Merger, PCPA

[Thijs]

The Poor Clares of Our Lady of the Angels Monastery in Hanceville will be merging with the Poor Clares from Charlotte, NC. Mother Dolores Marie, PCPA, who is presently the Abbess of St. Joseph Monastery in Charlotte, will be the superior.

Prayers for our dear Mother Angelica also as she is  receiving nutrients from a feeding tube. She is suffering from lingering effects and partial paralysis as a result of two  strokes she suffering 14 years ago , she is able to communicate with a squeeze of the hand or gestures with her eyes. 

[Feankie]

The nuns from Charlotte indeed moved to Hanceville on Nov 21.  Mother Dolores Marie is indeed the new Abbess.  We discussed this on another thread the past month or so.  Mother Dolores Marie received permission to keep the St. Joseph Adoration Monastery in Charlotte on the "back burner" with its own checking account, etc.  She would very much like to see that project come to fruition in the future.

[nikita92]

I dont mean to be ignorant..but I am still abit confused as to WHY the merger? OLAM seemed to be doing well lately with a couple of fairly new discerners they have accepted into their fold. All the Solemn professed nuns seem to be stable and doing well. Mother A of course is on the decline. (understandable at her age) 

Mother Delores was on track with the advancing progress towards building her new Monastery...if having to put it on the backburner is God's will..then of course so be it. I have no doubt, her vision will come to fruition in time! In the mean time..I wish both communities much joy and a wonderful celebration time together as baby Jesus birth is nearing!

[truthfinder]

I'm only guessing, but OLAM really only had three nuns and Mother Angelica.  Those in the novitiate tend not to 'count' when the health of a community is considered.  Keeping in mind that they had around 25+ members at one point, it was a significant decline.  They really didn't have enough numbers to fill all the positions that are typically required by constitutions (abbess, vicar general, a couple counsellors, and a novice mistress).   

[veritasluxmea]

It also mentioned in the article that considering OLAM's history they wanted to keep it open, and to do so they needed to merge

[Makarioi]

Gosh, I know some moved to new foundations, but where did they all go? I didn't realize it was that slim. Prayers for them and Mother Angelica

[Maggyie]

The details of what happened are a private matter for the community. But basically some of them asked to be dispensed from vows, others left for other communities, and a few stayed. 

[Makarioi]

Of course it is, Maggyie. I'm just a bit surprised to hear of such change there

[reminiscere]

I'm sorry, but it can't just be dismissed as a private community matter. Why? Because, if so many people are interested in the obvious crisis which has occurred at OLAM, it's OLAM's own fault and naturally, people are curious.

OLAM chose to be so visible - and I don't mean apart from the EWTN Sunday Benediction and occasional broadcasts of Masses.

Besides their quarterly newsletter, Regina Angelorum (which I believe has since changed names) they chose to publish pictures from every entrance, clothing, first profession and final profession for years online.

The monastery was filled to capacity. How many solemnly-professed nuns and perpetually-professed externs did they have, at least 20? Besides all the postulants, novices and temporarily-professed. And how many of those in final profession have left? Including senior members of the community. 

Not only did OLAM re-found Portsmouth, they necessarily founded Phoenix and San Antonio because of their huge numbers. And from these two foundations several in vows have also left. 

The problem was obviously important enough to have had the Holy See directly intervene, including the imposition of a non-PCPA religious as superior for quite some time. The problem was clearly so grave that they were down to only 4 solemnly professed nuns including Mother Angelica, with the Holy See mandating that Charlotte come to the rescue.

And no one can just say casually attribute these decimated numbers to nuns joining other PCPA houses or other religious communities or having founded new communities. The fact remains that a good number - if not most - of those who left. are again in the lay state. 

I don't know if there were formation issues, power issues, an identity crisis, or whatever. I don't really care and technically it's no one's business.

However if so many are interested, as I said it is OLAM's fault. 

[beatitude]

It's true that OLAM has always been very public about entrances - but that still doesn't make it OK to gossip or pry into things that don't affect us. It's our own choice if we do that, even if OLAM sisters have not always been prudent in the amount they chose to share. It seems to me that the most charitable thing we can do in this situation is pray for the community and avoid speculating about them.

If someone is seriously discerning with this monastery, I think it's right to mention to them that there have been some problems behind the scenes, and to encourage them to ask some good frank questions of the superiors. But this thread isn't about discernment, it's just a lot of "Oh, did you hear about - ? I wonder why - ?" and this isn't helpful to anyone. This is the second time recently that I've had to close a thread due to speculation/gossip about the PCPAs, and I'd like to remind people once again to let charity and usefulness be the guiding principles in posting about communities. Is it charitable? If not, don't post. Is it going to be useful to discerners? If not, don't post.