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Joining New Communities?


franciscanlady

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franciscanlady

Hello all, I posted this question on another website but want to ask those here also. I am a woman currently discerning religious life and and am drawn to traditional active/contemplative communities. However it seems that the ones that I feel most drawn to are newly emerging communities with very few members. What are your thoughts/advice for those who are considering joining these new communities?

Here is a link to some of the newest communities all of which seem wonderful

[url="http://cloisters.tripod.com/id34.html"]My link[/url]

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IrishSalesian

Hello,
You say active/contemplative. I know that the Salesians consider themselves to be contemplatives in action. Their charism I think, is a wonderful one. I am a Salesian (SDB Novice) The female counterpart (FMA) are wonderful. FMA in Italian, translates to Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. The mission of the Salesians is to evangelize the young. The motto is, Da Mihi Animas, Caeterra Tolle, Give me souls, take away the rest!

http://www.salesiansisters.org/ USA East Province
http://www.salesiansisterswest.org/ USA West Province

Praying for your discernment,
Adam

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LaPetiteSoeur

Is the female group the Salesian Sisters of St. Bosco??
:nun:
Dieu vous bénisse!
[quote name='IrishSalesian' timestamp='1282269523' post='2160417']
Hello,
You say active/contemplative. I know that the Salesians consider themselves to be contemplatives in action. Their charism I think, is a wonderful one. I am a Salesian (SDB Novice) The female counterpart (FMA) are wonderful. FMA in Italian, translates to Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. The mission of the Salesians is to evangelize the young. The motto is, Da Mihi Animas, Caeterra Tolle, Give me souls, take away the rest!

[url="http://www.salesiansisters.org/"]http://www.salesiansisters.org/[/url] USA East Province
[url="http://www.salesiansisterswest.org/"]http://www.salesiansisterswest.org/[/url] USA West Province

Praying for your discernment,
Adam
[/quote]

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IrishSalesian

[quote name='LaPetiteSoeur' timestamp='1282269664' post='2160418']
Is the female group the Salesian Sisters of St. Bosco??
:nun:
Dieu vous bénisse!
[/quote]

They are one in the same!

Well, The Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco

Edited by IrishSalesian
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franciscanlady

[quote name='IrishSalesian' timestamp='1282269523' post='2160417']
Hello,
You say active/contemplative. I know that the Salesians consider themselves to be contemplatives in action. Their charism I think, is a wonderful one. I am a Salesian (SDB Novice) The female counterpart (FMA) are wonderful. FMA in Italian, translates to Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. The mission of the Salesians is to evangelize the young. The motto is, Da Mihi Animas, Caeterra Tolle, Give me souls, take away the rest!

http://www.salesiansisters.org/ USA East Province
http://www.salesiansisterswest.org/ USA West Province

Praying for your discernment,
Adam
[/quote]

Thank you so much. I do know about the community as they teach at a couple of catholic schools here and I did meet the sisters at a few vocation events; however I do not feel called to be a Salesian. I know they are a wonderful community though. Also, I will pray for you as you continue your formation :D

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Hi Franciscanlady:

Please discern carefully your call to an emerging community. I'm not saying that you are not or are called to such a community, but a new community is not yet estabished, and there are growing pains associated with a new charism.

Even newer communities (20-25 years old) have their challenges, but one which is in the "baby" stages (few years old maybe, with 3-4 members) is even more challenging. They're usually still learning how to live as a religious, and their formation may not really be developed yet.

The best advice I can give is to find a good and holy spiritual director that can help you discern your vocation.

Blessings,

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LaPetiteSoeur

They are awesome! One comes to my school a lot. And I met another on an airplane to Houston!

Do you know Sr. Colleen?

Dieu vous bénisse!
[quote name='IrishSalesian' timestamp='1282269937' post='2160420']
They are one in the same!

Well, The Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco
[/quote]

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LadyOfSorrows

[quote name='LaPetiteSoeur' timestamp='1282271126' post='2160430']
They are awesome! One comes to my school a lot. And I met another on an airplane to Houston!

Do you know Sr. Colleen?

Dieu vous bénisse!

[/quote]


I LOVE Sr. Colleen!

She is so popular...she has a Facebook but she has too many friends and can't accept anymore! 7 girls and I went on a "Nun Run" where we visited different communities in the NJ/NY area and we visited Sr. Colleen in NJ. We stayed with them...she is so very generous!

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This is a general point about new communities. They divide into two types:

(1) those which are "emerging": they often have leaders with a unique charism but no great experience of living religious life under obedience to a superior themselves. Only time and the Holy Spirit will show whether they are destined to flourish. If you feel called to join such, examine very carefully the Statutes/Constitutions and make enquiries about their reputation in the diocese. One of the most frequent problems which shows up is an over-authoritarian superior or one with slightly whacky ideas! That said, if no one ever joined a new community with a new charism, the Church would never grow. Sometimes we are called to take huge risks.

(2) those which are new and small but have members with a long experience of living religious life: again, make enquiries; but you are usually on safer ground because such people have experience, have followed all the proper canonical channels and are subject to the bishop or some other Major Superior of repute. Such communities may be a foundation from a bigger house; or they may be completely autonomous. They usually don't have some of the things that are attractive about older-established communities (e.g. buildings) but they often give one the opportunity to live the Rule or charism of the founder (St Benedict, St Dominic, St Francis, for example) with a simplicity and focus that isn't always possible in a larger house.

I've spent nearly 30 years in monastic life and have lived in both a large, long-established community and one of type (2); I've had dealings with communities of type (1), mainly in an advisory capacity, but I've never belonged to one. If you look through some former posts on this Phorum, you'll see that the experience of those who have has been mixed.

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OnlySunshine

I agree with DD on number 1. I knew of a community that was formed by a perpetually professed Sister who decided to leave her community without approval so she could form a new community. Se was actually in charge of formation and had instilled some unfavorable ideas into the young Sisters' heads and some of them left with her to form the new order. It caused great heartache and distrust in the abandoned community and took them a long time to get over the upheveal of several of the members. It is still a sore spot with them and is not discussed in public.

The new community was formed after the Sisters left about a year later, with very much the same charism and ideals as the abandoned which was quite confusing. :unsure: One wonders why they left to begin with. After I found this out, I steered clear or that new community because I worried about psychological issues (i.e. Brainwashing). I developed a cautious manner towards other new communities as well and decided that if I ever discerned with one, I would check their status with the diocese and ask questions.

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LaPetiteSoeur

She's awesome! She goes to a lot of Catholic schools in the diocese to talk to students about vocations. I love her vocation story!

Dieu vous bénisse!

[quote name='LadyOfSorrows' timestamp='1282276516' post='2160465']
I LOVE Sr. Colleen!

She is so popular...she has a Facebook but she has too many friends and can't accept anymore! 7 girls and I went on a "Nun Run" where we visited different communities in the NJ/NY area and we visited Sr. Colleen in NJ. We stayed with them...she is so very generous!
[/quote]

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