Orthodox Women's Communities Accepting Vocations Over 35

[Yaatee]

[quote name='Studiumecclesiae' timestamp='1294758244' post='2198967']
[b]Dear Tradmom,

[/b]The group still exists and here is the link:
[url="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/delayed_vocations/"]http://groups.yahoo....ayed_vocations/ [/url]
Go and have a look if you are looking for a community accepting people over 35.

In Domino
[i]StudiumEcclesiae[/i]



[/quote]

I couldn't find delayed_vocations in Yahoo! groups. Can someone else? This is one of Gemma's groups, I think.

If you look under

[url="http://cmswr.org/member_communities/membercommunities.html"]http://cmswr.org/mem...ommunities.html[/url]

you'll see quite a few habited communities which accept so-called older vocations. In the following link from Institute of the Religious LIfe

http://db.religiouslife.com/reg_life/irl.nsf/wa?OpenForm&Count=1000

you'll see a number of habited Carmels and the Poor Clare Collettines who accept older vocations. Even if they say they don't , I would check. They may not all keep up their information on the web. There are some habited Discalced Carmelites which are in small Carmels who would probably also, especially after Mobile and Kensington CA, both traditional Carmels, have dissolved because of their dwindling, aging numbers.

Many of the CCA Carmels have modified habits and I am sure would consider older vocations. They observe the traditional Carmelite vocation of long periods of private prayer, solitude an saying the office.

I would just ask. No harm in trying.

Edited February 27, 2011 by Yaatee

[Studiumecclesiae]

The delayed_vocations yahoo group has been deleted. But there are still lots of other interesting yahoo groups to join.

[HopefulBride]

http://ourladyofgracesisters.org/ (they are a private association of the faithful and have no age limit)

There are also the other 4 sisters who left CMRI with my sisters (can't recall their name at the moment) they don't have a strict age limit either. Will find their contact info and post later.

[Santa Cruz]

[quote name='krissylou' timestamp='1293673130' post='2195065']
The Cistercians (Trappistines) of Mount St Mary's Abbey in Wrentham say their age limit is 40. I have no idea how flexible they are about people older than 40, but 35-40 would be entirely routine.


[/quote]

Hm.

I do not know if the Cistercians of Mount Saint Mary's Abbey would consider themselves to be Orthodox? I know them rather well and that is not the word I would use to describe them. They do accept vocations up to age 40.

Edited February 28, 2011 by Santa Cruz

[Yaatee]

[quote name='Studiumecclesiae' timestamp='1298892998' post='2216396']
The delayed_vocations yahoo group has been deleted. But there are still lots of other interesting yahoo groups to join.
[/quote]

There is Gemma's womenindiscernment, which is mainly for older discerners, which contains info on communities and could provide sources for information in its members.

There is also Gemma's group, the religious habit (maybe run together), which also includes information on trad orders (thru its discussions on habits) and has interesting asides, for ex, about Stanbrook Abbey's (UK) Benedictine nuns moving to their new monastery. This is an aging abbey which had to give up its gorgeous very expensive conventional abbey and moved into a new eco-abbey which apparently it loves. I suspect that this abbey, like many in the UK, would be open to 'older' discerners.

I want to reiterate that there is nothing lost by an inquiry. There is new research by CARA of final professions in 2010 (women) with 68/75 responding, that relatively few communities had any final professions last year and only a minority had more than one or two. This is distinctly opposite to the impression that women are 'flocking' to religious life and getting finally professed. Communities are going to be looking and raising their age limits, even if they don't acknowledge it publicly.

Edited February 28, 2011 by Yaatee

[Yaatee]

[quote name='Santa Cruz' timestamp='1298902768' post='2216411']
Hm.

I do not know if the Cistercians of Mount Saint Mary's Abbey would consider themselves to be Orthodox? I know them rather well and that is not the word I would use to describe them. They do accept vocations up to age 40.
[/quote]

Why would they[i] not[/i] be orthodox?! They are the mothership of the Cistercian (Trappistine) women's communities in the US, the women's equivalent of Gethsemani for men. They have consistently had so many vocations that they have founded several other daughter houses.

[Santa Cruz]

[quote name='Yaatee' timestamp='1298924095' post='2216526']
Why would they[i] not[/i] be orthodox?! They are the mothership of the Cistercian (Trappistine) women's communities in the US, the women's equivalent of Gethsemani for men. They have consistently had so many vocations that they have founded several other daughter houses.
[/quote]

Greetings Yaatee,

I have known the Wrentham Sisters for over 4 years. They are dear to me. What you mention does not make them "orthodox". The Cistercians of Wrentham get a little creative and obedience to the Magisterium is not a top priority. No, they are not way far off, but neither are they orthodox either.

God Bless

[Studiumecclesiae]

There's also Gemma's [i]Ecclesia Dei[/i] yahoo group but I don't think there are much traditional communities that accept women over 35.