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June 19, 2025By Caitlin Burm
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to answer God’s call to become a nun?
Today, the New Outlook speaks with Gretchen Erlichman, former Music Teacher at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School in Tucson, and current Aspirant of the Norbertine Canonesses of the Bethlehem Priory of Saint Joseph in Tehachapi, California, who shares more about how she’s embracing the vocation.Gretchen Erlichman’s journey
“Being a cradle Catholic, my faith was an integral part of my overall formation as an individual,” Erlichman says, adding how she and her family attended daily Mass in Utica, New York, where she was raised. “I became an enthusiastic member of the children’s choir at our local parish of Our Lady of Lourdes Church, and this began my lifelong journey as a musician. I began studying piano at the age of nine and by the time I was in high school I was also taking organ and voice lessons. After high school, I attended Nazareth College of Rochester where I continued my piano and voice studies and received a degree in Voice Performance in 2014.”
She adds, “I furthered my musical studies and attended Westminster Choir College thereafter, where I received a Master’s in Voice Performance and pedagogy in 2017. After taking a year to do some teaching and performing while living in New York City, I decided to move to Washington D.C. to pursue a Ph.D. in musicology at the Catholic University of America.”
After beginning her Ph.D. studies at the Catholic University of America, Erlichman says she began “to feel an inward tug that was asking, desiring, more of God.” She states, “I was surrounded by an environment that both cultivated and nurtured my desire to grow in my Catholic faith. I had the opportunity to attend daily Mass and Adoration at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, and I became part of a friend group that consisted of all young devout Catholics who were on fire for the faith… I had seen many young men and women in religious habits as well as young seminarians in clerics in and around the university and I was incredibly edified by their choice to give the entirety of themselves to God. I was attracted to the idea of doing the same, but I didn’t see how this would fit into the plan I already had for my future.”
She adds, “Gradually, this interior tug toward the possibility of discerning religious life grew stronger and stronger, to the point that I could no longer ignore it. I realized that my life was about God’s will, NOT my will. So, in echoing the fiat of the Blessed Mother, I resolved to seek the guidance necessary to discern God’s will for my life.” With the help of a spiritual director, Erlichman discerned a call to the cloistered contemplative life and entered formation with the Dominican Nuns of the Monastery of Our Lady of Grace in North Guilford, Connecticut in 2021. She says that she was in religious formation with this community for a little over two years but, unfortunately, it was necessary for her to leave in 2023 due to sickness caused by environmental allergies. “My departure from the Monastery of Our Lady of Grace was a great sadness for me and for the community, and I will be forever grateful to the sisters for all the ways in which they helped me to grow during my time there. Yet, despite my disappointment, I was certain that God had a plan, carefully designed for my own salvation, in store,” Erlichman says.
Erlichman singing in an opera in Washington D.C.
It was then that Erlichman moved to Tucson to join her family, who had since relocated, and was embraced by the Catholic community within the Diocese. “When I first arrived in Tucson, I did not know anyone beside my own family, but I became involved in the Young Adult Groups associated with Saint Thomas the Apostle Parish and Saint Mark Parish. I also began attending daily Mass at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish and became involved as a substitute teacher at the school and began to help with music for the weekend liturgies. As summer drew near, SEAS school had an opening for a music teacher, and I gladly accepted the job while continuing to discern a call to religious life.”
Of her experience within the Diocese and at SEAS, she adds, “This past year of teaching music at SEAS filled me with so much joy, and the students, families, teachers, and staff showed me more love and support than I could have ever imagined. I also received an incredible amount of spiritual support during this time of discernment from many priests in the diocese—their care has continued to cultivate my desire to pray for priests in living out the contemplative vocation.”From the Diocese of Tucson to the Norbertine Canonesses Monastery in Tehachapi
Erlichman shares how she continued to discern the possibility of re-entering religious formation after her departure from the Dominicans, so she began to contact other monasteries to inquire about their community and way of life. She was particularly attracted to communities that followed the Rule of Saint Augustine and was delighted to learn that the Norbertines also follow this Rule (as well as the Dominicans).
Erlichman says, “I was also attracted to the way in which the Norbertines follow the old monastic practice of self-sustainability through artisan crafts and farming, which is proper to the pre-mendicant Orders. Additionally, as a musician, I was particularly drawn to communities that place an emphasis on Gregorian chant in the liturgy. Therefore, I made an initial visit to the community of the Norbertine Canonesses of the Bethlehem Priory of Saint Joseph in April of last year and requested to become an Aspirant, which is the first step in entering a contemplative religious community.”
The stages of formation for contemplative nuns is regulated by Canon Law:- The first stage is that of the Aspirant, and this stage is when a young woman first contacts the monastery and requests to seriously discern with the community. This stage must last at least one year, but not more than two years, and usually includes a time of living within the cloister with the community to get to know the community and their way of life.
- After at least one year of Aspirancy, the young woman will enter the monastery and become a Postulant, and this stage lasts about one year. It is during this time that the new sister starts formation classes and becomes accustomed to the monastic way of life.
- After about one year, the sister can request to become a Novice. The novice receives the habit of the Order and receives a new religious name, chosen for her by the prioress. (With a white veil, which signifies that she has not taken vows.)
- After two years as a Novice, the sister can petition for simple profession to become a Simply Professed Nun. Simple vows are taken for a definitive period, such as a year, to be renewed for a minimum of five years. (She then wears a black veil, signifying she is in vows.)
- After a minimum of five years in simple vows, the nun can petition to take solemn vows, to become a Solemnly Professed Nun. By taking solemn vows, a nun promises to live the way of life lived out according to the Rule of her Order for the rest of her life. (She then receives a ring as a symbol of her spousal relationship to Christ.)
Erlichman in front of the tomb of Saint Norbert, the founder of the Norbertine Order, at the Strahov Abbey, Prague
She adds that throughout this time, she is especially grateful for the support of the Labouré Society, a non-profit organization which helps those discerning vocations to the religious life fundraise for their student loans so that they can mitigate any financial obstacles to their vocations.
“I am a Labouré Society alumna and without the help of the society and all those who support their financial and spiritual needs, I would not be able to freely enter into religious formation,” Erlichman says.Final benefit concert at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton
Erlichman's journey to nunhood is a testament to her dedication to God's call and her unwavering faith. Despite the challenges she faced, her commitment to discerning her vocation has remained steadfast. Her story is an inspiring reminder that with community, faith and perseverance, one can navigate the path to fulfilling God's will.
For those local to the Diocese of Tucson, Erlichman will be giving a final benefit concert at Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church on Monday, August 18th at 6:00 p.m. The concert will be free with the option of an at-will offering in support of the SEAS School. This will be her last public performance before entering the monastery.Gretchen Erlichman, your family and friends here in the Diocese of Tucson will keep you in our prayers. May your heart be filled with joy and with peace as you answer God's call!