Totally Franciscan Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Okay, now I am confused. You said that the monastery in North Dakota is the motherhouse for the nuns in Texas? How does that work? If you are accepted for admission to the postulancy in Texas, do they send you to ND? Wait, I think I understand. You mean that the Texas monastery is a daughter house to the one in ND, right? I am a bit slow today; so sorry! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACS67 Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 Okay, now I am confused. You said that the monastery in North Dakota is the motherhouse for the nuns in Texas? How does that work? If you are accepted for admission to the postulancy in Texas, do they send you to ND? Wait, I think I understand. You mean that the Texas monastery is a daughter house to the one in ND, right? I am a bit slow today; so sorry! Yes. The monastery in Christoval is the daughter house of the North Dakota monastery. They will remain under North Dakota until they have 8 solemnly professed sisters. Then they will be autonomous. The O.Carms only have 4 monasteries throughout the USA. That's not much considering how many the OCDs have. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiquitunga Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Thank you all for the well wishes. I appreciate it. Pia, I was actually surprised how little difference there was between OCD and O. Carm., from what I know that is, which isn't a whole lot. Of course the OCD's of the 1990 constitutions would be quite a bit more strict in some of their practices. But overall the O.Carm's celebrated the same saints and feasts days as the OCDs. Some Saint's feast days were considered "optional" or perhaps a feast day was a solemnity in the O.Carm but only a memorial in the OCD's and vice versa. They share the same Carmelite supplement to the breviary as the OCD's (perhaps the OCDs of the 1991 constitutions). The chapel at Christoval obviously has a tremendous devotion to St. Therese as there is a statue of her in their cloister garden and in the visitor's chapel. They sing a lot of their hymns in Latin at Christoval which I enjoyed very much. The monastery in North Dakota is their motherhouse. They sound beautiful! And I didn't realize they were still officially under ND. The OCD Carmels that use the Liturgy of the Hours (either Latin or the vernacular) would use the same OCD/O.Carm. Supplement, whichever Constitutions they are under :like: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACS67 Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 They sound beautiful! And I didn't realize they were still officially under ND. The OCD Carmels that use the Liturgy of the Hours (either Latin or the vernacular) would use the same OCD/O.Carm. Supplement, whichever Constitutions they are under :like: I don't think they expected to still be under North Dakota at this time either. They have had a hard time with vocations. They get vocations and they seem to stay through postulancy but they just don't seem to make it through the canonical year, when communication is restricted. Maybe the isolation really starts to get to them by that point (It might get to me, who knows! God forbid) because the cells are very "hermit-like"...the silence is "loud" and there are sometimes no visitors for days. That's just my guess, however. San Angelo, their diocese, is very small and the Catholic Church is not the majority in town, the Baptist are. Christoval is about 40-45 minutes from San Angelo so it is a good drive for anyone to come out there even from San Angelo. But the faithful who do support them are so very generous. They are just fantastic. The chaplain is a former Trappist monk. He is now a diocesan hermit on their property. I got to meet and speak with him about my vocation and he was fantastic! It's nice to have him on the property. He is usually the one who kills the rattlesnakes! :) He's a pretty burly guy! He can handle himself! :) I learned that a chaplain cannot be a confessor of a monastery. I never knew that. So every 2 weeks another priest comes in to hear confessions. The chaplain cannot even be their spiritual director. Again, I never knew that. Interesting. So basically Fr. Anthony just says Mass and does all the "manly work" that the women can't do...like shooting rattlesnakes! LOL! By the way, I didn't actually see any rattlesnakes. They say they come out more when it rains, which it rarely does. But they are out there. I did meet the nun in the video above, Sr. Theodore. She was so great! We really hit it off. She is a former executive with Dell computers! She is the type of vocation that the Abbey of Regina Laudis would get! I just loved her. I loved all of them. Their fidelity is amazing. One Sister has been a nun for 68 years, another for 52, and another for 45. That to me is just beautiful. Oh, and they all had wedding rings (except Sr. Theodore, she is only temporary professed) and consider themselves "brides of Christ!" I specifically asked that question! LOL! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benedictus Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 (edited) Thanks for sharing! Sister Mary Theodore Therese seemed adorable :nun3: I hope your discernment with them progresses well :saint2: Edited July 30, 2013 by Benedictus Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eowyn Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Yes. The monastery in Christoval is the daughter house of the North Dakota monastery. They will remain under North Dakota until they have 8 solemnly professed sisters. Then they will be autonomous. The O.Carms only have 4 monasteries throughout the USA. That's not much considering how many the OCDs have. Wow, I'm only about an hour away from the North Dakota Monastery. I didn't know the two were connected. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACS67 Posted July 31, 2013 Author Share Posted July 31, 2013 Wow, I'm only about an hour away from the North Dakota Monastery. I didn't know the two were connected. Are you really? The nuns are all from that motherhouse except Sr. Theodore. They all had to adjust to the weather in Texas. That is quite a change! Some could not take it and had to go back to North Dakota. It's been tough for them to establish themselves in Texas. They certainly have the support of the locals and the bishop of San Angelo though. I would freeze in North Dakota! I would go if God was calling me there but it would be rough. One Sister told me that one winter in North Dakota they had snow up to the roof of the monastery! I cannot imagine that much snow! The power was out for a few days she said! I would be freezing! I do not do well in cold temperatures. I don't know how I made it nearly 5 years in Chicago! Oh I have to tell everyone that the rock the monastery is built out of is entirely from the local area...Christoval, Texas. There are so many rocks there! Big boulders! The land is practically uninhabitable except for wildlife. The Sisters have to import top soil for their gardens. It is truly rugged out there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totally Franciscan Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 ACS67, thanks for all your info on this community. You brought up a good question. Do these sisters recite the Liturgy of the Hours in English or Latin? I am not good with cold weather either. As you had been in Chicago for 5 years, you must know about Joliet. When I was a postulant there, I had to shovel the snow off the sidewalks to the college - at 7:00 am! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ACS67 Posted July 31, 2013 Author Share Posted July 31, 2013 The Liturgy of the Hours is chanted in English, Gregorian chant. Just some of their hymns are in Latin. The Te Deum, for instance. That was beautiful. I had never heard that chanted in Latin before. It was great! Yes! I had heard of Joliet while living in Chicago. Snow! Oh boy yes, and 30 below zero wind chill. My lungs felt like glass! I have never felt anything like that in my life nor since then have I. I lived in an apartment that was "all bills paid" which means the landlord controlled the heat! I wore so many layers of clothing to keep warm I looked like the Michelin Man! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Totally Franciscan Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Had to laugh at that visual of you as the Michelin Man! Thanks for answering my questions about the Carmelites. I will give them serious consideration. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inperpetuity Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Thank you sharing this great news! How wonderful you have possibly found "your place". I look forward to seeing the pictures and reading about your journey to Carmel! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Golden Years Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 I am so happy that you have found a community! How cool to be discerning with a real "desert" Carmel! Many blessings! :smile2: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eowyn Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Wow, I'm only about an hour away from the North Dakota Monastery. I didn't know the two were connected. Are you really? The nuns are all from that motherhouse except Sr. Theodore. They all had to adjust to the weather in Texas. That is quite a change! Some could not take it and had to go back to North Dakota. It's been tough for them to establish themselves in Texas. They certainly have the support of the locals and the bishop of San Angelo though. I would freeze in North Dakota! I would go if God was calling me there but it would be rough. One Sister told me that one winter in North Dakota they had snow up to the roof of the monastery! I cannot imagine that much snow! The power was out for a few days she said! I would be freezing! I do not do well in cold temperatures. I don't know how I made it nearly 5 years in Chicago! Oh I have to tell everyone that the rock the monastery is built out of is entirely from the local area...Christoval, Texas. There are so many rocks there! Big boulders! The land is practically uninhabitable except for wildlife. The Sisters have to import top soil for their gardens. It is truly rugged out there. See, I would die in the heat, don't really do well with it at all. The convent that the sisters have up here is out in the country a bit, so the snow builds up more. Town - not so bad. Next time you see the sisters, tell them "Hi" from North Dakota. :) There is a pilgrimage out to the monastery every year around the feast of the Assumption. I'm hoping to get there this year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benedictus Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 I wonder if the sisters have close relations with the Hermits of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel in Christoval, Texas They had a solemn profession on July 20th :winner: and the community looks like its doing well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blessed&Grateful Posted August 5, 2013 Share Posted August 5, 2013 what a beautiful community. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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