Torn, Confused...

[Spem in alium]

[quote name='beatitude' timestamp='1335564526' post='2424118']
Your posts sound sensible and practical. You are doing the best thing you possibly can: deepening your prayer life, loving God through the things you need to do now (your studies), and not rushing so fast that you escape your thoughts. Keep loving Him as you are doing, and you will very naturally find how He wants you to love Him in the future.

Your mention of the significance of Adoration in your life was the part of your post resonated with my very much. It has a similarly important place in my own life. If you are planning to learn a little about religious communities, it might help to look at communities where Adoration has an important place. Just a thought.
[/quote]

Thank you I prefer to take things slowly than to rush them. I feel that I've grown more even since beginning to think about religious life. When the idea first came, I was very stressed and confused about it. I couldn't think of anything more unknown or terrifying. But now, even though there still is a bit of confusion there, I'm filled with a great peace. I know that if religious life was to be my true calling, I would be able to be happy. Just as I would if I am called to marriage.
Any form of life possesses difficulty. A few people who know of my thoughts have told me to make sure that I'm not trying to escape anything by entering religious life. I've thought about it, and I don't think that's the case with me. My life has been full of challenges, and I know God has been with me always, even when I haven't wanted Him there. God is the beginning and end of all, and you can never escape Him no matter where you go or what you do

I just love to be with God! Nowadays I feel a desire to go to Mass or pray, and I never felt that before (it was always just, "oh yeah, Sunday's come round again, great..."). When in Adoration, I've felt some of the most profound and beautiful things. The other week I was praying the Rosary in front of the Blessed Sacrament, and it was a kind of otherworldly experience, I felt separate from my body in some odd way. If that even makes sense. I will definitely make Adoration a strong point in my search.

[quote name='AnneLine' timestamp='1335566612' post='2424122']
One of the Phatmassers, Nunsense, is in the process of entering a Benedictine Monastery in the USA, but she was living in Austrailia before -- she may have some ideas for you. You might want to put a 'note' on her thread 'Monastery of Our Lady of the Rock' or something like that... she posts occasionally here and more often on her blog... check for that thread to find both...

The Carmelite Sisters in California sound a lot like what you may be looking for.... they sent several sisters over the the WLD in Austrailia last year. you might want to check them out to see if you want to find out more about them... or contat them to see if they have an yideas for Austrailia... [url="http://www.carmelitesistersocd.com/"]http://www.carmelitesistersocd.com/[/url]
[/quote]

Thanks for the tips Haha, the Carmelite sisters came up as my second highest match on the Vocation Match website I do feel an interesting connection with them. For years I've been wearing a Carmelite Scapular Medal, and I only recently realised it had that importance. I also like their promotion of prayer.

[quote name='EmilyAnn' timestamp='1335567385' post='2424129']
[url="http://www.vocationoperation.blogspot.com"]This[/url] blog has a directory of religious communities including Australia. Look to the right sidebar and go to "Religious - Australia & New Zealand"

I'm English so I had a similar thing with the vocation match: all the communities were in the US, which was no good to me! What I ended up doing was using it as a starting point for what to look for in UK orders, you could use it in the same way if you wanted to look at Australian communities.
[/quote]

Ah, thank you I'll check out that blog in detail and see what interests me.

[beatitude]

[quote name='Spem in alium' timestamp='1335577075' post='2424187']
Thanks for the tips Haha, the Carmelite sisters came up as my second highest match on the Vocation Match website I do feel an interesting connection with them. For years I've been wearing a Carmelite Scapular Medal, and I only recently realised it had that importance. I also like their promotion of prayer.
[/quote]

That's interesting, because those sisters jumped into my head as soon I read your post. I didn't want to suggest specific communities, though, as I thought it might be too much info at once.

It may not mean anything. I am wary of turning things into signs, as everything in life can be read as a sign of God's love. But it certainly couldn't hurt to contact them.

[Annie12]

Have you looked into the Sister of Life? They are an active contemplative order and they pray 4 hours a day and community plays a huge role for them. They also have I think 1 day a week in silence and 1 Sunday a month in silence. They live their four vows to the fullest! (oh! did I mention they take a fourth vow to protect the sanctity of every human life!) Definitely worth looking into!

Edited April 28, 2012 by Annie12

[Spem in alium]

[quote name='beatitude' timestamp='1335619950' post='2424342']
That's interesting, because those sisters jumped into my head as soon I read your post. I didn't want to suggest specific communities, though, as I thought it might be too much info at once.

It may not mean anything. I am wary of turning things into signs, as everything in life can be read as a sign of God's love. But it certainly couldn't hurt to contact them.
[/quote]

Wow I did some more research on the Carmelites yesterday, and I feel a bit of an attraction there. But like you, I'm wary of turning this into something it may not be. I haven't researched a lot of orders yet, so I'm not sure if there's one I don't know of that will engage my interests and passion more. I will definitely check them out - at this point just to know more about them. And if it turns out that it's meant to be, then great! Thanks

[quote name='Annie12' timestamp='1335621415' post='2424343']
Have you looked into the Sister of Life? They are an active contemplative order and they pray 4 hours a day and community plays a huge role for them. They also have I think 1 day a week in silence and 1 Sunday a month in silence. They live their four vows to the fullest! (oh! did I mention they take a fourth vow to protect the sanctity of every human life!) Definitely worth looking into!
[/quote]

I have not. Thank you for the tip They sound really, really great - what a beautiful mission! The only real let down is that their order is not in my country. I don't mind entering an order in another country, but it's a bit difficult for me when I'm quite interested in going on retreats with the order or seeing the community first-hand.

But in the end, it's God's Will before mine. I need to listen to and follow it

[AnneLine]

Hi, Spem,

The other thing you can do is to contact those communities, let them know that you are interested in what they are doing/their lifestyle, charism, ministry, whatever, and ask if they know of any communities in Austrailia or closer to you that might be a good fit. Sometimes they have met a group (maybe at WYD) and might be able to give you some good leads....

Just a thought...

[Spem in alium]

[quote name='AnneLine' timestamp='1335646899' post='2424474']
Hi, Spem,

The other thing you can do is to contact those communities, let them know that you are interested in what they are doing/their lifestyle, charism, ministry, whatever, and ask if they know of any communities in Austrailia or closer to you that might be a good fit. Sometimes they have met a group (maybe at WYD) and might be able to give you some good leads....

Just a thought...
[/quote]

That's an excellent idea! I'll do that! Thank you

[beatitude]

[quote name='Spem in alium' timestamp='1335643556' post='2424465']
I have not. Thank you for the tip They sound really, really great - what a beautiful mission! The only real let down is that their order is not in my country. I don't mind entering an order in another country, but it's a bit difficult for me when I'm quite interested in going on retreats with the order or seeing the community first-hand.

But in the end, it's God's Will before mine. I need to listen to and follow it
[/quote]

This is a good point. Talking to nuns who entered in a different time, before transnational air travel, I discovered that it was very rare for them to go overseas in order to join a community (although some did). Reading Sr Ruth Burrows's autobiography, [i]Before the Living God[/i], I was struck by how prosaic her discernment had been. She realised that she was called to be a contemplative nun as a sixteen-year-old, and she got information on two nearby communities, the Trappistines and the Carmelites. Unsure which to choose, she asked her priest for advice. He decided on the Carmelites, simply because Sr Ruth's mother was frightened by her daughter's choice and the Trappistines bothered her more for some reason. After making a few visits to that Carmel, getting to know the community, Sr Ruth entered. Simple as that. She's a very old woman now.

Equally, the Martin sisters didn't examine every monastery in France before they entered; they just went to their local Carmel. St Bernadette of Lourdes turned to sisters whom she knew well. This is the common pattern.

I think the ease of travel and the sheer amount of info that is available over the Internet often confuses us more than it helps. We get stuck on this notion of the Perfect Community, which we will find even if we have to cross oceans to get to it. We look for all sorts of mystical signs to confirm that this place is really The One. Sometimes I think of it as 'vocation tourism'. Perhaps we need to rediscover some of the old pragmatism, prosaic as it is, and look first to what is nearby. Sometimes people do have to go overseas - there have always been cases like this. But more often than not it is best to stay put.

Edited April 29, 2012 by beatitude

[Spem in alium]

[quote name='beatitude' timestamp='1335659759' post='2424572']
This is a good point. Talking to nuns who entered in a different time, before transnational air travel, I discovered that it was very rare for them to go overseas in order to join a community (although some did). Reading Sr Ruth Burrows's autobiography, [i]Before the Living God[/i], I was struck by how prosaic her discernment had been. She realised that she was called to be a contemplative nun as a sixteen-year-old, and she got information on two nearby communities, the Trappistines and the Carmelites. Unsure which to choose, she asked her priest for advice. He decided on the Carmelites, simply because Sr Ruth's mother was frightened by her daughter's choice and the Trappistines bothered her more for some reason. After making a few visits to that Carmel, getting to know the community, Sr Ruth entered. Simple as that. She's a very old woman now.

Equally, the Martin sisters didn't examine every monastery in France before they entered; they just went to their local Carmel. St Bernadette of Lourdes turned to sisters whom she knew well. This is the common pattern.

I think the ease of travel and the sheer amount of info that is available over the Internet often confuses us more than it helps. We get stuck on this notion of the Perfect Community, which we will find even if we have to cross oceans to get to it. We look for all sorts of mystical signs to confirm that this place is really The One. Sometimes I think of it as 'vocation tourism'. Perhaps we need to rediscover some of the old pragmatism, prosaic as it is, and look first to what is nearby. Sometimes people do have to go overseas - there have always been cases like this. But more often than not it is best to stay put.
[/quote]

One of my friends entered the Domincan Sisters of St Cecilia in Nashville about two years ago. She went on retreats here, and I'm fairly sure she visited them in Nashville a few times before leaving. I can understand that specific orders and ways of life are appealing, but I am a person who needs to be fairly sure about things before I commit. And entering into a community in another country would probably defeat a lot of the certainty.

I have done a bit more research today and am feeling more and more connected with the Carmelites - particularly the order mentioned by AnneLine (the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Los Angeles). I also have an affinity with the Sacred Heart, so there's another attraction there too. I like their combination of contemplation and apostolate - but the only letdown is the distance. I've just emailed their Vocations Directress to ask whether she knows of any Australian orders living by a similar mission (the only Carmelites I know of here are purely contemplative).

I will be studying in Minnesota later on this year. While such a change could potentially put my discernment on hold, it could also give me more of a chance to look into other orders and possibilities. At the end of the day, I really just want to be as sure as I can. Pursuing something local would probably ensure I achieve the greatest level of certainty possible. But it is important to remain open to chance and to other opportunities.

[Lisa]

A community you might want to check out is the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma. I believe all the sisters do their formation in the US, but I know they have a convent in Australia...so it would be at least a possibility to contact them. A phatmasser from Australia joined them last year.

They have a day of prayer at the convent in May: [url="http://www.rsmofalma.org/attach/sydney.pdf"]http://www.rsmofalma.org/attach/sydney.pdf[/url]

I'm so happy you've joined us!

[Spem in alium]

[quote name='Lisa' timestamp='1335662715' post='2424602']
A community you might want to check out is the Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma. I believe all the sisters do their formation in the US, but I know they have a convent in Australia...so it would be at least a possibility to contact them. A phatmasser from Australia joined them last year.

They have a day of prayer at the convent in May: [url="http://www.rsmofalma.org/attach/sydney.pdf"]http://www.rsmofalma...tach/sydney.pdf[/url]

I'm so happy you've joined us!
[/quote]

Oh, thank you! I'm glad to be here

That sounds fantastic, I'll try and be there. Funnily enough, I'm fairly sure I know of the Sister Moira mentioned on that flyer. I've never actually met her, but she teaches at my university Just a razzle dazzle little coincidence

Edited April 29, 2012 by Spem in alium

[MissScripture]

[quote name='Spem in alium' timestamp='1335661383' post='2424587']
One of my friends entered the Domincan Sisters of St Cecilia in Nashville about two years ago. She went on retreats here, and I'm fairly sure she visited them in Nashville a few times before leaving. I can understand that specific orders and ways of life are appealing, but I am a person who needs to be fairly sure about things before I commit. And entering into a community in another country would probably defeat a lot of the certainty.

I have done a bit more research today and am feeling more and more connected with the Carmelites - particularly the order mentioned by AnneLine (the Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Los Angeles). I also have an affinity with the Sacred Heart, so there's another attraction there too. I like their combination of contemplation and apostolate - but the only letdown is the distance. I've just emailed their Vocations Directress to ask whether she knows of any Australian orders living by a similar mission (the only Carmelites I know of here are purely contemplative).

I will be studying in Minnesota later on this year. While such a change could potentially put my discernment on hold, it could also give me more of a chance to look into other orders and possibilities. At the end of the day, I really just want to be as sure as I can. Pursuing something local would probably ensure I achieve the greatest level of certainty possible. But it is important to remain open to chance and to other opportunities.
[/quote]
If your friend joined about 2 years ago, she is probably in the same class as my sister!

And that's c.ool about Minnesota! That's where I'm from!

[ACS67]

I would highly recommend you read Fr. David Mary's discernment reflections. [url="http://www.franciscanbrothersminor.com/FBM/Discernment_1.html"]http://www.franciscanbrothersminor.com/FBM/Discernment_1.html[/url]

He doesn't "pull any punches" and will likely shoot down most of what you just said above about being "certain" and "committment" but I found his reflections very helpful for me.

[Spem in alium]

[quote name='MissScripture' timestamp='1335762665' post='2425107']
If your friend joined about 2 years ago, she is probably in the same class as my sister!

And that's c.ool about Minnesota! That's where I'm from!
[/quote]

Haha, oh how amesome! I'm really really looking forward to going to Minnesota. Not just because of the cold, but also because the uni I'll be at looks really beautiful. Plus it's a Benedictine college, so I'll get to experience another spirituality. (yay!)

[quote name='ACS67' timestamp='1335784751' post='2425132']
I would highly recommend you read Fr. David Mary's discernment reflections. [url="http://www.franciscanbrothersminor.com/FBM/Discernment_1.html"]http://www.francisca...cernment_1.html[/url]

He doesn't "pull any punches" and will likely shoot down most of what you just said above about being "certain" and "committment" but I found his reflections very helpful for me.
[/quote]

Thanks for the tip. I've just started reading what he wrote on "Discerning Between Marriage, Priesthood and Religious Life". It's resonating with me a lot

Edited April 30, 2012 by Spem in alium

[MissScripture]

[quote name='Spem in alium' timestamp='1335785885' post='2425137']
Haha, oh how amesome! I'm really really looking forward to going to Minnesota. Not just because of the cold, but also because the uni I'll be at looks really beautiful. Plus it's a Benedictine college, so I'll get to experience another spirituality. (yay!)



Thanks for the tip. I've just started reading what he wrote on "Discerning Between Marriage, Priesthood and Religious Life". It's resonating with me a lot
[/quote]
If you don't mind my asking, what college? (You can send me a private message if you don't want to post it on the board. Or not, if you don't want to share at all. I won't be offended. I just grew up near one Benedictine college and currently live near another one. )

[Spem in alium]

[quote name='MissScripture' timestamp='1335799887' post='2425190']
If you don't mind my asking, what college? (You can send me a private message if you don't want to post it on the board. Or not, if you don't want to share at all. I won't be offended. I just grew up near one Benedictine college and currently live near another one. )
[/quote]

Not a problem The College of St. Benedict (in St. Cloud) / St John's University (in Collegeville) But I'll be spending more time at St. Cloud at St. Benedict's.

===

Just as a general update/new development:

Yesterday I was in Mass, and the homily was about vocations. The priest was basically only focusing on the priesthood (I guess that's the most important/needy area), but he a really great point about discernment.
He said that vocation discernment is not all about us. While it is entirely important for us, it involves more than us and God. Everyone around us is affected by our "yes". We have the ability to touch so many people with our choice.
This really affected me. I think I'd only really been thinking of it as being between me and God But it really opened my mind to the possibilities of being something more than I am. Of giving all that I can of myself to God and to others.

I heard back from the Vocation Directress of the Carmelite Sisters in Los Angeles. She confirmed my belief that there are no active orders of Carmelites in Australia, but really wants me to look into her order further (visit them or call them). It is a bit far for me in distance. Though I'm thinking of potentially using my time in the US as a means to do more research and get some more ideas.

Edited April 30, 2012 by Spem in alium