Long-Term
Mission Discernment
Take time to discern God’s plan.
If you are considering long-term Catholic missionary life, come live the rhythm of the mission post for two months or more and discern it from the inside.
What makes mission discernment different?
Short-term mission gives you a glimpse of missionary life. Mid-term mission gives you a deeper experience of it. Mission discernment asks a different question: Could this be my calling?
This experience is for those who sense that Christ may be inviting them beyond a season of mission and asking whether He is calling them to give several years of their life to missionary service.
You don't have to arrive with an answer. This is a place to listen for what the Lord is asking.
Come and Live Missionary Life from the Inside
Discernment isn't about taking a test, proving yourself, or making a decision on the spot. It is about creating enough space to listen.
For two months or longer, a discernment experience allows you to step into the ordinary rhythm of missionary life—prayer, community, service, sacrifice, and daily life—and begin to discover what happens when that rhythm becomes your own.
The purpose isn't to create extraordinary experiences. It is to give God room to speak through the ordinary. As you live the life, important questions begin to emerge:
Does my heart come alive through this experience?
Am I being drawn closer to Christ through this missionary life?
Am I willing to embrace the sacrifice, simplicity, and demands that come with it?
Am I finding greater peace as I imagine giving myself to missionary service?
Does this way of life seem to be drawing out the person God created me to be?
These questions aren't meant to be answered all at once. They are brought to prayer. As St. Ignatius taught, we learn to pay attention to the movements of the heart—recognizing where we experience peace, freedom, faith, hope, and love, and where we encounter fear, confusion, or resistance.
Over time, through prayer and attention, the Lord can make His invitation clearer.
The daily rhythm of prayer, community, service, and ordinary life described on our Mid-Term Mission page is the same rhythm you will encounter during a discernment experience. That page gives a fuller picture of what life on mission looks like.
Discerning a Missionary Calling
Discernment is not something you have to navigate alone. It begins with conversation, before you ever come to the mission post, and continues through the experience itself. We’ll pray with you for clarity, ask questions, and create space for you to bring your hopes, questions, and desires to the Lord.
Missionary Discernment for Singles and Families
The same invitation, different circumstances.
How you discern missionary service will look different depending on your state in life.
SINGLES
For single men and women, discernment involves stepping into a missionary household and experiencing the rhythm of prayer, community, service, and daily life alongside other missionaries.
FAMILIES
For married couples and families, discernment includes the whole family. The question is not simply whether one spouse feels called, but whether missionary life could be life-giving for the marriage and children as well. Time in mission allows families to experience that reality together and prayerfully consider what the Lord may be asking.
The circumstances may be different, but the heart of the discernment is the same:
Is Jesus inviting me to give several years of my life to missionary service?
Discernment Stories
Frequently Asked Questions
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Usually two months or longer, depending on the person and the circumstances. The length can be discussed as part of the initial conversation.
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Discernment trips will be offered in Costa Rica in 2027. Because missionaries are prayerfully considering a full-time call to missionary life, we personally accompany and lead you throughout your time of discernment.
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No. You can come for discernment without ever having participated in a short-term or mid-term mission trip. In fact, Robert and Tami Erisman, the founders of The Francis Institute, left for full-time missionary service without ever having been on a mission trip themselves.
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The cost varies depending on the mission location and length of your stay. We will give you guidance on how much to plan for each week/month. Individuals/families typically raise financial support before their trip. This may cover travel, lodging, meals, local transportation, ministry expenses, and your personal expenses.
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No. A mid-term mission is primarily a season of service, growth, and deeper missionary experience. Mission discernment is for those considering whether Christ may be calling them to give several years of their life to missionary service. The experience itself includes the same rhythms of prayer, community, service, and daily missionary life found in a mid-term mission.
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Yes. For married couples, discernment naturally includes the whole family. It involves prayerful consideration of what missionary life would mean for the marriage, the children, and the family as a whole.
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You don't have to know whether you're capable of missionary life before you experience it. Part of discernment is discovering how you respond to the realities of missionary life—its beauty, sacrifice, simplicity, community, and demands.
Take Time to Discern
If you’ve been wondering whether Christ may be calling you to give several years of your life to missionary service, take the time to listen.
You don’t have to arrive with an answer. You don’t have to make a commitment. Come with your questions, your hopes, and your desire to know what the Lord is asking.
Begin a Conversation About Mission
Once you submit this form, we will contact you to set up an inquiry call where we can talk more in depth about your desire to spend two months or more living a missionary life in order to discern a long-term calling.