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Start with the vocation you have received

Give thanks for God's call and for people through whom you have received care, formation and encouragement. Then recall your freely chosen conduct since your last Confession. The aim is an honest encounter with mercy, not a verdict on whether you belong in a community.

The Catechism describes several forms of consecrated life (CCC 914–933). Religious profession, other sacred bonds, community membership and particular duties are not interchangeable. Consider the rule, constitutions and commitments that actually apply to you. This guide does not determine the validity of vows, membership status or a canonical right or obligation in an individual case.

Prayer, poverty and chastity in daily decisions

The prompts examine how you have responded to commitments of prayer, shared goods and personal relationships. A decision to hide spending, misuse an entrusted resource or manipulate another person's affection can be named concretely. The questions should not turn every imperfect day into evidence of infidelity.

An attraction, intrusive thought, illness or period of spiritual dryness is different from an act you freely chose. The need for medical or psychological care is not a failure of consecration. If you are uncertain about responsibility or a recurring distressing doubt, speak with a regular confessor rather than repeatedly trying to obtain certainty from the checklist.

Obedience and freedom of conscience

Religious obedience concerns legitimate authority acting within the applicable constitutions and law. It does not require wrongdoing or the concealment of abuse. Consider whether you deliberately evaded a real duty, while keeping unresolved questions about a direction's legitimacy for competent advice.

Canon 630 protects due freedom regarding Confession and direction of conscience in religious institutes. Superiors must not pressure members to manifest their conscience to them. Sharing may be freely chosen; an examination printout must not become a compulsory community report. Those in authority can examine whether their conduct has protected another person's dignity and legitimate access to help.

Community life, formation and mission

The guide includes community gossip, factions, unfairly displaced duties and care for elderly or sick members. It also considers formation relationships: honesty about external responsibilities, willingness to acknowledge a wrong, and any use of seniority or dependence to control another person.

In an apostolate, the people served have dignity beyond an institution's goals. Examine your own actions without turning the list into accusations against others. A safeguarding concern may require a response under applicable Church and civil rules; seek competent guidance about the actual duty and preserve protected sacramental or internal-forum information. Protecting a reputation does not excuse harm or deceit.

Prepare your own words and a possible next step

Answer only the questions that help you reflect. “Yes” creates a neutral reminder that you can edit. Keep only the part that describes your free choice. “Not sure” saves a question for the priest and is not an admission of guilt. Notes are optional, and you can leave them out of the downloadable copy.

Choose a realistic act of conversion: return something, correct a damaging story, ask forgiveness or accept appropriate support. A retreat group can share the blank questions while each person keeps private preparation private. This resource offers no automated classification of sins, evaluation of a vocation or replacement for sacramental Confession.

Questions for your examination

Give thanks for your vocation, then reflect on the commitments you have actually and freely assumed. This guide is for religious sisters, brothers and others in consecrated life who can adapt it to their form of life. Use your rule and proper law where relevant. Illness, temptation, an unwanted feeling or abuse suffered is not automatically personal guilt. The guide does not assess vows, vocational suitability or canonical status.

Prayer and attention to Christ

Look at freely chosen conduct within your actual capacity. Duties differ among forms of consecrated life and according to the rule.

  • Have I deliberately neglected a prayer commitment that applied to me when I could reasonably fulfill it?
  • Have I used apostolic work or a community task as an excuse to avoid all personal attention to God?
  • Have I pretended to observe a spiritual practice in order to win admiration or conceal a wrong?
Poverty and entrusted resources

Reflect on the poverty you have professed and the responsibilities you have received. The concrete use of goods is governed by the commitments and proper law that apply.

  • Have I hidden money, purchases or the use of property contrary to my freely assumed commitments?
  • Have I used community or apostolic resources for an unjust private advantage?
  • Have I treated a poor person with contempt or ignored a serious need I could reasonably help?
Chastity and relationships

Consecrated chastity calls for truthful love and respect. An attraction that arises without consent is different from conduct deliberately chosen.

  • Have I freely chosen sexual acts contrary to the chastity I have professed?
  • Have I cultivated a hidden relationship that betrays my commitments or manipulates another person's affection?
  • Have I used a spiritual role or another person's dependence to cross bodily, emotional or personal boundaries?
Obedience, responsibility and conscience

Consider lawful authority acting within the rule. Obedience does not require wrongdoing, concealment of abuse or forced disclosure of conscience.

  • Have I deliberately refused a lawful direction that applied to me solely to impose my preference?If the obligation or the authority's competence is uncertain, keep this as a question for your confessor or an appropriate adviser.
  • Have I lied about external responsibilities entrusted to me or concealed facts I was obliged to report?
  • If I exercise authority, have I pressured someone to disclose their conscience or give up legitimate spiritual help?Canon 630 protects due freedom concerning Confession and direction of conscience in religious institutes. Voluntary sharing must remain voluntary.
Community, truth and care

Fraternity respects personal dignity, necessary boundaries and differences of age, culture, health and temperament.

  • Have I cultivated factions, gossip or humiliation in the community?
  • Have I unfairly left common duties to others when I was reasonably able to do my part?
  • Have I deliberately denied reasonable care or attention to an elderly, sick or isolated member?
Formation, correction and freedom

Consider the formation and guidance appropriate to your stage of life. Doubts about a vocation and the need for rest or professional care are not themselves sins.

  • Have I misrepresented my conduct in a formation conversation to evade a responsibility that was genuinely mine?
  • Have I used a person's status as a novice, junior member or dependent adult to control or humiliate them?
  • Have I refused to acknowledge a clear wrong because I believed my seniority placed me beyond correction?
Service, safeguarding and repair

The people served by an apostolate are never instruments for reputation or control. Protecting the institution does not justify dishonesty or harm.

  • Have I used someone entrusted to my service mainly for prestige, money or control?
  • Have I hidden serious harm or obstructed a legitimate safeguarding report to protect a reputation?Specific reporting duties depend on the applicable Church and civil law. Seek competent guidance and preserve any obligation of the sacramental seal or protected internal forum.
  • Have I avoided a reasonable restitution, correction or apology for harm I caused?
Use these prompts privately

Common questions

Can nuns and religious brothers use the same guide?

Yes. The questions address commitments and community responsibilities shared in many religious forms of life. Apply them according to your own rule and circumstances; a question may not apply to everyone.

Does it also apply to consecrated virgins or hermits?

Some themes can help, but those forms of life have distinct commitments and discipline. Adapt the reflection with your confessor or appropriate adviser instead of assuming that every religious-community duty applies.

Must I share my answers with a superior or formator?

No. The tool prepares your personal Confession. Voluntary spiritual sharing is different from compelled disclosure of conscience; the private summary is not a formation assessment.

Sources

Keep this guide with you

Download a readable PDF or print this page for personal use.