Dsmme To Appear On Oprah

[laetitia crucis]

Also posted this in the Open Mic thread.

Here's the Oprah promo for tomorrow's show.

[url="http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Lisa-Ling-Goes-Inside-the-World-of-a-Modern-Geisha_1"]Lisa Ling Goes Inside the World of the Modern Geisha and a Real-Life Nunnery[/url].

---
Edit: Also wanted to add this from the Dominican Friars' (St. Joseph Province) "Dominican Foundation":

[quote]
Must see television—Dominican Sisters of Mary on Oprah!
(Tomorrow, February 9th)

Eager to show her audience what life is like behind the walls of a convent, Oprah Winfrey dispatched a television crew to explore the Dominican Sisters of St. Mary and their way of life at the Mother of the Eucharist Convent in Ann Arbor, MI. The Oprah Winfrey Show will air the segment on Tue. Feb. 9—please check local listings—while four of the Sisters answer Oprah’s questions in the studio, with some novices and postulants weighing in via Webcam.

Cameras were allowed inside the convent, said one Sister, to take advantage of “an opportunity to share our life and, by extension, the Gospel, with an audience that we might never reach otherwise.” The congregation has been blessed with a tremendous number of vocations. Built to house 100 Sisters, the convent is practically filled to capacity.[/quote]

[url="http://us1.campaign-archive.com/?u=37e556f3437140085da14281c&id=c4c90b9916&e=9082b18323"]Source[/url].

P.S. -- That first shot of a Sister holding up her hand looks like a Sister of Life habit...

Edited February 8, 2010 by laetitia crucis

[DevotedtoHim]

Dame Agnes, I agree with you what you said. I probably wouldn't feel the way I do about this if it weren't with Oprah and if it didn't seem like the same communities get all the attention all the time. I definitely agree with the Holy Father (and you) about being out there, and breaking through the noise, and who knows, there might be a vocation or two from the show, but after my time of being in discernment, I just feel really sad for the faithful nuns who are struggling because they are older and not as "media savvy" as the younger ones or the newer ones. I don't know if that makes sense, but I guess I just have a soft spot in my heart for those nuns and since we just got done with a controversy over life this weekend with the superbowl (in the secular world), I think one of the reasons we can so easily abort is because we ARE in a disposable society and that includes the elderly. It seems like everybody wants to join a new, young, fresh order with lots of money meanwhile, the convents and monasteries of older nuns who have lived good, faithful lives who are full of wisdom and goodness are kind of being ignored. I know of two really good Carmels that closed/suppressed/merged this past year because of lack of vocations and they were in the full habit and everything! So I think it would have been really cool to have some older nuns talking about their lives and what it meant, and give them the chance to show their wisdom and sanctity but I guess that's for sure not what Oprah is about and people are interested in why young beautiful white girls want to "throw it all away" for God. I get that. I have made some really serious changes in my discernment process with the help of my sd and I am hoping to enter a community that has been around for a long time and needs the support and help of new people. I want to be one of those people.

I really didn't mean to be too cynical, I guess it's just hard enough living here (usa) with the focus on looks, weight, hair, education, youth, youth, youth and money that when I see it in religious life (not saying that about the DSMME's as an order but that's what others chose to highlight) I just get kinda sad.

Katherine

PS Even though I am young now I know I won't be forever God willing and I want to be treated well at every stage of my life, with respect and dignity.

Edited February 8, 2010 by DevotedtoHim

[laetitia crucis]

[quote name='DevotedtoHim' date='08 February 2010 - 05:56 PM' timestamp='1265666200' post='2053624']
Dame Agnes, I agree with you what you said. I probably wouldn't feel the way I do about this if it weren't with Oprah and if it didn't seem like the same communities get all the attention all the time. I definitely agree with the Holy Father (and you) about being out there, and breaking through the noise, and who knows, there might be a vocation or two from the show, but after my time of being in discernment, I just feel really sad for the faithful nuns who are struggling because they are older and not as "media savvy" as the younger ones or the newer ones. I don't know if that makes sense, but I guess I just have a soft spot in my heart for those nuns and since we just got done with a controversy over life this weekend with the superbowl (in the secular world), I think one of the reasons we can so easily abort is because we ARE in a disposable society and that includes the elderly. It seems like everybody wants to join a new, young, fresh order with lots of money meanwhile, the convents and monasteries of older nuns who have lived good, faithful lives who are full of wisdom and goodness are kind of being ignored. I know of two really good Carmels that closed/suppressed/merged this past year because of lack of vocations and they were in the full habit and everything! So I think it would have been really cool to have some older nuns talking about their lives and what it meant, and give them the chance to show their wisdom and sanctity but I guess that's for sure not what Oprah is about and people are interested in why young beautiful white girls want to "throw it all away" for God. I get that. I have made some really serious changes in my discernment process with the help of my sd and I am hoping to enter a community that has been around for a long time and needs the support and help of new people. I want to be one of those people.

I really didn't mean to be too cynical, I guess it's just hard enough living here (usa) with the focus on looks, weight, hair, education, youth, youth, youth and money that when I see it in religious life (not saying that about the DSMME's as an order but that's what others chose to highlight) I just get kinda sad.

Katherine

PS Even though I am young now I know I won't be forever God willing and I want to be treated well at every stage of my life, with respect and dignity.
[/quote]

I just wanted to say that I really appreciate this post, Katherine. I agree with many of your points, and can't help but think how great it would be to hear from older religious, too -- those that have persevered in fidelity to their vocations, and, like you said, can offer so much wisdom and sanctity. I know I would be greatly interested in hearing from those religious as well.

[DiscerningSoul]

I think they are on Tuesday, because I heard an ad saying someone was "spending the night in a real life convent".

[loveletslive]

tomorrow at 2pm!

[vee]

Im quite skeptical about the whole thing but will reserve judgment until I can watch it for myself. Im not worried about the sisters Im more concerned that the show`s editors will chop what they say to bits and make it just a longer version of the promo.

[DiscerningSoul]

It's on at 4pm here

[loveletslive]

yeah sorry, *next* week oprah is at 2pm not tomorrow

[DameAgnes]

[quote name='loveletslive' date='08 February 2010 - 10:55 PM' timestamp='1265687742' post='2053877']
yeah sorry, *next* week oprah is at 2pm not tomorrow
[/quote]

Geisha? http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/theanchoress/2010/02/08/dominican-sisters-on-oprah/

[MithLuin]

Yeah, apparently they're doing a Western geisha in the same show. So perhaps the choice of the word 'nunnery' (with all its implications) is not an accident.

The promo is disappointing, to say the least. Yes, I get that nuns are giving up having children and careers, but to bring up sex and virginity in such a wide-eyed way is kinda making a spectacle of it. I hope the actual show is more tasteful than the promo implies, but...

[b]Devoted to Him[/b], the video 'Beloved' by the Nashville Dominicans made a point of emphasizing the older members of the community, and how (at least one) vocations are fostered by meeting people who have 'lived the life' for their whole lives. I realize Sisters of Life, CFR sisters and the Ann Arbor Dominicans are all new groups, but some of the older groups are quietly growing, too. My sister just joined one of the less 'popular' orders, because that is where God called her. She's only a postulant so far, but there is a novice one year ahead of her, and other young women discerning the order.

I realize that [i]Oprah[/i]'s interest is in [u]young[/u] women, because clearly beautiful young women could be out picking up guys. Older wrinkly women...well, we'd all like to think of them as celibate anyway, so it's not as interesting.

Edited February 9, 2010 by MithLuin

[Piccoli Fiori JMJ]

[quote name='laetitia crucis' date='08 February 2010 - 09:51 AM' timestamp='1265640690' post='2053305']
That has always bothered me as well.
[/quote]
Ditto...

[mariaassunta]

http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Lisa-Ling-Spends-a-Day-in-the-Life-of-Nuns-Video

[DameAgnes]

The show was really excellent. The sisters were charming, informative and smart, and Winfrey was good, too.

[laetitia crucis]

I guess I should have posted this to this thread.

[quote]The DSMME part just ended (it was about a good 30 or so minutes of the show) and I really enjoyed it. I mean, of course, the "sex questions" were there, but I think the DSMME were AWESOME. They answered all of Oprah's questions so well, and I think she was very genuine with them. (And as she stated, she learned A LOT.)

I say, "Well done!"

Edit: Also wanted to add -- you could clearly see that these young women are normal people who lived normal lives before entering. They could easily have been me or you. I hope that speaks to women that are watching... maybe they'll see a bit of themselves in these women religious. [/quote]

And can I just say, ya gotta love Sr. Joseph Andrew! She made a great "tour guide" for Lisa Ling. And she even busted out the Blackberry.

[loveletslive]

sheeeeer awesomeness! praise be to God

[alrichey53091]

I thought the show went wonderful!!!!!!!! Some of my favorite parts were when Sister Mary Judith said that at least she knew that when there is a problem in the relationship she knew it was her!! haha and I also liked her Chocolate analogy!!! Greatest Oprah show EVER and probably the only one that I will watch over and over again!!

[Kathgirl]

Should we tell our friends over at Open Mic about the show?

[laetitia crucis]

I just bumped one of the threads about the DSMME on Oprah over there in hopes of dialogue.

[Kathgirl]

[quote name='laetitia crucis' date='09 February 2010 - 05:43 PM' timestamp='1265755417' post='2054378']
I just bumped one of the threads about the DSMME on Oprah over there in hopes of dialogue.
[/quote]

[laetitia crucis]

I found this really beautiful -- "After the Show":

[url="http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Nuns-Reflect-on-Silence-After-the-Show-Video/topic/oprahshow"]Nuns Reflect on Silence After the Show[/url]