Carmelite Nuns In Elysburg, Pa

[Cherie]

[quote name='vee8' date='05 July 2010 - 08:12 AM' timestamp='1278331970' post='2137850']
Wow six novices!! No wait seven, as one is obscured by the bishops arms.
[/quote]

Are the ones in the capes (towards the middle of the group) postulants? What a beautiful postulant outfit, if so!

[vee]

[quote name='CherieMadame' date='05 July 2010 - 07:56 AM' timestamp='1278334561' post='2137852']
Are the ones in the capes (towards the middle of the group) postulants? What a beautiful postulant outfit, if so!
[/quote]
Good eye! I was just counting white veils and they snuck in two postulants

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='CherieMadame' date='05 July 2010 - 08:56 AM' timestamp='1278334561' post='2137852']
Are the ones in the capes (towards the middle of the group) postulants? What a beautiful postulant outfit, if so!
[/quote]

Wow! Okay, if those indeed are postulants then those are my new favorite postulant outfits -- hands down!

[krissylou]

Whoa, I wonder how such an immature community functions.

Errr, that came out wrong. I don't mean "immature" in a bad way. I mean immature as in green. Young.

I know the Carmel that sent out this foundation was bursting at the seams with new vocations. But still. Geez.

When I see pictures of other monasteries showing the sisters who made their foundation there are often some novices but most have at least made their first profession.

Everything I hear says that it takes a significant amount of time to grow into religious life. It must be hard when you don't have many professed sisters to balance out the young ones.

[SrBenigna]

[quote name='krissylou' date='05 July 2010 - 10:55 AM' timestamp='1278341745' post='2137878']
Whoa, I wonder how such an immature community functions.

Errr, that came out wrong. I don't mean "immature" in a bad way. I mean immature as in green. Young.

I know the Carmel that sent out this foundation was bursting at the seams with new vocations. But still. Geez.

When I see pictures of other monasteries showing the sisters who made their foundation there are often some novices but most have at least made their first profession.

Everything I hear says that it takes a significant amount of time to grow into religious life. It must be hard when you don't have many professed sisters to balance out the young ones.
[/quote]


There are a great many established communities that sent out new foundations and had only a handful of professed sisters. This is nothing new and never impacted them. Not many orders can send out a huge amount of professed sisters - especially Carmels where the limit is only 21 in a community (unless taking a few more in because they were planning a foundation like Valparaiso did in founding Elysburg and even then not all Carmels take in more than 21 before founding another Carmel).

[melporcristo]

[quote name='JTheresa' date='01 May 2010 - 10:49 PM' timestamp='1272775798' post='2103508']




Do you know of any that are semi-cloistered? Meaning they participate in apostolates? I have a friend who has really been looking.

oh and btw, Bishop Rhodes is our new bishop now!!! He is so awesome. But I'm sorry to hear that Harrisburg doesn't have a new bishop yet.
[/quote]

[url="http://www.carmelitesistersocd.com/"]The Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus[/url] in Alhambra, CA. Their apostolates are schools, a hospital, and Retreat Centers.

[melporcristo]

+JMJ+

I also have a friend who discerned with the Nebraska cloister last summer. She came back home realizing it wasn't her vocation.

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='CherieMadame' date='05 July 2010 - 07:56 AM' timestamp='1278334561' post='2137852']Are the ones in the capes (towards the middle of the group) postulants? What a beautiful postulant outfit, if so! [/quote]
Yes, they are I know several Carmels that have postulant outfits like this too.

Here I just scanned this from a book I have on St. Teresa of the Andes. She had a postulant dress with the cape too.

[img]http://i50.tinypic.com/10p63gw.jpg[/img]


In Valparaiso and Elysburg now the postulants also sometimes wear an outer white veil, if that's the right wording, as they have on here, which makes them look more like novices .. though they have a simple tie around white veil underneath too, which is all they usually wear. When I was out in Nebraska a while back and visited the Carmel to attend Mass, I noticed this .. and the postulants put the outer veil over their faces as the other nuns did too, when they came up to receive Holy Communion.


[quote name='krissylou' date='05 July 2010 - 09:55 AM' timestamp='1278341745' post='2137878']When I see pictures of other monasteries showing the sisters who made their foundation there are often some novices but most have at least made their first profession. Everything I hear says that it takes a significant amount of time to grow into religious life. It must be hard when you don't have many professed sisters to balance out the young ones.[/quote]
That is true and that's a good point .. it [i]is[/i] harder to start a new foundation with so many young ones. That's why for a while there I heard that Mother Teresa at Valparaiso was hesitant about making one even though they had so many there .. and I don't think they'll make their next one for a while. But when they were asked about making this foundation in Elysburg .. I'm not sure who it was .. either Bishop Rhoades or the Carmelites in Danville now .. Mother Teresa saw the Lord's Hand in it and said yes.

But regarding the number of novices, actually on the Guide to Religious Ministries site, [url="http://www.religiousministries.com/"]http://www.religiousministries.com/[/url] (which updates the numbers in each community each year in September or so), it says they have 7 professed nuns, and 4 novices. So a few of those in white veils there must have made their First Profession. [u]In Carmel they don't receive their black veils until Solemn Profession[/u] (which I know is hard to remember sometimes .. I don't know of any other order/congregation that does that)


[quote name='JTheresa' date='01 May 2010 - 11:49 PM' timestamp='1272775798' post='2103508']Do you know of any that are semi-cloistered? Meaning they participate in apostolates? I have a friend who has really been looking.[/quote]
Also, the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus .. [url="http://www.cmswr.org/member_communities/DCJ.htm"]http://www.cmswr.org...unities/DCJ.htm[/url]

And also, there's a new community of teaching Carmelite Sisters starting in Maple Hill, KS where an FSSP school is, [url="http://tradvocations.blogspot.com/2008/11/carmelite-sisters-of-transfiguration.html"]http://tradvocations...figuration.html[/url] It says here in a comment by someone that some of them did their formation with the Elysburg Carmel .. but I'm not sure if that is true, as they only just begun themselves. Anyway, it would be best to write/call them to see.

[vee]

[quote name='krissylou' date='05 July 2010 - 09:55 AM' timestamp='1278341745' post='2137878']
Whoa, I wonder how such an immature community functions.

Errr, that came out wrong. I don't mean "immature" in a bad way. I mean immature as in green. Young.

I know the Carmel that sent out this foundation was bursting at the seams with new vocations. But still. Geez.

When I see pictures of other monasteries showing the sisters who made their foundation there are often some novices but most have at least made their first profession.

Everything I hear says that it takes a significant amount of time to grow into religious life. It must be hard when you don't have many professed sisters to balance out the young ones.
[/quote]

My guess would be that at least one if not more of the Sisters are very close to professing their perpetual vows. So technically while they look the same a bunch could be temporarily professed and not novices anymore.

A general Carmelite formation period tends to go as follows

The formation period consists in three main stages: postulancy from six months to one year, novitiate from one year to two years, and temporary profession for three years.  

[krissylou]

[quote name='vee8' date='05 July 2010 - 02:00 PM' timestamp='1278352828' post='2137939']
My guess would be that at least one if not more of the Sisters are very close to professing their perpetual vows. So technically while they look the same a bunch could be temporarily professed and not novices anymore.

A general Carmelite formation period tends to go as follows

The formation period consists in three main stages: postulancy from six months to one year, novitiate from one year to two years, and temporary profession for three years.  
[/quote]

Ah. That makes more sense. I thought they were all just one to three years after entrance and well geez that would be difficult.

(trying to appreciate the inherent challenges, not trying to be critical.)

If some of them have a few more years in the monastery that would make a huge difference.

[truthfinder]

[quote name='krissylou' date='05 July 2010 - 08:55 AM' timestamp='1278341745' post='2137878']
Whoa, I wonder how such an immature community functions.


When I see pictures of other monasteries showing the sisters who made their foundation there are often some novices but most have at least made their first profession.

Everything I hear says that it takes a significant amount of time to grow into religious life. It must be hard when you don't have many professed sisters to balance out the young ones.
[/quote]

Edit: Vee beat me to it. Maybe someone who has time to look it up, but can novices technically be founders of a new community canonically? I don't think many communities move with novices just because its difficult on formation. Could be totally wrong though.

Original post:
I just want to remind everyone that Carmelites wear white veils until their final profession, so a good number of those white veils probably are a year or two into their professions.
It is good to see they have postulants, those definitely did not come with them from the old community.

Edited July 5, 2010 by truthfinder

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

[quote name='Chiquitunga' date='05 July 2010 - 12:52 PM' timestamp='1278352368' post='2137935']
And also, there's a new community of teaching Carmelite Sisters starting in Maple Hill, KS where an FSSP school is, [url="http://tradvocations.blogspot.com/2008/11/carmelite-sisters-of-transfiguration.html"]http://tradvocations...figuration.html[/url] It says here in a comment by someone that some of them did their formation with the Elysburg Carmel .. but I'm not sure if that is true, as they only just begun themselves. Anyway, it would be best to write/call them to see.
[/quote]

Prior to this new group of Carmelites moving in to the Elysburg monastery, there was another group of Carmelite nuns living there (who also called themselves the Elysburg Carmel). However, many of the nuns were elderly and the community could no longer keep up the monastery. Many (all?) of these nuns have moved to a different monastery in the Harrisburg area that functions more like a retirement home. When they moved, they changed the name of their Community (but the name escapes me at the moment). The Elysburg monastery was vacant for a year or so while before the new Elysburg Carmel moved in (and took over the name).

If you look at the recent newsletter of the Harrisburg diocese, it not only has pictures of the bishop's visit to the Elysburg Carmel (which you posted), but also pictures of his visit to a cloistered Dominican order, and another community of cloistered Carmellite nuns, most of whom seemed elderly. These are the nuns who used to live in the monastery at Elysburg.

So, it's entirely possible that someone could have done their formation at Elysburg, because there has been a Carmel Community there for quite a while.

Edited July 5, 2010 by IgnatiusofLoyola

[TeresaBenedicta]

[quote name='Chiquitunga' date='05 July 2010 - 02:50 AM' timestamp='1278309033' post='2137837']
Okay, I figured out how to post this here! Isn't this beautiful?!

[left][img]http://i47.tinypic.com/10yqq2c.jpg[/img][/left]
[/quote]

There's my friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' date='05 July 2010 - 03:59 PM' timestamp='1278363578' post='2138059']So, it's entirely possible that someone could have done their formation at Elysburg, because there has been a Carmel Community there for quite a while.
[/quote]
Thanks, that's true actually. Although I was thinking the comment in the blog must have been referring to the new community in Elysburg because they have the Traditional Latin Mass and everything and their chaplain is from the Fraternity of St. Peter. This new group of active Carmelites is closely associated with the FSSP too, and hopes to teach (edit: I had to add that! ) at their school there in Maple Hill, KS - [url="http://www.stjohnv.com/"]http://www.stjohnv.com/[/url] But anyway, I guess the best way to find out would be to ask. I do wonder how they're doing. I know a girl who went to that school actually .. so I could ask her if she knows anything .. hmm

Here's one of the articles you probably read on the Carmelites who used to be in Elysburg, where it refers to them as the "Danville Carmelites" now .. [url="http://newsitem.com/news/group-that-moved-to-danville-pleased-about-wise-decision-1.203545"]http://newsitem.com/...cision-1.203545[/url] Actually I called them up once last year to ask if they knew if there was going to be an open house before the sealing of the enclosure for the new community and everything .. which there was .. and talked to Sr. Joan on the phone for a bit. She was lovely and very encouraging! And she told me a bit about the new community and that they had met together a few times and everything.

[quote name='TeresaBenedicta' date='05 July 2010 - 04:43 PM' timestamp='1278366199' post='2138081']
There's my friend!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[/quote]
Oh, awesome!!!

Edited July 6, 2010 by Chiquitunga

[Tridenteen]

JMJ
The Carmelite Teaching Sisters group has kind of gone dormant. The blog was shut down, and they haven't been active on the internet for awhile. A know a few girls in the KS area who looked into it, and said that particular group hasn't gone beyond the planning stages as of yet. I hope this doesn't come across as tattling,as I am just passing on information for anyone who might be interested into looking into it. If anyone does call or email, I would like to know how things are progressing[img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/wink.gif[/img]