Carmelite Sisters Of Most Sacred Heart Of Jesus New Novices

[DameAgnes]

http://www.carmelitesistersocd.com/2013/slideshow-entrance-into-novitiate-2013/

 

In this community a novice keeps her postulant jumper and adds a veil. She only receives the habit once she has been accepted to make her first profession.

 

Here you see two sisters who received their habits a few months ago, making first profession, earlier this week: http://www.carmelitesistersocd.com/2013/slideshow-first-profession-of-vows-2013/

Edited July 18, 2013 by DameAgnes

[truthfinder]

 

 

Here you see two sisters who received their habits a few months ago, making first profession, earlier this week: http://www.carmelitesistersocd.com/2013/slideshow-first-profession-of-vows-2013/

 

Looks like they had several renewal of vows too (assuming for temporary professed.)

[Kayte Postle]

Interesting to see that they receive the habit a few months before they make first vows. This year the sisters received the habit in March, and made their first vows in July. Dame Agnes do you know why they do this?

[AnneLine]

I have a friend in the community and I know why.  They used to do it at the time of making first vows. 

 

The Carmelite Sisters want to emphasize that making the vows are more important than becoming a novice.  (It is also why the vows are made during Mass, and the entrance to the novitiate and reception of the habit are done outside of a Mass.)(And I think they are private ceremonies as well.... there appear to be no lay people in their chapel.)

 

BUT.... it takes a little while to get 'graceful' in wearing the habit.  SO... now once the second year novices have been approved to make their vows, they receive the habit.  It gives them a chance to wear it for a few months so they can learn to wear it beautifully. 

 

And... for many of the newly professed sisters... they will be immediately sent off on mission (to teach, work in the aged home, perhaps to college), so they need to have the ability to wear it well.   (I've remember when my high school teachers, the Daughters of Charity, used to wear the big rosaries, they often would accidently catch the rosaries on door nobs and boing!  they would be springing backwards when they least expected it. 

 

I am sure that learning not to do that, how to manage a scapular, longer habit, etc., as well as getting used to the headgear, all takes a bit of doing.  And they seem to give them the habit around or on St. Joseph's day, which is a nice tradition!  Most years they seem to try to have the vow-making on or around the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. (Some years that gets moved around for practicality reasons... when my friend made her vows, the LA Olympic Games were happening... so they delayed it to later in the year!)

 

And on a more spiritual level, it probably means that as sisters get used to wearing the habit ahead of the time, they can focus on the important moment of making vows rather than just the 'different' feel of wearing the habit.

 

 

[OnlySunshine]

It would take me a while to get used to that snug wimple.  I can't stand turtlenecks so I don't think I would handle a wimple very well.  :blush:

[BarbTherese]

The one good thing I anyway have thought about receiving the habit at the commencement of noviciate, despite posting to the contrary in a previous thread i.e. I had posted that there is something to be said for not receiving the habit until temporary vows as sometimes those that do leave, do so often during the noviciate since noviciate years are when the  more difficult work of religious life lifestyle begins in earnest. 

 

One of the difficult things about religious life can be the wearing of the habit at all times and every day, all weathers - once the honeymoon of receiving the habit concludes.  And all honeymoons do conclude.  Short of a miracle of Grace, the rhythm of life is ups and downs.   So it might be just as well and good thinking to have clothing at the commencement of noviciate and introduce the novice to a difficult aspect of religious life for some to many - wearing the habit in all weathers and at all times.

 

The habit can become very penitential before too long of wearing it.  Of course, this can be reduced if one is in religious life for the penitential aspect as well and not only penances that are to one's taste. And most of all, those penances that are not at all to one's taste that the Incredible Goodness of Divine Providence sends along for our benefit - for one benefit only amongst many.

 

I'm going through a 'not to my taste at all' penance at the moment and nothing remotely related with a religious habit.  I have been saying to myself "In order to rejoice in any kind of suffering, I have to learn to laugh at myself despite the fact that I am put out by it all" - and the more put out or annoyed, or even suffering under a 'not to my taste', that I might be, the more I need to learn to laugh.  And what I have learnt is working best for me is to be laughing at myself and thinking of things in the situation that is  totally absurd about me in that situation.  And there is plenty of absurdities about me to laugh about.  I have a saying for myself "Keep working on it, kid, until you start to laugh at yourself".

 

An absurdity:  Spirituality tells us that The Cross/Suffering is in fact both blessing and an honor and united to the Sufferings of Jesus is redemptive.  Ideally, I should be overcome with Joy considering these facts. Yet I moan and groan and loose my cool sometimes.  And a TOTAL ABSURDITY!

 

Nothing can be more condusive to an unfriendly and personally unhappy disposition (and disturbing to any other person and/or community) is to take oneself seriously.  Doing this part of the time makes one unfriendly and personally unhappy some of the time - taking oneself very seriously all the time............well, it speaks for itself.  There are times, of course, to take oneself very seriously - but not if its going to bring misery to others and striving primarily to avoid this.

 

As St Teresa of Avila said "Lord, please spare me your gloomy saints".

 

           Conditioning comes about through repeated repetition despite perhaps many failures along the way.  One needs to 'get back on the horse' immediately in any and all failures with determined (chin up and out) determination and prayer for Grace to succeed in the quest, depending on Grace, for Grace is NEVER lacking and it takes Faith to hold firmly to that without any doubt whatsoever.  Then one day one looks back in hindsight, and what was once very difficult (to rejoice in suffering) has become a Joy through determined repetition despite even many failures. Grace has been victorious with a response of sheer determination to a sound spiritual goal.  Not only ideally does science and theology work together, so ideally does psychology and spirituality.   And if a particular partnership is in contradiction, then something is wrong with one or the other somewhere for sure - short of miracles and miracles of Grace, that is.  It can happen but we do not presume.

 

God has gifted us with science and with theology - and He has gifted us too with our human psychology and spiritual aspirations.  They are two groups of partnerships.

[BarbTherese]

It would take me a while to get used to that snug wimple.  I can't stand turtlenecks so I don't think I would handle a wimple very well.  :blush:

 

Props!  An example of knowing oneself and common sense.  If I can't stand turtlenecks than the chances are high that a snug wimple would be a "can't stand it" situation. 

 

Just as an aside and my opinion only:  Of course, one just could be wrong (in every situation there is X The Unknown Factor and Grace is one of them) and in a necessity to wear a fitting wimple, one might find that the 'can't stand it' does not apply at all.  So I would not write off a religious order with a snug wimple if I really was attracted to that particular religious order (not stating that you are).  Were it me - rather I would have a very open and honest chat with their vocations director "I can't stand turtleneck type clothing, but am very attracted to your religious order.  What is your opinion about me wearing the snug wimple in your Order's religious habit if I were to enter?"  Vocations directors/leadership in religious orders can be very discerning indeed individuals with long years professed and experiences in their Order - not of necessity of course, and not always.  Risk is another factor in every situation involving openness and honesty.  Trust in The Lord always regardless of anything whatsoever.

Now then, off to keep trying for my spiritual goals and if history repeats, in the face of many failures and with chin up and out................I hope!   And if not, then hopefully right  'back on that horse' and with chin up and out once more and with my investment in Grace however The Lord might will.  The Dark Night could last until one is dying. 

 

The Dark Night is a very holy and blessed state despite it most intense of all suffering and deprivation to the spirit.  Recall the last words of Jesus as He was dying "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me", then finally "Into Your Hands I commend My Spirit" (that same Spirit sent into His Church at Pentecost).  These are classic signs of The Dark Night - a feeling of being forsaken by God while retaining an ardent belief and desire for God. (Problem is one can feel terribly suspicious, convinced, that God has lost belief and desire for oneself - Faith alone tells us this is IMPOSSIBLE). And the last words of Jesus were a pure Act of Naked Faith.

Edited July 19, 2013 by BarbaraTherese

[BarbTherese]

...........about trusting in The Lord and His Grace always and regardless of anything whatsoever.  Some call it faith in oneself; however for the Catholic conversant-with-Catholic-spiritual-theology spiritual person, it is interiorly experienced as trust in The Lord and His Grace and come what may - exteriorly however it reveals itself to others often (if they are unaware especially of one's interior life) as faith in himself or herself and often as a ridiculously confident faith in himself or herself.  It isn't!