Carmelites DCJ On Video

[cathoholic_anonymous]

[url="http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week721/profile.html"]Here[/url] you can view the unfolding story of Sister Mary Xavier, who once belonged to the Carmelite Sisters of the Divine Heart of Jesus. The main Carmelite DCJ website is at [url="http://www.carmelitedcj.org"]www.carmelitedcj.org[/url].

Has anyone considered these sisters or been in close contact with them?

Edited November 9, 2006 by hugheyforlife

[be_thou_my_vision]

Did this sister ever start that new community she was talking about at the end of the article?

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

[quote name='be_thou_my_vision' post='1110723' date='Nov 4 2006, 11:43 AM']
Did this sister ever start that new community she was talking about at the end of the article?
[/quote]

I believe it is the Daughters of St. Joseph.

[be_thou_my_vision]

Oh wonderful! I just looked at their website. It's very well made. Do you know if more women have joined them? They said they are a "public association." When would they be able to wear the habit and call themself a religious order?

[shortnun]

[quote name='Sr. Mary Catharine' post='1110735' date='Nov 4 2006, 10:23 AM']
I believe it is the Daughters of St. Joseph.
[/quote]
Correct: [b][url="http://www.daughtersofstjoseph.com"]Daughters of St. Joseph[/url][/b]

[cathoholic_anonymous]

They are going to take the habit. It says so on their [url="http://www.daughtersofstjoseph.com/Habit.html"]vocations page[/url]. There is a sketch of the proposed habit too.

[be_thou_my_vision]

I knew that they would take the habit eventually, but I didn't know how long it took or what stage of being considered a religious community they had to be to wear a habit. How many stages of forming a new community are there?

[cathoholic_anonymous]

Has no one at all ever considered these Carmelites? I would really like to hear a knowledgeable person's perspective on them. I may be visiting their Motherhouse in Holland come summertime, but I'd like to know a few more things before then.

[shortnun]

[quote name='Cathoholic Anonymous' post='1112540' date='Nov 6 2006, 06:45 AM']
Has no one at all ever considered these Carmelites? I would really like to hear a knowledgeable person's perspective on them. I may be visiting their Motherhouse in Holland come summertime, but I'd like to know a few more things before then.
[/quote]
I could be wrong, but I do think there are those who have discerned with the Carmelites DCJ. I never discerned with them per se. But I do know the community near where I live, and I've been on retreat with them at their Carmel. What sort of "perspective" on them are you looking for?

Prayers as you discern visiting them!

[puellapaschalis]

I saw one milling about yesterday but didn't get to speak to her. Whilst I'm not discerning with them, I've heard only good things. I'm sorry I can't help you more.

With regards to visiting them though - if you go to Sittard, be prepared for one really weird Dutch accent

Love and prayers,

PP

[magnificat]

[quote name='Cathoholic Anonymous' post='1112540' date='Nov 6 2006, 06:45 AM']
Has no one at all ever considered these Carmelites? I would really like to hear a knowledgeable person's perspective on them. I may be visiting their Motherhouse in Holland come summertime, but I'd like to know a few more things before then.
[/quote]

Yes for a little while. I don't think I'm probably knowledgeable about them per se, but I was in contact w/their former VD. What do you want to know?

[VeniteAdoremus]

They used to host the seminary of my diocese, where I hung out a lot, and I've been a leader of several youth camps run by seminarians and one of their sisters.

If you go visit the Motherhouse (go Dutchies!) be prepared for conversations that start in Dutch, continue in German and end in English - these sisters know their languages!

[onlygrace08]

When I first started to consider the religious life, their webpage caught my eye. I must have read the whole site at least five times.. lol. I absolutely loved them. But, I am still in the "begining" stages of discernment (It seems like I've been here forever...) so, I have never contacted them.

God Bless

Anna

[cathoholic_anonymous]

[quote]If you go visit the Motherhouse (go Dutchies!) be prepared for conversations that start in Dutch, continue in German and end in English - these sisters know their languages![/quote]

I speak French, Arabic and English. Could they accommodate that?! The only Dutch I know consists of random words picked up whilst wandering round Amsterdam and having dinner with a Dutch lady. I don't think knowing how to say 'the furious swan' in Dutch would be very conducive to communication...

Regarding the Carmelites DCJ, I would like to know:

* What is the atmosphere like inside their convents? Every convent I've ever visited has quite a distinctive air about it. What distinguishes these Carmels from the rest?

* How austere are the Carmels? For a while I was considering the [url="http://www.corpuschristicarmelites.org"]Corpus Christi Carmelites[/url], but their house in York came as a disappointment. It was just that - a house. Unless you were invited into the makeshift chapel, nothing could have told you that nuns live there. While this is perhaps a very superficial thing to judge a community by, I don't think I would cope in a place where there were comfy sofas and television sets. I'm weak and I easily stumble. I'd need some austerity in my surroundings to keep me on track.

* To your knowledge, do these sisters do any work with mentally ill people? (As it was a mentally ill girl who inspired me to discern more actively, I feel that I am in her debt.)

* Do the sisters sew their own habits? (This may seem like a very trivial question, but I have a disability that means I can't manipulate my fingers very well. Sometimes I even need help with my shoelaces - sewing is not an option!)

Grr...I'm sure I had more questions. They'll come to me later!

Thank you, everyone.

[VeniteAdoremus]

[quote name='Cathoholic Anonymous' post='1113096' date='Nov 7 2006, 01:19 AM']
I speak French, Arabic and English. Could they accommodate that?! The only Dutch I know consists of random words picked up whilst wandering round Amsterdam and having dinner with a Dutch lady. I don't think knowing how to say 'the furious swan' in Dutch would be very conducive to communication...

Regarding the Carmelites DCJ, I would like to know:

* What is the atmosphere like inside their convents? Every convent I've ever visited has quite a distinctive air about it. What distinguishes these Carmels from the rest?

* How austere are the Carmels? For a while I was considering the [url="http://www.corpuschristicarmelites.org"]Corpus Christi Carmelites[/url], but their house in York came as a disappointment. It was just that - a house. Unless you were invited into the makeshift chapel, nothing could have told you that nuns live there. While this is perhaps a very superficial thing to judge a community by, I don't think I would cope in a place where there were comfy sofas and television sets. I'm weak and I easily stumble. I'd need some austerity in my surroundings to keep me on track.

* To your knowledge, do these sisters do any work with mentally ill people? (As it was a mentally ill girl who inspired me to discern more actively, I feel that I am in her debt.)

* Do the sisters sew their own habits? (This may seem like a very trivial question, but I have a disability that means I can't manipulate my fingers very well. Sometimes I even need help with my shoelaces - sewing is not an option!)

Grr...I'm sure I had more questions. They'll come to me later!

Thank you, everyone.
[/quote]


Well, the convent I know best is on a beautiful terrain near a small village. They're kind of secluded, but the buildings (save one) are modern - 2nd half of the 20th century. They do have a sofa, but I don't know about the television set

The sisters assisted the seminary when it was still there - I don't know what they do now. Many of them were older, so I think they've gone towards a more contemplative life. The sisters at the Motherhouse do a lot of youth work. I believe they used to have a nursery school, decades ago...

Even if they do sew their own habits, if you can't, you can't, and someone will do it for you, I'm completely sure.

One of the things I love about them: they all have "Maria" (Mary) as their first name! Some use it in their full name, some abbreviate it to M., but they're all fully dedicated to our Lady.

Hope this helps a little...

~VA