Communities Accepting Candidates Over 50

[Sister Rose Therese]

That seems like a good start for a list.
Thanks

[linnie]

The Sisters of St. Benedict at Mt Benedict Monastery will also consider older vocations. They currently have an aspirant who is 60. the website is being updated but the address is: www.mbmutah.org


linnie

[jkaands]

[quote name='the lords sheep' post='1457091' date='Feb 7 2008, 01:56 PM']I do not believe that the Carmelites DCJ accept women over 35 or so. They may be willing to work on an individual basis, however, but I am not sure....

Their major website mentions 35 years tops.[/quote]

[jkaands]

[quote name='linnie' post='1457183' date='Feb 7 2008, 04:50 PM']The Sisters of St. Benedict at Mt Benedict Monastery will also consider older vocations. They currently have an aspirant who is 60. the website is being updated but the address is: www.mbmutah.org
linnie[/quote]

The Benedictines at Cottonwood Idaho have a number of candidates who are older. A Benedictine at Clyde, MO was professed recently looked in her 50's. The Poor Clares at Greenville, SC, who have a new monastery, have candidates who may be skirting 40-50.

[jkaands]

[quote name='Sister Rose Therese' post='1457004' date='Feb 7 2008, 11:29 AM']I didn't know though that most of the communities in England don't have age limits. That is very interesting. I would love to find out how that works for them.[/quote]


I am sure that Colwich and others accepting older vocations would be very happy to talk to members of religious orders frankly about their experiences.

As you recall, nunsense was clothed recently in the Wolverton Carmel in England--she told us that she was 54.

I think that it is very nice of your vocation director to try to refer older candidates; apparently your community has plenty of younger applicants!

[By His Grace Alone]

[quote name='Sister Rose Therese' post='1457172' date='Feb 7 2008, 06:25 PM']That seems like a good start for a list.
Thanks[/quote]

The Visitation Order does not have an age limit. St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal desired to make religious life available to everyone. I know for a fact that the Tyringham Monastery (1st Federation, enclosed) in Masschusetts (www.vistyr.org), one in Georgia (1st Federation, enclosed) and Mobile, Alabama (1st Federation, enclosed) as well as the Georgetown and Brooklyn Visitation Monasteries (both 2nd Federation, not enclosed) adher to the wishes of their founders. I do not know about the Toledo Monastery. The Dominican Nuns in Buffalo, NY (the one Passionheart entered) also does not consider age a limiting factor.

[Gemma]

[quote name='Sister Rose Therese' post='1456805' date='Feb 6 2008, 11:31 PM']We have had a lot of inquiries from older discerners over 50. Do you know communities that accept candidates over 50? Perhaps even ones that have and will make exceptions for those over 50.[/quote]

Our proposed Cloister Outreach charisms won't have an age limit, except 17, which is established by canon law.

I just accepted a 52 year-old to the aspirancy for our proposed/emerging Cloisterites. My oldest committed foundational aspirant is 71.

[url="http://cloisters.tripod.com/cloisterites/"]http://cloisters.tripod.com/cloisterites/[/url]

Sr. Teresita, who is trying to found an Ecclesia Dei Traditionalist Carmel in Ohio, doesn't have an age limit, either.

I don't think a lay foundress in KY has an age limit for her emerging charism.

Many of the proposed/emerging charisms don't have age limits. I shall go inquire on our private founders' forum.

HTH.

Blessings,
Gemma

[Gemma]

[quote name='By His Grace Alone' post='1457481' date='Feb 8 2008, 09:40 AM']The Visitation Order does not have an age limit. St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal desired to make religious life available to everyone. I know for a fact that the Tyringham Monastery (1st Federation, enclosed) in Masschusetts (www.vistyr.org), one in Georgia (1st Federation, enclosed) and Mobile, Alabama (1st Federation, enclosed) as well as the Georgetown and Brooklyn Visitation Monasteries (both 2nd Federation, not enclosed) adher to the wishes of their founders. I do not know about the Toledo Monastery. The Dominican Nuns in Buffalo, NY (the one Passionheart entered) also does not consider age a limiting factor.[/quote]

Toledo accepts older vocations. When I was discerning with them many years ago, I remember the Novice Mistress told me she had something like two 60 year-olds; two 50 year-olds; and two 40 year-olds at that time, and that the majority of the applications they were accepting were those well over 35. Toledo was gaining a (good) reputation for being a haven for late vocations.

Blessings,
Gemma

[the_rev]

If you want a liberal religious order that is dying out in my diocese but is open to older vocations because it isn't fair to accept someone young when the entire order will die out soon.

[Gemma]

The Servants of the Sacred Cross don't have an upper age limit.

[url="http://www.thesacredcross.org/"]http://www.thesacredcross.org/[/url]

Health issues are considered whenever a sister wants to live in community/at the convent. However, since the sisters are all in their private homes, upper age and health aren't an issue.

Read their website for more information.

Blessings,
Gemma

[shortnun]

We've mentioned this group before on PM. And I've had the pleasure of meeting their foundress while on a mission trip to Mexico. They're open to mature vocations.

[b][url="http://www.eudistservants.org/"]Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour[/url][/b]

[Guest Sr. Kathleen Marie]

My name is Sr. Kathleen Marie and I am the co-foundress of a new community that is forming, a "Project" (this is what the church calls it) in the Archdiocese of Chicago. We are, The Sisters of The Real Presence of Our Lord Jesus Christ. We will have no upper age limit for those women that enter. We also are willing to receive women that have certain health issues but are still able to function on their own. Our Apostolate of prayer and active evangelization will be lived out in a monastic way by living together in a convent, praying the entire Divine Office Daily, The Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, etc. We will be missionary in our apostolate of evangelization by proclaiming the truths of our Catholic faith by using the Arts (Sacred Arts) to give conferences, talks, etc. Women who want to use the arts, such as Fine arts, Visual Arts, Music, Performance, Acting, Writing, etc. will be welcome. We attend both the Novus Ordo and the Latin Rite Masses. We will wear a long black habit with veil. If you would like to talk please call, 1-773-984-8725, email: SRPOLJC@catholic.org or write to: P.O. Box 587 Summit, IL 60501. We have been and will continue to work closely with the Archdiocese of Chicago on our formation as we aspire to become canonically approved as Consecrated Religious Sisters in the Archdiocese someday. God Bless You.

[the lords sheep]

Welcome Sister! Thank you for sharing with us! Please keep us updated as you are founded!
Lauren

[the lords sheep]

The religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma don't list an age limit... That doesn't necessarily mean there isn't one... Just a thought

[jkaands]

[quote name='the_rev' post='1457540' date='Feb 8 2008, 10:12 AM']If you want a liberal religious order that is dying out in my diocese but is open to older vocations because it isn't fair to accept someone young when the entire order will die out soon.[/quote]

Rev, what you wrote quoted above isn't a sentence.