In 1895, before he knew the details of what was to come, he felt led to join the Associate Mission, a group of unmarried Episcopal clergymen leading a semi-monastic life in Omaha, Nebraska. This experience was very influential to him because through it he discovered many things about himself. He eventually realized staying with the Mission wasn’t his ultimate call.

Fr. Paul and Mother Lurana White, at that time a novice in formation to become an Episcopal Sister, began writing letters that discussed corporal vows of poverty. Neither could find the society that they felt was the right fit. They decided the only option was to fast and pray.  

After three days of intense conversation with God, they came to realize their call was to establish the Society of the Atonement as an Anglican order.  

After all that discernment (and all that stress!) they were probably relieved to know God’s will. 

But Fr. Paul didn’t see it that way. He didn’t see an “end” to the Society of the Atonement- only a new beginning. He knew it was all part of God’s wonderful plan and that it would (somehow) all work out. 

In 1909, the Society of the Atonement became the first religious society accepted corporately into the Catholic Church since the Reformation. Fr. Paul has received the title “Servant of God,” the first step to sainthood in the Catholic Church.

We are the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement and we wish to accompany you on your discernment journey. Prayer is the first thing you must do to find your way, but there are also a lot of practical tips to help you find God’s call for you.

If you are discerning the priesthood or religious life our FREE ebook "10 Tips For Discernment" is just what you need to move forward with confidence in God’s will.