St. Emma's, Greensburg, Pa (benedictine): Whaddaya Know?

[Gabriela]

Does anyone know anything about St. Emma's Benedictine Monastery in Greensburg, PA? They don't have many pictures of the sisters on their website, and in those that are there, it looks like they don't have any sisters in formation. Are they "aging"? Are they vibrant? It looks pretty clear to me that they're faithful to the Magisterium, but I could be wrong.

Any impressions or stories of past experiences would be helpful.

Thanks!

[To Jesus Through Mary]

Their newsletter shows them up a little closer. They see to have a range from what I could tell.

I love Benedictines.

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

I've spoken with the NM there before. She said I couldn't do a visit until I was 15, so I haven't attempted to contact them again, but I heard they give beautiful silent retreats for the public.

[Gabriela]

[quote name='To Jesus Through Mary' timestamp='1353292005' post='2512669']
Their newsletter shows them up a little closer. They see to have a range from what I could tell.
[/quote]

I just went and looked at the last two years of newsletters. Where do you see novices?

[emmaberry101]

[quote name='curiousing' timestamp='1353300973' post='2512781']


I just went and looked at the last two years of newsletters. Where do you see novices?
[/quote]

I think by range she meant range in age, not formation. Hope I am not putting words in her mouth! A good example of this principle is the Roswell Poor Clares. They currently have no postulants or white veils (though there is a black veil in 1st vows) but are certainly a thriving community!

St Emma's seems like a very nice community. I was not attracted to them and so I did not get to know them very well, but they are a sweet bunch and definitely faithful to the Church, as far as I can tell. And their community name is pretty rad as well!

[jumpfrog]

I contacted them a while back, by filling in their extensive vocational inquiry form from the website. I got back a rather curt email rejecting me because I was not an American citizen. They felt that the great cultural divide between Canadians and Americans was too insurmountable...not joking, that is really what the email said.

I am not sure if that was the real reason, or if they just wanted an excuse to brush me off. It was the one of the most brusque and graceless responses I have received for any inquiry, vocational or otherwise.

[To Jesus Through Mary]

[quote name='curiousing' timestamp='1353300973' post='2512781']

I just went and looked at the last two years of newsletters. Where do you see novices?
[/quote]
[quote name='emmaberry101' timestamp='1353302193' post='2512795']
I think by range she meant range in age, not formation. Hope I am not putting words in her mouth! A good example of this principle is the Roswell Poor Clares. They currently have no postulants or white veils (though there is a black veil in 1st vows) but are certainly a thriving community!
[/quote]

Yep That is what I meant. And it is also the nature of smaller contemplative communities, no?
[quote name='jumpfrog' timestamp='1353304250' post='2512815']
I contacted them a while back, by filling in their extensive vocational inquiry form from the website. I got back a rather curt email rejecting me because I was not an American citizen. They felt that the great cultural divide between Canadians and Americans was too insurmountable...not joking, that is really what the email said.

I am not sure if that was the real reason, or if they just wanted an excuse to brush me off. It was the one of the most brusque and graceless responses I have received for any inquiry, vocational or otherwise.
[/quote]

Woah- that is weird and not cool how they handled it! I am shocked to find they would thing there is such a huge cultural difference between CA and the US.

[Cherie]

Wow, jumpfrog, that is unfortunate. I had filled out an inquiry AGES ago (like, 10 years ago), but it didn't go much further than a typical response from them, and me not being too interested in contemplative life at that point.

I do know that they give beautiful retreats; my in-laws and friends back home often attend. And they do regularly receive new vocations, and I have seen novices in recent years.

But regarding their community specifically, I really don't know too much.

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

[quote name='jumpfrog' timestamp='1353304250' post='2512815']
I contacted them a while back, by filling in their extensive vocational inquiry form from the website. I got back a rather curt email rejecting me because I was not an American citizen. They felt that the great cultural divide between Canadians and Americans was too insurmountable...not joking, that is really what the email said.

I am not sure if that was the real reason, or if they just wanted an excuse to brush me off. It was the one of the most brusque and graceless responses I have received for any inquiry, vocational or otherwise.
[/quote]

I'm so sorry to hear you got such a curt response from ANY Community. Yes, there are visa issues that must be addressed, but, these can be worked through. I know of at least one U.S. Community that has a Canadian Sister and I'm sure there are (many?) others. It sounds as if this Community just didn't want to deal with the immigration issues.

But, in a strange way, the Community may have done you a favor.

I know of a woman who told immediately by a Community that she would not be accepted because of a physical disability that the Community felt would prevent her from carrying out their apostolate. (This was before the Community even got to know her.) She said that although she was hurt at the time, she quickly realized that the Community had done her a favor in a way, because she did not waste any more of her time discerning with this Community. (She is now with another Community.)

[mantellata]

I get the visa issue thing --

--- I also get the cultural thing to a point -- as a Canadian living in the US for over 10 years I can certainly say there are many cultural differences (mostly small little things) that can, until you get to know what they are, cause the greatest of good intentions to be misinterpreted (the whole eye contact thing... never look down when apologizing to an American - for us, an act of sorrow and true apology, for my dear friends on this side of the border - an insult.....) But to say they are so huge - well... I guess for that community they are.

I wonder - was the email truly curt or just short? Sometimes communities write in a very short way because they have limited amount of time allotted to internet usage - or even just plain communication. So much emotion (or lack of it) can be read into an email that isn't truly there.

[By His Grace Alone]

[quote name='jumpfrog' timestamp='1353304250' post='2512815']
I contacted them a while back, by filling in their extensive vocational inquiry form from the website. I got back a rather curt email rejecting me because I was not an American citizen. They felt that the great cultural divide between Canadians and Americans was too insurmountable...not joking, that is really what the email said.

I am not sure if that was the real reason, or if they just wanted an excuse to brush me off. It was the one of the most brusque and graceless responses I have received for any inquiry, vocational or otherwise.
[/quote]


Some years back, I also wrote to them. Their reply to me can be described in no other way other than mean, awful. I was stunned. My friend who had recommended I write to them was equally surprised by the nastiness of their reply. On the basis of how they responded, I would not recommend them to anyone. Oh..I am an American. A good friend of mine is in a Dominican Monastery in the US and she is Canadian.

[emmaberry101]

[quote name='jumpfrog' timestamp='1353304250' post='2512815']
I contacted them a while back, by filling in their extensive vocational inquiry form from the website. I got back a rather curt email rejecting me because I was not an American citizen. They felt that the great cultural divide between Canadians and Americans was too insurmountable...not joking, that is really what the email said.

I am not sure if that was the real reason, or if they just wanted an excuse to brush me off. It was the one of the most brusque and graceless responses I have received for any inquiry, vocational or otherwise.
[/quote]

I wrote some nuns in Canada and got the same type of reply. I did not view this as rude though, just a brief and to the point response so I would not waste any more time researching them and discerning their community.

[DameAgnes]

The Saint Emma's nuns are a sister-house to the Benedictines in Virginia Dale, CO. Interesting, a friend of mine also told me she found the CO sisters to be "curt" as well. I wonder if they're simply accustomed to cutting through BS and we're not used to that on the outside anymore? Although I do think you can cut through BS without wounding.

[ImageTrinity]

I live near these Sisters and they are lovely. They are mostly an older community, but do have a few in formation I believe. They take older vocations, which not many other communities do. They wear the full habit and run a retreat house and bed and breakfast. The retreats are beautiful.
I'm really surprised at the responses some of you got from them. Honestly, they are wonderful. They only thing I can think of is that the Benedictine Rule specifically instructs communities to discourage inquirers in order to test the sincerity of the vocation.

[OnlySunshine]

[quote name='jumpfrog' timestamp='1353304250' post='2512815']
I contacted them a while back, by filling in their extensive vocational inquiry form from the website. I got back a rather curt email rejecting me because I was not an American citizen. They felt that the great cultural divide between Canadians and Americans was too insurmountable...not joking, that is really what the email said.

I am not sure if that was the real reason, or if they just wanted an excuse to brush me off. It was the one of the most brusque and graceless responses I have received for any inquiry, vocational or otherwise.
[/quote]

I'm sorry to hear that you got such a hurtful reply. I know what that's like because I got one from a community after I visited them last year saying they would not accept me simply because I was unemployed. The email was totally tasteless and rude. It wasn't the first time I've heard a nasty reply back, either, but the first time was from a community not in line with the Church (I didn't know this at the time). I'm actually relieved to have heard from these communities because it allowed me to move on to the community I am discerning with today. Though I think the vocation directors could use a lesson in email etiquette, they saved me the trouble of discerning with them so long and then not moving ahead.