I Have Been Accepted!

[batteddy]

Well, I just got back from a 10 day stay with the CRNJ in St. Louis and towards the end of the trip the topic of my future came up and I asked to join, and the Superior said yes.

LOL, actually, I said I was interested in joining, and he coyly said, "Are you ready to fill out huge packets and go through all sorts of grueling interviews and psychological testing??" and I said, "If I have to." But he said, "Well, why don't you just try asking first?" And I said, "Okay, may I come and join." And he said, "Yes, of course. We don't believe in all that application nonsense that takes hours and hours just to find out that people are exactly what they appear to be and frankly often weeds out the better candidates. It's a bureaucratic, modernist mentality centered around the pop-religion of psychobabble...welcome aboard."

So for me at least, application was extremely easy. I was so glad to hear they don't believe in all that application/interview nonsense. I just need to send in a statement of intent with my baptismal and confirmation certificates, and a letter from my pastor and a teacher.

I will be going to England and Rome with them in a month (the news came rather unexpectedly to me) and then they are moving away from St. Louis because their land got sold out from under them by the diocese to make room for McMansions. We're staying as a guest community in another Abbey (while some of the members study in Rome for the year) and after that father hopes to have found our permanent church and community somewhere (a chapel in a garage, isolated among urban sprawl, was not a permanent solution).

They are small, but their following is extremely loyal. A few families might move wherever they go, and I know that one woman is for sure following them across the country because she is in the beginning stages of helping them found a women's branch of the order and wants to stay close.

So it's turbulent, unusual, extraordinary times to be joining, but I think it is sent by God as a way to strengthen me and help me learn to be flexible and get a more varied experience, expand my horizons.

Thank you so much for your prayers.

[shortnun]

[quote name='batteddy' post='1333693' date='Jul 18 2007, 12:00 PM']Well, I just got back from a 10 day stay with the CRNJ in St. Louis and towards the end of the trip the topic of my future came up and I asked to join, and the Superior said yes.

LOL, actually, I said I was interested in joining, and he coyly said, "Are you ready to fill out huge packets and go through all sorts of grueling interviews and psychological testing??" and I said, "If I have to." But he said, "Well, why don't you just try asking first?" And I said, "Okay, may I come and join." And he said, "Yes, of course. We don't believe in all that application nonsense that takes hours and hours just to find out that people are exactly what they appear to be and frankly often weeds out the better candidates. It's a bureaucratic, modernist mentality centered around the pop-religion of psychobabble...welcome aboard."

So for me at least, application was extremely easy. I was so glad to hear they don't believe in all that application/interview nonsense. I just need to send in a statement of intent with my baptismal and confirmation certificates, and a letter from my pastor and a teacher.

I will be going to England and Rome with them in a month (the news came rather unexpectedly to me) and then they are moving away from St. Louis because their land got sold out from under them by the diocese to make room for McMansions. We're staying as a guest community in another Abbey (while some of the members study in Rome for the year) and after that father hopes to have found our permanent church and community somewhere (a chapel in a garage, isolated among urban sprawl, was not a permanent solution).

They are small, but their following is extremely loyal. A few families might move wherever they go, and I know that one woman is for sure following them across the country because she is in the beginning stages of helping them found a women's branch of the order and wants to stay close.

So it's turbulent, unusual, extraordinary times to be joining, but I think it is sent by God as a way to strengthen me and help me learn to be flexible and get a more varied experience, expand my horizons.

Thank you so much for your prayers.[/quote]
Many prayers for thanksgiving to God for this wonderful next step in your life. As a Missourian, I'm sorry to hear that their land was given away. I know the CRNJ have a very friendly relationship with the Dominicans here in town. I'm sure they're also sorry to have you leave.

May God's abundant blessings continue to pour forth!

[Gemma]

[quote name='batteddy' post='1333693' date='Jul 18 2007, 01:00 PM']Well, I just got back from a 10 day stay with the CRNJ in St. Louis and towards the end of the trip the topic of my future came up and I asked to join, and the Superior said yes.

LOL, actually, I said I was interested in joining, and he coyly said, "Are you ready to fill out huge packets and go through all sorts of grueling interviews and psychological testing??" and I said, "If I have to." But he said, "Well, why don't you just try asking first?" And I said, "Okay, may I come and join." And he said, "Yes, of course. We don't believe in all that application nonsense that takes hours and hours just to find out that people are exactly what they appear to be and frankly often weeds out the better candidates. It's a bureaucratic, modernist mentality centered around the pop-religion of psychobabble...welcome aboard."

So for me at least, application was extremely easy. I was so glad to hear they don't believe in all that application/interview nonsense. I just need to send in a statement of intent with my baptismal and confirmation certificates, and a letter from my pastor and a teacher.

I will be going to England and Rome with them in a month (the news came rather unexpectedly to me) and then they are moving away from St. Louis because their land got sold out from under them by the diocese to make room for McMansions. We're staying as a guest community in another Abbey (while some of the members study in Rome for the year) and after that father hopes to have found our permanent church and community somewhere (a chapel in a garage, isolated among urban sprawl, was not a permanent solution).

They are small, but their following is extremely loyal. A few families might move wherever they go, and I know that one woman is for sure following them across the country because she is in the beginning stages of helping them found a women's branch of the order and wants to stay close.

So it's turbulent, unusual, extraordinary times to be joining, but I think it is sent by God as a way to strengthen me and help me learn to be flexible and get a more varied experience, expand my horizons.

Thank you so much for your prayers.[/quote]

First--congrats!

Secondly--I'm glad to see I'm not the only one who doesn't believe in oodles of paperwork for candidates.

Thirdly--please keep us posted on the possible women's branch. I'm sure our Ecclesia Dei Vocations yahoo group would like to hear about this.

Blessings,
Gemma

[batteddy]

[quote name='Gemma' post='1333703' date='Jul 18 2007, 12:16 PM']Thirdly--please keep us posted on the possible women's branch. I'm sure our Ecclesia Dei Vocations yahoo group would like to hear about this.[/quote]

I'll do what I can, but like I said it is in the VERY early stages, and is likely to be delayed even more due to the move and the unusual situation of the coming academic year.

The Order does not allow members to use the internet until they are ordained, except for very specific Order business with permission of the superior...so I won't really be able to post starting soon.

Sorry. But I'll try to figure out ways through snail-mail to get information out, and maybe my contacts on the outside will be able to keep various groups and forums informed.

[quote]I know the CRNJ have a very friendly relationship with the Dominicans here in town. I'm sure they're also sorry to have you leave.[/quote]

Yes. During my ten days there I was mainly involved with running their summer camp for the week. But on my last day there, actually, a Monday, I attended the first session of an intensive week-long course on the Philosophy and History of Christian Art that they are taking from Fr. Benedict Ashley OP, at the dominican residence at St. Louis University. That's downtown near the train station, so they just dropped me off afterwards.

[Jennifer]

: WONDERFUL NEWS !!! Congratulations and best wishes. My prayers are for you.

[shortnun]

[quote name='batteddy' post='1333715' date='Jul 18 2007, 12:36 PM']I'll do what I can, but like I said it is in the VERY early stages, and is likely to be delayed even more due to the move and the unusual situation of the coming academic year.

The Order does not allow members to use the internet until they are ordained, except for very specific Order business with permission of the superior...so I won't really be able to post starting soon.

Sorry. But I'll try to figure out ways through snail-mail to get information out, and maybe my contacts on the outside will be able to keep various groups and forums informed.
Yes. During my ten days there I was mainly involved with running their summer camp for the week. But on my last day there, actually, a Monday, I attended the first session of an intensive week-long course on the Philosophy and History of Christian Art that they are taking from Fr. Benedict Ashley OP, at the dominican residence at St. Louis University. That's downtown near the train station, so they just dropped me off afterwards.[/quote]
Yup, I know exactly where that is. Fr. Ashley is a VERY WISE man. I hope to know half of what he knows at the age of 93!

[farglefeezlebut]

Good luck and congratulations.

[Ale]

[quote name='farglefeezlebut' post='1333828' date='Jul 18 2007, 09:24 PM']Good luck and congratulations. [/quote]

many congratulations and enjoy Italy and exspecially Rome, the Heart of Christendom!

[stlmom]

Gosh, I hadn't heard that your community was leaving St. Louis---but congratulations and may all good come from your discernment. I must say that while psychological evals may seem burdensome, they really do serve a purpose in screening individuals who truly are not suited for the rigors of religious life. Just my 2 cents.

[batteddy]

[quote name='stlmom' post='1334002' date='Jul 18 2007, 05:13 PM']Gosh, I hadn't heard that your community was leaving St. Louis---but congratulations and may all good come from your discernment. I must say that while psychological evals may seem burdensome, they really do serve a purpose in screening individuals who truly are not suited for the rigors of religious life. Just my 2 cents.[/quote]

Not that I don't like psychology, it is one of my main interests.

But the Orders and Dioceses these days use pop-psychobabble nonsense and don't find anything out except to turn down many good people because they don't fit the narrow bureaucrat model of the very bland mainstream.

I am absolutely certain they are weeding out most of the potential charismatic leaders and reformers in the Church for the sake of bland neoconservative conformists.

Psychological testing is good in theory, nutjobs should be weeded out. But the problem is...if a nutjob can hide it from the community during a two week visit conversing and interacting with them...they will almost certainly be able to hide it from a psychologist, because most psychologists these days have little insight and certainly no discernment of spirits. And so the nutjobs will be able to slip through anyway, unless the psychologist has an agenda and calls stuff like traditionalism crazy.

Psychology should be used for mental problems. Not spiritual ones. People who merely aren't called to religious life, but aren't crazy either, are not the subject of psychology. Psychology isn't religion or spirituality.

I think, and they agree, that all the "testing" that needs to be done in terms of discernment can be accomplished through observing how the person handles their schedule, conversing with them, and observing them carefully during novitiate.

Discernment is an issue between a candidate and their confessor, spiritual director, and/or superior. It is not a primary issue between client and therapist. Especially when the therapists consider themselves priestesses in the new religion of Psychology and enlightenment through "self-discovery and self-realization"...

Psychology in the modern sense did not exist until the mid-nineteenth century, and did not start being used by the Church in seminaries and orders until the early 60's. It can thus be hardly essential for religious life.

Edited July 18, 2007 by batteddy

[stlmom]

You make a number of good points, Batteddy. There are so many different batteries of tests, some of which are flat out obsolete and/or unreliable. In some cases, I'm sure they are given far too much significance. IMO, the ability to live the religious life with integrity, humility and accountability to the order and the people of the Church is of utmost importance. I agree with you completely that observing an individual through his/her formation will tell you a lot about suitability for consecrated life. You sound like a guy with a pretty good head on his shoulders already!

[DiscerningSoul]

CONGRATS!

[onlygrace08]

Congratulations!!!

[EJames]

[quote name='batteddy' post='1333693' date='Jul 18 2007, 10:00 AM']Well, I just got back from a 10 day stay with the CRNJ in St. Louis and towards the end of the trip the topic of my future came up and I asked to join, and the Superior said yes.[/quote]
wow, Glory to Jesus Christ!
how wonderful!

[benedictaj]

Congratulations!!!!!!!! :