Enquirer Re Religious Life

[BarbTherese]

Thank you, CT.  Once she has found something that interests her, she would need to visit or certainly write to them and find out all she wanted to know before actually applying to enter or probably flying over to visit - expensive business this flying as transport  (although that is "how long is a piece of string").  Actually, in opening links here and there, I have noticed that some Benedictines overseas to us in Australia are not wearing habits.  Certainly to my knowledge here in Australia, they do.  Although and again to my knowledge we only have two Benedictine communities here.  Things can change very quickly it seems to me.  Also, while some communities might be under the same Rule (Carmel, Benedictine etc. etc.) and even be related, communities the leadership can vary so very much.  With a leadership change and this happens, things can change dramatically once again.  But one would hope that when one enters religious life (and/or as formation progresses), one is aware of this and that the motivation is deeper than community life, while this is an important aspect - but this aspect can change.

  There are some really good posts here on Phatmass too with links to sites that list a very great variety of religious orders.  There is so much information on the internet, while everyone does not have a computer, nor know how to use one.  Nowadays it is taken for granted that everyone has a computer or has access and knows out to use one.

 

 

[bmb144]

Three groups of Benedictines out here in Australia. The Good Samaritans are Benedictine also but no habit and not enclosed.

[BarbTherese]

That's right, thanks IHL, I had forgotten that the Good Sams are Benedictine - my cousins went to their school in Port Pirie in South Australia back in the days pre V2; hence back then wore traditional Benedictine religious habit.  I also know an ex Good Samaritan Sister.  I think nowadays the Good Samaritan Sisters seem to be heavily involved in social work type projects and, yes, wear secular clothing.  Other than that, there is Jamberoo Abbey and the Tyburn Nuns in New South Wales both enclosed and in religious habit and Benedictine.

Edited May 5, 2013 by BarbaraTherese

[BarbTherese]

Someone has asked me if I know of any non-Carmelite monasteries fully dedicated to prayer in Rome, USA, UK or Australia.  Also a non enclosed contemplative community.

I know a bit about some communities in Australia (and Carmelites probably more) - but not a great deal at all really about communities here in Aust. nowadays, and certainly not of a community dedicated to prayer alone (without a public ministry of some kind) that is also not an enclosed community.  Here in Aust it seems to me that very small membership of various religious sisters of Franciscan bent do exist - but nothing on the terms of my enquirer. So much is happening it seems especially in the USA with new communities starting up and under new foundresses  - and some overseas as well, I thought members on Phatmass VS might be able to help out in some way and far more than I am able which really was not at all.

 

 

I forgot to mention that she was also asking about non habited religious as well as also contemplative and not enclosed - I certainly don't know any with those specifications - although I suspect only perhaps in the USA there may be religious orders not in habit and with quite strong life of prayer who may have some sort of apostolate on convent or monastic grounds - school or retreat house, something like that  i.e. contemplative/active religious.  Sort of enclosed, but not quite in the strict sense and able to go out and about if necessary.

[God's Beloved]

Three groups of Benedictines out here in Australia. The Good Samaritans are Benedictine also but no habit and not enclosed.

 

http://www.goodsams.org.au/who-we-are/introducing-the-good-sams/

 

seem like apostolic religious --not contemplative monastics .........

[krissylou]

I took her to mean that the community is not strictly enclosed like Carmel and some other monasteries - although I think that some who follow the Carmelite rule also have some sort of ministry and usually I think on the grounds like a school or retreat house.  Non here in Australia I know about - although things can change quickly at times and what one knows is out dated. Some enclosed do have extern Sisters who can go out the enclosure for shopping, driving Sisters to important appointments etc. and join in the life of prayer of Carmel anyway whenever they are at home.  I know whenever I have been to Carmel for the LOTH, extern sisters are there too, but in modified habit.  The have sat with me outside the cloister proper in the Chapel - although I think that can go onto the enclosure or cloister proper.  I don't know of any other Orders in Australia however, but that does not mean that there aren't any and I certainly do not know much at all about monasteries overseas really.  Also she is enquiring about a community that does not wear a religious habit.  The Benedictines I know about here in Australia all wear habits and are cloistered or enclosed and one anyway strikes me as thinking quite liberally (open to the new) while some Sisters are quite traditional it seemed to me.

 

I would think that most communities would have a solid life of prayer - some not wearing habits - and with some sort of ministry either on the convent/monastery grounds or outside of it.  Seems to me it might be a matter of research on the internet and making enquiries about their way of life, horarium etc. as well as staying in touch with this thread - something might come up.

 

That's right, the Pauline Sisters wear a modified habit - but the last time I was in the Pauline bookshop, the Sisters while in the same coloured clothing more or less and it was more like secular clothing than a habit, they were not wearing a veil and ministry is outside of their convent grounds in bookshops as far as I know.

 

Thank you to all who have contributed and hopefully will contribute.  I am in hospital on 7th May and don't know quite how long it will be before I'm back on deck and feeling like sitting at the computer.  Visitors tomorrow and then final packing Monday.

 

Not the Daughters of St. Paul (FSP).  They are definitely active.

 

The Pious Disciples of the Divine Master (PDDM) aka Sister Disciples of the Divine Master share the same spirituality but are the contemplative branch and spend their time in prayer and liturgical arts.  They do have some stores as well, but it's different than the bookstores.  (Who comes in to buy a chasuble?  A narrower population than the people who come to bookstores!)

 

For the Daughters of St. Paul, the habits vary around the world.  Some of them look like navy blue business suits, some are modified habits but more clearly nunny (have veils).  I think the PDDM are more consistently "nunlike" around the world but I could be wrong.

 

I'm not sure at all if the PDDM are what she's looking for but it maybe might be worth a look.

[TIWW]

The Benedictine Sisters of Jamberoo, Australia are a lovely community.  I have been there, because I have friends there. They are very contemplative, but they do go out, some go to school and they have guest cottages on their huge property. Lovely blue Benedictine habit

[Mary+Immaculate<3]

http://heartsofjesusandmary.com

 

This is a community of habited, contemplatives with a small ministry to local hospitals, nursing homes, etc. Most of their day is spent in prayer and they are not enclosed.

[Feankie]

The above order has it's upper age limit at 40! YIPPEE