A Compass Weekend

This weekend fr Robert Verrill OP visited Worth Abbey to speak to this year's Compass participants about Dominican life. Compass was set up in 2004 and was envisaged as a way of helping people discern whether or not they had a religious vocation. fr Robert was a Compass participant back in 2005 and found it an invaluable experience in helping him decide to join the Dominicans. He writes:

'It was lovely to come back to Worth and speak to the current Compass participants. This year there are six of them, three men and three women. All of them have full time jobs, but since last September, they've been coming to Worth Abbey once a month for a weekend retreat to learn about various aspects of religious life.

'When I first started thinking about becoming a religious, I also had a full time job. At the time I remember feeling at a total loss as to how I could go from being a software engineer to a religious. Religious life was just a thought - the prospect of actually doing anything about it was very daunting. There was a combination of fear of rejection as well as the fear I might get sucked into something I was totally unsuited to. Before I found out about Compass, I didn't feel there was anyone I could confide in, so when I stumbled across the Compass website, it was clear the programme was offering just what I needed: it was a safe supportive environment, one in which I could discuss my fears and anxieties about religious life and where I could obtain the information I needed in order to make an informed and free decision as to whether this life truly was for me. Starting Compass was like coming into the warmth from the cold. I no longer felt alone. I was able to continue working but at the same time I could remain fully focused on trying to understand God's plan for me.


'The process of going from having no religious aspirations at all to joining the Dominicans only took two years. Without Compass, I'm sure this process would have taken much longer. I would probably still be a software engineer who occasionally had fantasies about religious life. I will always be grateful to the people involved with Compass. They helped to give me confidence to take the plunge. Now I'm in the position where I can give the best years of my life to the Dominicans.

'The discernment process can be a very anxious time, a time of great confusion and fear. But it can also be a time of great excitement, a time when one discovers the richness and diversity of the Catholic Church, when one learns really to trust in God's love and let go of the things that prevent us from being what He wants us to be. Please pray for this year's Compass participants in their journey.'