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Various Customs


Hemma

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But for something more sublime... I've seen dominican nuns bowing slightly at the verse "et sanctum nomen eius" during the Magnificat. Is this typically dominican or do you know it from other orders as well? Also I've always wondered which traditions have the sign of the cross at the beginning of the Benedictus/Magnificat/Nunc Dimittis and which haven't. The Romans have it, but what about the others. Well, these are marginal questions, but I've thought about it quite regularly when it occurred during liturgy.

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Sr Mary Catharine OP

But for something more sublime... I've seen dominican nuns bowing slightly at the verse "et sanctum nomen eius" during the Magnificat. Is this typically dominican or do you know it from other orders as well? Also I've always wondered which traditions have the sign of the cross at the beginning of the Benedictus/Magnificat/Nunc Dimittis and which haven't. The Romans have it, but what about the others. Well, these are marginal questions, but I've thought about it quite regularly when it occurred during liturgy.

 

Benedictines also do it as well as the sign of the Cross at the opening of the Ben/Mag.

 

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You are from Summit, are you? :) So you do it as well? Sometimes I am not sure whether the customs that are to be seen are particular to the community (some convents of the order do it, some don't) or to the order as a whole.

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Sr Mary Catharine OP

All the monasteries do it. Maybe not all do the bow at the "et sanctum nomen eis" because custom have always varied from monastery to monastery and priory to priory. (You should hear our conversations about when to kiss our scapular!)

 

That head bow was listed in the Jandel/Potten ceremonial. The sign of the Cross is listed in the Order's Liturgical Directory which we're "bound" to follow. But there are many other practices that one monastery does and another doesn't. In the US the monasteries are mostly uniform because we all had lectures by 2 of the friars during the liturgical changes in the '70's.

BTW, Fr. Master has just appointed the new liturgical commission. I wasn't on the list! :-(

Yes, I'm the Summit novice mistress! :saint2:

 

 

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Chiquitunga

I've always heard of this, that postulants bring their own underwear and hand wash them themselves, rather than going in the common laundry. I think this is a good policy and probably what most communities have always done.

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Regarding the underwear issue - I know of a community here in the US who "share" the outer part of their "underwear." That part is returned from the laundry in small, medium, large. The more "intimate" part of what I think most of us are thinking of when it comes to "underwear" is marked with a sign, particular to each Sister. So, I'm wondering if there might be slight language misunderstandings based on what is considered "underclothing/underwear."

And, I do know of one cloistered community that is extremely focused on the poverty of Christ. They do, in fact, wear what is given to them, and take the concept of complete poverty and lack of ownership very seriously. They are also quite penitential and see things like this, which average women (especially Americans) find really distasteful as an opportunity to be "debased for Jesus." I know the particulars of the last community because I had TWO clients who were there; the second one was referred to me by the first who left. I do not believe this particular community has a healthy understanding of poverty and though the garments were heavily bleached, I'm not convinced one has to go such lengths to understand the concept of poverty or the suffering of Jesus. If anybody is seriously discerning with a contemplative community in California, and would like details - thinking this might sound familiar, don't hesitate to PM me.

Blessings,
Rose

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Actually I don't think that it was a misunderstanding. For sure they have debated about it as well as we did and then it would have become clear if it was a misunderstanding.

 

By the way - the nuns of the abbey in question produce victuals - I don't say which to keep it anonymously - but something that needs high hygienic standards and gets checked regularly, so we can be sure the nuns know a lot about hygiene. That's why I thought it particularly astonishing.

 

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Bride of the Lamb

By the way - the nuns of the abbey in question produce victuals - I don't say which to keep it anonymously - but something that needs high hygienic standards and gets checked regularly, so we can be sure the nuns know a lot about hygiene. That's why I thought it particularly astonishing.

I've really got the feeling that this is the same abbey. Let's play 20 questions: Is it built in an old style but is actually not that old? ;)

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I suppose you've got it? I'd be very interested in what you were thinking of when you wrote "they're rather, ahem, particular".

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Bride of the Lamb

I suppose you've got it? I'd be very interested in what you were thinking of when you wrote "they're rather, ahem, particular".

Quite a bit of things, but (this is, why I immediately thought of them), they let at least newcomers ask for every single sanitary napkin they need. Nothing agaist poverty and obedience, of course, but is there any sane way which bypasses a sanitary napkin when one needs it?

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emma8201986

I'm sorry, but the underwear thing and asking for sanitary napkins is just a bridge too far for me. These are adult 21st century women we are talking about. I think there are plenty of ways to learn obedience without turning it into humiliation - and please, don't anyone tell me that we should be happy to humiliate ourselves for the Lord. I just don't believe that nor do I believe it is psychologically healthy. I have a male acquaintance who was a Dominican (he has since left - full disclosure) and I was amazed at the amount of freedom he had in novitiate where he was ostensibly learning obedience.

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Men's religious communities always were & still are less demanding & less rigid than Women's communities were or still are....

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