Female Equivalent To Jesuits?

[katherineH]

Hello friends,

 

I am currently in discernment and am interested in connecting with religious communities with a strong academic and/or intellectual bent, and with a presence in universities, sort of like a female version of the Jesuits.  Are any of you familiar with a community like that? I know Dominicans have a strong commitment to learning but from what I've gathered they mostly teach in K-12 schools.

 

Thanks!

 

Katherine

[Luigi]

The Religious of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (rscj), founded by St. Sophie Barat in France in 1800, have many similarities to and connections with the Jesuits.

 

Sophie Barat's brother was a Jesuit; he put her in touch with a Jesuit confrere (whose name I can't remember) who helped her form her religious order. Jesuits served as spiritual directors/confessors to many rscj's in France, in the US when they sent out their first missionaries, and sort of whenever-possible.

 

They have a long tradition of higher education among their members. Their traditional apostolate has been education, with an emphasis on the education of girls. They established 19 academies (K-12 schools) throughout the US, although some of them have since dropped the high school level. And a number of the K-8 schools are co-ed - that's also traditional. They also established a number of colleges in the US, although all of those now seem to be independent institutions no longer sponsored or staffed by the order. But I know several rscj's who teach at the university level.

 

Here's the link to the US-Canada province: https://rscj.org/ Click on Our Mission Lived, and the on Sacred Heart Schools. They don't show any colleges/universities currently.

Edited November 16, 2014 by Luigi

[Gabriela]

I asked this question a long time ago, too, and unfortunately there really doesn't seem to be any close equivalent. I have strong opinions about why that is (related to gender stereotypes and intellectualism), but I'm not gonna' go there...

 

I think the closest you'll get in terms of apostolate is the Apostles of the Interior Life, who, from what I've heard, educate all their sisters to the terminal degree. Unfortunately, they are not in habit, but I hear they are totally kosher and very holy women, with good reasons for choosing not to don a habit.

 

[nikita92]

Maybe it's time for someone to form such a community!! O;-)

[puellapaschalis]

I think the IBVM were considered the female counterpart to the SJs. However, their story didn't end well - or maybe it's still continuing. I stopped following after a while.

 

The impression I had - this is total hearsay based on vague memories - was that they simply embraced heresy, stopped being Catholic, and threw a wobbly when called out on it. But check before you form your own opinion on the group, because disclaimer &c. &c. &c.

[salveregina10]

The Apostles of the Interior Life - http://www.apostlesofil.com/ are the closest I have met.  They focus on evangelization, are international, are faithful to the Church, and do very extensive studies as part of their formation.  

I have run into them while doing campus ministry and found them to be joyful, faithful, and full of life.

[truthfinder]

In North America, the Ursuline nuns were called Jesuitesses, and they still have some teaching capacity, but have unfortunately suffered from a lack of vocations.

[Spem in alium]

I think the IBVM were considered the female counterpart to the SJs. However, their story didn't end well - or maybe it's still continuing. I stopped following after a while.

 

The impression I had - this is total hearsay based on vague memories - was that they simply embraced heresy, stopped being Catholic, and threw a wobbly when called out on it. But check before you form your own opinion on the group, because disclaimer &c. &c. &c.

 

The IBVM Sisters certainly seem to still be active and faithful, at least in my country. I went to a Loreto school, with Sisters still working there. There are around 100 sisters here, many of whom are still active in ministry. Based on what I learnt at school, and the spirituality they possess, they can be considered the female equivalent of the Jesuits. 

Edited November 17, 2014 by Spem in alium

[Catherine Mectilde]

The Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma are a very impressive group of women that are educated to an incredibly high degree: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjVUP-oZrZE

[Yaatee]

I am not sure how the RSM-Almas use their degrees. Most of their highest degrees are in medicine.

 

For intellectual pursuits, the most educated women and those who still teach in universities will be found among the rscj's, as another poster has mentioned, and the OSBs and OPs, generally not in habit. The OSBs in St. Joseph, MN teach at the women's college affiliated with St. John's University, for example. The OSBs in Duluth teach at St. Catherine's University.  There are OP sisters affiliated at the Dominican colleges/universities.  Only age slows them down. Anyone inquiring at these orders will find opportinities for teaching at the college level, if this is possible.  Both the Benedictines and the Dominicans have very strong intellectual traditions, through teaching for the Dominicans  and through their vow of stability for the Benedictines, which lead them to establishing schools and colleges at their monasteries, as in St John's in Collegeville, MN.

 

For enclosed nuns, the nuns at Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, CT have the strongest tradition in the US. the sing the office in Latin, using Gregorian Chant, and several have pursued advanced degrees as nuns.

[katherineH]

Thanks guys you're the best! I had found several communities affiliated with universities that didn't wear a habit and didn't know how to gauge their level of orthodoxy (this may be a a prejudice on my part). I'll look into your suggestions.  Thanks again!

[Spem in alium]

For intellectual pursuits, the most educated women and those who still teach in universities will be found among the rscj's, as another poster has mentioned, and the OSBs and OPs, generally not in habit. The OSBs in St. Joseph, MN teach at the women's college affiliated with St. John's University, for example. The OSBs in Duluth teach at St. Catherine's University.  There are OP sisters affiliated at the Dominican colleges/universities.  Only age slows them down. Anyone inquiring at these orders will find opportinities for teaching at the college level, if this is possible.  Both the Benedictines and the Dominicans have very strong intellectual traditions, through teaching for the Dominicans  and through their vow of stability for the Benedictines, which lead them to establishing schools and colleges at their monasteries, as in St John's in Collegeville, MN.

 

 

I was at CSB on exchange in 2012, and absolutely LOVED the Sisters. I found stability was felt very deeply, and they do a very strong intellectual tradition there - and at SJU, too. They still had several Sisters actively teaching when I was there. 

[reminiscere]

Apostles of the Interior Life, and formerly, the Religious of the Cenacle and the Religious of the Sacred Heart. 

[Nunsuch]

The RSCJs still have a number of colleges. In the UK, they have Digby Stuart College a part of the University of Roehampton (University of London)--I spoke at a conference there last summer to celelbrate the centenary of Janet Erskine Stuart's death.  In the US, they have Manhattanville College, still.  

 

Many religious congregations in the US conduct colleges and universities.  They are similar to the Jesuits in that respect, and in their governance. In many respects, sisters who live alone or in small groups or who don't wear habits are MORE like the Jesuits in many respects than more traditional orders. This is not a judgment--just a fact, about both them and the Jesuits.... 

[Egeria]

In addition to those already mentioned, the Sisters of the Holy Child Jesus:

http://www.shcj.org/society.html

 

Having said that, there seem to be two separate issues running through this. There are:

- Sisters with an Ignatian charism, like the SHCJ, RSCJ, IBVM/CJs who, although they tend to value academic work, are not all academics, just as not all Jesuits are academics.

- Sisters who value academic work but are not necessarily Ignatian. Dominicans and Jesuits both value study, but they are nevertheless very, very different!

 

It may help to get clarity on whether it's just the academic work aspect of the Jesuits that appeals to you, or whether it is their Ignatian identity based on the spiritual exercises, and their somewhat different approach to religious community and observances.

Edited November 17, 2014 by Egeria