Short list of links for Mature discerners

[Guest]

Excellent thread!

[Antigonos]

I looked at the website for the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel's Hope, and was struck by the complete lack of information about the composition of the community, which seems unusual to me.  Is there indeed a community?  Several years ago I remember Rosalind Moss was still trying to set one up.  Does anyone have any current information?

[clareagnes]

The Poor Clare Colettines in Rockford and I believe also Cleveland accept women up to age 40 and possibly older on a case-by-case basis. One of the Rockford Sisters was 47 when she entered!

[Amy Subbiah]

Hi i am a formely Carmelite nun already with solemn vows.

But i  am out in the world and after much discernment would like to live once again as cloistered carmelite nun. My age is 54.

Can anyone accept me. Please give me a chance to live my vocation once again.

[JHFamily]

10 hours ago, Amy Subbiah said:

Hi i am a formely Carmelite nun already with solemn vows.

But i  am out in the world and after much discernment would like to live once again as cloistered carmelite nun. My age is 54.

Can anyone accept me. Please give me a chance to live my vocation once again.

I'm assuming you've already contacted your former community.  

[Amy Subbiah]

On 12/20/2017 at 6:24 AM, DameAgnes said:

This question is asked over and over again. It really does come down to the community and the Holy Spirit. I've seen communities say they accept no one over 35 make exceptions for women in their 40's if it seems like the Holy Spirit is leading. I know of a Carmel that accepted a woman who was either 67 or 71, and she is professed and still going strong now. It comes down to the community and the Holy Spirit. 

Can you please write to me which Discalced Carmelite Monastery Nuns accepts late vocation.

I'm 54.

subbiahamy@gmail.com

[Dymphna]

Hello Amy,

Maybe first something about the nature of this forum: We are not people in a professional function who have the task to help with vocational problems. We are seekers for our vocation ourselves, plus some members of religious orders and others who are supportive of this subject. Any concrete advice would be the job of the people a vocations office or of course a community you are in contact with.

I know that in Benecictine communities it happens that sisters who have left are readmitted again - the rule of St. Benedict even has provisions for this. I don't know how the case is regarding Carmelite communities, ie. whether you could re-join your former community. If this might be an option for you I'd definitely contact them, like JHFamily wrote. In my experience, any other community you wish to join will want to talk with your former community anyway, so even if you can't or don't want to go back, it would be good to be talking with them. Even if maybe you'd find it difficult to talk to sisters in leadership positions, possibly there are others you could ask about their contacts to other carmelite communities - I'd think that Carmelites are in a much better position to know about other Carmelites than we are!

Other than that, you could just google Carmelite communites and send a short email to each of them, asking them whether they would consider re-admitting someone at your age. I'd definitely mention that you were a Carmelite before, because this means that you can live this life - so even if a community normally has a lower age limit, they might consider you anyway.

You don't write about the reasons why you left nor how long ago this has been, so I'm thinking that maybe some help in processing your experience might be useful - for example there is https://leonieslonging.org/ .

[M. Therese]

The Eudists of the Eleventh Hour is founded for older vocations for women. It was founded by Mother Antonia Brennar who has now passed away.

https://eudistservants.org/

[bmb144]

http://cloisters.tripod.com/au_ossr_bolwarra/

The Sisters are able to accept people for serious discernment leading to a live in experience. The above website was recently updated. Over 35 is not an issue. 

[deusluxmea]

Regarding the above community, The Redemptoristines in Bolwarra, Australia, they are very much known/approved to the diocese. That webpage above comes from the Cloister Outreach organisation which has unfortunately had some issues in the past. Even though that page was created by Cloister Outreach, the order itself is not connected with Cloister Outreach.

Hope this makes sense. Would hate for this order to be flagged. 

Here's  a link that lists them within the diocese

https://www.mn.catholic.org.au/church-mission/catholic-life/religious-congregations/redemptoristine-nuns/

[Sister Leticia]

Thank you for posting this link - I too had noticed the Cloister "host", and remembered some issues, several years ago. The Redemptoristines are a well established, bona fide international congregation. They have a community in Ireland which - I'm told - streams many of its liturgies, enabling people to join in with their prayer.

But an added bonus of the link posted by @deusluxmea: as I glanced at the list of congregations, I thought I recognised one name. And yes, it's the community which someone from this forum joined, some years ago. She posted throughout her postulancy, but then stopped when she became a novice. Anyway, she's still there - I followed the link to their Facebook page, where she can be seen, in a black veil. 

I'm afraid I cannot remember her username - but if anyone else remembers an Aussie postulant, then you might know who I'm talking about!

[littlebell]

26 minutes ago, Sister Leticia said:

Thank you for posting this link - I too had noticed the Cloister "host", and remembered some issues, several years ago. The Redemptoristines are a well established, bona fide international congregation. They have a community in Ireland which - I'm told - streams many of its liturgies, enabling people to join in with their prayer.

But an added bonus of the link posted by @deusluxmea: as I glanced at the list of congregations, I thought I recognised one name. And yes, it's the community which someone from this forum joined, some years ago. She posted throughout her postulancy, but then stopped when she became a novice. Anyway, she's still there - I followed the link to their Facebook page, where she can be seen, in a black veil. 

I'm afraid I cannot remember her username - but if anyone else remembers an Aussie postulant, then you might know who I'm talking about!

If memory serves me correctly, her username was Spem in alium.

[Antigonos]

1 hour ago, littlebell said:

If memory serves me correctly, her username was Spem in alium.

Good catch, if that is indeed who she is, and it certainly seems to be!  I remember her well, glad for her that she is now fully professed.

[Sister Leticia]

That's her - thank you Little Bell. And yes, it is her on the FB page, in one of the videos. I recognised her straightaway, because she had posted some photos of herself here. (I could remember all sorts of things - just not her username!)

@Antigonos - I imagine she's still in temporary vows, as I think it's only 4? or so years since she became a novice. So not yet fully professed, but - God willing - en route! 

[deusluxmea]

Spem in alium was a wonderful presence here.