Middle Of The Road Communities

[Lilllabettt]

i would consider perhaps Regina Laudis. Never been myself, had long conversations with people who visited and said their perspective on religious life was on the modern side. This was a number of years ago. Of course its a especially difficult thing to nail down with contemplative communities because their way of life is naturally more opaque to the outside observer.. 

[Graciela]

That would probably be even trickier to figure out since they don't have active apostolates.  :blush:

 

The only ones I can think of right now would be 2nd Federation Visitation Monasteries already listed like Georgetown and Brooklyn (and the like).

 

This is a rather fun challenge so I will venture a few thoughts on the cloistered contemplatives.

 

Among Discalced Carmelites in the USA:

I would consider all the members of the Mary Queen of Carmel Association to be "middle of the road", using as my criteria some form of habit, having a fairly traditional daily schedule and attempting to recognize some aspects of the tradition that were unhelpful and/or less respectful of  forming nuns as mature adult persons. I would consider San Rafael, Boston and Latrobe, PA to be middle of the road also, even though they are members of the Carmelite Communities Associated group.  The rest of CCA Carmels are in street clothes and, to the extent that I can determine from websites, have quite different horariums.  

 

Just to round out the spectrum amongst the Discalced Carmelites, I would categorize the Association of St Teresa as pretty conservative and traditional but still having responded to Vatican II mandates,  In my opinion, the Assocation of St. Joseph, the 1990 Carmels, Carmels of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Valparaiso, Elysburg and soon-to-be-in-Kensington, CA) and the unaffiliated Carmels  get the ultra-conservative award that I would entitle "Can't we just pretend that Vatican II never asked us to change a thing?"  I wonder that any of them allow indoor plumbing and electricity, since St Teresa herself did not have them!   That's just my take on it, so feel free to ignore it, ad libitum.  (see, I am not totally averse to Latin.  :proud: )

[Sponsa-Christi]

In the United States, I think a lot of the "normal" Poor Clares (i.e., not the Colletines) in the Unites States are fairly middle of the road. That is, they wear a modified habit and follow a monastic horarium. But they no longer follow strict traditional penances, have more contact with outside family and friends, etc. 

[OnlySunshine]

This is a rather fun challenge so I will venture a few thoughts on the cloistered contemplatives.

 

Among Discalced Carmelites in the USA:

I would consider all the members of the Mary Queen of Carmel Association to be "middle of the road", using as my criteria some form of habit, having a fairly traditional daily schedule and attempting to recognize some aspects of the tradition that were unhelpful and/or less respectful of  forming nuns as mature adult persons. I would consider San Rafael, Boston and Latrobe, PA to be middle of the road also, even though they are members of the Carmelite Communities Associated group.  The rest of CCA Carmels are in street clothes and, to the extent that I can determine from websites, have quite different horariums.  

 

Just to round out the spectrum amongst the Discalced Carmelites, I would categorize the Association of St Teresa as pretty conservative and traditional but still having responded to Vatican II mandates,  In my opinion, the Assocation of St. Joseph, the 1990 Carmels, Carmels of Jesus, Mary and Joseph (Valparaiso, Elysburg and soon-to-be-in-Kensington, CA) and the unaffiliated Carmels  get the ultra-conservative award that I would entitle "Can't we just pretend that Vatican II never asked us to change a thing?"  I wonder that any of them allow indoor plumbing and electricity, since St Teresa herself did not have them!   That's just my take on it, so feel free to ignore it, ad libitum.  (see, I am not totally averse to Latin.  :proud: )

 

I would probably add Savannah Carmel and Terre Haute Carmel to that list then.  Both are members of the Mary, Queen of Carmel Association.  When I first started discerning in 2008, I contacted the one in Savannah (I don't remember the reason why now), but the Superior at the time said they'd take me even with my medical needs.  However, I think they were suffering from lack of membership and were a bit too lenient.  The Prioress is no longer with them.  In fact, they received quite a few vocations from Kenya and now one of those nuns, Sr. Mary Elizabeth, is the Prioress.

Edited August 7, 2014 by MaterMisericordiae

[truthfinder]

Mary, Queen of Carmel Assoc can be a bit of everything.  One Carmel would not permit you to leave to attend a parent's funeral - but I believe others would.  Unlike the other Carmelite association, not all the Carmels in this association do things the same way.

[OnlySunshine]

Mary, Queen of Carmel Assoc can be a bit of everything.  One Carmel would not permit you to leave to attend a parent's funeral - but I believe others would.  Unlike the other Carmelite association, not all the Carmels in this association do things the same way.

 

That's an important distinction.  ;)

[OnlySunshine]

It's important to remember that most (if not all) monasteries are autonomous (including the Carmelites) and even the foundations from other monasteries may have different practices. 

[nikita92]

MFVA- Where do they get the money for their cell phones?? People's donations???

[Lilllabettt]

don't be scandalized.

cell phones are not a luxury item anymore. In fact the government provides them for free to people below the poverty line. It's considered a public safety program. 

 

but aside from that ... 

 

people donate all kinds of things to religious communities. I know of a place where somebody donated mail order subscriptions for acne medication. Communities treat donations differently depending on how their rule addresses poverty. Some institutes live poverty by refusing donations they consider superfluous ... others live poverty by joyfully accepting whatever is donated to them in the spirit of St. Francis who said the brothers should eat whatever is offered them. 

 

in addition ... if somebody donates money with the intention that it be spent a certain way, there is a legal obligation to spend it in the way the donor intended. This is one of those realities inherent in the capital structure of non-profits: Funds can be restricted. If somebody donates $50 for the brothers to go to Dairy Queen, they cannot use that money for anything else but to go to Dairy Queen.

 

[marigold]

That's so interesting to me, Lilllabettt - especially if it's, as it sounds, in the laws around non-profits and not canon law? There was an issue at my former community with the faithful donating money, obviously intending to support the sisterhood, and it being donated on to the various 'causes' that the leadership was interested in, including at least one political campaign. Meanwhile there were endless stalled projects and things breaking down all over the monastery that didn't get dealt with because we were too poor.

 

I don't know that there's anything I could, should, or even want to do about it at this stage, but I'm 'glad' to have it clarified legally...  :hmmm:

[Catherine Therese]

They're not forks, they're sais. They're a Japanese weapon.

 

I didn't know that, Raphael. I never watched the TMNT, and I never studied Go Kan Ryu. 

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

Funds can be restricted. If somebody donates $50 for the brothers to go to Dairy Queen, they cannot use that money for anything else but to go to Dairy Queen.

 

 

My favorite kind of donation! :-)

[Nunsuch]

I once asked a good friend in a cloistered but more "liberal" community what I might give for Christmas (I had visited the spring before, and was privileged to stay in the monastery for a private retreat). She suggested a 1-disk-at-a-time Netflix membership! This was before streaming.... The community had a "movie night" for Friday evening recreation, and this would expand their choices beyond what the local public library offered. The nuns voted each week on what to see, and then had discussions afterward as to what they thought of it. Movies were not "required"--sisters could decide not to watch. But most did, and enjoyed the films a lot.

It would not have been something I would have thought of on my own, but.... For this community, it was a very appreciated donation. I guess the lesson is: never assume!

[vee]

Funds can be restricted. If somebody donates $50 for the brothers to go to Dairy Queen, they cannot use that money for anything else but to go to Dairy Queen.

 

 

My favorite kind of donation! :-)

 

your mother superior might start wondering why the monastery has a sudden influx of  "for ice cream only" donations!!

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

your mother superior might start wondering why the monastery has a sudden influx of  "for ice cream only" donations!!

 

We get donations for "fun food" and it's saved up for pizza for big feasts or ice cream or something special. Once we all decided that for "fun food" we wanted lots of fresh veggies! I think this was in the winter!

 

And yes, once we even used the treat money for DQ dilly bars! I hadn't had one in over 20 years! They were smaller than they used to be! We had to call ahead and special order and the extern sisters picked them up.

 

Sometimes we get donations for the garden or for altar flowers, etc. It's always so appreciated!

 

It's always a joy to respect the wishes of the donor! :saint2: