Older Vocation With Grown Children

[LaboureSociety]

Dear PM'ers,

 

We had a 50+ year old woman with an annulled marriage and several grown children contact us yesterday. She is looking for a cloistered community that might be open to her particular circumstances.

 

Does anyone know of communities that she could explore?

 

Thanks!

TLS

[OnlySunshine]

Please forward my website to her that has listings of both active and cloistered communities for women and men:

 

http://belatedvocations.weebly.com/

[Guest Allie]

Dear PM'ers,

 

We had a 50+ year old woman with an annulled marriage and several grown children contact us yesterday. She is looking for a cloistered community that might be open to her particular circumstances.

 

Does anyone know of communities that she could explore?

 

Thanks!

TLS

 

Visitation Order.  I have a friend in the Toledo monastery.  http://www.toledovisitation.org/formation.htm  She entered older and is happy there. I think they accept annulments as well as widows.  I know grown children are not a problem.  Also the Norfolk Bendictines (but I don't think they are cloistered.)
 

[LaboureSociety]

Thank you so much. Excellent resources!

[LaboureSociety]

For your website: The Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Pecos, New Mexico accepts older male vocations as do the Franciscan Friars, Custody of the Holy Land.  :)

Edited April 11, 2013 by LaboureSociety

[manymarys]

The Buffalo Carmel has accepted older vocations in similar situations as externs in the past. 

[OnlySunshine]

For your website: The Benedictine Abbey of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Pecos, New Mexico accepts older male vocations as do the Franciscan Friars, Custody of the Holy Land.  :)

 

I'll add them to my list.  :)

[FFI Griswold]

Ave Maria!

 

Two sisters entered the Poor Clares of the Immaculate, then they were followed by their father who became a Franciscan Friar of the Immaculate, and their mother who became a Poor Clare of the Immaculate as well. Che bella!

 

 

"The Poor Clares of the Immaculate were officially erected by a decree of the Holy See on May 8, 2002. They now have three monasteries, with a total of about 60 nuns. Together with the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Immaculate, they are part of a single religious family, united by the same founders, the same Marian-Franciscan spirituality and the same Vow of Total Consecration to Our Lady. Our common goal is to bring a new springtime of grace and holiness to the Church by returning to the origins of the Seraphic Order, founded at the little Church of St. Mary of the Angels, which St. Francis lovingly rebuilt with his own hands. 

The Poor Clares of the Immaculate live according to the original Rule of our Holy Mother Clare, with no mitigations, and the Traccia Mariana, a document drawn up by our founder, Fr. Stefano M. Manelli, which gives clear indications on how to faithfully live out the charism of Sts. Francis and Clare in the modern world, following the example and teachings of St. Maximilian M. Kolbe. They wear a grey-blue habit (like the friars and sisters), with a sky-blue veil and the Miraculous Medal worn over the breast. 

The three existing monasteries are located in Italy, but young women from other parts of the world (including the U.S.A.) have begun to enter the Order as well, which gives us hope that in a few years' time they will begin to found monasteries in other countries, and on other continents."

 

 

Here's a video on them http://airmaria.com/?sn=45&vp=2361&prefx=finews&plyrnb=1&ttl=FI%20News

 

You can also try contacting our sisters at www.franciscansoftheimmaculate.com

 

Ave Maria!

 

In the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary,

 

fra John Paul

[Chiara Francesco]

Just about every order will take older women with or without kids and with and without annulments - not EVERY community in every order but a good many.  It depends on her charism what she is drawn too.

 

She can contact me personally for any help or info as I am in the same boat as her!  I have visited, wrote to and checked into many, many orders, the great majority cloistered, who take women in her situation (age, kids, annulment, etc).

 

Send me a message here if you want my email address to give to her.  I write several women who have contacted me here from PM and other places or through friends.  Would be glad to help.

[FFI Griswold]

Ave Maria!

 

I forgot to mention that the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate are not initially contemplative, but after living the contemplative-active life for a period of time can request permission to enter the contemplative branch of the sisters (separate from the Poor Clares).

 

 

There was an older vocation who entered the sisters in the past few years. Earlier this year a notice was sent to the community (~1000 F.I. friars and sisters in the world?) to pray for her as she was very ill, then another as she was on her death bed, and finally news of her passing. What a blessing to die as a religious, receive so many prayers and sacrifices, and be buried in the Seraphic habit! Ave Maria!

 

fra John Paul

 

 

[littlesister]

[attachment=3139:Over 45.doc]

 

This is quite a list.  It is a Word document, so I hope that it will attach properly.  Not all are contemplative, but almost all of the Visitation Monasteries are open to older vocations.

 

If this doesn't work, just pm me and we'll do it by e-mail.  Best wishes on the journey!

[Chiara Francesco]

Of late, Toledo and Tyringham Visitation monasteries, unfortunately, are currently sticking to their 50 yrs  of age limit.  It could change as it did several yrs ago for Toledo who took several postulants in their 50s, 60s and 70s and then were blessed with several young ones!  I know of several women who wrote to both the past 2 yrs or so and got turned away because they were 1-3 yrs over 50.  I know Toledo is doing it because they have a good amount of older sisters now and looking for younger - which they are getting.  St. Francis de Sales said that orders who are open to and take older women, God would bless them with younger vocations and so God blessed Toledo and Tyringham.  Too bad more wouldn't take up St. Francis' advice.

 

The Visitation monasteries of Philly, Snellville, Rockville and Mobile are to 60 and some are past or on a case-by-case basis.

 

But then people should definitely write to ANY order/community they feel attracted to because I have found MANY who have a age limit of 35 or 40 that were open to older women 45 to 55 and took some.   Then these some orders who were open to me said no to several other older women and some who were a bit younger than me and the same for me when I wrote orders who said yes to other older women!  So just go for it!

 

So really just write who you feel attracted to.  If God wants you in an order that usually has a limit, He'll get you in!

 

 

[FFI Griswold]

But then people should definitely write to ANY order/community they feel attracted to because I have found MANY who have a age limit of 35 or 40 that were open to older women 45 to 55 and took some.   Then these some orders who were open to me said no to several other older women and some who were a bit younger than me and the same for me when I wrote orders who said yes to other older women!  So just go for it!

 

So really just write who you feel attracted to.  If God wants you in an order that usually has a limit, He'll get you in!

 

I can also confirm this with ours and with many other orders, that exceptions can be made, so if you are drawn to one, it never hurts to try. The vocation director will determine whether you should proceed or not, then at the visit(s) the guest master/novice master/superior will direct you, then of course the aspirancy/postulancy will be the main testing grounds.

 

Prayers for our older vocations to place themselves entirely in the hands of Our Lady, especially for the graces of meekness and docility.. Ave Maria!

 

JMJ,

 

fra John Paul