Communities Accepting Candidates Over 50

[katherineH]

The Family of Jacopa is a recently new community in Steubenville, OH that specifically seeks older vocations. I know one of their sisters is a regular Phatmass poster.

The RSM of Alma also grant a lot of flexibility in terms of age.

[Kathleen777]

The Family of Jacopa Association is a Public Association of the Christian Faithful in the Diocese of Steubenville. I am the Foundress/Superior of this new Franciscan community. We will accept older vocations (over 40) if the aspirant is healthy and can live our religious life. www.familyofjacopa.com  

[Thijs]

The Sisters of St Rita needs vocations. Women up to 50 years of age can join them

http://www.sistersofstrita.org/your-gifts/vocation-considerations/

[Thijs]

The Abbey of Sainte-Marie des Deux-Montagnes in Canada has older vocations on this video

[kimberly dorman]

Do u know of any n Canada that take candidates over fifty looking n London ontario

[Thijs]

22 hours ago, kimberly dorman said:

Do u know of any n Canada that take candidates over fifty looking n London ontario

The women religious congregations in the diocese of Ontario are liberal and dying. But I would recommend Ursuline Sisters of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus (U.S.A.H.J.). Their address below;

Our Lady of Czestochowa Convent
1371 Langlois Avenue, Windsor, N8X 4L8
519-256-7115
ursulinesahj@cogeco.ca
 
London House
55 Adelaide Street North, London, N6B 3G5
519-439-1443
www.urszulanki.pl

[kimberly dorman]

Are they the only ones in London Ontario who take women over fifty

[Hna.Caridad]

From the looks of the Diocese of London's website, there are 9 congregations of Women Religious in that diocese--all of which are in good-standing or else they wouldn't be listed on the diocesan website.  I would recommend contacting those congregations directly to see if they have upper age limits, rather than relying on anonymous sources from an internet forum.  Many prayers for your vocation journey! 

[Sister Leticia]

I second Hna Caridad's suggestion. If you're looking to enter a community in that diocese, then begin by contacting the communities listed by the diocese. You might be pleasantly surprised! 

 

On 2/20/2018 at 4:59 PM, Thijs said:

The women religious congregations in the diocese of Ontario are liberal and dying.

Thijs - my congregation has a presence in Ottawa, which is in Ontario. I assume it's in the same diocese. We are liberal and very much alive. We are not dying. True, we only have four communities in Canada - but that is only one of  about 35 countries in which we are present. 

Please be careful about what you say about communities you don't know very well.

[truthfinder]

2 hours ago, Sister Leticia said:

 

 

Thijs - my congregation has a presence in Ottawa, which is in Ontario. I assume it's in the same diocese.

Dear Sr. Leticia,

Ontario is very large: Ottawa is an archdiocese, on the other side of the province from the London diocese, and separated by a couple of dioceses including giant Toronto. 

For the questioner: because finding communities who accept vocation over 50 can be difficult, you might have to be willing to look further than you thought - while at the same time, possibly finding a community in your 'backyard', so to speak. 

[Sister Leticia]

Thijs - thank you for the clarification. I guess I'm just wearily accustomed to seeing sweeping statements about our/other communities' "state of health" based on meeting a few elderly sisters.

I agree it's good to look further afield, and some of the local orders will have their motherhouse and noviciate elsewhere anyway, maybe even in the US. At the same time people might have a reason for wanting to remain in an area, such as not being too far from ageing parents. 

[Sponsa-Christi]

4 hours ago, kateritekakwitha said:

Most consecrated virgins are late vocations, so I guess you could go there. In fact, some bishops think it is better if the candidate is over 50

Speaking as a CV myself, I would STRONGLY discourage any woman from discerning consecrated virginity simply (or even primarily) because it's a form of consecrated life in which late vocations are possible. 

To live out a vocation to consecrated virginity successfully--and by "successfully," I don't just mean:"in a way that gives an inspiring, convincing witness to the reality of the Gospel," but also: "being able to cope with the challenges of this vocation without having a psychological breakdown or scandalizing anyone"--you really need to have a deep understanding of and love for consecrated virginity's unique charism, along with a firm conviction that you are called to be a bride of Christ in the specific way the Rite of Consecration describes. 

Or in other words, to have a fruitful consecrated life as a consecrated virgin, this vocation really needs to be your "first choice."

Of course, it can happen that an older woman was called to be a CV all along, but was never aware of the Rite of Consecration or didn't have this available as an option when she was younger. I also think it can happen that a woman might seriously discern other vocations before realizing, through the providential circumstances of her life, that consecrated virginity is her true vocation. But in these examples, consecrated virginity is freely and enthusiastically embraced for what it is, rather than being reluctantly accepted as one of the few options available. 

[Nunsuch]

First of all, I know many sisters (especially) in their sixties and seventies who are training for or entering into new ministries. Many. Fifty is not "old" or beyond the age of deciding to do something new.

Second, I have no call to consecrated virginity, and am hardly an expert on it. But, as has been said by many people before, anyone who regards ANY vocation--including this one--as some sort of "last resort" (and certainly any bishop or spiritual director who might so advise someone, as in "might as well consecrate her") has NO understanding of vocation. As with any vocation, this one is specific and not simply something to do because time is running out, or nothing "better" has come along. Yikes.

[Princess]

I am 42, I live in Ontario, I am  and as well interested to join a religious community, but I am not a permanent resident, I donèt know if I will be accepted without a permanent resident, but I am a religious worker. Thanks

[Sister Leticia]

Hi Princess, and welcome!

As with many of the questions people ask here, really it's best to ask the communities themselves. There should be contact details/forms on their websites, or else there might be listings in the diocesan directory. Unless someone who knows those communities extremely well is on this forum, we can't guess what their entrance criteria and policies might be.

Bear in mind, though, that unless you're approaching a monastery, or a congregation's one and only community (eg a new foundation), the orders in Ontario will probably belong to much larger orders. Some might well be international , so their motherhouses and novitiates might not be in Canada. My own congregation, for example, only has a few communities in Canada - which is part of the same province as the USA, and is also part of a much larger, international congregation in 35 countries. Canadian candidates would begin in Canada, but then go to the US for their novitiate - so the question about permanent residence doesn't really apply here, whereas it would if someone was approaching a Canadian congregation/ monastery.

i hope that makes sense and is helpful!