Anyone know about em? All I know is that they are in Lufkin, Texas and Mother Mary Henry McKanna had a bit to do with the founding there and that she was superior for quite some time until she founded another community, and that they are Dominican.

I don't know that much about them, but I want to visit them soon. They aren't that far away from me, so I'm looking forward to it!

Yeah I'd like to visit them to, but I live all the way up to MN! lol. Though plane ticket shouldnt cost much I've already been to Houston

do they have a website?

Sister Mary Catharine said they did, but it went down during Katrina and they havent put it up again.

They are not very far from me, so I have been to visit just for curiosity's sake. They are a lovely community. Their chapel is really ugly (to be blunt) but they wear full habits and sing the Office so beautifully. I believe they make vestments. They are a relatively large community (seemed to be about 25 sisters at LEAST). They have a neat practice (which may be traditional for other Dominican communities though not the other ones I have visited) to elect a sister every three years who is the "extern". She is basically the portress, I think, but she is also the one who meets with girls who come to visit. When I was there, Sr. Jeremiah (pretty sure that was her name!) was the extern. I met with her for a short time in the parlor, and then with Mother, who was SO joyful. She told me her vocation story, which was pretty humorous in many ways, and we just talked about vocations in general. I definitely didn't feel at home there, for what it's worth, but that's just me.

I'd recommend a visit if you are able.

Yes, that's true; they appoint an "extern" everything 3 years. I heard Sr. M. Jeremiah got reappointed.
I don't know where they get this idea because every cloistered nun is just that. When we do go out we go out by way of exception and the necessary needs of the community. But our "right" is to stay in the cloister! :-)

Their chapel is ugly! I have to agree.

That has got to be one of the craziest traditions I ever heard of, I hear of nuns electing superiors every three years, speaking of which isnt Sister Mary Martin's office almost up Sister Mary Catharine?

The extern isn't elected she's appointed. Obviously (well, obviously to me) it's an office that was created by the community and approved by the community. It's not crazy; just different.

Our prioress goes out of office in Sept and elections follow.

Yeah, sorry. I didnt mean crazy, like " " Whats the Novice Mistress terms? You being the Novice Mistress and all?

Maybe this is off topic, and forgive me if I highjacked this thread. To me, an extern vocation is special indeed. It is not the same as the cloistered sister, and it does not seem logical to jump back and forth. And I hear many say that to be an extern is 'less' of a vocation then one to the cloister. I do not believe that to be so. One of the holiest women I ever met was a Dominican extern in the Camden Perpetual Rosary Monastery. She had such a deep prayer life, yet was always available to the public and to the community to do what was needed.
I think this is a very mis understood vocation, and I believe it must be mentioned how valuable a member of the community the extern really is.

As a former extern I can mention that it is definitely a unique and beautiful call. I appreciate the words you shared on the subject and hope that others do, too. It is not surprising or wrong that so little is said of the extern call, because very few are called to be externs. They are an integral but small part of monastic life. But I just can't tell you how beautiful it is!

How do you know the difference between a cloistered an extern vocatin? Or, rather, how do you know if YOUR vocation is an extern vocation?

I don't really know if it's the same for everyone. But if you visit a contemplative community and see their externs, and feel a little tug to live their life I'd say to pursue it. Like I said, I don't think a lot of people have that vocation so I wouldn't stress out about it if you're feeling called to cloistered life!

wait can we go over what an extern is again? sorry i'm a little slow.

Almost done highjacking this thread alter!


OK, an extern is a sister who lives in a contemplative community and generally has the same horarium as the community, except she is not bound by the vow of papal enclusure. This simply allows her to take care of needs which have to be met outside of the enclosure. For example, an extern can clean the public side of the chapel, be there for the priests who say Mass in case they need anything (or for pilgrims, if they have them). They can also do the grocery shopping and take cloistered sisters to appointments outside of the enclosure.

Some contemplative communities don't have externs; they find a way to function without them. i.e., some Dominicans will have their tertiaries volunteer to maintain the outside part of their monastery, and have volunteers to do their grocery shopping and take them to doctor's appointments. Just depends on the community. With Dominicans, I notice that it differs by community. Lufkin appoints theirs, Marbury has volunteers do external work (they don't have any externs at all), and Buffalo has bona-fide externs I was an extern at a Shrine, so they were a more integral and necessary part of the community since there is a large number of pilgrims and work to be done outside of the enclosure. However, at other monasteries of Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration which are not shrines, the externs live inside of the enclosure proper and go out on a more extraordinary basis than those at the shrine in Hanceville.

got it, thanks!!

If you want to talk more about it you could start a thread! I don't know if we've ever had a thread on externs

Eh? What? Huh? What did I miss? I was ranting and raving about how nuns never answer their phones. ^

What? I meant that I was highjacking the thread...

Oh...........okie, by all means Hi, Jack away. I never liked him anyway.