I Am Humbled.

[fides quarens intellectum]

So...

i don't think i've come out and said it on the boards, but i am open to God's will, which means, at this point, i just really don't care if He wants me to be a wife or Religious Sister. Abandonment; His will, not mine. i could use some help, though, with something that's come up.

i moved here last Summer; met the diocesan vocations director in a social setting in the Fall; he became a friend. Recently, he asked me to help him with the girls' side of his job. So far, that meant starting and running a prayer group for single lay women. No biggie.

Well, he'd told me he just didn't know what to do with women who come to him for help, and that he might send them to me for assistance (the two local women's religious communities are, well, how shall i say this - they probably wouldn't cut it as PM Church Scholars).

Today, at my regular job, a lady sent by Fr. Jim came to me looking for vocational discernment help. (i am humbled, and continue to be amazed by what the Lord asks of someone like me!)


So - Pham, i need your help - prayers, first of all.

Secondly, she's 46. i know there have been discussions on here about older vocations - could someone link them?

Also, does anyone know of a community that chants the Office in Latin?


Thanks so much!!!

[stlmom]

The Benedictine Nuns of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem Connecticut chant in Latin. If I think of any others, I will post them.

[fides quarens intellectum]

[quote name='stlmom' post='1565135' date='Jun 9 2008, 04:19 PM']The Benedictine Nuns of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem Connecticut chant in Latin. If I think of any others, I will post them.[/quote]


Thanks so much! Keep the info coming, guys - i'll pass it all along!

[stlmom]

I've heard that the Dominican Nuns in Buffalo, NY and Marbury AL use a great deal of Latin in their daily prayer, don't know if that helps. Marbury has a website, and Buffalo has a sketchy webpage, not much info on it. But we have former phatmassers in both places who are novices now. The novice at Buffalo is a "mature" vocation! Good luck and bless you for trying to help!

[fides quarens intellectum]

[quote name='stlmom' post='1565148' date='Jun 9 2008, 04:27 PM']I've heard that the Dominican Nuns in Buffalo, NY and Marbury AL use a great deal of Latin in their daily prayer, don't know if that helps. Marbury has a website, and Buffalo has a sketchy webpage, not much info on it. But we have former phatmassers in both places who are novices now. The novice at Buffalo is a "mature" vocation! Good luck and bless you for trying to help![/quote]


Awesome! thanks for the help!

[Chiquitunga]

Two other Benedictine communities that chant the Office in Latin are [url="http://www.ihmwestfield.com/"]Westfield, VT[/url] and Kansas City, MO ([url="http://www.benedictinesofmary.org/"]Benedictines of Mary[/url]) The Benedictines of Mary have an age limit of 30, but I don't know about Westfield. Then the Cistercian Nuns in WI chant the whole Office in Latin, [url="http://nunocist.org/"]http://nunocist.org/[/url] I just saw on their site they have an age limit of 35, though as with any community with an age limit, they might make exceptions.

The 5 Carmels in the US that chant the whole Office in Latin are Buffalo, NY - Alexandria, SD - Brooklyn, NY - Clearwater, KS & Valparaiso, NE (Valp.'s Office is of the ancient Carmelite rite with the Extraordinary Form for Mass, the others the new rite in Latin) I believe all of those though have an age limit of about 35, though again, they might make exceptions. There are others though that use a good amount of Latin like [url="http://www.carmelitenunsstjoseph.org/Trav.htm"]Traverse City, MI[/url] and [url="http://www.carmelitenunsstjoseph.org/monastery.htm"]Dallas, TX[/url]. I know Dallas accepts older vocations. Currently they have a pretty large novitiate, so they might have a limit on how many more they will accept at this time, but if she's interested, she should write them anyway.

Then for the Poor Clares, I don't know of any that chant the whole Office in Latin, but I know of a few traditional PCC monasteries that are open to older vocations: [url="http://www.poorclare.org/belleville/"]Belleville, IL[/url] [url="http://db.religiouslife.com/reg_life/irl.nsf/org/68"]Roswell, NM[/url] (new site: [url="http://www.poorclaresroswell.com/"]http://www.poorclaresroswell.com/)[/url] [url="http://www.rockfordpoorclares.org/"]Rockford, IL[/url] & [url="http://www.poorclarecolettines-cleveland.org/"]Cleveland, OH[/url] (though it says on the IRL site that the last two aren't open to older vocations in their profiles, I know of two women in their later 40's whom these were open to).

Generally the Visitation Order is the one that's usually always pretty open to older vocations. Two good ones I know of are [url="http://www.toledovisitation.org/"]Toledo, OH[/url] and [url="http://www.vistyr.org/"]Tyringham, MA[/url]. I'm not sure if either of these chant the Office in Latin though.

Then the last one that comes to mind would be the [url="http://www.bakersfield.net/photography/slideshows/nuns/"]Norbertine Nuns in Tehachapi, CA[/url]. I'm not sure about age limits with them though.

One thing also, you might ask her if she definitely feels called to the cloistered life, or if maybe she might feel called to be an extern, as communities with age limits like several of those above, will usually be open to older women who would like to enter as an extern. One of the externs at [url="http://www.carmelitenunsstjoseph.org/Buffalo.htm"]Buffalo Carmel[/url] who passed away a few years back had entered later on in life after she was widowed. But if she's sure about being called to the cloister, she should stick with that conviction and search for communities that will accept older cloistered vocations.

Then there are definitely many other cloistered communities that are open to older vocations. But for communities that chant the whole Office in Latin, these are the only ones that come to mind just now, besides the Poor Clares and Visitandines I listed. God bless you in this great work you are undertaking to help those discerning!

Edited June 10, 2008 by Margaret Clare

[Chiquitunga]

Also, if she'd like to start with a few good communities in the area, I would suggest the [url="http://www.capuchinpoorclares.org/denver/index.html"]Poor Clare Capuchins in Denver, CO[/url] ([url="http://www.capuchinpoorclares.org/pueblo/index.html"]also Pueblo, CO[/url]) - [url="http://www.walburga.org/"]Benedictine Abbey of St. Walburga[/url] - and the [url="http://www.waymarking.com/wm/details.aspx?f=1&guid=6b550ccf-fb18-470e-9eac-2fb96fb9ca36&lat=39.612733&lon=-105.005933&t=4&id=Angelo"]Carmel in Littleton, CO[/url], of which I am pretty sure is open to older vocations, and which I know is very traditional. Here's an article on them in the [url="http://www.archden.org/dcr/archive/20010704/2001070403ln.htm"]Denver Catholic Register[/url].

Edited June 10, 2008 by Margaret Clare

[fides quarens intellectum]

wow! thanks for all the info! i know she will be pleased!

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='Margaret Clare' post='1565361' date='Jun 9 2008, 06:20 PM']One of the externs at [url="http://www.carmelitenunsstjoseph.org/Buffalo.htm"]Buffalo Carmel[/url] who passed away a few years back had entered later on in life after she was widowed.[/quote]
Correction: was never married actually, and she entered in her 40's Also, here's an article on one of the externs at Buffalo Carmel, [url="http://www.buffalonews.com/cityregion/story/359824.html"][i]Deepening Her Walk of Faith [/i][/url], in case she's interested in this vocation.

[fides quarens intellectum]

awesome! thanks so much!

[Chiquitunga]

Another Benedictine community that prays the whole Office in Latin: [url="http://www.rockisland.com/~mhildegard/"]http://www.rockisland.com/~mhildegard/[/url] God bless!

[gloriagurl]

[quote name='stlmom' post='1565135' date='Jun 9 2008, 06:19 PM']The Benedictine Nuns of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem Connecticut chant in Latin. If I think of any others, I will post them.[/quote]

St. Scholastica Priory in Petersham MA chants in Latin

[fides quarens intellectum]

..

Edited June 11, 2008 by fides quarens intellectum

[VeniteAdoremus]

As a very general rule, Benedictines, Carmelites and especially Visitation nuns seem to be more open to older vocations.

[gloriagurl]

[quote name='fides quarens intellectum' post='1565079' date='Jun 9 2008, 05:32 PM']So...

i moved here last Summer; met the diocesan vocations director in a social setting in the Fall; he became a friend. Recently, he asked me to help him with the girls' side of his job. So far, that meant starting and running a prayer group for single lay women. No biggie.

Well, he'd told me he just didn't know what to do with women who come to him for help, and that he might send them to me for assistance (the two local women's religious communities are, well, how shall i say this - they probably wouldn't cut it as PM Church Scholars).

Today, at my regular job, a lady sent by Fr. Jim came to me looking for vocational discernment help. (i am humbled, and continue to be amazed by what the Lord asks of someone like me!)
So - Pham, i need your help - prayers, first of all.[/quote]

While I'm happy to give whatever information that I can regarding communities that chant the office in Latin, I must say that I find this situation outlined in this post unfortuate (to say the least) and troubling.

Here we have an ordained minister of the Church, sacramentally entrusted with the care of souls, dedicated to the service of God's people, particularly (in his current position) to serve those who seek to live as priests OR religious.....and he needs help with the "girls' side of his job"???? Even if those are not his words, it's distressful that he willingly admits he doesn't "know what to do with women who come to him for help".

Further, he's seeking the advice of and sending seriously discening women to someone who has absolutely no experience in spiritual direction, guidance, formation etc etc etc.

Quite frankly, I find it shocking.

While I commend your desire to be helpful (in starting a prayer group for single lay women), I'm disquieted by your willingness to take on assisting others in vocational discernment at the diocesan level....what I mean by that is that someone going to the diocesan vocations office for help, deserves just that...help from the diocesan vocation office. It's quite a different story from someone coming to an internet forum like phatmass to gather information from others who are out on the Internet searching for it or to look for encouragement from the personal stories of those who have visited communities, or who are (or have) lived religious life.

I hear (or in this case read) that you want to help but at the same time we must all exercise caution when dealing with such important issues and place them squarely in the hands of those who have the authority and experience to deal with them. If this priest can't find a way to help women seeking vocational discernment advice, or if he has difficulty dealing with women in his job in general, he certainly needs help...and he needs it from someone qualified to give it to him....or he should be placed in a position that is better suited to his skill set.

Pax