bechtel’s faith grow, she said. But ultimately, it wasn’t where God wanted her to be, she said. She encountered several changes after leaving the convent, including going back to school and losing a job. She now works for Nova Vita Clinic in St. Paul.
“Trust in the Lord,” Bechtel said. “His plans are always better than our own plans. Even when everything falls apart and you think that there’s no direction for you to go, he will show you exactly where he wants you to go and his plan is going to be even better than what you had planned.”
To hear more from Bechtel about discerning vocation, listen to this episode of “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. March 28 and 2 p.m. March 29.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latest show also features Janette Howe, founder of Seven Sisters Apostolate, in an interview about how she began this ministry for priests.
Listen to interviews after they have aired at practicingcatholicshow.com or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
