Poor Clare Colettines Of Minooka, Il - Going For Visit

[Chiara Francesco]

On November 18-20 I am scheduled to have a vocational visit with the Mother Mary Dorothy of the PCCs of Minooka, IL:

website: [url="http://www.poorclaresjoliet.org/"]http://www.poorclaresjoliet.org/[/url]
Pics: [url="http://www.chicagotribune.com/search/dispatcher.front?target=multimedia&Query=nuns+minooka"]http://www.chicagotr...ry=nuns+minooka[/url]
IRL page: [url="http://db.religiouslife.com/reg_life/irl.nsf/org/129"]http://db.religiousl...irl.nsf/org/129[/url]

Articles: [url="http://www.bradenton.com/2009/03/07/1274264/poor-clare-nuns-embrace-an-arduous.html"]http://www.bradenton...an-arduous.html[/url]
[url="http://channahon-minooka.patch.com/articles/monasterys-job-is-prayer"]http://channahon-min...s-job-is-prayer[/url]
[url="http://channahon-minooka.patch.com/listings/poor-clares-annunciation-monastery"]http://channahon-min...ation-monastery[/url]


I'll write about the visit and the sisters when I return. I really like these PCCs and have been writing Mother Dorothy for awhile and am finally able to take her up on her offer for a visit!

[Chiquitunga]

Ooo.. I've been there for the Latin Mass (Ex. Form) on 3rd Saturdays, offered by http://www.jolietlatin.org It's a lovely little place! I love PCCs!!!

[brandelynmarie]

Oh how wonderful! You are going in November too?! Wow! There really is alot going on in November! Can't wait to hear all about it.

[Aya Sophia]

I visited the Poor Clares in Rockford, also Colettines, at one time. Both Rockford and Minooka are apparently very faithful communities. Rockford does not have live-ins. You stay in the guest area and, for the Office, you sit at a prie-dieu up near the altar in the public chapel. Do they have live-ins at Minooka? I probably won't be around when you get back so - hope it goes well and your visit is filled with good things and a few steps forward in your discernment.

[Chiara Francesco]

Minooka does have live-ins. Minooka is founded from Rockford PCCs. I will be staying in an area of the outer monastery near the extern I believe who will pick me up at the Joliet Mall. I take a bus from the airport to this mall to make it easy from them. What I understand, the airport is not far from the mall so it isn't a big deal.

[OnlySunshine]

[quote name='Aya Sophia' timestamp='1319424517' post='2326020']
I visited the Poor Clares in Rockford, also Colettines, at one time. Both Rockford and Minooka are apparently very faithful communities. Rockford does not have live-ins. You stay in the guest area and, for the Office, you sit at a prie-dieu up near the altar in the public chapel. Do they have live-ins at Minooka? I probably won't be around when you get back so - hope it goes well and your visit is filled with good things and a few steps forward in your discernment.
[/quote]

I was really surprised when I read that they DO allow live-ins! I thought that all Poor Clare Colettines observe strict enclosure and did not allow visitors inside. This is what it says on their "vocations" section:

[quote]For those who are seriously interested we offer a live-in experience of our way of life.[/quote]

Just goes to show that communities that follow the same charism observe it differently.

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='Aya Sophia' timestamp='1319424517' post='2326020']
I visited the Poor Clares in Rockford, also Colettines, at one time. Both Rockford and Minooka are apparently very faithful communities. Rockford does not have live-ins. You stay in the guest area and, for the Office, you sit at a prie-dieu up near the altar in the public chapel. Do they have live-ins at Minooka? I probably won't be around when you get back so - hope it goes well and your visit is filled with good things and a few steps forward in your discernment.
[/quote]

They probably do the same as Rockford, because they're a foundation from there

Another similarity they have is that they are the only two PCC monasteries in the country that are not a part of the [url="http://www.religiouslife.com/w_pccfednmi.html"]Federation of Mary Immaculate[/url] .. a federation made up mostly of PCC communties .. two OSCs - [url="http://db.religiouslife.com/reg_life/irl.nsf/org/51"]Sauk Rapids[/url] and [url="http://archstl.org/archstl/post/poor-clare-professes-living-gospel"]St. Louis[/url]. It's a very good federation/association, but they do have meetings outside the cloister every three years I believe it is .. just a couple Sisters from each monastery go of course. But as the PCCs in [url="http://www.chicagopoorclares.org/"]Palos Park[/url] told me, they think that was too much for Rockford (personally, I really like this) So yeah, they are different from the other PCCs in this way.

edit: okay, they do allow live-ins, interesting .. while Rockford does not. I know Palos Park has allowed them too. Though I know someone who entered without one.

also, Palos Park is definitely part of the Mary Immaculate Federation .. just that site I linked there hasn't been updated in over a decade! They were founded in 2003.

one more edit: I forgot to say, that's wonderful Chiara, about your upcoming visit!!!

Edited October 24, 2011 by Chiquitunga

[Chiara Francesco]

Here is a link to the Latin mass at Minooka PCCs: http://acatholiclife.blogspot.com/2009/06/saturday-of-blessed-virgin-mary.html

[EJames2]

most excellent, God be with you!

[Chiara Francesco]

In the May 2009 article, I love the nuns' response in this paragraph:

[i]"At a time when fewer women are entering Catholic religious life and the average age of nuns is in the 70s, [b]it might be tempting for religious institutions to ease some of their strict rules to better fit the modern world. Nonsense, say the Poor Clares[/b], whose Minooka, Ill., chapter last month added just their sixth new member since the monastery opened in 1996.[/i]

[i]“It’s not enough to simply focus your attention on God, you have to have the blessing of obedience,” said Mother Dorothy Urschalitz, the community’s abbess, or leader.[/i]

[i]“It’s a hard life. It’s supposed to be hard. You wouldn’t want it to be easy when so many have it so hard.”[/i][color=#000000][/color][/left][color=#000000][/color][/left][color=#000000][left]Such a great response and belief, to not give in, make concessions for and compromise their truth, the authenticity or watering down the PCC life, when there are many communities doing just that all because it's the year 2011 or whatever the year or other reasons. [/left][/color][/left][color=#000000][left]And in this paragraph:[/left][/color][/left][color=#000000][/color][/left][color=#000000][left][i]"They think when they come here that they’ll have all this time to pursue this interest and that one, but it’s not like that,” said Dice, whose chapter has dwindled from more than 30 members in the mid-1990s to 20 today."[/i][/left][/color][/left][color=#000000][/color][/left][color=#000000][left]Mother Dorothy told me this, unfortunately for many discerners they've seen, this is mostly for the internet, social sites, blogging, forum posting! Many expect, assume and still want to do this when they enter! Where is the giving up all for God?! I am SO glad this won't be going on if I enter here! I pray I enter a community that has this same practice. All those things are nice in the outside world but I am not wanting this after I enter. [/left][/color][/left]

[InPersonaChriste]

I am so excited for you! ( I rarely use emoticons)

[brandelynmarie]

[quote name='Chiara Francesco' timestamp='1319431434' post='2326134'][left][color=#000000]Mother Dorothy told me this, unfortunately for many discerners they've seen, this is mostly for the internet, social sites, blogging, forum posting! Many expect, assume and still want to do this when they enter! Where is the giving up all for God?! I am SO glad this won't be going on if I enter here! I pray I enter a community that has this same practice. All those things are nice in the outside world but I am not wanting this after I enter. [/color][/left]
[/quote]

Thanks be to God that you have the wisdom & maturity to understand this. Hopefully, these discerners will realize that it would be way too distracting in the cloister & also that interent useage will vary from community to community. Religious in more active communities, or those with independent vows may get to do some of those things for fun & relaxation as well as in reaching out to discerners or others in the community; it may be part of their ministry. But in cloistered communities, I have seen such usage limited to novice mistresses & web mistresses so as to be in contact with discerners or to maintain a blog. (Although I have seen the occasional novice or professed nun have a blog!)

[Chiquitunga]

Praised be Jesus Christ! I ran into the Nov. edition of Christ is Our Hope (magazine for Diocese of Joliet) tonight and these PCCs are on the cover!!!  :nun2:  Living the Cloistered Life   (pg. 12)

 

I love how they presented a bit on some of the different Sisters' stories and really emphasized how unique everyone's calling is .. love that so much!!  :saint: I know which nun this is (the one from CA) but I won't post it here I guess .. since they didn't indicate it in the newsletter. I love stories like that so much!!!  :love:  ahhhh, I wish I could find a clip of her skating!! 

[Chiquitunga]

bump since emma was away for this one :like:

[Chiquitunga]

I know which nun this is (the one from CA) but I won't post it here I guess .. since they didn't indicate it in the newsletter. I love stories like that so much!!!  :love:  ahhhh, I wish I could find a clip of her skating!! 

 

ahhh, the phorum was and still often is cutting out several sentences from my posts!! didn't catch this one. I was saying how I loved the story of the nun from CA who won a figure skating championship skating to Ave Maria and felt called to something higher... I LOVE stories like that!!! :heart: