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Caritas

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Has anyone discerned with the Sisters of Life or visited them? I have been discerning with them for awhile, but I was wondering if anyone here knows much about them. Also, are there any other orders that have that specific pro-life apostolate? Thanks :)

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InHisLove726

[quote name='Caritas' post='1925651' date='Jul 20 2009, 01:43 PM']Has anyone discerned with the Sisters of Life or visited them? I have been discerning with them for awhile, but I was wondering if anyone here knows much about them. Also, are there any other orders that have that specific pro-life apostolate? Thanks :)[/quote]

I discerned with their order after meeting with their Sisters for the first time at an Advent retreat with the Franciscan Friars and Sisters of the Renewal in Dec. 2007. I met Sr. Mary Gabriel, their Vocation Director, there, and she helped me through a tremendous struggle and was instrumental in getting me back in the Catholic faith (I was Catholic in name only; I had a reversion to the Church).

I applied to make a visit and didn't hear from them for about 6 months and Sr. Kateri called (she helps with Vocation stuff). She and I had a long chat about my discernment (which was only about 9 months old) and she really helped me to see that God was calling me to be more contemplative. Although I wasn't able to visit them because I was still on medication at the time for depression, they helped me tremendously and I thank God for their presence. I learned a lot about them at the time and how pro-life they are. :)

Here's a little documentary about them:
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvymx1lUy-c"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qvymx1lUy-c[/url]

And also an MTV special:
[url="http://www.mtv.com/videos/news/147851/entering-the-convent-is-anything-but-conventional.jhtml"]http://www.mtv.com/videos/news/147851/ente...ventional.jhtml[/url]

What do you want to know about them? Anything specific?

As for other orders, there are:

The Sisters of the Gospel of Life
[url="http://gospeloflifesisters.wordpress.com/"]http://gospeloflifesisters.wordpress.com/[/url]
--They are in Scotland, but are worth checking out.

Sisters in Jesus the Lord
[url="http://www.cjd.cc/"]http://www.cjd.cc/[/url]
--They are a new order, started in 2004, and are both missionary and pro-life.
--Here's an article about them:

[url="http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/sep/04090303.html"]http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/sep/04090303.html[/url]

Also, I am trying to find another order I came across last year. I'm having trouble finding it. I know it was dedicated to pro-life and it's patron was St. Gianna Beretta Molla. I specifically remember seeing the pin with the little footprints. I'll try to find it, and post it on here when I do. :)

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she_who_is_not

[quote name='InHisLove726' post='1925685' date='Jul 20 2009, 02:38 PM']Also, I am trying to find another order I came across last year. I'm having trouble finding it. I know it was dedicated to pro-life and it's patron was St. Gianna Beretta Molla. I specifically remember seeing the pin with the little footprints. I'll try to find it, and post it on here when I do. :)[/quote]

I think you are referring to a new community. They are affiliated with Cloister Outreach and have a member here in the East Tennessee region. There are going to be three branches; lay, contemplative, and active.

I think the site is down right now...I'll post when I find out.

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InHisLove726

[quote name='she_who_is_not' post='1925707' date='Jul 20 2009, 03:04 PM']I think you are referring to a new community. They are affiliated with Cloister Outreach and have a member here in the East Tennessee region. There are going to be three branches; lay, contemplative, and active.

I think the site is down right now...I'll post when I find out.[/quote]

I kept thinking it was from the Cloister Outreach website, too. ;) I thought they were beautiful when I looked at them. :)

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InHisLove726

I finally found the website after much searching:

The Sisters of the Holy Innocents and St. Gianna Molla
[url="http://cloisters.tripod.com/holyinnocents/"]http://cloisters.tripod.com/holyinnocents/[/url]

They look absolutely beautiful. :))

I know they haven't started yet, but perhaps Gemma (who posts on here) can give you more information as to when they plan to. ;)

Edited by InHisLove726
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Thanks so much for the info! I have seen both those videos, but it is always nice to watch again :) I wish the Sister of Life's website had a bit more information on it, but I know they are very busy and probably don't have the funds for that. I have had a long chat with Sr. Mariam on the phone, and she was very encouraging.. I also had the chance to meet her on the March for Life this past year, and I would really like to visit sometime soon, but since New York would require an expensive plane ticket, I want to be a bit more sure. Discernment has been difficult for me, and I just wish I knew already!! I still go back and forth between marriage and religious life, and sometimes I wonder if I'll ever know for sure. But I suppose that's a bit off topic..

As for specifics with the Sisters of Life-- Does anyone know of sort of a general outline of their day? I have been unable to find it thus far. I know that their day does revolve around prayer, which I absolutely LOVE, even though I cannot sing (which makes me really nervous!!). Also, I know you must have a college degree before entering, but do they do any sort of nursing training once you get there, since their apostolate would seem to require it? And just for my own information, do you know what their policy is with family-- how often you can write, how long are home visits, do they have family visit days, etc. Thanks so much for reading!! This is a great place :)

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Just trying to get our "rooms" in order!

She's already posted the Holy Innocents' website, but we're working on the lay branch, and have decided to include the Sisters of St. Lazarus Raised and the Contemplatives of Life on the site.

Lay branch: Dr. Gianna's Assistants for Life:
[url="http://cloisters.tripod.com/drgiannasassistantsforlife/"]http://cloisters.tripod.com/drgiannasassistantsforlife/[/url]

Sisters of St. Lazarus Raised ("coma nuns"):
[url="http://cloisters.tripod.com/sistersofstlazarusraised/"]http://cloisters.tripod.com/sistersofstlazarusraised/[/url]

Contemplatives of Life:
[url="http://cloisters.tripod.com/contemplativesoflife/"]http://cloisters.tripod.com/contemplativesoflife/[/url]

All of the sites are under construction, but give some indication as to what will be happening.

She's doing most of the discernment for how the community is to live. We're still working on the "Seven Pillars" of new foundations: Rule, constitutions, horarium, formation program/novitiate house; remunerative work; stable source of habit parts; four persevering members. All three are to follow the Rule of St. Augustine; the Rule of the Third Order of St. Dominic Regular; along with the Spiritual Directory of St Francis de Sales. The constitutions will flow from that. The horarium will be similar to the St. Cecilia Dominicans.

I'm the webmaster, and there is a yahoo group on which we are working things out where the discernment of the charism is concerned. The websites are updated as more comes through.

Blessings,
Gemma

P.S. There is another pro-life community which doesn't get much play at all--the Servants of the Gospel of Life. You should be able to find them on our Pro-life communities page at [url="http://cloisters.tripod.com/id17.html/"]http://cloisters.tripod.com/id17.html/[/url]

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Forgot to say that the Sisters of the Holy Innocents & St. Gianna Molla will be doing everything the Sisters of Life are doing. Unlike the SV, we do take vocations over 35.

Blessings,
Gemma

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InHisLove726

[quote name='Gemma' post='1925751' date='Jul 20 2009, 05:00 PM']P.S. There is another pro-life community which doesn't get much play at all--the Servants of the Gospel of Life. You should be able to find them on our Pro-life communities page at [url="http://cloisters.tripod.com/id17.html/"]http://cloisters.tripod.com/id17.html/[/url][/quote]

I saw that website on there, but instead of clicking on it, I thought it was the same community as the Sisters of the Gospel of Life, which I've already posted about in Glasgow, Scotland. :wacko:

Thanks for replying to my PM on here, Gemma! God bless!

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InHisLove726

[quote name='Caritas' post='1925745' date='Jul 20 2009, 04:45 PM']As for specifics with the Sisters of Life-- Does anyone know of sort of a general outline of their day? I have been unable to find it thus far. I know that their day does revolve around prayer, which I absolutely LOVE, even though I cannot sing (which makes me really nervous!!). Also, I know you must have a college degree before entering, but do they do any sort of nursing training once you get there, since their apostolate would seem to require it? And just for my own information, do you know what their policy is with family-- how often you can write, how long are home visits, do they have family visit days, etc. Thanks so much for reading!! This is a great place :)[/quote]

The Sisters of Life used to have an horarium on their website before they made updates, and I didn't think to copy it. :( But I know they follow the Rule of St. Augustine, so I imagine their horarium would look something like this:

[quote]5 a.m. Rising

5:30-6:25 Morning Prayer and meditation

7:00 Holy Mass followed by breakfast

8:00-8:30 Spiritual Reading

Apostolate

12:00 Office of Reading and Daytime Prayer

12:30 Dinner

Apostolate

5:00-5:50 Evening Prayer and meditation

6:00 Supper

7:00-8:00 Recreation

8:00-8:25 Night Prayer

Profound Silence[/quote]

As for the singing, I wouldn't worry about it. I doubt that you would be denied entrance strictly because you couldn't sing. If you are really worried about it, you could always take voice lessons from a conservatory around your area, but the Sisters might also help you out as well.

As far as the nursing goes, they don't require nursing experience. None of the Sisters act as nurses as all of the pregnant women in the apostolate either have their own doctors or they acquire them through the order when they move in to the house.

About the Bachelor's degree requirement, did one of the Sisters tell you this? Their website only says:

[quote]Generally, the women who enter the community have [b]completed some level of higher education[/b], and are in the age range of 21-35.[/quote]

It does not imply that a Bachelor's degree is a requirement, though I agree it could be a great asset for one's maturity and knowledge. If you haven't already, I would make sure this was a requirement.

For home visits, it would be once a year for about a week or two (varies from community to another), and your parents would be able to visit every now and then (they work with your family depending on how far away they live, which, if they live very far away or can't afford staggered trips, the visit would be longer). You can write home usually once every 2 weeks or so, but friends are limited (most communities don't want you to write friends more than once a month, if at all). You can receive mail from anyone, however.

Hope this helps!

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she_who_is_not

Franciscan Daughters of Mary are another growing pro-life community in Kentucky.
[url="http://home.catholicweb.com/franciscandaughtersofmary/index.cfm"]http://home.catholicweb.com/franciscandaug...fmary/index.cfm[/url]

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Thanks for all the info! As for the college issue, here is what Sister Mariam wrote me in an email:
"Your question about the ages of women who enter is a common one. Over the years we’ve come to discern that post-secondary education is of significant importance but unfortunately we simply do not have the resources to be able to put young women through college. The “exceptions” actually refers to women on the older end of the age range. Trust though that the Lord will be forming you during these years in college. Allow yourself to grow deep roots in the faith."

Anyway, has anyone actually been to a retreat? And if so, what are they like? Like I said, I am hoping to be able to visit, but I have visited several orders and have felt disappointed in finding they were not right for me or that the retreat simply was not enough for me to tell, and I just want to be a bit more sure. Thanks again :)

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the lords sheep

Hi Caritas, and welcome to VS. I discerned very closely with the Sisters of Life for a number of years. I will try to answer your questions, and I'd be more than happy to answer more "personal" questions over PM.

[quote name='Caritas' post='1925745' date='Jul 20 2009, 10:45 PM']Discernment has been difficult for me, and I just wish I knew already!! I still go back and forth between marriage and religious life, and sometimes I wonder if I'll ever know for sure. But I suppose that's a bit off topic..[/quote]

Discernment can be really tough, and I can honestly say that we have ALL felt this way. I am preparing to enter the convent in about 6 weeks, and I [i]still[/i] have days where I yearn for everything that comes with marriage: a spouse, kids, etc, but in my heart, I know that I have to try religious life or I will never have peace. I truly believe God is calling me right now to enter the community I am joining; I don't know for sure if I'll stay there for the rest of my life, but I know that God is asking me to make this step now. He'll take care of everything else later, just trust Him. :)

[quote]As for specifics with the Sisters of Life-- Does anyone know of sort of a general outline of their day? I have been unable to find it thus far. I know that their day does revolve around prayer, which I absolutely LOVE, even though I cannot sing (which makes me really nervous!!). Also, I know you must have a college degree before entering, but do they do any sort of nursing training once you get there, since their apostolate would seem to require it? And just for my own information, do you know what their policy is with family-- how often you can write, how long are home visits, do they have family visit days, etc. Thanks so much for reading!! This is a great place :)[/quote]

So, regarding the schedule (it's been a bit, so I don't remember exact times, but this is their day for the most part):
Rise
Lauds, Office, Morning prayer, Mass
Breakfast (Silent with reading)
Work (silence maintained as much as possible to maintain the contemplative environment)
Daytime prayer
Lunch (spoken)
Work (silence maintained to extent possible
Holy Hour, Rosary and Evening prayer
Dinner and clean up
Recreation
Night prayer and Salve procession

Also regarding the schedule: every Friday is a retreat day spent in silence from night prayer Thursday until dinner Friday.

As far as not singing, doing worry about it! The Lord gave you your voice, give it back to him. :))

The Sisters do require a college degree, and after completing college, I understand.

Some of the Sisters come as nurses, but the pro-life apostolate does not require nursing training. Even the Sisters who work with the moms: many of them serve as spiritual support or help with their cooking, laundry, and child care (once the baby is born). The Sisters have many apostolates outside of the home for mothers, however, including the crisis-pregnancy phone line, coordinations of the Respect Life office, post abortion healing retreats, and marriage preparation, among others.

As far as writing and calling family: During formation, I believe it is restricted to only writing family once or twice a month, and phone calls about once a month as well. They have home visits once a year, I think, for about 10 days, and your family can come visit every so often.

[quote name='Caritas' post='1926133' date='Jul 21 2009, 06:40 AM']Anyway, has anyone actually been to a retreat? And if so, what are they like? Like I said, I am hoping to be able to visit, but I have visited several orders and have felt disappointed in finding they were not right for me or that the retreat simply was not enough for me to tell, and I just want to be a bit more sure. Thanks again :)[/quote]

I went on a Come & See in 2005. It was wonderful. They have it at their retreat how and it's really beautiful there. I also went on a personal retreat with them in 2007, and that was where I discerned that as much as I wanted to be called to the Sisters of Life, God was not calling me there.
I know how incredibly disappointing it is to discover that an order that you like is not where God is calling you. Unfortunately, it's part of the process. There are hundreds of orders out there, and only one where you will fit (if God is calling you to religious life). Just have patience and continue trusting that God will show you where he wants you to be. I searched for about 4.5 years before I finally asked to enter somewhere. It just takes time.

God bless you!

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VeniteAdoremus

May I plug the Sisters of the Gospel of Life for the third time? :) There are only two of them, and they really need new vocations. They're doing fantastic work: counselling women who think about abortion, giving talks on the topic, and providing women with basic necessities to take care of the baby (things like prams, baths, clothes...)

It's unbelievable that there are only two of them, seeing the amount of work they get done!

A talk by Sr. Roseann really opened my eyes to the ways abortion is unfeminist and destructive to women. She's a special lady.

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