Carmelite Nuns In Elysburg, Pa

[LaboureSociety]

I wonder how vocations are finding them when they are cloistered and not on the web?

[vee]

[quote name='LaboureSociety' date='06 July 2010 - 10:50 AM' timestamp='1278431451' post='2138455']
I wonder how vocations are finding them when they are cloistered and not on the web?


[/quote]

Im guessing word of mouth and comments on places like this.

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='vee8' date='06 July 2010 - 03:21 PM' timestamp='1278444079' post='2138533']
Im guessing word of mouth and comments on places like this.
[/quote]

Perhaps meeting other discerners on various "Come and See"s as well. Sometimes I found it pretty surprising when I saw a familiar face or two while visiting communities.

*insert "It's a Small World" here*

[TeresaBenedicta]

Yeah, I'm sure word of mouth is actually fairly effective. Before there was internet and such, word of mouth was basically "it" when it came to knowing about different communities. And this community also seems rather unique in its devotion to all liturgy in Latin (including the Divine Office), so I'm sure that helps it spread around as well.

I know of them because a friend of a friend entered with them when they were in, what is it, Nebraska? (Funny story, I got to have lunch with her the day before she left because we were both at the same Mass-- we had met each other a few times before, but it was nice to have a long conversation with her before she left). She's in the Elysburg community now.

[Cherie]

[quote name='laetitia crucis' date='06 July 2010 - 04:13 PM' timestamp='1278447183' post='2138576']

*insert "It's a Small World" here*


[/quote]

A seminarian friend of mine always likes to say, "There's nothing so small as the Universal Church!" And it's so true! I can't tell you how often I've seen or met people who know Catholic friends of mine or communities I know, or people I've seen before on vocation visits, or Catholic churches, etc ... sometimes it's so amazing I feel like inserting the "Twilight Zone" theme!

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='CherieMadame' date='07 July 2010 - 08:06 AM' timestamp='1278504363' post='2138872']
A seminarian friend of mine always likes to say, "There's nothing so small as the Universal Church!" And it's so true! I can't tell you how often I've seen or met people who know Catholic friends of mine or communities I know, or people I've seen before on vocation visits, or Catholic churches, etc ... sometimes it's so amazing I feel like inserting the "Twilight Zone" theme!
[/quote]

Exaaactly! Hahaha!

During my first period of discernment, I had gone to one of the DSMME's 24hr-"Come and See"s. There were probably over 200 girls there. I met quite a few of them, though none of us really kept in touch. However, a few months later I went to visit my former community for a four-day silent retreat. I was able to come about three days earlier just to really "Come and See". Three other girls had also arrived earlier than the retreat, so we got to hang out a bit. One of the girls looked awfully familiar, and it turns out we had both met each other at that DSMME retreat! Both of us ended up entering that community. Definitely insert "Twilight Zone" music here... hahahah!

[krissylou]

[quote name='truthfinder' date='05 July 2010 - 04:26 PM' timestamp='1278361560' post='2138039']
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.
[/quote]

So is that one of the differences between traditional habits and modified habits? The Carmel near me (Boston/Roxbury) has a sister about to make her final profession next month, and in pictures she's already in a black veil.

These sisters do wear a habit (obviously), but are part of Carmel Communities Associated so are likely to differ in several significant ways from the Elysburg community.

[truthfinder]

[quote name='krissylou' date='07 July 2010 - 12:04 PM' timestamp='1278525877' post='2138958']
So is that one of the differences between traditional habits and modified habits? The Carmel near me (Boston/Roxbury) has a sister about to make her final profession next month, and in pictures she's already in a black veil.

These sisters do wear a habit (obviously), but are part of Carmel Communities Associated so are likely to differ in several significant ways from the Elysburg community.
[/quote]


These sisters are most likely the exception. The CCA is probably considered the least...traditional (not that they're bad, just not into all the traditions.) I don't usually look at their communities, so thanks for correcting me that there are some out there who follow the tradition of other monasteries in veil colour.

[JTheresa]

[quote name='laetitia crucis' date='07 July 2010 - 09:20 AM' timestamp='1278508802' post='2138880']
Exaaactly! Hahaha!

During my first period of discernment, I had gone to one of the DSMME's 24hr-"Come and See"s. There were probably over 200 girls there. I met quite a few of them, though none of us really kept in touch. However, a few months later I went to visit my former community for a four-day silent retreat. I was able to come about three days earlier just to really "Come and See". Three other girls had also arrived earlier than the retreat, so we got to hang out a bit. One of the girls looked awfully familiar, and it turns out we had both met each other at that DSMME retreat! Both of us ended up entering that community. Definitely insert "Twilight Zone" music here... hahahah!
[/quote]

It's amazing how big the DSMME's discernment retreats are!! I went to on and thought that I was going to be the only person there that I knew. Turns out there were like six other girls from my hometown there and tons of people that were friends of some of my friends!!

[krissylou]

[quote name='truthfinder' date='07 July 2010 - 07:10 PM' timestamp='1278544224' post='2139081']
These sisters are most likely the exception. The CCA is probably considered the least...traditional (not that they're bad, just not into all the traditions.) I don't usually look at their communities, so thanks for correcting me that there are some out there who follow the tradition of other monasteries in veil colour.
[/quote]

Interesting. I learn something new every day!

I sort of like the Trappistine tradition where novices, temporary professed, and perpetual professed all look distinct.

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='krissylou' date='07 July 2010 - 01:04 PM' timestamp='1278525877' post='2138958']
So is that one of the differences between traditional habits and modified habits? The Carmel near me (Boston/Roxbury) has a sister about to make her final profession next month, and in pictures she's already in a black veil.[/quote]
Of all the Carmels I've known of/visited (in the St. Joseph, St. Teresa & Mary Queen of Carmel associations), the nuns in first vows still kept the white veil like the novices until Solemn Profession. So they must have just decided in Roxbury to take the black veil at temporary profession instead, as most other orders/congregations do. But I've never heard of this as a difference between the traditional and modified habits. I'm quite sure I've seen pictures online from different Carmels with modified habits where they received the black veil at final profession too.

Okay, here's one ... [url="http://www.carmelsandiego.com/slideshow.html"]http://www.carmelsan.../slideshow.html[/url] (profession starts around 2:50) This is really beautiful by the way It's always wonderful to see someone making final vows .. and I LOVE their Spanish monastery! I love Spanish Carmels! (which the new community in Elysburg is) though of course I love the French ones too .. St. Therese .. okay, I'm rambling ..

Edited July 8, 2010 by Chiquitunga

[Graciela]

Roxbury is one of the very few CCA Carmels that wear a habit, but San Rafael Carmel has (in the past few years) moved from the Mary Queen of Carmel Association to the Carmelite Communitites Associated and they (San Rafael) wear the full traditional Carmelite Habit (although not wool in summer). I met their new novice and their prioress at the Carmelite Conference in South Bend IN last month. They were lovely!

It is unusual to get the balck veil at first profession in Carmel- the longstanding tradition is to get the profession crucifix at first vows and then the black veil at solemn profession. Before Vatican II, all professions (first voiws and solemn) were made in private among the nuns only. So the public celebration was at a Mass wear the black veil was given (not that anyone could see it happening in the nun's choir, but the bishop would bless it). Also, pre-Vatican II the nuns had communion veils (the second black veil worn at Mass which was folded down over the top half of your face when you when to the communion window to receive the the host). I remember a prioress telling me that once after Mass the priest told her that she had better tell Sister So-and-So not to pull her communion veil so far down or they would have to treat it like a purificator!

[krissylou]

[quote name='Graciela' date='08 July 2010 - 10:46 AM' timestamp='1278600413' post='2139302']
Roxbury is one of the very few CCA Carmels that wear a habit, but San Rafael Carmel has (in the past few years) moved from the Mary Queen of Carmel Association to the Carmelite Communitites Associated and they (San Rafael) wear the full traditional Carmelite Habit (although not wool in summer). I met their new novice and their prioress at the Carmelite Conference in South Bend IN last month. They were lovely!

It is unusual to get the balck veil at first profession in Carmel- the longstanding tradition is to get the profession crucifix at first vows and then the black veil at solemn profession. Before Vatican II, all professions (first voiws and solemn) were made in private among the nuns only. So the public celebration was at a Mass wear the black veil was given (not that anyone could see it happening in the nun's choir, but the bishop would bless it). Also, pre-Vatican II the nuns had communion veils (the second black veil worn at Mass which was folded down over the top half of your face when you when to the communion window to receive the the host). I remember a prioress telling me that once after Mass the priest told her that she had better tell Sister So-and-So not to pull her communion veil so far down or they would have to treat it like a purificator!
[/quote]

Hmmm. I may well be misunderstanding what I'm seeing on the Roxbury website. All the pictured sisters are in black veils -- and I had thought that one of those was the one making her profession next month and another was maybe a couple years behind. But maybe they don't picture the sisters in formation.

Now I am all curious about the place. Maybe I will go to their chapel for Mass on Sunday and see what I can see.

[Indwelling Trinity]

[quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' timestamp='1270095962' post='2084594']
What a lovely story--and it came from a secular newspaper!

I am in awe of the Carmelite's ability to live the lifestyle they do. Personally, I could never get by on 6 hours of sleep a night. If I get less than 8 hours, I find myself getting irritable, and I start losing my ability to think clearly (assuming, of course, that I had that ability in the first place. LOL) However, I have read stories of people who are able to function quite well on only a few hours of sleep, and obviously these nuns have that ability.

The Valpariaso, NE community is growing so fast! Apparently they are getting so many new vocations that several of the nuns sent to the new foundation in PA are still in the novitiate. I could tell this from a site with photos of their enclosure ceremony, (with the pictures of the nuns taken from the back to preserve the nuns' privacy), and several of the nuns were still in the white veil.

It sounds like a very rigorous and dedicated life, but it certainly appears that this is what many young nuns are looking for (not to mention the Latin Mass). I wonder how long it will be before they grow so much that they have to establish yet another new foundation!

It doesn't appear that the Elysburg Carmelites have a Web site, but here is a link to a number of photos from their enclosure ceremony (click on the small pictures to make them regular size). [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/28378419@N03/sets/72157622233735714/"]http://www.flickr.co...57622233735714/ [/url]
[/quote]

Dont fret Iggy what the artile id not say is that the nuns have a one hour siesta after recreation in the afternoon. They always seem to leave this out for waht i think are melodramatic reasons!

[Chiquitunga]

Hey just ran into this searching for those pictures in [i]My Beloved [/i].. a little clip from a clothing ceremony in Elysburg [url="http://gloria.tv/?media=122205"]http://gloria.tv/?media=122205[/url]
[url="http://gloria.tv/?media=122205"]
[/url]

Edited January 19, 2011 by Chiquitunga