Passionist Nuns

[Saint Therese]

I've been corresponding for a very short while with some Passionist nuns and I was wondering if anyone had discerned with them or knew more about their spirituality etc. Are they strictly cloistered? What sort of ascetical practices do they have?
I've looked at website but have not seen this.
Thanks and Love!
kayla

[littlesister]

The Passionist Nuns seem to be autonomous from monastery to monastery. The charism is the same, but their habits, practices, and levels of outreach vary. You would need to look at them one by one. Best wishes!

[Laudem Gloriae]

**ATTENTION: The link I am posting is NOT meant to start a thread on full habits vs modified or none - but this is the theme of this article. I am posting the link ONLY to help out the starter of this thread asking about if anyone knows anything on the Passionist nuns - NOT for some debate. Personally the article is pretty mild and not inflammatory either way. Just wanted to make known my reason for posting this! Thank you, "attention notice" is over! lol!

I have never discerned with them but had found this link that has pictures of Passionist nuns and some info on them. Initially, this web page is about about full traditional habits vs the modified or no habit and is called "The Politics of the Habit". But for your purposes, there is some good info on the Passionists. Here's a bit from this page:

"Passionist nuns live some of the most austere religious lives: They shave their heads; get up at 2 a.m. every day to pray; whip themselves with small leather lashes to share in the pain of Christ’s flogging; practice long-term fasting, give up foods such as fruit and vegetables during the summer as penance, and only speak one hour a day. Their suffering, they believe, can help save lost souls.

Although their faces seem pale and gaunt, their eyes tired with black circles, these women laugh and tell jokes and poke fun at slow-praying sisters or sisters who fall asleep during their vigils. Their favorite target, though, is sisters who don’t wear a habit."

Now I don't know if this is true for all Passionist monasteries or just a few or maybe practices no longer used or they ARE used but not publicized to avoid misunderstanding by people who don't and wouldn't understand? I don't know but here's the link of this page if it would help you: [url="http://www.aliciapatterson.org/APF1903/Reed/Reed.html"]http://www.aliciapatterson.org/APF1903/Reed/Reed.html[/url]


I am a full traditional habit only person and I agree with the traditional sisters/nuns on this in the article so I of course love this little joke that a full habited sister tells in the article:

“[i]There was this nun,” starts Sister Marie Michelle in her Long Island accent, “who recently came out of the habit. She was wearing this short dress and she said to the priest, ‘I guess you didn’t know I had pretty red hair?’ And the priest responded, ‘No, sister I didn’t. I also didn’t know you had varicose veins,’” she said, yelping along with her sisters[/i]."

[genesisweavers]

[quote name='Saint Therese' post='1563594' date='Jun 8 2008, 05:55 PM']I've been corresponding for a very short while with some Passionist nuns and I was wondering if anyone had discerned with them or knew more about their spirituality etc. Are they strictly cloistered? What sort of ascetical practices do they have?
I've looked at website but have not seen this.
Thanks and Love!
kayla[/quote]
Hello Kayla - I have known the Passionist Nuns for about 40+ years here in NE PA. This monastery (St Gabriel's) is the most avant garde of the five CP Nuns monasteries in the U.S. They are also dying out. They gave it all up - the habit, the grills, most of the austerities, etc. The Pittsburg monastery (which was the first in the US) is more traditional but they also have given up a some of the old ways. I'm just not sure about the others.

Before Vatican II they were one of the most austere congregations of women in the church. They were strictly cloistered, they rose at 2 am for matins, they chanted the entire Divine Office in choir, they had two hours daily of mental prayer, they of course fasted. But they always seemed to be very jovial and contented. They were allowed three family visits a year - each visit was one hour only and another Sister sat in the parlor with her veil covering her face. The visit was thru a double grill. The habit was just about as heavy as you can imagine - no shoes only sandals.

There was a story about a girl who joined them back in the day. She happened to grow up right across the street from the monstery. When she could she would raise a window enough and lower a string with a note attached. Her family would see it and go and retrieve it. Two of the notes I remember: "my feet are killing me can you bring me another pair of shoes". And: "we haven't seen ice cream over here in a long time". That postulant became Mother Hyacinth and her body is buried in the Nuns' cemetary at their current location. And her soul is with God.

You didn't say which community you have been in contact with. When I was a kid the monastery here in PA made a foundation in Japan. That monastery is thriving. As is Korea and the Philippines.

may you be blessed
your brother
john

[Chiquitunga]

The three really good ones that come to mind are [url="http://home.catholicweb.com/passionistnuns/index.cfm"]Ellisville, MO[/url] - [url="http://www.religiouslife.com/w_cperlanger.phtml"]Erlanger, KY[/url] & [url="http://www.passionistnuns.org/"]Whitesville, KY[/url]. I visited the ones in Ellisville(St. Louis Archdiocese) and really loved them. I highly recommend that community. Here's a vocation story of a girl who entered there on the Mater Ecclesiae Fund site, [url="http://www.fundforvocations.org/SrElizabethS.php"]Sr. Elizabeth[/url].

Also, here's an old thread on the Passionists here: [url="http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=71978"]http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=71978[/url]

[DameAgnes]

And very cool - aside from the postulant, Elizabeth (in the Mater page) the community has accepted their two aspirants for entrance into the postulancy in July!

[url="http://www.passionistnuns.org/Blog/?p=37"]http://www.passionistnuns.org/Blog/?p=37[/url]

Prayers for Sharon and Shannon! And Elizabeth!

[Chiquitunga]

Actually that's the blog of the Whitesville Passionists, which is really nice. Sr. Elizabeth is the new postulant in Ellisville.

[brgabeosb]

Just so you ladies know, there is a wonderful Passionist Monastery of Nuns in Pittsburgh, PA. Very solid and orthodox group. A number of our monks have made their retreats with the sisters and we also provide many of the sisters spiritual direction.
Religious of the Passion (Passionist Nuns)
(412) 881-1155
Br. Gabriel, OSB
[url="http://www.svamonks.blogspot.com"]svamonks[/url]

[Saint Therese]

I visited a blog by the Passionist nuns and I thought their joy was truly edifying. It was something I had been looking for.
Their habit looked okay to me. their habit may be modified, but the original Passionist habit never had a guimpe or wimple.(I think)

[Totus Tuus]

I have visited the Whitesville, KY monastery if you have any specific questions about that community. They're great!

[Saint Therese]

[quote]I have visited the Whitesville, KY monastery if you have any specific questions about that community. They're great![/quote]
Did you speak with the Novice Mistress? What was their liturgy like? Of course I'm interested in all the details...

[Totus Tuus]

[quote name='Saint Therese' post='1572045' date='Jun 15 2008, 04:23 PM']Did you speak with the Novice Mistress? What was their liturgy like? Of course I'm interested in all the details... [/quote]


Yes, the Novice Mistress and the Superior. Both very nice women!

Their liturgy... I am trying to remember correctly: I think it was all in English. No Latin that I remember at all but my memory could be wrong on that. Their liturgy was reverent, but very modernized, English Novus Ordo facing the people. Whether that meets Vatican II standards is debatable but overall it was reverent. The sisters themselves are not wishy-washy as far as reverence and obedience go, so I was surprised that their liturgy was not more solemn/traditional. Considering how beautiful their spirituality is, I would have to say that their liturgy and the architecture of their chapel were the biggest turn-offs to me, but they would not have been big enough impediments to my desire to join them if I had felt called there. The sisters definitely live the authentic life as Passionist nuns and I would strongly encourage people with an attraction to their life to visit them.

[Saint Therese]

[quote]would have to say that their liturgy and the architecture of their chapel were the biggest turn-offs to me,[/quote]
yes, I had already seen some of their architecture on their website. While it is far from inspiring, I don't want to fall into a trap of assuming that the building makes the life of the nuns.

Did they seem as joyful and prayerful in person as they seem in photos?

[Saint Therese]

[quote]would have to say that their liturgy and the architecture of their chapel were the biggest turn-offs to me,[/quote]
yes, I had already seen some of their architecture on their website. While it is far from inspiring, I don't want to fall into a trap of assuming that the building makes the life of the nuns.

Did they seem as joyful and prayerful in person as they seem in photos?

[Totus Tuus]

[quote name='Saint Therese' post='1573166' date='Jun 16 2008, 07:53 PM']yes, I had already seen some of their architecture on their website. While it is far from inspiring, I don't want to fall into a trap of assuming that the building makes the life of the nuns.

Did they seem as joyful and prayerful in person as they seem in photos?[/quote]


They are definitely very joyful and authentic.

And I'd like to clarify: the reason I say that the architecture was a "turn-off" is because it is just not the type that I am inclined towards. A lot of people love it. It just wasn't really the right fit for me. There are those of us who prefer, perhaps, a different style, but really do not write off a community over a difference of opinion in architecture or liturgy. If you have any inclination towards Passionist life, you will probably be won over by the vocation DVD and smaller differences of opinion will not matter much after that!