Maybe, you could graduate early.

I finished in three years with a double major to limit my debt, so it's possible. Even if you transferred, you'd have to make sure your classes could transfer because that might set you back, and then you'd have to wait longer.

Sweet!


Prayers for you!

How were the Sister Servants? Fabulous as usual?

They're doing wonderfully! I was on retreat there Friday-Sunday and I got a long period of time to talk to Sr. Louis Marie which was awesome. I met one of the girls who is entering in July while on retreat (she had brought her family over to meet the sisters). Her name is Katie God bless Thanks for the prayers!

How WONDERFUL! I have been bad and neglecting this board, but this is WONDERFUL WONDERFUL WONDERFUL news! Blessed be God Forever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
You get to decide if you get to be an extern? interesting... How awesome is this all!!!!!! I am so excited for you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would like to know the date that you will be going in June! Yay! I am just sooo happy for you!

never thought about that... well, what I am going to do is go to a Catholic College near by that has an art major avaliable so most of my classes will transfer over and then I'll either do a Theo double major, or just go for a minor in it...

Now I am excited!!!! Thanks, that actually helped a lot!

Hi there,

I am entering the PCPA's in Hanceville this year. I know the sisters who are moving to Arizona, and it looks wonderful. I hope you can go visit them. I will be praying for you

Totus tuus,
Lauren

Hi! Yes, I have met Sr. Fidelis, but I don't know her that well. I wrote to her as well for the last few months. She is really cool.
I should still be prudent in saying that I have been accepted, because I haven't set an exact entrance date yet. But I'm pretty sure all will work out. Thanks for your kind regards.
I am not going on the retreat to the Shrine, but I wish I could! It doesn't work out for my schedule... bummer... are you going? I hope you have a great time if you go
I knew I was being called when I got to the Shrine for the first time. I didn't know how I was being called, but when I left that day I couldn't think of anything else except when the next time I could go back would be. I feel at home there, but I still miss my home in Texas when I am there. I guess there will always be a little uncertainty, but that's a small price for having found my vocation
Are you going to visit the PCPA sisters in Phoenix?

Totus tuus,
Lauren

I hope you love the youth retreat!
The PCPA's in Phoenix won't be accepting vocations for a while because they are not ready to set up formation yet, but hopefully it will happen within a couple of years. However, there are PCPA's in Portsmouth, Ohio, who just moved there last year. I think there are five of them, and I think they're all cloistered. They are accepting vocations, so you might consider visiting them.
As far as knowing I wasn't called to the cloister... I'm just not ready yet. God-willing, someday I will be, but after visiting the cloister for three days I realized I felt more at home with the externs and that I wasn't ready for the cloister (or, perhaps, I'm cut out to be an extern forever... all for the glory of God!) Either way, both externs and cloistered sisters are as much a part of the Order as one another, they just live slightly different lifestyles. The extern nuns are still contemplatives even though they deal with the public more than the interns.
I know that I will have a hard time adjusting just like the sister you were talking about. It's different for everyone, but I don't think it's easy for anyone who joins. You just have to take it as it comes, and remember why you're there- to worship Jesus in the Eucharist.
God bless

Totus tuus,
Lauren

I think it depends on the community, when I visited the Discaled Carmelites the extern sisters did not enter the cloister to pray the divine office. There sleeping quarters where in a different part of the monastery but they did eat meals together. Although they do not allow visitors in the cloister, even girls whom are thinking about entering. Again it depends on the community and in terms of adoration, I think the externs do adoration in the public chapel. I think Totus tus probarly knows more about their life.

In Jesus, Our Blessed Mother and Joseph,
Shernel

Oh that's wonderful! I had heard they weren't accepting vocations yet. Wow I hope it works out for you. God bless

Still no response from my letter... but something else I would like to announce: I think I will only go for one more year of college and somehow convince my mom of it But I still have another announcement to make after I recieve a response from my previous letter...

I have decided to postpone my entrance by 11 months and enter July 16, 2006. This way I can work, spend a little bit more time with my family and hopefully find a benefactor or two!

<<sigh>> It is amazing what a Rosary can do for one! Alleleuia! Praise be to God Almighty!

Heh, I know where THAT'S coming from! I'm here at school (done with Finals, praise God!), but still with three days left, and I'm dreading them. I just want to be out of here (ie, done with "goodbyes) and in Ann Arbor as fast as my legs can carry me. And I want to stay there instead of going back home. As my mom puts it, I KNOW what I'm supposed to do, and I just want to do it! Enough already with all of this waiting junk.

yeah, well put! thing is is that my mom is rather against my vocation and wants me to finish college which is another 3 years!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't do that! I will wait a year at the VERY most...

Why do you want to run away? I know you are just being cute about it but why run from the world? If you are truly called to the monastery - that's good but just the idea to run away from the world - not good.

Bless you in your discernment!

betsy

Oh, I know I can never run away from the world, even in the monastery... being in the monastery is being in the heart of the world! You can never really escape it... I just want to run away to the monastery now simply because I feel like I can no longer wait! But I still have to deal with trying to get my mom to be more accepting of my vocation!

Eh, sometimes parents are not so accepting. I've been there. My mother would change the subject when I told her what I was wanting to do. She couldn't bear the idea of me leaving home. It's hard on parents but your mother will come around because she will see that you will be/are happy!! My mother knows I am happy and because of that, she is happy!

Pray for her - she needs your prayers, too.

Bless you! Sr. Betsy

Hey Totus tus,
I talked to the nuns out in Arizona and they were wondering about whether or not you chose to become an cloistered or extern sister. I hope you didn't mind I told them that you are to be an extern sr and they wanted to know your entrance date.

In Jesus, Our Blessed Mother and Joseph,
S. Brooks

my mom is stubborn... she has good reasoning but stubborn none the less...

I am sorry things did not go well with your Mom! I know we need to honor our father and mother but in the light of vocation I think it was St. Teresa of Avila that said, and this is total paraphrasing: you cannot allow a parent to stand in the way of your vocation. Of course that doesn't make it any easier!
For myself, my parents were VERY much against my going to the convent, but I went anyway. It was probably one of the hardest decisions I ever made, and they eventually came around. In fact, they are my biggest supporters now.
I hope that helps a little.

Well, currently I am trying to convince my mother that I cannot wait until I graduate from college to enter, and I wrote her a letter telling her that, but she just rebuked me, but I think that I will be taking charge in fulfilling my vocation and I think I will apply for entrance and set a date for just over a year and tell my mom that this is what I am going to do. Thank you also for the paraphrase from St. Teresa, that really is very helpful Thank you very much

+JMJ+

I will prayerfully support you. Am so sorry that she's having a hard time understanding. It is difficult for parents, there hopes and dreams for you are often being set aside. Then again so has your plans up until now... the Lord doesn't always make it easy to make the choice but he always gives us the strength. I know of the quote from Mater Dei's reply to you. To that I'd like to quote to you the words from the Baltimore Catechism (it's the childrens version). The quotes are clear and athoritative. The section it comes from is the 4th commandmant, Lesson 19, pages 121-2.

"All athority comes from God. When God gives athority to people, He uses those people as signposts to show us what pleases Him in a particular case. To refuse to obey anyone with true athority, as parent, teacher, etc., is to refuse God and to reject His will..."

Don't be troubled your answer is here as it was for me.

Quote interupted and continues on the next page: "However, athority has it's limits. If someone in athority goes out side those limits then in that case, he no longer represents God and is not a signpost of His will. An example would be a parent comanding a child to do something sinful or forbidding that child to follow a religious vocation".

Then there is a picture of an upset father and a sad looking girl - the words below read as follows:
" Father: "No daughter of mine will ever enter a convent."
Daughter: "Then I will have to wait until I am old enought and go anyway, since our parish prieat and the Sisterstell me I have a religious vocation."

I can not tell you how happy I was when I saw this myself for the first time. I thought I'm free. I can really go now. I wanted to be obedient and it was my fourth year and I was only a year from graduating from College. The Lord's call was strong and I went. I tried but couldn't wait any longer. It was very difficult to disapoint the people I loved and they still didn't understand. But I never regreted it and always left the door open and tried to be as compaionate as I could to there stuggles with it. If you want it try. College will always be waiting for you but a vocation is very fragel and protecting it and cultivating it is the only way to know for sure if you can do it. I will be praying for you and advise you strongly to speak with a spiritual director or if you one make an appointment with them.

God bless you dear one. A kindred heart to your suffering.

little heart

+JMJ+

I will prayerfully support you. Am so sorry that she's having a hard time understanding. It is difficult for parents, there hopes and dreams for you are often being set aside. Then again so has your plans up until now... the Lord doesn't always make it easy to make the choice but he always gives us the strength. I know of the quote from Mater Dei's reply to you. To that I'd like to quote to you the words from the Baltimore Catechism (it's the childrens version). The quotes are clear and athoritative. The section it comes from is the 4th commandmant, Lesson 19, pages 121-2.

"All athority comes from God. When God gives athority to people, He uses those people as signposts to show us what pleases Him in a particular case. To refuse to obey anyone with true athority, as parent, teacher, etc., is to refuse God and to reject His will..."

Don't be troubled your answer is here as it was for me.

Quote interupted and continues on the next page: "However, athority has it's limits. If someone in athority goes out side those limits then in that case, he no longer represents God and is not a signpost of His will. An example would be a parent comanding a child to do something sinful or forbidding that child to follow a religious vocation".

Then there is a picture of an upset father and a sad looking girl - the words below read as follows:
" Father: "No daughter of mine will ever enter a convent."
Daughter: "Then I will have to wait until I am old enought and go anyway, since our parish prieat and the Sisterstell me I have a religious vocation."

I can not tell you how happy I was when I saw this myself for the first time. I thought I'm free. I can really go now. I wanted to be obedient and it was my fourth year and I was only a year from graduating from College. The Lord's call was strong and I went. I tried but couldn't wait any longer. It was very difficult to disapoint the people I loved and they still didn't understand. But I never regreted it and always left the door open and tried to be as compassionate as I could to there stuggles with it. If you want it, try. College will always be waiting for you but a vocation is very fragile and protecting it and cultivating it is the only way to know for sure if you can do it. I will be praying for you and advise you strongly to speak with a spiritual director or if you aready have one make an appointment with them.

God bless you dear one. From a kindred heart to your suffering.

little heart

December 8th, God willing!

Oooh! Please tell us how that went!

Thank you very much! I think that I will be taking things into my own hands and apply for entrance to the Postulancy and hopefully set a date for next year! I did talk with my Spiritual Director of sorts today about this, and she (my youth minister) thinks that it is good that I have a year to tie things up and that she knows that it is going to be a difficult year nonetheless, but thanks you very much for your prayers and encouragement! God Bless and Mary Protect!

Maybe you could start by talking about the beauty of vocations, and unique callings... and gradually (once she is sort of convinced that it's a beautiful thing to do) let on that that is your own plan. Just my suggestion, God bless.

my 10 year old sister is very angry about me being a cloistered nun. Very mad and hurt and confused. I think it s harder since my dad left she feels like every one is abandoning her. It wont be for two years until i enter and I tell her we have time we can spend together. But she is so upset about this. I dont know. I didnt really "break" it to any body I just kinda said this is what God is calling me to do. My mom is very happy and wnats me to go but she doesnt want me to for a while. I am glad that she is behind me though because my dad is not . Vocations are very hard. Yet I dont mind.
My mom siad I had to check out two other Monasterys and visit them before I enter lockport. So i was wondering how i was going to do that and. Wednesday i got a letter from the vocation directress. In the dominican Monastery of the Infant Jesus in lufkin. She invited me to come and stay with them for a few days. So it is all set I go in june. I am very excited about this. I am even more exicted about my 3 month aspirancy in august and getting to see marjorie then to.
Well anyway pray for my lil sister . I will keep all of you in my prayers.

God Bless and Mary keep
Karin

Awesome... I should come see you, if that is possible, while you're in Lufkin. Your mom said two monasteries, right? May I suggest the PCPA's as the second