We're going to be starting with the Congregation of Charity of the Miraculous Medal, Servants of the Poor (CCMM).

http://cloisters.tripod.com/charity/

The new active charisms will be founded from this one as a means of specialization of the apostolates.

If you look under the "About Us" link, then under "Religious Practices," you'll find a link for Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. There's a chaplet and a consecration to her on that page.

Please pray for this venture.

Blessings,
Gemma

Gemma, I thought about starting an order whose apostolate would be "respite related" going into the home of people who were caregivers (for whatever reason) and replacing them for a few hours, to give them a break.
I saw the need for that when I was a Home Health Aide.

Is there any "room" in your community for something like this?
Like I mentioned the need out there for it is GREAT.
Or if not this community perhaps another.

Gemma, I thought about starting an order whose apostolate would be "respite related" going into the home of people who were caregivers (for whatever reason) and replacing them for a few hours, to give them a break.
I saw the need for that when I was a Home Health Aide.

Is there any "room" in your community for something like this?
Like I mentioned the need out there for it is GREAT.
Or if not this community perhaps another.

I am blaming the "ditto" post on the fact that I have dial-up.

That thought had gotten onto my mind very strongly this week, esp. while I was updating the CCMM website.

We could correspond about it. I would recommend entering discernment on the matter.

Blessings,
Gemma

I wasn't thinking of myself in particular, I was just throwing out ideas.
Besides I think my husband would object.

I realized that this is a need that is not really being addressed.
I think a religious order doing this work would be a great witness.

The Servants of Mary, Ministers of the Sick, whose motherhouse is in Kansas City, KS, do something similar to this. They sit with the sick at night, giving caretakers a break. They have a waiting list. I would highly recommend this community to any discerning female.

We can add the respite to the apostolates. Thanks for the idea. I can relate to this, as we had to care for my grandma for a few months.

Blessings,
Gemma

Wow, I'd never even heard of the servants of Mary, and I live on the other side of the state! The KC archdiocese has so many wonderful orthodox orders!


On another note?
Will your order follow the same practice as the DCs as only making simple vows for one year at a time?

Your renewal sounds beautiful! My only worry is about the habit. I know that you want to return to the Sisters' origins, but my mother, who was taught by Daughters of Charity, said that most of the Sisters had ulcers around their neck and ears from the starch that was necessary to hold up the veil.
But it's just a thought.

May God bless you as you continue to follow His will!

In Jesus and Mary,
Lauren

Yearly vows: I believe that that's the direction I'm being led in. Since active religious orders were not acknowledged as such back in those days, they also didn't have a formal ceremony of becoming a Bride of Christ. The novitiate sisters were simply handed their new habits.

I'm working on the cornette problem/issue. As I said on the website, we're trying to find a nurse's cap manufacturer who can help with this. The cornette will not be the same size as what was worn in the 1960s. It will be like an overgrown nurse's cap. I was going to see if we could use lycra/spandex for the cap, and use snaps instead of pins to attach the cornette to the cap. Starch isn't necessary for a nurse's cap, due to the way they're made.

Blessings,
Gemma

starch is needed for nurses caps, which is one of the reasons those dinosaurs died years ago. And you have to use liquid starch. We starched our caps at least once a month and had to plaster the mess on a refridgerator or something to harden them. A real pain.
I just cant imagine bringing back that horrid cornette, sorry that was unbelievably ugly and cumbersome. A simple veil is certainly adequate.
When I was young, we had Sistrers of Mercy of NJ. They wore this white hard cap thing on their heads, and then the veil sat on that. The sisters used to have these indentations where that cap cut into their heads. Nasty.

There's another lay foundress who has been given the cornette for her sisters to wear, so I'm not the only one receiving this inspiration. BTW, I've had nurse's training (didn't finish due to circumstances beyond my control), and she's a nurse, too.

There's a bonnet under the cornette that was worn directly on the head. The cornette was attached to the bonnet by many, many straight pins. We're trying modern-day methods to recreate both.

Blessings,
Gemma

What is this other community Gemma that is also considering the coronette?
Maybe I can come up with some idea for you.Let me work on it. Can't say what it is exactly right now,but I'm kind of getting an idea.

Kind of surprised that some of the old ideas are coming back in regards to habits.

I love the idea of the habit and the corronette! It is beatiful!!

So am I, and not necessarily in a good way. I am all for the habit. I think it was a real shame that so many communities abandoned it entirely. But there were good reasons for the abolition of the sweeping sleeves and the heavy felt scapulars and the starched headgear. My spiritual director told me once that her fingers used to bleed when she was on sewing duty because of all the starch in the headpieces. It took the members of her community so much time and effort to take care of their habits, and that is not the point of a habit. Nuns and religious sisters are meant to live simply so that they can pour themselves into God with all their heart and all their soul and all their mind. If you have a very worthwhile mission in the world, but a habit that requires you to spend hours in the laundry each week (or else run the risk of being unsanitary), that mission is inevitably going to suffer.

Some of this widespread passion for habits might be the result of nostalgia for the past and a misguided love of 'small t' tradition rather than anything else. A god who would obsess over his servants' headgear to the exclusion of almost everything else is not the Living God whom I worship.

It might be better to focus on the spirituality and work of these proposed sisters rather than on what they will wear. After all, it is presumably not the design of their habit that God will ask them about at the Judgement.

Interesting points on both "sides" of this discussion. Thanks to our articulate contributors.

I hope that you do not think that anyone was solely concerned about the new order's habit. It was merely a conversation about what may be... I for one believe that Gemma and the other foundress who are considering reviving the habit are interested in it because of the connection to the spirituality that they are trying to renew. And while I don't necessarily agree with them on this point, I am certain that the style of the habit is not their sole concern, because if it were, neither would be able to find a spiritual director to take them seriously.

I agree that the Lord will not judge according to what the Sisters (or any Sisters) wear, but rather on whether or not the community was faithful to the Gospel and the Lord's call to serve Him and the Church.

I am sure that you were not trying to come across as harsh, and that it is only a result of some misunderstanding. I thank you, though, for expressing your concern and for reminding us (who can sometimes be a bit habit happy) that religious life is infinitely more than how we clothe our bodies and transform our appearance: it is about how we transform our hearts and the hope that our lives and prayers will transform the world.

In Jesus and Mary,
Lauren

Velcro or, the little hooks and ....I forget what the thing is called that the hook goes into.

Hook-n-eye?

With all due respect to the "dissenters," I am following True Memory, not Nostalgia. The cornette served a very practical purpose--that of shielding not only the sister, but the person receiving charity, from the sun.

I am also a researcher. In the course of moderating our "religious habit" yahoo group, there has been much discussion on the cornette. A lot of prayer has gone into the CCMMs, and I guess it's just part of the cross to be considered a sentimental whatever blindly running forward with the inspiration, stating we're bringing back the cornette for old times' sake. Such could not be further from the truth.

The Holy Ghost is moving others to assist us. I keep asking Jesus and Mary if this is what they want, and I keep getting supporters. This should be indicating something.

Due to the discussions on the habit list, I am painfully aware of what effort went into the old habits. I have my future sisters' health at the forefront of my priorities. We have modern-day fabrics which can be used in the pre-VatII habit patterns. Just give everything a chance. If we fail, we failed trying to do what we thought was God's will. In the end, it's between me and God, not me and everyone else. If we fail, I will publicly admit my failures; praise God; and continue to discern His will for my life.

Please -- at least be charitable enough to extend the benefit of the doubt. I don't like the "voice" that this thread is taking on, and it seems everytime I open my mouth about our proposed charisms, someone jumps down my throat. Fortunately, this is usually due to just misunderstanding.

I have heard from Ecclesia Dei discerners, saying how grateful they are for the proposed charisms, because there's really nowhere else to go. There's nowhere else for spiritual directors to send their directees. I have 10 aspirants in the queue for the Cloisterites right now. Surely this indicates something?

Blessings,
Gemma

One of the things I appreciate most about the Vocation Station is that people on here have always given their honest insight whenever I have made a post of my own discernment. Some posters have raised points that I haven't always liked or wanted to think about - points that made me uncomfortable. But although my feathers were ruffled at the time, I was eventually able to appreciate the constructive criticism that was given. They weren't telling me that I shouldn't become a nun at all; they were giving useful (if painful) strategies on the best way to realise my vocation. In the same way, I am not saying that Gemma should scrap all her plans - just that the plans should remain open to modification.

But having read a lot of posts about Cloister Outreach since I came to PM, it's becoming increasingly clear to me that if anyone dares to voice a doubt about any aspect of this organisation, even if it is only a simple thing such as the use of an unwieldy headpiece, they are immediately accused of being unkind or lacking in faith. Remarks like "I guess it's just part of the cross to be considered a sentimental whatever blindly running forward with the inspiration" make it sound as if the Cloister Outreach workers are persecuted saints and that Cloister Outreach itself is sacrosanct. We discuss the pros and cons of established communities on PM, including their habits - I distinctly remember somebody remarking that the veil for the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist is not very practical - but nobody gets upset or offended. It's considered healthy and useful discussion.



Gemma, what about all those popular and lively Evangelical churches that have such great faith in the Holy Ghost and regularly appeal to God's will? Certainly, they are doing some good work for God and they have a lot of potential. But are they perfect in every respect? Are they beyond criticism? Are they incapable of making mistakes? Even being Catholic and staunchly loyal to the Holy Father doesn't immunise you against error - even if you have prayed about everything fervently. I have some great friends at Carmelite monasteries around England, women who spend their days pickled in prayer, but they would be the first to admit that their intense prayer life doesn't stop them from making errors in judgement from time to time.

Again, this doesn't mean that I think Cloister Outreach in its entirity is a fantasy. It does mean that I think you should open yourself up to constructive criticism from time to time, rather than dismissing it as 'part of the cross'. Your vocation may be the stronger for it.

"Hook and eye" I just couldn't think of it. Sounds stupid now. Possible good second choices?

I can't see in any of this where Gemma is not open to suggestions or constructive criticism.
Behind the scenes I have emailed her numerous times, she is quite humble, actually sweet and very open to other's points of view.

I feel alot of the misunderstandings are just to frustrate her with the hope that she would quit.
Not from anyone here but from Satan.

It is obvious from this post that Jesus and Mary are on her side. And isn't that what all of us really need?
If God be for us, who could possibly be so stupid, dumb or dense (I'm paraphrasing here)enough to be against us?

Gemma, "THE TASK AHEAD OF YOU IS NOT AS GREAT AS THE POWER BEHIND YOU".

Yes, velcro had crossed my mind, as well as the white plastic pins used to hold nurse's caps together. I had completely forgotten about hook-n-eyes.

I know how desperately the world needs this particular charism. There is much going on behind-the-scenes here at Cloister Outreach, and just because I'm not publicly (aka internet) documenting everything doesn't mean it doesn't happen.

Yes, Opher, if God is for us, who can be against us? Several priests have written in saying how they support our work with their prayers.

We're about to have our first Aspirant Gathering for the Cloisterites, and believe me, I WILL post pix on PM!

Again, thanks for the very kind words. They are most appreciated.

Blessings,
Gemma

I have a quick question...maybe I'm just not understanding...let me know if this has already been answered.

You wont take final vows, but instead take temporary vows once a year?

As unusual as it is, yes, that's the way the Daughters of Charity did their vows. When the DCs first started in the 1600s, there was no such thing as an active women's religious order. ALL women religious were cloistered. Therefore, the DCs couldn't take solemn perpetual vows because they weren't cloistered. I know it all sounds very strange to our modern-day ears when we have such wonderful active women religious out there in the field, but such was not what St. Vincent de Paul was up against.

In fact, someone just sent me something from ebay which said that yes, the DCs took yearly vows, and if someone wanted to leave after a certain amount of time, they could when their vows expired. Now I can hear others exclaiming, "But that's foundational suicide!"

I look at it like this--if a sister's love for Christ and the apostolate aren't enough to keep her at the convent, nothing else will. It's like two lovers who tell each other, "If your love for me isn't enough to bring you home each night, what's the use of continuing the relationship?"

The Daughters of Charity also didn't have a formal habit-taking ceremony which included dressing up like brides, either. The novices lined up at a closet (I guess it was a closet) and were given their habits without fanfare. More modern-day books and other publications may show the DCs with Brides of Christ sitting in the pews across the aisle from them, but that's not the way it started.

We're still trying to get the timeline down for when they started doing things, but as it stands now, if our bishop or whomever says not to do the vows on a yearly basis, we'll have no choice but to do it the "modern" way.

HTH.

Blessings,
Gemma

That makes sense i suppose. I guess i've just never heard of it done that way. i was never familiar with the daughters of charity. There is a woman I taught confirmation with who used to be a DC but then left and got married.
I'm very interested in this new order! I'm kind-of-not-really-but-am discerning, and this order is very intriguing.

We can start off-board correspondence and discernment -- if you'd like.

We also have a virtual "come and see" in the form of a yahoo group: Cloister Outreach Foundations. The group won't do many people much good if questions aren't asked!

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cloister_outreach_foundations/

I know of quite a few vocations that developed from those who "weren't even looking." I know one personally who is now in the Carmel of Port Tobacco, MD.

Is your former DC friend willing to talk about her experiences? Cloister Outreach also has a yahoo group for ex-nuns (and ex-friars, for that matter).

Hope to hear from you!

Blessings,
Gemma