AccountDeleted Posted July 13, 2007 Share Posted July 13, 2007 I thought that I wouldn't be online again but since I brought my laptop to give to the community, I just had to post about today's visit to Carmel. I went to 9am Mass at the Mercy Convent across the road from Wolverhampton Carmelite Monastery, and then went to see the Mother Prioress afterwards to discuss my entrance to Carmel. I ended up spending most of the day meeting the nuns and chatting with Mother, and even had dinner and supper there. We decided that since Vespers on Sunday night is the first celebration of the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, that I should enter on Sunday afternoon and participate in Vespers with them as well instead of on Monday as originally planned. So I enter now at 3pm on Sunday. Mother said that I will be called Sister Teresa of Jesus upon entrance, as that is their custom, so I get my religious name right away! She has appointed an "angel" to me to help me get settled into their life, and I met her today - such a sweet nun. I had such a wonderful time today with the nuns, and they were all so full of joy and good humor, and we did lots of laughing about everything. When I arrived, I told Mother that I was scared, so she spent so much time encouraging me, and asking all the nuns to help me feel at home. Of course we had to do everything through the grille, but they all made me feel as if I belonged there, and all of my fears just went away. I just want to say to anyone who is discerning religious life, not to be afraid to really see if it is for you. Of course, I won't know until I actually live the life if I can persevere or not, but I have learned so much already just through discernment, and through trying to follow my heart. And then today I learned that holiness can also be happiness! So I am in the motel one more night after tonight, and will have access to this laptop until I hand it over on Sunday afternoon now, so if anyone has any questions about Wolverhampton that I can answer please let me know. I am one happy little camper right now and would love to be able to share some of that joy with others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sr_betsy Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 Oh my goodness!!! Good luck and God bless you! I'll pray for your entrance day. sr betsy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stlmom Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 How wonderful for you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlterDominicus Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 I do have a question. Why is the custom like - that. Haha, actually I would love to learn as much about the mystery of the Carmelites as possibily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkaands Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 You know, many enclosed orders have active websites with frequent "What's New" updates, newsletters and the occasional blog. It appears to be very good for vocations. Mebbe you could start something at Wolverhampton! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carmelitess Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 God bless you, Annie! Your soon-to-be sisters sound so welcoming and nice, and I'm sure that you'll do great in Carmel. I'm really going to miss the bits of wisdom contained in your posts, as well as your perspective on Carmel and religious life in general. I'm praying for you!! ~Margaret Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lioness For Christ Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 I'll be praying for you too! Let's see if I can think of a question of sorts before you can't answer anymore.... hmm... Okay... How about this one... Did you ever have fears and doubts that this was the place to enter but still KNOW it was the place? And how did you get over it if so? God Bless Sister Teresa of Jesus! (even if I'm saying this to you a tad early!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted July 14, 2007 Author Share Posted July 14, 2007 [quote name='Lioness For Christ' post='1327611' date='Jul 13 2007, 08:43 PM']I'll be praying for you too! Let's see if I can think of a question of sorts before you can't answer anymore.... hmm... Okay... How about this one... Did you ever have fears and doubts that this was the place to enter but still KNOW it was the place? And how did you get over it if so? God Bless Sister Teresa of Jesus! (even if I'm saying this to you a tad early!)[/quote] Wow - good question! I think that fears and doubts are a part of every decision, and the more important the decision in our life, the bigger the fears and doubts. No matter how sure we might be that we are making the right decision, there is probably always going to be something in the back of our minds that says "What if I'm wrong?" I guess that's where faith and trust come into play. Once the decision is made, it is pretty self-defeating to continually doubt it, even if the fears are natural. When I first got to England, I was very scared about my decision, and even told the Mother Prioress how scared I was. She not only tried to reassure me but she also told each sister who came to meet me that I was having fears and that they should all work very hard to make me feel at ease. I really appreciated that kindness. I have come to the conclusion that holiness is just an expression of God's love. That being so, there are many lovely and holy people in the world, especially among the religious and priests who seem to make an extra special effort to reflect God's love for us all. As for being the "right" place? Well, I guess we will know that if where we end up helps us to continue to grow in love and the virtues - since that is what God wants for each of us anyway, isn't it? One of the nuns at Wolverhampton told me that she entered at 19 with the intention of becoming the next St Therese of Liseux. She laughs about it now and says "Well, after 20 years, that didn't happen, did it?" But the thing is that she can't see just how holy she really is. Her love and laughter and ability to make others feel good is obviously a gift from God, and in my eyes she is very holy! Whether or not she is a saint is for God to decide but I certainly don't think that He would be displeased with her efforts. Even now, with my entrance only 24 hours away, I worry. But mostly I worry that I won't be good enough or that I won't please God enough. but then I tell myself that if I were already perfect, then I wouldn't need to be on earth anyway - I could go straight to heaven! So I am going to just make my little efforts and trust that God will make up for anything that I lack. It's kind of comforting to know, as St Teresa said, that I will get tired of sinning long before God gets tired of forgiving me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted July 14, 2007 Author Share Posted July 14, 2007 [quote name='jkaands' post='1327532' date='Jul 13 2007, 07:35 PM']You know, many enclosed orders have active websites with frequent "What's New" updates, newsletters and the occasional blog. It appears to be very good for vocations. Mebbe you could start something at Wolverhampton![/quote] Your suggestion isn't a bad one. Mother Prioress is a very practical woman and I don't doubt that she will learn the value of the Internet with regard to vocations. Already she asked my help in getting her a data link cable for her cell phone to connect to her PC because she didn't know what she needed. she seems to see how technology can be used without being enthralled by it. Since my background is computers, I might be able to help out once I have finished formation. I don't want to enter the convent and end up being a computer person who happens to be a nun. I want to be a nun who happens to help out with the computers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted July 14, 2007 Author Share Posted July 14, 2007 [quote name='AlterDominicus' post='1327523' date='Jul 13 2007, 07:16 PM']I do have a question. Why is the custom like - that. Haha, actually I would love to learn as much about the mystery of the Carmelites as possibily.[/quote] I don't really know the answer to that question. Carmelite communities are autonomous and independent, so what one community does might be different than what another one does. For example, Wolverhampton doesn't have the entrance ceremony that the Terre Haute Carmel has, but they do start using the religious name immediately upon entrance. Mother told me that some communities will refer to each other by their name but not preface it with "Sister", so they might say something like "Teresa, will you help me with this, please?" But at Wolverhampton, Mother would insist that we say "[u]Sister [/u]Teresa, will you help me with this, please?" One of the nuns told me that she has been in three Carmels. Wolverhampton is her monastery, but she has been to Wales for one year, and has been going to Preston on and off to help them out, and will be going back there for a few months soon. She said that Wolverhampton is one of the strictest she has seen, but also one of the happiest. Actually, I could tell that they are very happy just being talking with them - the feeling is very strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted July 14, 2007 Author Share Posted July 14, 2007 [quote name='sr_betsy' post='1327503' date='Jul 13 2007, 07:00 PM']Oh my goodness!!! Good luck and God bless you! I'll pray for your entrance day. sr betsy[/quote] Thank you Sister. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted July 14, 2007 Author Share Posted July 14, 2007 [quote name='Carmelitess' post='1327573' date='Jul 13 2007, 08:22 PM']God bless you, Annie! Your soon-to-be sisters sound so welcoming and nice, and I'm sure that you'll do great in Carmel. I'm really going to miss the bits of wisdom contained in your posts, as well as your perspective on Carmel and religious life in general. I'm praying for you!! ~Margaret[/quote] Thank you so much, Margaret! I will keep you in my prayers as well! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marieteresa Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 So what is the entrance ceremony like? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkaands Posted July 14, 2007 Share Posted July 14, 2007 At your Carmel, there is[i] no chance[/i] of your turning into a computer person, also (incidentally) a nun! And, if you are not apprehensive and nervous before taking such a step, then you don't realize the enormity of the step you are taking. You [b]are [/b]nervous because, as a mature person, you [b]do[/b] appreciate the enormity of that step. It's like getting married. If you're not nervous on your wedding day (forgetting the trappings) that you don't really realize what a step you're taking! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AccountDeleted Posted July 14, 2007 Author Share Posted July 14, 2007 [quote name='Marieteresa' post='1328173' date='Jul 14 2007, 09:03 AM']So what is the entrance ceremony like?[/quote] There is no ceremony. It was described to me as simply entering the enclosure and being greeted by all the sisters with warma and loving hugs and then being taken to the chapel to spend time with Our Lord. Afterwards, Mother said she would take me to my cell to give me a little time to get settled in before we have Vespers for the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel at 5.30pm. One of the nuns wrote this to me about their life... "There is no entrance ceremony, postulants just come in quietly, and usually feel pretty much at sea for the first few days (it’s quite a culture shock, even for someone like me, who had been visiting the community for 13 years, and thought I knew all about it!). However, everyone is very helpful, kind and understanding, and a sister is allocated to help steer you round at the beginning. We usually find that what we are expecting to be really hard about this life isn’t so bad at all, and something we thought we could take in our stride can feel really difficult, so just be open for plenty of surprises, it is rare that one ever has to face oneself so much as we have to in Carmel, but it is in finding our true selves that we find God." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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