I've been discerning a call to the religious life for a very long time and have been looking at and visiting orders for a while. I had some trouble finding a spiritual director and just recently finally found one, so I'll be meeting her soon and I'm sure she'll help me find out if I'm going in the right direction.

I've been looking for an order that works with environmental issues and animals... and I was hoping for a Franciscan one. I haven't been able to find any orders that work to protect the environment... and I've found a few orders that breed or show animals on the side, but none that run shelters or rescues like I was hoping for.

I have found two orders that I click with, and can see myself in, but I get that sense with them that something's missing. If I have to give up my desire to help needy animals and stick up for the environment to enter a convent I certainly will, if it's what God wants... but... I keep getting the idea in the back of my head that maybe I should talk to people, and see if they're inspired by what I want to do, and if they are... maybe we could join together and form a community.

The question here is what does God want me to do with the talents and passions He's given me... if He does want me in the religious life, where and doing what? I have my first meeting with my spiritual director coming up soon (I've been hunting for one for a while, had some trouble finding someone) so I'm sure she'll help with that... and I'll pray pray pray... but how do I tell the difference between my selfish desires and what God wants? I'm sitting here saying what I want in an order, but I'm afraid that I'll turn this all into my will not His.

I guess what I'm also driving at is, how does someone know if they're supposed to join an existing order or start a new one? And if they decide to start a new one and their spiritual director agrees, what's the process that the person has to go through?