Non-cloistered Contemplative Orders?

[Guest Sister Jacqulyn]

This is a great conversation! Even I think I need to be more educated about what the 'norms" are for cloistered and semi-cloistered communities. I know that when I was discerning the religious life I really was feeling called to a more contemplative life style. I visited a community of Dominicans who were "monastic" but not exclusively enclosed. I experienced their life more like what Sister Mary Catherine was describing. I had a most blessed experience while visiting with them!
That contemplative aspect in prayer with God is so important in my life.

Edited November 14, 2006 by Sister Jacqulyn

[awyers]

[quote name='BurkeFan' post='1119923' date='Nov 14 2006, 04:06 PM']
God willing! I hope to enter the Eastern Province either this coming July or next (well, whatever time God wants me to enter).
[/quote]

Woohoo!! Another Dominican brother!!

[angelusdomini]

The Franciscan Sisters Minor in MA ( I had put more info. on them in the discernment for girls phorum). Here is a little information about their life. They do have an apostolate -[to be missionaries in and for parishes], our mission is twofold: to revitalize the interior parish life and to evangelise everyone within the boundaries of the parish... Usually their apostolate work is from 2 PM to 5/6 PM from Mon-Thur. They work at the parishes in which their houses are. One in Bellingham (St. Brendan's Parish) and their mother house in West Warren (St. Paul's/ St. Thomas Aquinas Parish)

[b]Prayer life[/b]: They spend about a third of their day in prayer communal and private (morning). They rise at 4.20 Am and pray the Office of Readings at 4.50 AM. From this time until 12.00 Noon they have exposition of the blessed sacrament, morning prayer and mass (at 9.00 AM). Breakfast is taken in silence. They end the morning (11.20 AM) with a communal Rosary and Midday prayer. The Grace and spiritual reading at the noon meal ends Grand Silence. This is generally the first part of the day from Monday to Thursday. Friday is Hermitage Day and Grand Silence is observed all day- all prayers and devotions are done privately.

The practical way of their life (day to day) is what lends in a very distinct way to their contemplative life. They observe grand silence from after compline (8.00 PM) 'till noon meal on the following day. In the afternoon (2.15 PM on), their work is done in 'relative silence'. They have no telephones in their houses. I don't know what else, I guess my personal experience of them left such an impression of quiet on me.

They have no website (only at the moment I believe). I can post contact and other info. if anyone's interested.

Edited November 14, 2006 by Angelus_Domini

[brandelynmarie]

Yay Dominicans!

[HisChild]

[quote name='Angelus_Domini' post='1120021' date='Nov 14 2006, 02:41 PM']
The Franciscan Sisters Minor in MA ( I had put more info. on them in the discernment for girls phorum). Here is a little information about their life. They do have an apostolate -[to be missionaries in and for parishes], our mission is twofold: to revitalize the interior parish life and to evangelise everyone within the boundaries of the parish... Usually their apostolate work is from 2 PM to 5/6 PM from Mon-Thur. They work at the parishes in which their houses are. One in Bellingham (St. Brendan's Parish) and their mother house in West Warren (St. Paul's/ St. Thomas Aquinas Parish)

[b]Prayer life[/b]: They spend about a third of their day in prayer communal and private (morning). They rise at 4.20 Am and pray the Office of Readings at 4.50 AM. From this time until 12.00 Noon they have exposition of the blessed sacrament, morning prayer and mass (at 9.00 AM). Breakfast is taken in silence. They end the morning (11.20 AM) with a communal Rosary and Midday prayer. The Grace and spiritual reading at the noon meal ends Grand Silence. This is generally the first part of the day from Monday to Thursday. Friday is Hermitage Day and Grand Silence is observed all day- all prayers and devotions are done privately.

The practical way of their life (day to day) is what lends in a very distinct way to their contemplative life. They observe grand silence from after compline (8.00 PM) 'till noon meal on the following day. In the afternoon (2.15 PM on), their work is done in 'relative silence'. They have no telephones in their houses. I don't know what else, I guess my personal experience of them left such an impression of quiet on me.

They have no website (only at the moment I believe). I can post contact and other info. if anyone's interested.
[/quote]

Wow, what a wonderful sounding order. . . .I'd love to hear more. I'm unable to think about religious life at the moment. . .but in the near future?

Pax

[Domine ut Videam]

The Sisters of St. John aren't cloistered they have interaction with the people who come to the Brothers monastery and their convent, but they don't go out and minister, they spend most of the day in prayer and attending the Brother's classes learning. When their are big events going on they participate as well. But yes, they are not cloistered, i.e. they can hug people, give spiritual direction, go on bikerides, hikes at Jubilee State Park, garden, all those good things....

[hoosieranna]

Here are the first four that come to my mind:
Servants of the Blessed Sacrament (http://www.blesacrament.org/)
Handmaids of the Precious Blood (http://www.ichrusa.com/saintsalive/precious/)
Little Sisters of St. Francis (http://www.littlesistersofstfrancis.org/index.php)
Children of Mary
(childrenofmary.net)

Most of the Benedictine nuns in the US observe constitutional enclosure, but I won't claim that they all do. There are also many, many active communities that wear a habit and pray at least three of the hours. As for vows of enclosure, the only ones that I definitely know take them are the Poor Clares and the Passionists. Again, I won't claim to be totally sure about other orders.

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='Veritas' post='1119503' date='Nov 14 2006, 12:15 AM']
+

Aren't they cloistered?...

Aren't the sisters of St. John non-cloistered contemplatives?
[/quote]

The Contemplative branch of the Missionaries of Charity aren't cloistered. I'm not sure how often, but they will go out to visit people and do things like pray with shut ins :j . (If I were a shut in I would love a visit from them to pray with :j )

The Contemplative Sisters of St. John are a great example of a non-cloistered ( or semi-cloistered) wholly contemplative community. Every two years or so, they are reassigned to a different house of their community. One I knew in Peoria recently was sent to one of their houses in France.

[daugher-of-Mary]

Sister Servants of the Eternal Word in AL.

[hoosieranna]

bump. This was getting interesting.

[philosophette]

Regarding the Handmaids of the Precious Blood:

I live about 5 mins away from one of their priories. They take a vow of enclosure. They have extern sisters, but they try to avoid going out as much as possible. They are also very traditional in their monasticism - all letters in and out are read, visitors are limited, night adoration... The Priory in Lake Villa, IL does not have a grille or anything, but I do not know about the Motherhouse in Jemez Springs, NM. I do not think that it does.

I would not consider them semi-contemplative. Their order used to be active/contemplative, but after Vatican II they became enclosed.

Their main work is praying and sacrificing for priests.

I believe that Mother John Paul is still the superior. They also have a house in Cana, Italy.

[hoosieranna]

I did not know that. What little information I could find came from various websites about them. Thanks for the info.