Hello! My names Kristina (I'm Totus Tuus' lil sis ) and I was wondering if any of y'all had visited the Nashville Dominicans. I visited the SSME's last May, liked it a lot and also, I have been to the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament several times, and I LOVED them!! But, I have this feeling I should visit Nashville just to see what their like. I have no idea if my life will be as a religious, and I'm very open to the married life, but I still would like to visit convents to see what their life is like, in case I might someday be called to one of them. So, all in all, I have no idea what my future will be, so if y'all could pray for me as I pray for y'alls vocations, that would be great! Thanks a bunch for any information that you guys could give me. God Bless!

Many prayers for you Ora.

Related to these sisters. I am in contact w/ Sr. Mary Emily and have visited on a vocations retreat in the past. The sisters are coming to St. Louis next year to teach and we're quite excited. Actually, two of the sisters (along with some other communities of men and women) are visiting my high school today for a vocations panel.

I know there have been threads about the Nashville OPs in the past. Their website is the best for information. But if you have specific questions, I'm sure there are those of us who've visited who would be willing to share our opinions!

thanks a bunch shortnun! well, ii have one question...i have heard you have to be 18 to go to their retreats and i will only be 17 in april. i want to go to the retreat in october that their having, but i'll only be 17 1/2. so, i was wondering if they make acceptions. they did for a friend of mine, so, that gives me hope. thanks for the prayers as well...i need them.

I would fill out an inquiry form on their website or email Sr. Mary Emily or Sr. Cecilia Joseph. I know they don't have a ton of room for their vocations retreats. And their exceptions might be different for Vocations Retreats than for Jesu Caritas weekend retreats. But I'm not certain.

ohh what are the differences between the two retreats? yes, i wanted to go to the one in february, but it was full! haha, i guess that's a good thing. when i went to SSME, they had a 24 hour retreat. it was nice and they had all night adoration. is that a vocation retreat? they talkeda bout the religious vocation and stuff like that. but it was based mostly on benediction...it was really awesome. but, i know i'm not called to be there. i got that impretion right when i entered the place. their wonderful, but just not for me, you know? i was glad the answer for SSME came so quickly from God. sometimes, it takes longer. haha.

wow, thanks shortnun!! this will help...i'm gonna print the stuff out.

I have never been there

I have been a couple times. They are such a beautiful order. I do not feeled called there but I would recommend anyone discerning to check them out!!!

I'm so excited that they're coming to STL! Where are they going to teach? Do you know?

Hi Kristina!

I have been to the Motherhouse in Nashville! I actually live in Nashville, so I go about once a week to pray Compline with the sisters, and I've been on a Jesu Caritas retreat. They are an INCREDIBLE order of over 200 sisters! They just finished a new chapel last year and their Motherhouse is so beautiful, a lot of property on a hill only a couple minutes from downtown Nashville. The sisters are an institution here in Nashville. Sr. Mary Emily is the Vocation Director and is so wonderful, let me know if you ever make it here for a retreat, I'll probably be there!

Thanks Ave Maria Totus Tuus! Yah, I've been to their site a lot, and the grounds are sooo beautiful!! That's partly what attracted me towards them. I'm not saying I'm called to the religious life, because there's a big chance that I will get married some day...but it still attracts me, you know? I think I should visit them. It sounds really good!

St. Joseph's in Cottleville (St. Charles), if my memory serves me correctly. I don't know how many sisters are coming yet. But I know the (Dominican) brothers here in town are excited that their "family" is expanding.

STL? what is that exactly? i might know, and my brain isn't working or something.

St. Louis (Missouri)

I became a Lay Dominican in college, and attended five Jesu Caritas retreats after graduation. The first one was a discernment retreat, and I found out immediately upon arrival that St. Cecilia wasn't for me. I attended the other retreats for my "yearly" retreat requirement as a Lay OP.

I had written an article about Jesu Caritas--intending to publish it in Catholic Digest--but the sisters said it was too positive, and they were afraid they'd have to turn girls away. They were already accommodating 60 at each retreat (about 3 times the number when I was there).

I've not been to the new motherhouse. Can't wait to get back that way.

My only objection to them--and please correct me if I'm wrong--was their forcing their sisters to receive communion in the hand because they were teaching their school kids to do the same. I should think that that is against Canon Law. As I said, please correct me if I'm wrong on that.

Go and see. It can't hurt. I really wish they'd have retreats for old married women like myself.

Blessings,
Gemma

ohh i didn't know they were doing that. yes! please, someone tell me if they do. i don't receive communion in my hand...

Gemma when I went there to visit in '89 all the sisters were receiving on the tongue. the Church permits one to receive either on the tongue or in the hand and really everyone should be free to receive either way.
I think everyone should be free to receive kneeling, too, but let's not get into that one!

lol, true. but i would prefer if the convent i joined received the Lord on the tongue. But, i guess it's a small matter. i go to the indult TLM, so on the tongue and kneeling is my personal preference.

This was afterward. I knew a young lady who attended Mass and prayers there on a regular basis, and she said that because they were teaching the kids to receive in the hand, the sisters were forced to receive in the hand, also.

Blessings,
Gemma

well, that kind of makes sense.

I know this topic is really old.... But I love the nashville Domincans! They are so wonderful, me and my family visit them every year. You should make a retreat, Celine did and she loved it But I think you knew that already, anyways, I hope to make a retreat as soon as I reach the age requirement....

I don't think I've ever seen all of them recieve by the hand...

Hi Lori! Actually, Celine is who increased my interest in the Nashville Dominicans...I think I'd like to go with her in October. Just to see what their like...

that would be really cool! They are really great, but obviously it all depends on where God wants you

i am going just to check it out...that's about all at this point.

I know the talks they give and stuff on their retreats are really good spiritually though, I can't wait until I can start going.

They had a priest from Rhode Island (Fr. Austriaco, OP) give the talk last May for the Discernment retreat. They don't have it listed on the website who will do it this year, but I'm sure it'll be good!

This is a reaaally old post, but since I found it I just thought I'd clarify -- if anything, it seems they ALL take our Eucharistic Lord on their tongues, but none of it is by force or order. I have a feeling you might be referring to the school months; the Sisters might take the Eucharist in their hands as an example for the kids, but that sounds highly unlikely that any of it would be by force. The NDs are in full communion with Rome, so when I found this I thought I'd give a fresh comment since this post is "before my time" on PM, lol.

Actually, a bit ironic because for me, I'm "saving myself" [sounds silly] because I've never taken the host on my tongue before and if it is God's will for me to enter Nashville, my first Mass as a postulant will be the beginning of a deeper, more intimate union with Christ in that way also.

Excuse the fact that some of this may be incoherent, but I'm not the best sleeper.

On a related subject, some of the sisters serve as EMHCs also it seems--my friend told a story about her brother going to Mass at the church there with half his beard shaved off (in honor of St. Philip Neri, who did that sometimes), and hearing one of the sisters say later "I just gave Communion to the strangest man..." For me I have a minor paranoia of joining a convent where they do that, lest I be requested to do it under obedience.

I visited for half an hour driving through Nashville--more like running through. They were kind, and the grounds are very nice--the house is a huge brick house, which used to be a boarding school. I didn't get to look around the church because we had to leave quickly, but I saw one of the Sisters kiss her scapular after she finished her prayer, which seems like a nice custom.

Sorry to hear your friend's brother had that experience. All I can say is that they are human, too, and we all say things sometimes that we shouldn't. I have to remind myself of that sometimes, since I think people often forget that they are definitely prone to error. Society just assumes that, hey, they're holy, so therefore they must be perfect. But they are beautiful, nonetheless; I had a Sister say something to me once that wasn't very "Sisterly," in my opinion, but realized I had near-divine expectations for mere humans like me.

They usually have the presiding priest give Communion [of course] with a novice holding the communion paten as an altar server. Sometimes Sisters do give Communion, but I haven't really noticed a pattern as to if it is Sisters on Mother's council, novices only, etc. I can't really remember and tell you anything further off the top of my head, but probably some other girls on PM could tell you better.

Yes, my school actually used to be that boarding school. There were, I believe, three major periods of construction/adding on to the Motherhouse, and then most recently in 2006 the new chapel was finished and 100,000 sq. ft. were added on due to the community's rapid growth.

Since the scapulars are blessed, the Sisters are always careful not to sit down on them, but instead they first pull them to the side, as well as their rosary, and when leaving the chapel at the Motherhouse they kiss it, as you mentioned - though I have seen the Sisters do it at school when leaving the chapel there, out of habit (no pun intended), but it is primarily done at the Motherhouse.

I'm sure you knew a lot of this about the construction and all, but it brings me joy to talk about, so thank you for the opportunity. ;-)

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, that's why people do that! I thought it was just because sitting on a scapular could be uncomfortable or get in the way... You learn something every day

Oh, I didn't mean the comment to prove the sisters were rude, but just that that was how I heard that some of them must be EMHCs. I'm sure he knew he looked strange My friend said it was a mischievous custom of his for St Philip Neri's Feast day.

I didn't know that either, about not sitting on scapulars. I see some monks around, and they do that too, and now I know why! I used to think it was so they didn't get caught in the chair...

another reason they move the scapular to the side is because they wrinkle so badly. Not the main reason, but important.