Stanbrook Abbey News

[Jennifer]

[
And....ditto what CA said about European and American Phatmassers. In fact, being an aspirant has taught me [i]a lot[/i] about religious life (though far from everything), and I'm just not inclined to take VS seriously anymore. The culture chasm is too great and it's not worth the effort of trying to bridge it with the Americans when hardly any of them seem to want to reciprocate.

This is my last weekend in the monastery. I had an interview with Mother Abbess this afternoon.

PP[/quote]

I share your sentiments PP. I hope that your interview went well.I'm sure that it did. My prayers are for you as you continue your discernment.

Edited July 27, 2007 by Jennirom

[hoosieranna]

I'm sorry you feel that way. I do try to give equal attention to both domestic and foreign communities/posters/etc. I've learned more from CA's posts than I have from most other posters. I'm probably posting in the wrong part of PM, but some of us do try to reciprocate. That's all I wanted to say.

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

PP, it might help if you were a little more explicit about religious life in Europe, etc. Often your comments are a bit on the, shall we say, cagey side. You often give the impression that you aren't free to say much. For example, you mention that you had an interview with the Abbess. Yes? AND?

Also, the fact is, this is an American website and it's a big country with lots of communities. Many young people on this board aren't considering going across the pond to discern their vocation. I do agree, that many are more interested in more "popular" religious communities.

Much of religous life in Europe is unknown to Americans. If there is a website, say in, German, which most won't be able to read, well, it's hard to sustain much interest.

The cultural chasm isn't as great as you think it is. Again, you have to understand that this is a huge country! Texas is bigger than France! You may not realize that even in our country there are many regions which are very different from each other! New England and the South are in many ways different worlds!

You really shouldn't have taken VS too seriously in the first place! It's a board and many opinions are expressed and debated. Sometimes the opinions aren't well founded because the person doesn't really know religious life as she/he hasn't lived it.

But let me tell you, when I entered, I KNEW NO ONE who was discerning. I would've loved to have this support!

PP, please consider staying aboard and sharing with us your experience, etc. I for one, look forward to hearing about it!

You could start another VS over in Europe, too! Why aren't there boards like this in Europe?

God bless you!
Sr. Mary Catharine

PS Often, it takes enering a religious community to gain the international perspective. People are always amazed at how much we know about communities around the world, both friars and nuns! It's true! Being part of an international family makes the world very small!

[puellapaschalis]

Mea culpa for having diverted the discussion onto another topic. This thread is supposed to be about Stanbrook and let's try to keep it there. Feel free to ask questions somewhere else - I recall actually making a thread about my aspirancy a while back.

Stanbrook is indeed moving to Yorkshire; the present building has been sold (I believe) and will be converted into either a spa/hotel combo or luxury flats (the postulant sitting next to me and I have differing information, so we're not quite sure). I'll try to double-check the info about the Abbatial terms of office later today.

Right, it's time to clean my cell and generally make myself useful.

PP

[Chiquitunga]

Please forgive me for going off topic again in this thread, but Sr. Mary Catharine's comment on just how different the regions within the United States are, reminded me of the first time I went out to the West. In Utah once when I told a cowboy/ranger man where I was from, he said, "So is this your first time in America?" .. .. ..

But back to Stanbrook, here's an old thread that's focused just on it, so maybe some of the posts here could be transfered over there, to have a thread just focused on Stanbrook - [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=62121"]Stanbrook Abbey News[/url] (same title :j )

[stlmom]

[quote name='Margaret Clare' post='1342276' date='Jul 27 2007, 03:36 PM']I know very little about Stanbrook Abbey, just that they have a great printing press, and many translations of different works have come out of there. I will have to learn more about them and their history. I'd like to see that movie at some point also, [i]In This House of Brede.[/i]


r[/quote]


Actually, the book is head and shoulders better than the movie. The movie plot was way too melodramatic and the characters had no depth at all compared to the book. If you can't get a copy of it, please PM me. I think I still have mine and would be more than happy to share it.

[jkaands]

[quote name='stlmom' post='1343474' date='Jul 29 2007, 11:23 AM']Actually, the book is head and shoulders better than the movie. The movie plot was way too melodramatic and the characters had no depth at all compared to the book. If you can't get a copy of it, please PM me. I think I still have mine and would be more than happy to share it.[/quote]


[url="http://www.bookfinder"]http://www.bookfinder[/url].

In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden

lowest price: $5.00

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

[quote name='stlmom' post='1343474' date='Jul 29 2007, 01:23 PM']Actually, the book is head and shoulders better than the movie. The movie plot was way too melodramatic and the characters had no depth at all compared to the book. If you can't get a copy of it, please PM me. I think I still have mine and would be more than happy to share it.[/quote]

Plus it's been reprinted by Loyola Press.
Standbrook did the singing and sewing of habits for the movie. It was filmed at a Franciscan convent in Ireland.
Yes, the book is better but for a movie the movie is very good and there is a lot more insight into the monastic life than people realize.

SMC

[jkaands]

[quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1342205' date='Jul 27 2007, 11:56 AM']In the English Benedictine Congregation the Abbots and Abbesses are not elected for life (as in some congregations). They are - I believe - elected for specified terms. Don't quote me on this, but I think it's eight years for an Abbot and twelve for an Abbess.

And....ditto what CA said about European and American Phatmassers. In fact, being an aspirant has taught me [i]a lot[/i] about religious life (though far from everything), and I'm just not inclined to take VS seriously anymore. The culture chasm is too great and it's not worth the effort of trying to bridge it with the Americans when hardly any of them seem to want to reciprocate.

This is my last weekend in the monastery. I had an interview with Mother Abbess this afternoon.

PP[/quote]

Anyone heard from Puella!?

I, for one, am dying to hear!

Also...I am very interested in what she has to say about Benedictine charism in the UK.

[VeniteAdoremus]

Well, I picked her up from the airport, does that count?

She's looking great, she's happy, she did a great impression of Mother Abbess, she'll probably kill me when she reads this , and she has a lot of thinking to do.

So, I think she's just about the same as every aspirant coming home

Hm, this should probably be in her aspirancy thread, though...

I'll pinch her and see whether she wants to write something, but she's very busy planning the WOOT ALL NIGHT VIGIL WOOT WOOT

Edited August 3, 2007 by VeniteAdoremus