Carmelite Questions

[1catholic]

Does anyone know anything about these carmelite nuns in mn?
-Still true to rule, still getting new members, orthodox, true to pope, anything else helpful?

Discalced Carmelite Nuns /C
8251 De Montreville Trail North
Lake Elmo - MN 55042-9547
U.S.A.
(651) 7773882

Same questions for this 1

Monastery of the
Holy Name of Jesus
6100 Pepper Road
Denmark, WI 54208
(già New Franken) U.S.A.
(920) 863-5055
Fax 920-863-3007
carmel@pngusa.net



If you wanted to contact them about vocations what do you say?

Is college recommended?

Dowry?

Vocation steps, Ive seen the Poor Clare's of Perpetual Adoration's vocation steps but I was wondering the specifics for the carmelites.

THanks so much :D

[vee]

[quote name='1catholic' timestamp='1286760476' post='2179018']
Does anyone know anything about these carmelite nuns in mn?
-Still true to rule, still getting new members, orthodox, true to pope, anything else helpful?

Discalced Carmelite Nuns /C
8251 De Montreville Trail North
Lake Elmo - MN 55042-9547
U.S.A.
(651) 7773882

Same questions for this 1

Monastery of the
Holy Name of Jesus
6100 Pepper Road
Denmark, WI 54208
(già New Franken) U.S.A.
(920) 863-5055
Fax 920-863-3007
carmel@pngusa.net



If you wanted to contact them about vocations what do you say?

Is college recommended?

Dowry?

Vocation steps, Ive seen the Poor Clare's of Perpetual Adoration's vocation steps but I was wondering the specifics for the carmelites.

THanks so much :D
[/quote]

I dont know anything about the one in MN but the Denmark one seems to be very, good faithful, new vocations etc. I would have been interested in discerning with them further but Im not American so after several emails they kindly suggested I look closer to home. Write them though!

What to say on initial contact? I guess it would depend if you are writing or calling. Im too chicken to call Carmels so I dont know what to answer for that but a brief letter saying something like your name, age, how long you have been Catholic, that you are new to discerning a vocation and would like any further help or advice they could give. From what I have read on here other Orders dont commonly ask people "why do you want to be a Dominican etc?" But Carmelites do ask, or at least they ask me.

College, university or some work experience beyond high school is looked at as an asset to make you a more mature person. A degree isnt necessary but life experience is.

Teresa of Avila said no dowries and so it is very uncommon for a Carmel to ask for one. If you read about St Teresa of the Andes she did have to have one but that seems to be the exception than the rule.

Vocation steps are to exchange letters and/or calls and see if you feel comfortable with them, if so you can ask to go for a visit for a weekend or a week. You would stay outside of the enclosure at that time. You will be able to tell a lot from that visit as will they. If you are still interested at that point you may ask to do a live in which is required for most Carmels I think and it is where you stay for up to three months in the enclosure, wearing civilian clothes but living the life. After that and if you and they are both seeing each other as a good match you may ask to enter forever. At that point 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. The length of these stages varies somewhat from monastery to monastery. You are free to leave, or may be asked to leave at any point until you make your solemn vows which take six years or so to get to.
Here is a list of FAQ that might help as well
[url="http://www.thecarmel.ca/faqs.aspx"]website[/url]

[elizabeth09]

Me niether, but what you can ask if they any retreats there, they do not show it on their website. They make write back to you say that do not have any retreats.

[ksterling]

I do not think anyone should be chicken about contacting a community to inquire about discernment. In my experience (limited tho it may be), every community I have contacted has been thrilled to have someone inquire, happy to share info, gracious about answering questions and inviting me to visit and generally wonderful.

[krissylou]

[quote name='ksterling' timestamp='1287685616' post='2181390']
I do not think anyone should be chicken about contacting a community to inquire about discernment. In my experience (limited tho it may be), every community I have contacted has been thrilled to have someone inquire, happy to share info, gracious about answering questions and inviting me to visit and generally wonderful.
[/quote]

Yes, but as much as we love vee, she is insane.

[img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/idontknow.gif[/img]

[vee]

[quote name='krissylou' timestamp='1287685719' post='2181391']
Yes, but as much as we love vee, she is insane.

[img]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/public/style_emoticons/default/idontknow.gif[/img]
[/quote]
yes I am!
Oh I did get over being too chicken to call though!

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

[quote name='vee8' timestamp='1287690358' post='2181410']
yes I am!
Oh I did get over being too chicken to call though!
[/quote]

Sure, Vee got over being chicken, but first, we had to find someone who at least slightly resembled St. Therese, and then dress the woman up in a habit like St. Therese's, and have her strew rose petals all over Vee's bed. However, even this "vision" was not sufficient incentive. So, finally, we tied Vee up, dialed the Carmel, and held the phone to Vee's ear. To get Vee to talk, we told her that we simply needed Vee to order pizza for us since we don't speak Canadian. Lest anyone think we were pushing anyone into discernment against her will, Vee has posted on numerous occasions of her strong interest in the religious life, especially as a Carmelite.

We're not sure where Vee's innate fear of talking to Carmelites on the phone came from, but her current medication seems to be helping.

Edited October 21, 2010 by IgnatiusofLoyola

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

[quote name='vee8' timestamp='1287066924' post='2179576']
I dont know anything about the one in MN but the Denmark, WI one seems to be very, good faithful, new vocations etc. I would have been interested in discerning with them further but Im not American so after several emails they kindly suggested I look closer to home. Write them though!

[/quote]

Did this suggestion from the Community about "looking closer to home" strike anyone else as strange? Wisconsin is so far north that it borders on Lake Superior, with Canada on the other side of the Lake. And, there are parts of the U.S. that are a lot further away from WI than much of Canada. After all, it's not as if Vee lives in Nunavut. (FYI--That's the newish name for one of the northern provinces of Canada.)

Sounds to me like they just didn't want to hassle with things like Visas and other immigration issues, but, while these are certainly issues, I've never heard of a U.S. community turning away a discerner from Canada with the suggestion she look "closer to home" just because they didn't want to deal with that.

Personally, I'd call that, not quite a "red flag," but definitely odd. Not being a discerner myself, maybe people have heard stranger things from Communities so this didn't strike them as odd.

[vee]

[quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' timestamp='1287705484' post='2181460']
Sure, Vee got over being chicken, but first, we had to find someone who at least slightly resembled St. Therese, and then dress the woman up in a habit like St. Therese's, and have her strew rose petals all over Vee's bed. However, even this "vision" was not sufficient incentive. [b]So, finally, we tied Vee up, dialed the Carmel, and held the phone to Vee's ear.[/b] To get Vee to talk, we told her that we simply needed Vee to order pizza for us since we don't speak Canadian. Lest anyone think we were pushing anyone into discernment against her will, Vee has posted on numerous occasions of her strong interest in the religious life, especially as a Carmelite.

We're not sure where Vee's innate fear of talking to Carmelites on the phone came from, but her current medication seems to be helping.
[/quote]

! Actually the part in bold isnt too far off from what really happened! I called on Monday and got the answering machine, twice. I tried again on Tuesday and got the ansering machine again so I mentioned this to a certain VS nun who then calls the monastery (without me knowing) then calls me and says the prioress will be waiting for my call in two hours! Whatever hearing this poor VS nun has left was likely damaged at the point by my going AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. But call I did and all is well.

[vee]

[quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' timestamp='1287706733' post='2181465']
Did this suggestion from the Community about "looking closer to home" strike anyone else as strange? Wisconsin is so far north that it borders on Lake Superior, with Canada on the other side of the Lake. And, there are parts of the U.S. that are a lot further away from WI than much of Canada. After all, it's not as if Vee lives in Nunavut. (FYI--That's the newish name for one of the northern provinces of Canada.)

Sounds to me like they just didn't want to hassle with things like Visas and other immigration issues, but, while these are certainly issues, I've never heard of a U.S. community turning away a discerner from Canada with the suggestion she look "closer to home" just because they didn't want to deal with that.

Personally, I'd call that, not quite a "red flag," but definitely odd. Not being a discerner myself, maybe people have heard stranger things from Communities so this didn't strike them as odd.
[/quote]

Its ok though since the Carmel I did call said they are very willing and able to help with immigration if things should descend to that point.

[MissScripture]

[quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' timestamp='1287706733' post='2181465']
Did this suggestion from the Community about "looking closer to home" strike anyone else as strange? Wisconsin is so far north that it borders on Lake Superior, with Canada on the other side of the Lake. And, there are parts of the U.S. that are a lot further away from WI than much of Canada. After all, it's not as if Vee lives in Nunavut. (FYI--That's the newish name for one of the northern provinces of Canada.)

Sounds to me like they just didn't want to hassle with things like Visas and other immigration issues, but, while these are certainly issues, I've never heard of a U.S. community turning away a discerner from Canada with the suggestion she look "closer to home" just because they didn't want to deal with that.

Personally, I'd call that, not quite a "red flag," but definitely odd. Not being a discerner myself, maybe people have heard stranger things from Communities so this didn't strike them as odd.
[/quote]
I thought it was a little odd, too, but like you, I, of course, am not a discerner, either, so IDk what is normal for communities. But, to be fair, it is still quite a distance from where she is to WI, as it is like 7 hours from me (Wisconsin, that is, Idk about the particular locale of this convent) and she lives north of me.

Edited October 22, 2010 by MissScripture

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

[quote name='MissScripture' timestamp='1287708402' post='2181480']
I thought it was a little odd, too, but like you, I, of course, am not a discerner, either, so IDk what is normal for communities. But, to be fair, it is still quite a distance from where she is to WI, as it is like 7 hours from me (Wisconsin, that is, Idk about the particular locale of this convent) and she lives north of me.
[/quote]

True--I have no idea what is normal for Communities or normal for Carmels. I've never heard of one discouraging a discerner solely because of distance, but maybe it happens all the time.

Denmark is near Green Bay--about 4-5 hours north of the IL border. I'm not exactly sure where in Canada Vee lives, but I know it isn't on either coast. The comment just struck me as odd, because Denmark WI isn't really close to anything, and there are many places in Canada, such as Toronto, that would be FAR closer to Denmark, WI than say, California or Florida--in fact, any place in the southern part of Canada would be closer than LA, for example. I just wondered why the Community would think Canada was "far away" when the Community is located pretty far north in the U.S.? Would they have given the same answer if Vee was from Florida or LA, which are much farther away, but still in the U.S.? So was it really a distance issue or a Canada issue? Or maybe it was based on exactly where Vee lives in Canada?

It's no big deal, the comment just made me go, "Hmmmmm." As someone who lives in Chicago, there are lots of places in Canada that are much closer to me than many major U.S. cities. Heck, based on flying distance, Toronto is closer to me than New York City. (Since I flew very frequently as part of my work, and diligently counted my frequent flier miles, I tend to know useless information like the flying distance between Chicago and a number of major cities.)

At least, now we know there is such a place as Denmark, WI.

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' timestamp='1287710321' post='2181484']
True--I have no idea what is normal for Communities or normal for Carmels. I've never heard of one discouraging a discerner solely because of distance, but maybe it happens all the time.[/quote]

I'm pretty sure there are a few Sisters from Canada in Valparaiso. I know for sure Mother Stella-Marie in Elysburg now is Canadian anyway. They also have one, and if I'm not mistaken two Sisters from Australia (in Valparaiso). And Mother Teresa is originally from Chile. Each Carmel is different though .. and I have heard of a few contemplative communities only accepting those from the US .. so maybe it is because of Visa issues and everything.

By the way, regarding the Carmel in Lake Elmo, I have only heard of [i]great things[/i] about them from a number of different people, including the Novice Mistress in Valparaiso. They are a wonderful faithful Carmel And they are [i]hugely blessed[/i] to have an awesome community of Carmelite Hermits nearby as their chaplains and spiritual directors, [url="http://www.decorcarmeli.com/Hermits.htm"]http://www.decorcarm...com/Hermits.htm[/url] How great is that?! Seriously though .. because I've heard of many cases of contemplative communities struggling to get a chaplain that can come at a regular time every day, if they don't have a live-in chaplain, if that's the right word .. not to mention one that would understand their spirituality .. though of course every priest is good, as St. John Vianney says, and just to be able to attend Holy Mass and receive Holy Communion is everything. But what a wonderful and stable thing it is for Lake Elmo to have these Carmelite Hermits well established nearby.

Also, I like that it's hard to find anything on them (the nuns) online. I think that's a good sign personally They are very hidden .. ..

[LadyOfSorrows]

[quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' timestamp='1287710321' post='2181484']
True--I have no idea what is normal for Communities or normal for Carmels. I've never heard of one discouraging a discerner solely because of distance, but maybe it happens all the time.

Denmark is near Green Bay--about 4-5 hours north of the IL border. I'm not exactly sure where in Canada Vee lives, but I know it isn't on either coast. The comment just struck me as odd, because Denmark WI isn't really close to anything, and there are many places in Canada, such as Toronto, that would be FAR closer to Denmark, WI than say, California or Florida--in fact, any place in the southern part of Canada would be closer than LA, for example. I just wondered why the Community would think Canada was "far away" when the Community is located pretty far north in the U.S.? Would they have given the same answer if Vee was from Florida or LA, which are much farther away, but still in the U.S.? So was it really a distance issue or a Canada issue? Or maybe it was based on exactly where Vee lives in Canada?

It's no big deal, the comment just made me go, "Hmmmmm." As someone who lives in Chicago, there are lots of places in Canada that are much closer to me than many major U.S. cities. Heck, based on flying distance, Toronto is closer to me than New York City. (Since I flew very frequently as part of my work, and diligently counted my frequent flier miles, I tend to know useless information like the flying distance between Chicago and a number of major cities.)

At least, now we know there is such a place as Denmark, WI.
[/quote]


I should hope distance shouldn't be a problem! The Carmel I visited would be at least a 30 hour drive from my home in Florida. They were always checking in to make sure I was warm enough! Mother made sure I had a space heater. Those things are wonderful! Vee, the Prioress at Buffalo is actually Canadian! It reminded me to pray for you. :-)

[Indwelling Trinity]

[quote name='IgnatiusofLoyola' timestamp='1287705484' post='2181460']
Sure, Vee got over being chicken, but first, we had to find someone who at least slightly resembled St. Therese, and then dress the woman up in a habit like St. Therese's, and have her strew rose petals all over Vee's bed. However, even this "vision" was not sufficient incentive. So, finally, we tied Vee up, dialed the Carmel, and held the phone to Vee's ear. To get Vee to talk, we told her that we simply needed Vee to order pizza for us since we don't speak Canadian. Lest anyone think we were pushing anyone into discernment against her will, Vee has posted on numerous occasions of her strong interest in the religious life, especially as a Carmelite.

We're not sure where Vee's innate fear of talking to Carmelites on the phone came from, but her current medication seems to be helping.
[/quote]

Oh IGGY... You have no idea how close you are !!! She didn't ask for Pizza... but she DID ask for donuts! LOL. It cracked Reverend Mother up! . And to think that some poor VS nun is perpetually guilty of being now associated with Vee's name ..... She must be either nuts or a masochist !

I think you have the gift of prophesy Iggy!

Edited October 22, 2010 by Indwelling Trinity