This is a continuation of the previous thread, "Applying to the Sisters." Please journey with me as I countdown to entrance. I know this will be a tremendous time of growth. Please pray as Rosa (my companion) and I prepare to enter the postulancy on September 9th with the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration.
Mother Mary, I consecrate this journey and my whole spiritual life to you. Take me ever closer to your Son!!!

Countdown: 52 days

Thanks be to God!

Fantastic! If you run into Sr Virginia Marie tell her Brittany said hi!

She might still be in the notivitate.

Woooooooooooowooo!!!!! Your in my prayers!!!

In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, here goes

Hmm, I don't know of a Sr Virginia Marie... you sure this is the community she's in?

Yes, she is. She transfered from a cloistered community two or three years ago. She may have been moved out of the area you have been in. She is in her 50s.

I know who you are talking about! I believe she is on mission. I have met her once personally when she had just transfered. She hadn't even received the franciscan habit yet when I met her. She's very nice!

She is awesome! I knew her when was with her contemplative community. When she had entered the order was active, but turned to enclosure after Vatican II. It was very odd and she was really more the type that would be happy in an active order.

She was very peaceful when I met her. That is something I noticed about her. She seemed very contemplative. I will keep an eye out for her and tell her that you said hi! What a coincidence! What order was she part of before the Franciscans?

My prayers are for you Jenny and Rosa as you prepare for your entrance on September 9th God Bless you both.

CONGRATS!!!

I'll PM you.

You enter September 9????? I enter the IHM's September 8

You will certainly be in my prayers!!

Oh wonderful! I will definitely pray for you!!!

Side note: The dates for fall retreats are up! Take a look!

49 days!

I am so happy for you

Thanks... I'm happy for you too!

Sounds like Handmaids of the Precious Blood?

Wow, you're a good guesser Sister!!!

Congratulations!

46 days



Thank you!

hurray!

By the way, the Sisters updated the website. Under vocations, there is now a tab for postulant and novice, and it tells a little about each sister in formation and the schedule of the novitiate. Take a look! www.ssfpa.org

Congratulations, Jenny!

Thank you Margaret Clare! The picture is beautiful!

40 days

26 days!
The 3 postulants received their habit this weekend, and the 2 second year novices made first vows. I don't have any pictures yet, but I will post them when I do!!!

Thanks for the update, Jenny, I was wondering about them having these events, especially with it being the memorial of St. Clare this weekend.

I have pictures!!!
HERE
This is one of the sisters' albums... there were 2 sisters making their first vows (Sister Mary Michael and Sister Gianna Marie) and the 3 postulants received their habits. Their names are Sister Anna Joseph, Sister Madeline, and Sister Maria Gemma. Enjoy!!!

Sorry, I couldn't see anything

Patience

Got it!!!
Novices
First Profession
Yeah!

The pictures from the couple previous posts are all working... I don't know why they weren't before, but they are now!

P.S. 23 days

My mom once asked Bishop D'Arcy to leave the critical care unit because visiting hours were over. A little off topic, but that's my D'Arcy story. Good luck in Mishawaka. They look like a great community.

That's funny! I've never met him, but he's a great friend of the community.
Thanks for the well-wishes.

What a happy group--how good for you to have some companionship in formation when you enter!

Congratulations on the entrance date! I will keep both you and your companion in my prayers. I would also like to ask your prayers; I begin my postulancy as a Discalced Carmelite on September 8th.

I will definitely pray for you... thank you for your prayers. God Bless you!!
Also, the investiture pictures are up on the website! Here's the LINK!

Keep up the good work! I am a Conventual Franciscan friar....my novitiate was across the street from the sisters....i used to go there every afternoon for holy hour....just ask Sr. Lois or Sr. Angela or Sr. Dorothy about me. I was just there in July when my brothers started novitiate and professed vows. I think the world of your sisters in formation, especiallySrs Mary Joseph, Margaret Mary, Lethia Marie and Mary Vianney...i met all the others recently but I don't know them as well....i pray for them all often...i hope they keep packing their formation house! Know of my support and prayer..i look forward to meeting you next time I am up the hill!

Oh thank you for your words!!! I love having the brothers at the bottom of the hill. The sisters say the brothers come up to play cards every once and a while... It sounds like a fun time getting to know the friars!
I look forward to meeting you too! I won't be hard to miss this year because I'll be one of the two in the bright blue jumper!!!

18 days
Oh. my. Gosh.

BTW, there are pictures of first profession up on the website... www.ssfpa.org, and go to events and click on First Profession.

sounds very good indeed

How lovely to see their parents walk them down the aisle, a great gesture of support for those young sisters!

Hmmm 13 days... Time goes by so fast...

I am very much at peace, and I'm so excited! But doing these last minute things around my house and in my community, I am experiencing grief over "losing" what I am giving up. I know after suffering and death, there is always resurrection in Him. I have lived in the same house my entire life, except when away at college, so I am soaking up all the little things around here. I have slept in the same room for the past 20 years. And now I have only 14 nights left until I sleep in a different bed, in a different room. But I know that His grace is sufficient, and I trust that His Eucharistic Heart is yearning to comfort mine.
Can someone who has experienced this help me out a little? I need a pick-me-up concerning this aspect of detachment...

Try to keep a little perspective here, Jenny. You are simply moving into another stage of discernment. There are no strings attached to postulancy. However, your feelings are a reflection of how much you love your home and family--and the ability to love is at the heart of your vocation. I would worry about someone who lacked that tenderness. We all have to make changes in life, and some of them will be a bit painful, but you will get through this and more. Two years ago when our youngest son graduated from Navy basic training he was so happy to see us, he cried after being separated from home for 8 weeks-can you imagine a big tough macho guy who used to not even want to sit and eat dinner with us when he was in high school? The point is that some times our sufferings are used to deepen our capacity for love. God bless and keep you!

Its a natrual human thing to be exact, and its hard to get over. You just need to pray and I know you do that - we all do - hopefully. His comfort will come, and I'm sure its there, you just have to accept the grace, grace is the participation of the very presence of God.

This is true! But I've also never moved before, so it's a big step for anyone...


That's a neat idea. Thanks!

Eventually the dove flies from the nest and goes out into the world and tries to find twigs to build its own nest, it builds a nest and then a storm comes and destroys the nest the dove has been in living in for such a long time, the dove is sad from this utter detachment having to leave everything behind and then one day as the dove soars through the skies it finds other doves of its kind and rejoices in the new family it has.

[Dont ask why I just compared you to a dove! ]