Discernment For Life

[jkaands]

I think that you should find out once and for all what's happening in Brenham TX Poor Clares with the Miniature Horses. They sound on the web as if they have a simple life, and something that you might like very much.

Try sending them a real snail letter, or contacting the diocese re their status.

Also there are the 'updated' Carmels and Poor Clares that I have mentioned earlier in your posts on different topics in the past. A review their websites shows that their schedules are simplified, combining worship, fellowship and solitude in proportions that would fit what you seem to need. There's Poor clares in New Jersey. many of the carmels listed in the CCA are in the northeast.

here are a few links:

www.monasteryminiaturehorses.com
Monastery Miniature Horses
9300 Highway 105
Brenham, Texas 77833
979-836-9562

www.brenhamtexas.com
Washington County Texas
314 South Austin Street
Brenham, Texas 77833
979-836-3695

Texas Ranch Life--may have info on the monastery and its horse operation
979-865-3647

Miraposa Ranch--ditto
877-647-4774

++++++++++
CARMELITES

[url="http://www.ccacarmels.org/memberscca.html"]http://www.ccacarmels.org/memberscca.html[/url]

Danville PA, Beacon NY, Jamaica Plain (Boston)MA, Concord NH, Barrington RI, Latrobe PA modified horarium with emphasis on privacy, some flexibility.

POOR CLARES

[url="http://poorclare.org/blog/?page_id=2"]http://poorclare.org/blog/?page_id=2[/url]

in New Rochelle(north of NYC), Jamaica Plain MA (Boston) and Chesterfield NJ

Updated, modified habits,

All of the above would probably be open to 'older' vocations.
+

[littlesister]

Have you come across the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (the "SOLT''s")? Fr. Corapi may be the best known, but they have all kinds of options and an updated website.
God bless.

[remaoung]

Hey,

I like to said something from my own and my community experience. Vocation is gift, stability and perseverance. We don't choose or stayed at the monastery because they traditional, Latin mass, habit and etc. The real solitude is the heart. We don't pick and choose because that will never work but good luck and may good God guide your way.

Peace

[stlmom]

[quote name='remaoung' post='1650432' date='Sep 7 2008, 11:39 PM']Hey,

I like to said something from my own and my community experience. Vocation is gift, stability and perseverance. We don't choose or stayed at the monastery because they traditional, Latin mass, habit and etc. The real solitude is the heart. We don't pick and choose because that will never work but good luck and may good God guide your way.

Peace[/quote]


Amen.

[osapientia]

[quote name='remaoung' post='1650432' date='Sep 8 2008, 12:39 AM']Hey,

I like to said something from my own and my community experience. Vocation is gift, stability and perseverance. We don't choose or stayed at the monastery because they traditional, Latin mass, habit and etc. The real solitude is the heart. We don't pick and choose because that will never work but good luck and may good God guide your way.

Peace[/quote]

Vocation is a gift - no doubt and perserverance is necessary in the vowed life - but where/how the gift is used (lived in the case of a vocation) is certainly a choice. Our Holy Mother Church gives us MANY choices - if we are not meant to choose why would the Holy Spirit give us so many communities/charisms to choose from? What is discernment for and why then does this group exist if not to explore and make a choice based on a range of practices, spiritualities etc.?

We may not STAY because of Latin, traditional, mass habit etc but we certainly can, do and ought to choose to explore freely based on those things. I don't believe the original post-er of this thread is vowed to any of the places she is exploring - she's completely free to choose.

Stability and perseverance comes into play once some form of committment is made - and both stability and perseverance are "observed" or "practiced" incrementally according to the wisdom of the Church - as one journey's toward vows. The church makes it very clear that no expectation of committment can be placed on an individual or a community during postulancy or novitiate - and yet as one moves along, internally he/she begins to move toward stability and perseverance as the Spirit (often speaking through his/her legitimate superior and or the community as a whole) leads. The expectaion of stability in community and perserverance is placed on the vowed, only.

Peace

[remaoung]

[quote name='osapientia' post='1650592' date='Sep 8 2008, 04:52 PM']Vocation is a gift - no doubt and perserverance is necessary in the vowed life - but where/how the gift is used (lived in the case of a vocation) is certainly a choice. Our Holy Mother Church gives us MANY choices - if we are not meant to choose why would the Holy Spirit give us so many communities/charisms to choose from? What is discernment for and why then does this group exist if not to explore and make a choice based on a range of practices, spiritualities etc.?

We may not STAY because of Latin, traditional, mass habit etc but we certainly can, do and ought to choose to explore freely based on those things. I don't believe the original post-er of this thread is vowed to any of the places she is exploring - she's completely free to choose.

Stability and perseverance comes into play once some form of committment is made - and both stability and perseverance are "observed" or "practiced" incrementally according to the wisdom of the Church - as one journey's toward vows. The church makes it very clear that no expectation of committment can be placed on an individual or a community during postulancy or novitiate - and yet as one moves along, internally he/she begins to move toward stability and perseverance as the Spirit (often speaking through his/her legitimate superior and or the community as a whole) leads. The expectaion of stability in community and perserverance is placed on the vowed, only.

Peace[/quote]


Of course we can choose what order or spirituality as we like. That is not what I mean we don't pick and choose. We are all call to serve the God in any form of life. But we also always telling God our will are His Will. I think you misunderstood me. Anyway we are all in journey to find our truth self. No offend intended. God bless.

[EWIE]

[quote name='jkaands' date='Sep 7 2008, 05:22 PM' post='1650204']
I think that you should find out once and for all what's happening in Brenham TX Poor Clares with the Miniature Horses.

NUNSENSE,
I checked with them and they are fine. Sr. Angela said if you phone them, please, please leave your information on the message machine. They WANT to talk to you.

[AccountDeleted]

Because of flood control on phatmass, it isn't easy to post a lot of individual replies all at once, so I am going to take the short cut and reply to several posters in one message.

First, thank you all so much for all the information and suggestions - I knew that coming to the phatmass phamily would be good for me!

Next, yes, I take the point about stability and perseverence - that is why I want to make sure the "shoe fits" before I take any vows. God gives each of us certain talents, gifts and affinities, and it is much more to his glory if we are able to use them in His service. I know now that I need a certain amount of solitude, but not total solitude. I know that I love community life but also being alone.... these things are all part of discernment.

The comment about the variety of religious life in the Church is also a good one. Our extraordinary confessor in Carmel said the same thing to me - that if Carmel was not the right fit for me then I should look elsewhere because there are hundreds of communities in the Church. All of the founders could have joined one community, but each of them felt called to serve God in a certain way, so they started new communities. My main problem is that I am not 21 years old with all the time in the world to live-in everywhere that appeals to me! Having online discernment is wonderful - it does help to narrow down some choices before making contact or visiting. But in the end, it is only by living with the community that one can know if the shoe pinches or not (I like the shoe analogy - it removes any feeling of failure - one doesn't feel bad if a shoe doesn't fit - they just try on another one!). No matter how hard I try not to be affected when it doesn't work out - it is a bit like dating, always hoping that this is the one I will stay with forever - so when it ends, there is disappointment. I am trying to extract the jewel from each experience though, and I have learned so much over the past year about myself and about loving God - so nothing is wasted.

I have made note of all the links and suggestions - thank you all.

EWIE - I will contact Sr Angela again - thank for that information - very nice to hear!

Father Romano is in hospital having surgery so please, all of you, pray for him that he makes a quick recovery. I was planning on leaving this weekend, but he asked if I would stay until his return, so I agreed. It is hard enough on the hermits that he is gone without losing another member of the community too. Once he is back and we have celebrated his return, then I will go stay with the lady at the horse farm for awhile. Meanwhile, I will check out all of your links and suggestions - most grateful to all of you

Edited September 9, 2008 by nunsense

[RosaMystica]

There is a great community of Cloistered Dominican Nuns in Farmington Hills, MI. I think they accept older vocations but I could be mistaken. They are a bit flexible with the age limit I'm sure. They are a very wonderful community and Michigan is a wonderful place to live! There is also a carmelite community not too far from there either, in Clinton Township, MI and I also think they accept older vocations. From what I know, they have a lot of time for prayer and solitude and they also have a beautiful traditional grille and the traditional carmelite habit.
[url="http://www.opnuns-fh.org/"]http://www.opnuns-fh.org/[/url]
[url="http://www.rc.net/detroit/carmelite/"]http://www.rc.net/detroit/carmelite/[/url]