SMME

[Veritas]

[quote name='HeavenlyCalling' post='1173449' date='Jan 22 2007, 09:08 PM']
I am a little confused, they already have the missions in AZ and SC, would this be the same thing? Or would this be an other noviciate or something totally different?
[/quote]

+

No, it would be very different. It would be an autonomouse convent -another motherhouse- of DSMME. There will be a new mother superior for each new motherhouse. The plan is very Benedictine I'm told . The DSMME plan that every time a motherhouse reaches 100, part of the community will leave to form a new foundation with a new motherhouse and local internal leadership. Unlike the Missionaries of Charity, i.e., who were all under Mother Teresa, the DSMME will have NO such international/national/supra-convent superior general. I am sure all sisters at every motherhouse will retain the habit and apostolate in fidelity to the founding mission, although I am not sure how this will be ensured.

I actually wasn't fond of this structure, myself, and this was ultimately one of the reasons I decided not to join, but I have talked about it extensively with Sister Joseph Andrew in Ann Arbor. I do think it has great promise to renew religious life, which is the intent. Again, there's nothing inherently "bad" about the plan, as far as I can tell, I just prefered a more hierarchically structured community.

Blessings!

[shortnun]

[quote name='Sr. Mary Catharine' post='1173407' date='Jan 22 2007, 07:41 PM']
Probably not. Probably what they are planning are provinces. However, they are not a fully established congregation yet so I don't know how it works when a new community spreads it's wings and starts new houses in other dioceses. I'm sure when they are ready, the DSMME will let us all know! Also, don't forget that while they have lots of sisters in the congregation not many are finally professed.

Still, it's an exciting possibility, isn't it.
[/quote]
They're not a full established congregation? Does that mean they're still diocesan rite and not pontifical?

Edited January 23, 2007 by shortnun

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='Veritas' post='1173496' date='Jan 22 2007, 08:45 PM']
+

No, it would be very different. It would be an autonomouse convent -another motherhouse- of DSMME. There will be a new mother superior for each new motherhouse. The plan is very Benedictine I'm told . The DSMME plan that every time a motherhouse reaches 100, part of the community will leave to form a new foundation with a new motherhouse and local internal leadership. Unlike the Missionaries of Charity, i.e., who were all under Mother Teresa, the DSMME will have NO such international/national/supra-convent superior general. I am sure all sisters at every motherhouse will retain the habit and apostolate in fidelity to the founding mission, although I am not sure how this will be ensured.

I actually wasn't fond of this structure, myself, and this was ultimately one of the reasons I decided not to join, but I have talked about it extensively with Sister Joseph Andrew in Ann Arbor. I do think it has great promise to renew religious life, which is the intent. Again, there's nothing inherently "bad" about the plan, as far as I can tell, I just prefered a more hierarchically structured community.

Blessings!
[/quote]

I don't think all Benedictines can be the same because the Tyburn convent actually is a Motherhouse with many daughterhouses around the world. Nuns can enter at any one of the monasteries but they must be prepared to be sent to any other monastery.

There are also independent and dependent Benedictine monasteries because I the Canyon Texas Benedictines are a dependent monastery of the St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith, Arkansas, but they are not called a daughterhouse - it is hoped that someday they will have enough professed sisters to become an Independent monastery.

[puellapaschalis]

warning

Benedictines are indeed not all the same; Tyburn and the other relatively new congregations do indeed live under a "one big connected family" system, where people may be moved from one location to another. Tyburn is by no means the only such here; contemplative-wise, the Benedictines of Perpetual Adoration of the Most Holy Sacrament spring to mind, and on the active side of things, I can think of two such examples - the Grace and Compassion Benedictines active particularly in the UK and India, and the Tutzing Missionaries active just about everywhere.

Characteristically, however, all Benedictine houses are completely autonomous from one another, although for various administrative and Canon Law reasons they are gathered into different congregations (a rather different use of the word to that which most people understand). This is a direct result of the vow of [i]stabilitas[/i]: a monk does not enter "the Benedictines", he enters "the Benedictines of $place_name". The House where he enters is his House, and no matter where he might be sent, e.g. for study or a parish placement (in the case of ordained monks) that House is where he belongs.

The emergence and growth of the Cistercians and Trappists modified this somewhat, as a measure against the percieved laxity into which most Benedictine houses had fallen into at the time. The autonomy is preserved, but the bond between a house and its "daughter" was stronger, with the abbot of the "mother" house making an annual visit - and in those times, with travelling being what it was, it could mean a very busy life for an abbot.

So the plans of the DSSME as we've heard about them here are indeed quite Benedictine in the sense that each house has its own superior (although there is no mention in the Rule about the size - the constitutions of individual congregations might have something to say about it though). As for preserving orthodoxy and "good practice" - well, some Benedictines seem to have been better at that than others (history has perfect vision, remember), but if that's what the DSMME ladies are called to do in organising their work, that's what they've got to do.

Love and prayers,

PP

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

: [quote name='HisChild' post='1173491' date='Jan 22 2007, 11:35 PM']
If they can't, the active sisters, call themselves Order of Preachers, why are they allowed to have the OP after their names? Just wondering. . .
[/quote]

Our Order has the wonderful gift of unity in diversity! In the early 1900's Bl. Hyacinth Marie Cormier was Master and decreed that all 3rd Order Sisters (active and cloistered) could use OP after their names instead of OSD (order of St. Dominic) in order to highlight that they were indeed part of the Dominican Family: living the charism and customs of the Order. There are many branches to St. Dominic's tree and they relate in different ways to the Order. My own monastery was orginally 3rd Cloister but finally (20 years later!) we became fully incorporated in the Order of Preachers as Nuns.

The Friars and Nuns make a profession of obedience to the Master of the Order. The Nuns do to the prioress of her monastery as well. The Laity make a promise of obedience to the Master. The Sisters make profession to their Mother General.

A lot of this is just techie stuff. In the end we are all Dominicans! :

[quote name='shortnun' post='1173575' date='Jan 23 2007, 12:18 AM']
They're not a full established congregation? Does that mean they're still diocesan rite and not pontifical?
[/quote]


I think so. After all they are just celebrating their 10th birthday this year! I think there are specific conditions a congregation has to have before they can be pontifical.

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

[quote name='Veritas' post='1173496' date='Jan 22 2007, 11:45 PM']
+

No, it would be very different. It would be an autonomouse convent -another motherhouse- of DSMME. There will be a new mother superior for each new motherhouse. The plan is very Benedictine I'm told . The DSMME plan that every time a motherhouse reaches 100, part of the community will leave to form a new foundation with a new motherhouse and local internal leadership. Unlike the Missionaries of Charity, i.e., who were all under Mother Teresa, the DSMME will have NO such international/national/supra-convent superior general. I am sure all sisters at every motherhouse will retain the habit and apostolate in fidelity to the founding mission, although I am not sure how this will be ensured.

I actually wasn't fond of this structure, myself, and this was ultimately one of the reasons I decided not to join, but I have talked about it extensively with Sister Joseph Andrew in Ann Arbor. I do think it has great promise to renew religious life, which is the intent. Again, there's nothing inherently "bad" about the plan, as far as I can tell, I just prefered a more hierarchically structured community.

Blessings!
[/quote]

It doesn't sound very Benedictine to me. It sounds more like Provinces.
Dominican monasteries are each autonomous but we all follow the same constitutions. Each monastery has its own spirit and particular way of living out the constitutions. We're all Nuns of the Order of Preachers but each monastery is distinct. Maybe that's more what is what is envisaged.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Often a new community will have plans for the future but they get adjusted as time goes on. The Holy Spirit often has tricks up his sleeve! I think keeping a congregation small is a good thing because people can get lost in big ones. That's the nice thing about monasteries! :

It's all very exciting though, don't you think! What a nice problem to have!

[BurkeFan]

[quote name='Sr. Mary Catharine' post='1173906' date='Jan 23 2007, 10:59 AM']
I think keeping a congregation small is a good thing because people can get lost in big ones. That's the nice thing about monasteries! :
[/quote]

That's actually, as far as I know, a major reason for this plan. Some of the Dominican Sisters that are having the hardest time right now are those that were very, very large. I'm fairly sure (and this Sr. Joseph Andrew mentioned too) that the they want to avoid having a community so large that some of the sisters can be strangers to each other.

[sanctafamilia]

DSMME is my absolute favorite order I have ever visited. I wish they used Catholic curriculum for their schools, though. (i.e., Seton) I wanted to join them so bad when I went there for retreat a few years ago, since I got my elementary education degre (no certificate, due to my speech). I cried soooooooo bad when both Mother and Sr Joseph Andrew sain "no." I love this oprder so much, as they've got to be one of the most orthodox around.

Also, I went to a FOCUS conference last year and saw Sr, Joseph Andrew and she remembered me lol! I thought that was amazing since they meet so many aspirents. That's my story about the Sisters of Mary, and I'm stickin' to it lol.

[AlterDominicus]

28 days to all who are going

[she_who_is_not]

I had a dream that I was on retreat with the DSMME last night. It was kind of strange, we made homemade french fries. But they were all very sweet. That's the second nun dream I've had this week. Maybe I'm spending too much time on VS before bedtime.

[shortnun]

[quote name='she_who_is_not' post='1176821' date='Jan 26 2007, 01:16 PM']
I had a dream that I was on retreat with the DSMME last night. It was kind of strange, we made homemade french fries. But they were all very sweet. That's the second nun dream I've had this week. Maybe I'm spending too much time on VS before bedtime.
[/quote]