Monks in the high desert, Norbertines in a canyon, sisters who run a bookstore with a chapel in Culver City. These are the religious communities around Los Angeles you can actually visit. Pray with them, volunteer, or go and see whether the life is for you.
Sisters
Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles
Carmelite prayer plus real jobs. These sisters teach, run retreats and care for the elderly across Southern California. Their discernment retreats in Alhambra are for single Catholic women 20 to 30. If you would rather help than discern, they take volunteers at the retreat house, at Marycrest Manor in Culver City and at Santa Teresita in Duarte.
Franciscan sisters founded in Brazil in 2001, now in San Gabriel. Street ministry, retreats and works of mercy, one person at a time, for people facing homelessness, addiction, poverty and prison. Women 18 to 35 can arrange a Come and See visit at the house.
Sisters whose mission is media: books, music, film and the arts. Their Culver City home on Sepulveda is a bookstore with a chapel, and Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament there during store hours, so you can stop in and pray between errands. They also run retreats, talks and book signings through the year, and Pauline Media Studies is based here.
Sisters, associates and lay partners in healthcare, education, immigration, prison and housing work, with a particular focus on migrants and care for the earth. Women exploring the life start with an inquiry period: prayer days, retreats and time with the community.