Nashville Dominicans

[shortnun]

I know (from having read old posts) that there are people out there who have visted, are/were discerning with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecelia in Nashville, TN. And in light of that, I have a few questions for those of you who know the sisters from experience, literature, etc.

First, a little background. The charism I identify with most is that of the Dominican order (hence why I go to a Dominican school now). I identified this attraction toward Dominican lifestyle, etc fairly early in my discernment process (about 6 or so years ago, during my senior year of high school). The chaplin at my high school just so happened to have a sister who was a Nashville Dominican (actually, Sr. Catherine Marie, the former vocations director). And for a few years in college, I felt attracted to the St. Cecelia congregation, but was never able to make a vocations retreat. In my freshman year of college, I met the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist at a Vocations Congress in Canada. The combination of Ann Arbor being closer to me than Nashville, more frequent retreats, and divine providence led me to make three retreats with the SMME over two years. Lately I've felt more interested in (more of a pull toward?) the sisters in Nashville. I can't go on their retreat in January, but if it's God's will I'll make it to the retreat in May.

(And now to my point...)
~ Are there women who are feeling more "called" to Nashville as opposed to Ann Arbor? If so, why?
~ For those who know both communities, could you elaborate on some of the differences--both good and bad, obvious and maybe not so obvious--between them?
~ Additionally, I'd love to just have a conversation about this community of sisters and your encounters with them.

:

[benedictaj]

My thoughts - bearing in mind I haven't visited....hehe.

Both seem to be great, and I really think that certain people would be drawn to each place, in different ways.

A discerning friend through livejournal hopes to enter Nashville after graduation (in a year or two, can't remember) and she visited both, several times. She said that it ended up being Nashville because they had a quieter joy about them, whereas up in Ann Arbor, they were so enthusiastic and non-stop, she was always overwhelmed by their huge excitement.

I would think that the way Nashville does things, and the traditions/customs they have, are there because they both work best, and they've survived through time.

Ann Arbor is still fairly new, and they are settling into their rhythm, which will end up being their distinctive "feel."

I get the feeling - I may be wrong - that Ann Arbor generates a real emotional high, especially after their retreats, and this really draws people in. I don't get that feeling from Nashville though, instead its more of a taking things slowly and carefully.....

But I really don't know. I think it'd be fascinating to visit both, to compare them. I doubt I ever will though.

We have a couple of girls applying to the SMME for next August, I'm sure they'll help with this, and I know that the other Emily visited the St Cecilia Dominicans last year.....

[photosynthesis]

one of my best friends from college is Sister Mary Bethany (Kata Zeitler). she recently made her vows into the order.

[AlterDominicus]

[quote name='shortnun' date='Dec 1 2005, 04:58 PM']I  know (from having read old posts) that there are people out there who have visted, are/were discerning with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecelia in Nashville, TN. And in light of that, I have a few questions for those of you who know the sisters from experience, literature, etc.

First, a little background. The charism I identify with most is that of the Dominican order (hence why I go to a Dominican school now). I identified this attraction toward Dominican lifestyle, etc fairly early in my discernment process (about 6 or so years ago, during my senior year of high school). The chaplin at my high school just so happened to have a sister who was a Nashville Dominican (actually, Sr. Catherine Marie, the former vocations director). And for a few years in college, I felt attracted to the St. Cecelia congregation, but was never able to make a vocations retreat. In my freshman year of college, I met the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist at a Vocations Congress in Canada. The combination of Ann Arbor being closer to me than Nashville, more frequent retreats, and divine providence led me to make three retreats with the SMME over two years. Lately I've felt more interested in (more of a pull toward?) the sisters in Nashville. I can't go on their retreat in January, but if it's God's will I'll make it to the retreat in May.

(And now to my point...)
~ Are there women who are feeling more "called" to Nashville as opposed to Ann Arbor? If so, why?
~ For those who know both communities, could you elaborate on some of the differences--both good and bad, obvious and maybe not so obvious--between them?
~ Additionally, I'd love to just have a conversation about this community of sisters and your encounters with them.

    :
[right][snapback]807390[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

1. ND have 250 sisters, it really depends on where the "candidate" is called to by God. Its God's choice, the sisters since there are so many go out unto missions as you can see on their website there "ARENT" just schools in Nashville, there are schools all over the world, including Rome, Italy.

2. I know about/over 8 of these sisters and have met over half of them here in Minnesota, likewise: Sister Mary Emily, Sister Mary Angelica, Sister Anne Francis, Sister Mary Juliana, Sister Anna, Sister Anastasia, and Sister Veronica Anne. There superior is Sister Mary Angelica, there are only three the others I saw at events, such as the Vocations Camp, and the Eucharistic Congress, and Team Vianny Nights.

3. Mother Assumpta, Sister Joseph Andrew, Sister Mary Samuel, Sister John Dominic (I think!) They are former ND who anwersed JPII's call, Mother Assumpta was the former Mother Prioress of ND, she is like a Saint! She has done a lot of changes and modifications -look on the History part of ND's Website- So there isnt to much of difference except SMME isnt world wide. And they have their own rules there own "ways" under St. Augustian and the Order of the Preachers orginated by Diego who died in I believe 1208 so it was then up to Dominic -trying to convert heretics as well- who later got it approved for at least an institution by Pope Innocent III, then Innocent granted that it would become a world wide religious order, but only had one in France for heretic problems....

[ThyHolyLove]

I visited the Nashvile Sisters last October and had a wonderful time! I don't think I'm called to the community, but I love them nonethless. Two differences that I know of is that the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist have daily Adoration and make the DeMonfort consecration to Mary. Nashvile has a half hr. of meditation before the Blessed Sacrament, but I don't know if it qualifies as Adoration.

I haven't visited the SMME, but I agree with Emily that the community is getting settled. The Nashville Dominicans are a 100+ yr old congregation. They have stuck around with their charism in tact for a long time, especially through Vatican II. I also agree about the very enthusistic manner about the SMME. I think they just need time to come into their own as a community. They are still very young as far as communities go. They seem like a wonderful group and I'm sure we'll see more great things from them.

I hope you get to visit Nashville in May, by then they will be almost done with the Motherhouse! It's a great place to be, so alive with the Faith. Plus, they have a basketball/ tennis courts and those Sisters play some mean b-ball!

[AlterDominicus]

[quote name='ThyHolyLove' date='Dec 1 2005, 08:19 PM'] those Sisters play some mean b-ball!
[right][snapback]807657[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]


Hmm...no wonder why Sister Mary Juilana is a fast runner! (She was my partner in the game we played at the Vocations Camp summer 05') AGREED!

They are very athletic...I mean really, they are Holy Athletic!

(NOT that no other congregations are! BUT still! I couldnt keep up with SMJ I had to kick my sandels off when we were running!)

[Susan]

[quote name='ThyHolyLove' date='Dec 1 2005, 09:19 PM']
Two differences that I know of is that the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist have daily Adoration and make the DeMonfort consecration to Mary. Nashvile has a half hr. of meditation before the Blessed Sacrament, but I don't know if it qualifies as Adoration.


Isn't it really a difference or just a name change? What I mean is that part of SMME's adoration hour is Office and then meditation. It's not an hour of adoration added to meditation and Office.

SMME's pray Office of Readings which Nashville doesn't.

I get the impression that the SMME's are really new and full of energy. Again, they are all young and still a community becoming. I think the SMME's are open to other apostolates besides teaching and Nashville ONLY teaches. I think that was one of the reasons why M. Assumpta founded the SMME's. I believe there were some differences.

The 2 communities are pretty incredible. Too big and busy for me but they are incredible anyway.

[Lilllabettt]

I haven't visited the Sisters in Nashville or Ann Arbor ... (yet) but for whatever reason, I just don't feel a "tug" towards Ann Arbor ... they just didn't grab me the way the Nashville Sisters did ...

I just sense a difference in quality, which has basically been said: the Nashvilles have a "quieter joy"... I've heard from one girl who went on a retreat w/ the SMMEs that it was an awesome experience, but it felt more like a pep rally, and there was less a sense of pervading stillness ...

I know the SMME are open to other "educational" apostolates besides just teaching ... they're more into "evangelization" broadly speaking. I know they teach in smaller Catholic academies, and they help home schoolers, and they engage college students in a non-classroom setting ... I think ... Oh yeah, another big thing they do is retreats. They have retreats for married AND unmarried women ... that is a big chunk of their apostolate. Nashville, I think, only has retreats for single women.

Another reason I think I feel more inclined to the Nashville Sisters is, that the St. Cecilia Congregation is a full-fledged congregation of pontifical rite, with full-fledged perpetual vows and age-old traditions and customs ... its a storied institution, and I would be so especially excited, and so especially honoured, to be a part of that.

[shortnun]

Thank you all for the wonderful words you've posted. I am so blessed to be in the presence of people who can articulate my thoughts and experiences of these two communities.

Can't wait to read more.

[Andrea348]

[quote name='Susan' date='Dec 1 2005, 09:19 PM'] I think the SMME's are open to other apostolates besides teaching [right
[/quote]

As of last time I was there, they said that they were only involved in teaching. It was a big hold-up for some people because if they were a nurse, they wouldn't be doing nursing, they'd be going back to school to get their teacher certification. Some of them have completely given up very different careers when they entered only to become a teacher.

[Susan]

[quote name='Andrea348' date='Dec 2 2005, 07:22 AM']As of last time I was there, they said that they were only involved in teaching.  It was a big hold-up for some people because if they were a nurse, they wouldn't be doing nursing, they'd be going back to school to get their teacher certification.  Some of them have completely given up very different careers when they entered only to become a teacher.
[right][snapback]808267[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]


Well, if someone feels they are to be a nursing sister why do they enter Nashville or Ann Arbor? Why not the Hawthone Dominican sisters, or the Franciscan Martyrs of St. George or the Carmelites in CA?

[shortnun]

When we enter religious life we bring the gifts that the Spirit gives us-- the gifts we've chose to develop and enhance over time. The call to religious life is twofold--there is a call to religious life in a specific capactity (monk, brother, sister, nun, priest, deacon-- even married life can be applicable here), and there is call to a specific community (a particular diocese, the Hawthorne Dominicans, the Maryknoll Missionaries, etc). And as the Incarnate Savior suffered much in his life, so too are we called to make sacrifices. For some of these sisters (both in Ann Arbor, Nashville, as well as other communities), part of the sacrifice of entering religious life is leaving behind previous occupations. Perhaps we might see this as a mixed desire to make sacrifices and strive toward a life of service to God and the Body of Christ, but at the same time there is a willingness to bring the gifts the Spirit has given you to this community. Perhaps these sisters who enter religious life with background in nursing, research, law, etc wish to share these gifts, while still working within the charism of a particular community

[srmarymichael]

[quote name='shortnun' date='Dec 1 2005, 05:58 PM']Lately I've felt more interested in (more of a pull toward?) the sisters in Nashville. I can't go on their retreat in January, but if it's God's will I'll make it to the retreat in May.

[/quote]

From a Vocation Director's point of view, you should look into where you are "drawn". Many times that is God speaking to your heart!

[ThyHolyLove]

I just remembered a blog entry I wrote about the retreat at Nashville last October. You can check it out [url="http://thyholylove.blogspot.com/2004_10_01_thyholylove_archive.html"]here[/url]

Also they should be putting up new pictures of the Motherhouse soon, so keep your eyes on their site ------[url="http://nashvilledominican.org/Main.htm"]Nashville Dominicans[/url]

[Andrea348]

[quote name='Susan' date='Dec 2 2005, 06:48 AM']Well, if someone feels they are to be a nursing sister why do they enter Nashville or Ann Arbor? Why not the Hawthone Dominican sisters, or the Franciscan Martyrs of St. George or the Carmelites in CA?
[right][snapback]808269[/snapback][/right]
[/quote]

one of the sister's in ann arbor told me on a retreat that you should pick a community by it's charism, not by it's apostolate.