Hi friends,
I haven't really posted for awhile but I thought I would today and ask your prayers. today at 9:30 central time I will talking with my postulant director. It's our first real conversation since I left. I'm really excited to really talk with her about things but I'm also really nervous so if you could say a few prayers I would greatly appreciate that. I still think God is calling me to this community( FSGM) but we shall see. Right now I am jsut focusing on school, I'll graduate in December.


In Christ,
Tracy

Prayers on the way, Tracy. Give me a call sometime!
~Therese

You have my prayers Tracy

Well we chatted briefly because Sr.M.Beata had something come up but we are going to talk more tommarrow at greater length. At least we chatted a bit today and so I am over the nerves. I look forward to talking tomarrow.
thanks for the prayers

Tracy:

I know the feeling! I spoke with one of the sisters involved with formation with the community I had been with. After talking for a bit the nerves do calm down, but its hard making the initial phone call!

Will keep you in prayers!

-- Carmen

How did it go Tracy?

It went pretty well. It was great to talk and catch up a bit and find out what's going on down there. On an interesting note as we were talking Sister said manybe this isn't where God isc alling me because the spirit of the community doesn't quite match up with what makes me tick. I don't remember how she worded it. We are still going to keep in touch nadI just need to be open to whatever God wants. She said this b ecause we were discussing my classes and I just got so excited about what I'm learning and about theology and philosophy especially about St.Thomas Aquinas and my medieval phil class. She said she;s seeing more and more that theology and phiosophy makes me tick and gets me really excited and I love sharing and talking about what I'm learning and that just doesn't quite fit with their franciscan community. I replied with their are Franciscans that a re intellectuals and thenI went in this tangent about Scotus and Ockham who were Franciscan. Anyways she suggested maybe looking at the Dominincan's again or an order that has more study in their life.
So that's where things are at right now

Well, I can see how that might be disappointing. but, do keep at it. Sometimes when God closes a door He opens a window. Oh, and have you heard of the Benedictines? ;-)

My thoughts exactly. Have you heard of the Benedictine community in Florida that is near Ave Maria University? They are an emerging community that is monastic but also involved with a teaching apostolate I believe at the college level? If I find their website I will post it.
God bless!

Queen of Peace Monastery


Another community to consider, if you feel very strongly pulled to Franciscan spirituality, are the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist. They have many sisters involved in academic pursuits in the USA and Italy. They also have a website which has been featured in VS not too long ago.

There's also the Sister Servants of the Eternal Word that jenny (jgirl) and betsy (lillabettt) entered last summer. They are mainly Franciscan in charism, but they have a strong Dominican thrust. (They say their two spiritual fathers are St. Francis and St. Dominic) They do a lot of study and get some sort of catechism degree. I know that Sr. Jenny originally thought she was called to the FSGM Sisters, but she really fell in love with the SSEW Sisters when she visited. If you want to look into them, here is their website: Sister Servants of the Eternal Word
You'll be in my prayers!
Pace e Bene,
Lauren

Yeah couple people have mentioned SSEW, like my postulant director. She thinks I have more of a bend towards the Dominicans that I let on but still can kind of see the Franciscan thing. So we shall see. Lots of praying to as always, for the Lord's will. I meet with my spiritual director next week so I'll see what he has to say. For now I am just focusing on my studies. I am taking Christian Morality, Theological Methods and Resources, Letters of St.Paul, Medieval Philosophy and Readings from Aquinas. In the Readings from Aquinas class we are spending the whole semester on Hope and Fortitude. sO that's kind of where things are at

I'll suggest them too ... its a good mix; and if your theology studies (etc.) get you excited then it makes sense looking at Dominican communities.

Besides ... St. Francis and St. Dominic have a number of things in common, I don't remember what though (bad memory).

I think they're quite a good order (wasn't for me, but they are wonderful sisters).

-- Carmen

Yeah I remember one day at table for the meal formerly known as lunch and one of the novices was talking about curiosity. I chimed in and started talking about how Aquinas calls curiosity the vice that is opposed to studiousness. I shared all of that with them from the Summa Theologiae at table. They only stopped and looked at me like I had 5 heads. then my postulant director asked if I could teach her some Aquinas. I was kind of shocked. I guess in my own little mind I thought everyone knew a lot of Aquinas. Well the school I attend is the University of St.Thomas and many of my profs are Thomists

I go to school with some Dominican student brothers who went to St. Thomas.

Needless to say, they're quite Thomistic!

Interesting, i've been praying for you hon, you are totally under Gods wing, Its hard, but i learned from a good ole novice mistress that you have to be attentive to whatever the sisters say. And pppatient, i'm usually a patient person, but when it comes to other things - nope.

I'm not sure if anyone else suggested it, but you should totally check out the Community of St. John! They are awesome, and have an incredibly deep spirituality. Their founder was Dominican. They have a particular love for St. Thomas Aquinas. They have both contemplative and apostolic sisters. Here's a thread I started on them a couple months ago. http://www.phatmass.com/phorum/index.php?showtopic=60188

They currently only have the contemplative sisters in Princeville, with the brother's priory nearby, but I heard they were intending to bring the apostolic sisters to the US too. The contemplative sisters are semi-cloistered.

They have these philosophy sesssions every once and a while, and people are invited to come to hear them. They are given by the fathers / or brothers - they actually usuually just called the priests and brothers, brothers. There's a philosophy session coming up that I'll post here.

I'm glad that the conversation went well, even if it may have been a bit unexpected. It's good that you're keeping busy w/your studies & enjoying them. You're in my prayers!