Requirements for Service

Greetings everyone,

In response to several inquiries, here is some additional information about requirements of service in the Order of St. Elizabeth:

Length of Service: There is no 'lifetime' commitment to the EOSE. Rather, all sisters will make and/or renew their commitments on a yearly basis. Some women are called to live in communities of service their whole lives; and some are called to communities of service in preparation for another call. Celebrations of service will be celebrated on the first, third, fifth, seventh, and tenth year of service, as well as every five years thereafter.

Financial Support: We are self-supporting, and each woman will share the expenses of rent, utilities, and groceries. Each should maintain her own health insurance as she feels appropriate. For some, this may mean working a paying part-time job; others may have the financial freedom to do extended volunteer service.

Types of Service: We seek to be of service in a variety of areas where volunteers are needed --with children, women, the homeless and hungry, in peace and justice pursuits--and here in Chicago, there are certainly plenty of places needing help! We go, as the theologian Henri Nouwen says, 'where the deep needs of the world, and our deep passions, meet.'

Health Requirements: God calls all people to ministry, regardless of physical or other ability; and all people are able to serve God in some capacity. We welcome you if you have the strong desire to serve and the creativity to discern with us how you may be of service. Please contact us if you have any questions.

Faith Foundations: We are open to women of all Christian backgrounds, and we provide hospitality to women of non-Christian backgrounds who are on the path to discerning their own vocations. We anticipate that a person called to vocation in the EOSE has a strong sense that this is the community in which she is to be at present; and we expect that a sister is committed to regular discernment of her calling within the community setting. We expect that upon arrival in Chicago, each sister will find and maintain a regular worship life in a local congregation, as part of our outreach in the city.

Age Requirements: We welcome women of all ages. Many orders do limit new vocations to 45 years of age or younger. However, we understand that many women have been in life circumstances that have prevented service in this kind of vocation until retirement age or later.

Marital Status: We welcome women who have been divorced or widowed, or have never married. We welcome women who have not previously practiced celibacy in their relationships. We welcome families in an adapted form of vocation. We understand that some women may only be called to stay with us for a short time until they find a partner with whom to form a lifetime covenant. In all arrangements, we ask for chastity--that is, faithfulness--in relationships.