Vocation to Religious Life with Ignatian Spirituality and the TLM

[IgnatianAtHeart]

Happy feast of Saint Hillary!

I have been discerning a vocation to religious life, and ultimately the priesthood, for a little over a year now. 

I am very dedicated to Ignatian spirituality and the great Jesuit Saints, as well as the traditional Liturgy (TLM, and Breviarium Romanum). I have a deep attraction for religious life, but am open to something similar. 

I am in contact with the FSSP and ICKSP. Are there any other ideas that you all can think of that match with what I’m looking for?

 

[ReasonableFaith]

10 hours ago, IgnatianAtHeart said:

Happy feast of Saint Hillary!

I have been discerning a vocation to religious life, and ultimately the priesthood, for a little over a year now. 

I am very dedicated to Ignatian spirituality and the great Jesuit Saints, as well as the traditional Liturgy (TLM, and Breviarium Romanum). I have a deep attraction for religious life, but am open to something similar. 

I am in contact with the FSSP and ICKSP. Are there any other ideas that you all can think of that match with what I’m looking for?

 

This may seem obvious, but have you considered contacting the Jesuits?  They have excellent vocations departments. You can get a very informative (perhaps overwhelming) response from just a simple first inquiry by email. 
 

There are Jesuits who celebrate the extraordinary form. Also many/most Jesuits pray the liturgy of the hours on their own. They are not required to recite the hours in common; there may be options as to which texts are used. 
 

Finally it is worth noting the FSSP and ICKSP are both societies of apostolic life rather than religious institutes. That is to say they do not make public religious vows, per se. 
 

Best of luck and enjoy your opportunity to discern with the communities you feel attracted to. 

[IgnatianAtHeart]

9 hours ago, ReasonableFaith said:

This may seem obvious, but have you considered contacting the Jesuits?  They have excellent vocations departments. You can get a very informative (perhaps overwhelming) response from just a simple first inquiry by email. 
 

There are Jesuits who celebrate the extraordinary form. Also many/most Jesuits pray the liturgy of the hours on their own. They are not required to recite the hours in common; there may be options as to which texts are used. 
 

Finally it is worth noting the FSSP and ICKSP are both societies of apostolic life rather than religious institutes. That is to say they do not make public religious vows, per se. 
 

Best of luck and enjoy your opportunity to discern with the communities you feel attracted to. 

Thanks for your response!

I was in discernment with the Society of Jesus for 10 months, but after some time and discussions with my spiritual director (a traditional-leaning Jesuit) and a seminarian with the FSSP, it makes no sense for me to enter the SJ as much as I would want to. It’s simply not a possibility to celebrate the TLM regularly within the Society. It is too up in the air for me to risk. I am very close with tons of Jesuits, and I know few that pray the Liturgy of the Hours regularly. 
Although I know that the FSSP nor the ICKSP are religious orders, they operate as though they are and community life is important to them (which is to me too). 
Ideally, the SJ would be perfect, if they created a group of guys who were more traditionally leaning. As it stands now, many Jesuits are suppressed by their provincials and/or superiors. They’re also often treated much different within their own communities and they feel as though not a part of their community. The formation, which is not as traditional as the above two (FSSP and ICKSP), would also bring up a problem.

I am in contact with both the FSSP and the ICKSP, I am just waiting to choose a date on which to go and visit.

[profer_lumen_cæcis]

Deo Gratias! That is so beautiful! I can't offer any advice other than what you already know (concerning the FSSP and the ICKSP), but please know that you are surrounded in prayer!

 

One other thing that I do think is worth a mention, however, is that there are a few Dominicans who are able to offer the Dominican Rite TLM, so maybe that is something else to discern? They can be a mixed bag, however.

 

If you don't already have a spiritual director, I would highly *highly* recommend seeking one! He can help you discern different fraternities and orders, so you might want to ask your priest  If you already are under a priest's direction, then you are already well on the way to very fruitful discernment! 

[IgnatianAtHeart]

37 minutes ago, profer_lumen_cæcis said:

Deo Gratias! That is so beautiful! I can't offer any advice other than what you already know (concerning the FSSP and the ICKSP), but please know that you are surrounded in prayer!

 

One other thing that I do think is worth a mention, however, is that there are a few Dominicans who are able to offer the Dominican Rite TLM, so maybe that is something else to discern? They can be a mixed bag, however.

 

If you don't already have a spiritual director, I would highly *highly* recommend seeking one! He can help you discern different fraternities and orders, so you might want to ask your priest  If you already are under a priest's direction, then you are already well on the way to very fruitful discernment! 

Thank you! 

I do have quite a few priests working with me and backing me, my spiritual director (a “traditional” Jesuit) in particular is pushing me to the ICKSP, same with the vocations director for my Archdiocese. 

We will see! All in the Divine Majesty’s will!

In all things to love and serve. 

[valleri]

i know a lot of really amesome jesuits. you really should consider them! don't rule anything out yet

[profer_lumen_cæcis]

@IgnatianAtHeart That is wonderful! The ICKSPs are amazing  It's so encouraging to see so many vocations to traditional priestly associations!

[JHFamily]

Not Ignatian, but they immediately came to mind when I read your post, but how about the Alpine Redemptorists? Their spirituality leans more heavily on St. Alphonsus Liguori, but they do have the TLM. This is a religious order, though they do serve parishes.

They have recently made a foundation in Monatana.

Montana Rosa Mystica

[IgnatianAtHeart]

On 1/15/2021 at 11:28 AM, valleri said:

i know a lot of really amesome jesuits. you really should consider them! don't rule anything out yet

I too know many many excellent and holy Jesuits, however the Society of Jesus is nothing like what it used to be. I am unwilling to risk the EF of the Mass in my life. 

You know, I was reading the Autobiography of Saint Robert Bellarmine, and he joined the Society of Jesus because it was the “safe” option. I feel I should do the same. 

It would be my joy to join the Society of Jesus because it has everything I am looking for, except for one major point, the EF and Tradition/orthodoxy.

[JHFamily]

Some day, I am confident God will bring all orders back to the TLM.  I'm not saying all communities will be TLM, but rather that all orders will be represented, will have at least one TLM community.

I have been having a conversation with a Poor Clare Prioress over the course of the last couple of years about their founding a TLM community from volunteers from the various Collettine communities. The answer was a strong "no", but she planted the seed so deeply, spoke to so many sisters about it (both in her community and others), that I am sure it will take root in God's perfect timing.

I just don't think that there is understanding on the great need of TLM communities in the sundry different orders, particularly the more established ones that hold such a heritage of the Church, like the Jesuits. Let us pray that God will provide the graces needed for providing this in His good time.

[reminiscere]

https://societyofignatians.com/

[PaxCordisJesu]

8 hours ago, JHFamily said:

Some day, I am confident God will bring all orders back to the TLM.  I'm not saying all communities will be TLM, but rather that all orders will be represented, will have at least one TLM community.

I have been having a conversation with a Poor Clare Prioress over the course of the last couple of years about their founding a TLM community from volunteers from the various Collettine communities. The answer was a strong "no", but she planted the seed so deeply, spoke to so many sisters about it (both in her community and others), that I am sure it will take root in God's perfect timing.

I just don't think that there is understanding on the great need of TLM communities in the sundry different orders, particularly the more established ones that hold such a heritage of the Church, like the Jesuits. Let us pray that God will provide the graces needed for providing this in His good time.

Amen! I've often wondered what TLM Catholics do if God is calling them to be, say, a Franciscan? To my knowledge, there are no Franciscans with the TLM. And there seem to be so many vocations coming from the FSSP parishes! They can't all be called to be Carmelites or Benedictines, can they?

While I'm already on this topic, prayers that a foundation of Solesmes Benedictine nuns is begun, somewhere, somehow, would be much appreciated. I mean, if the Solesmes Congregation already has numerous thriving male monasteries with the TLM, it's only fair that there be a monastery of nuns, too!

[ReasonableFaith]

1 hour ago, PaxCordisJesu said:

Amen! I've often wondered what TLM Catholics do if God is calling them to be, say, a Franciscan? To my knowledge, there are no Franciscans with the TLM. And there seem to be so many vocations coming from the FSSP parishes! They can't all be called to be Carmelites or Benedictines, can they?

Franciscan Friars and Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate immediately come to mind as Franciscan communities interested in the Extraordinary Form. 
 

If any person is called to a religious or secular institute they are free to follow the call or not. If they choose to follow they do well to heed the advice of their superiors and advisors as well as respecting the traditions of the institute. 

11 hours ago, IgnatianAtHeart said:

I too know many many excellent and holy Jesuits, however the Society of Jesus is nothing like what it used to be. I am unwilling to risk the EF of the Mass in my life. 

You know, I was reading the Autobiography of Saint Robert Bellarmine, and he joined the Society of Jesus because it was the “safe” option. I feel I should do the same. 

It would be my joy to join the Society of Jesus because it has everything I am looking for, except for one major point, the EF and Tradition/orthodoxy.

I’d just point out all religious institutes in good standing with The Church are by definition orthodox. I think you may be referring to your personal opinion about individual Jesuits. 
 

I think you will find members of FSSP, ICKSP or other similar groups hold some questionable positions that just happen to lay on the opposite end of the ideological spectrum.  This doesn’t have any bearing on the orthodoxy of the institute itself.