Older/Late Vocations Men & Women

[ofpheritup]

OKAY I THINK WE HAVE GOTTEN OFF TRACK HERE. I CHOSE THIS TOPIC SO THAT "OLDER" PEOPLE WHO FEEL THEY HAVE A VOCATION HAD SOME PLACE TO GO FOR SUPPORT

I am looking to hear their stories and experiences. Ours is a long difficult and oftentimes misunderstood journey. I want to share the hope that there is a place out there for everyone.

This is not the place to be criticized or told that whatever feelings people may have are wrong. If that is something you are into I suggest you find another site.

I appreciate the positive support and prayers I have received. They are the reasons that I keep searching. And please if you are able to give positive feedback then continue responding.

Over the FIVE years I have been looking I have come across many, many Vocation Directors who feel their communities are wrong for not accepting older vocations. Unfortunately their hands are tied. I sympathize with them. When I started looking I was 42.

Now as to not being able to live the vows outside a religious order, WRONG. I have been a Secular Franciscan for over 18 years and I live the vows everyday. And the vows I professed are in no way less than what a religious takes.

As to "If you have an order to go to" I don't. I will be VISITING an order this summer. I do not know what the outcome will be. I may be back to square one. I won't know until then.

I am standing by my original statements. Communities need to wake up, there are thousands of us out here. And trusting in God is a major issue. Again, many religious I have met are frustrated by their community's age limits.

AGAIN THIS TOPIC EXISTS FOR ANYONE INTERESTED IN SUPPORTING OLDER VOCATIONS WITHIN THE CHURCH. Whether it be thru prayers or communites you would like to refer us to.

I would like to hear from people like myself.

[Marieteresa]

Hey ofpheritup,
I am just wondering....what is your vocation story, I mean when did you realize you had a calling toward religious life. I am always interested in ones vocation story. Also do you think your being called to an active or cloistered order? Lasty did you get a chance to check out the Discalced Carmelite Nuns, Monastery of St. Therese of Lisieux. Again you are in my prayers!

In Jesus, Our Blessed Mother and Joseph
S. Brooks

[ofpheritup]

Thank you for asking. It started when I was four years old. My father and I went to a monastery in our city to drop off some food. In those days there was a "turn" you put whatever you wanted to give the sisters and YOU TURNED IT AROUND. Well my dad put the food in and me with it.

I had a wonderful visit and that is when I started thinking about becoming a nun.

When I was 16 I did join a religious community I stayed about a year. Long story short I was abused there physically, mentally and emotionally. I left.

Fast forward I have been in the Army and lived overseas. I have been married I have a daughter. I have held down many jobs. I have friends, I have a life.

But the desire to be a nun has never left. And so here I am again looking.

I have discovered something I did not know back then. There are of course the active and contemplatives orders. But did you know there is also a "middle ground"?

There are communities who are contemplative but not necessarily cloistered.

.A community I am visiting in August falls into that category. They have a limited apostolate outside of the convent. I will be able to share more info with everyone after I come back.

[Susan]

Dear Offheritup,
I've been reading this thread and I understand your frustration although I'm not "older." Well, I'm almost.
If so many orders rejected your request (not rejected YOU!) there may be a reason that is more than just your age. You were married and have a daughter and many orders have found from a lot of experience that it doesn't work too well. Think of the pain a community goes through everytime someone comes and then leaves.
I think you also have to accept that vocation directress/ novice mistress to receive a certain "grace of office" and that discernment is on both sides. One directress told me that she has lived the life for 38 years and so does know by experience what it takes to live the contemplative life and that this can't really be understood unless I lived it...
Think of St. Therese's parents: they were both refused admittance into religious life!
I am not critizing you because I do understand your frustration...maybe with this community you are visiting God has shown you "THE PLACE" or maybe it's a step along the way to knowing what HE WANTS!
I have a friend who just spent the past 10 years in 2 different cloisters. She is in her 50's, was married (no kids). She left and finally found that as much as she wanted to be a nun that is not what the Lord was calling her to.
There is no easy answer to any of this. I do know that the Visitation Nuns have a special charism for accepting older/ married/widowed women. So, maybe you should look into them more????
Please be assured of my prayers for you in this.
Susan

[quote name='ofpheritup' date='Jul 2 2005, 07:03 AM']Thank you for asking. It started when I was four years old. My father and I went to a monastery in our city to drop off some food. In those days there was a "turn" you put whatever you wanted to give the sisters and YOU TURNED IT AROUND. Well my dad put the food in and me with it. 

I had a wonderful visit and that is when I started thinking about becoming a nun.

When I was 16 I did join a religious community  I stayed about a year. Long story short I was abused there physically, mentally and emotionally.  I left.

Fast forward I have been in the Army and lived overseas. I have been married I have a daughter. I have held down many jobs. I have friends, I have a life.

But the desire to be a nun has never left.  And so here I am again looking.

I have discovered something I did not know back then. There are of course the active and contemplatives orders. But did you know there is also a "middle ground"?

There are communities who are contemplative but not necessarily cloistered.

.A community I am visiting in August  falls into that category. They have a limited apostolate outside of the convent. I will be able to share more info with everyone after I come back.
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[daugher-of-Mary]

I just read an article in Envoy about a relatively new order called the Servants of the Eleventh Hour. The name seemed a little weird at first, but Envoy is the paradigm of Orthodoxy so I read on. The foundress, Mother Antonia, explains about the name, "Sometimes, we are called to service at the first hour. For others, it's the second or the third. But then there are those who are standing around at the eleventh hour, when they are finally called to give up their lieves and go work in the vineyard."
The Sisters make their vows for just a year at a time. Most are older than 40 or 50. They teach, work in prisons, and take care of the elderly. Rome calls the Servants of the Eleventh Hour "a new kind of way of serving God...something inspired by the Holy SPirit..and something new and wonderful for the Church."

[ofpheritup]

Thank you for the info. I know about them, my mom sent me an article from People magazine. Mother Antonia has written a book called "The Prison Angel"

Does anyone have an address for them so I can write to them?

[Marieteresa]

[quote name='ofpheritup' date='Jul 4 2005, 02:03 PM']Thank you for the info. I know about them, my mom sent me an article from People magazine. Mother Antonia has written a book called "The Prison Angel"

Does anyone have an address for them so I can write to them?
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Hey Missy here is there contact information for the Servants of the Eleventh Hour

Mother Antonia
c/o Pat Smith
3542 Governor Drive
San Diego, CA 92122

Your in my prayers hon.
In Jesus, Our Blessed Mother and Joseph,
S. Brooks

[daugher-of-Mary]

oh yeah...from the article..call Sr. Kathleen at 858-272-0082

[ofpheritup]

I read the book The Prison Angel today. It was fantastic. The life is open to anyone not just older vocations.

[passionheart]

Hello,

I'm new here but I saw this thread and I thought I would join in.

I am someone who is in the same boat as being older and still feeling called to religious life. On Tuesday I will be 43 and I know that will make even less attractive to orders.

However, my life experience has lead me to say this that it is only at this age I could make a commitment to religious life. If I had entered younger, I would have left and never considered the vocation again.

I have been turned down by many groups but one order is open to me even though I am over their age. Their Mother said they will take older vocations if the person has a vocation to prayer. This is a Domincian Cloister community in Buffalo. Never thought I had a vocation to the cloister but see, it took me 43 yrs to know the truth.

Cheers,

DonnaMarie

P.S. I wrote to a Sister friend of mine who is a vocation directress if the fact that I appeared on the cover of Religious Life this month would make me more attractive to orders!!! I think this Cover girl will let her agent handle the calls

[ofpheritup]

WELCOME
WELCOME
WELCOME

I will be praying for you.

I know how you feel. It is a scary, wondrous, joyful and frustrating journey. And we musn't give up.

I started this topic because I wanted to support others like myself. I wasn't getting support. And in some cases am still not.

There are literally thousands of us in the same situation. We are one of the "untapped goldmines" within the Church.

[passionheart]

Thanks for the Welcome.

I like what you say as to "untapped goldmine". I feel that in many ways our age group has a lot to offer. First of all a recent university grad at my tender age, there I noticed that young people today are younger than their biological age.

As a member of the Insitutue of Religious life, I have spoken to Vocation directress who said that quite of bit their work in more is in finding mature vocations. One Sister told me that she was suprised after a telephone conversation with an inqurier, that the person was in her 30's!!!! She thought she was much younger.

I have looked at RL since I was in my middle 20's. Since I had no takers I felt this was not my called. However, tried I might to bury this vocation it keeps rising like the zombies in the "Dawn of the Dead" VOCATION, VOCATION!!!!!. :bugeyes:

So after a very powerful experience at an IRL meeting in 2003, I decided I had to get this question settled once and for all. I believe if God is calling me to this life there must be someplace for me or may be I might be called to help with a new foundation. Either way, I am finally truly listening and desiring to be lead , then going my own way!!!

Cheers,

DM

[ofpheritup]

I was curious about something did you want paper or plastic?

OH UH, I'm sorry I meant habit or no habit?

[ofpheritup]

The ticket has been paid for and I will be going to visit on the first of August.

I keep having dreams that the plane crashes. OH HELP.

[zabbazooey]

let us know how it goes! :