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Queen'sDaughter

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They have a small breakfast .. [url="https://picasaweb.google.com/112954809546652959393/CarmelOfJesusMaryJosephValparaisoNE#5051543847235483010"]https://picasaweb.go...543847235483010[/url] And one reason their day starts a little earlier than other Carmels is because their Divine Office is longer (ie there are 5 psalms in Lauds & Vespers instead of 3) and they have Prime.

I know at least in one Carmel they didn't pray the Rosary together as a community before. But when the Office changed and they had more time, they added it. Valp. & Elysburg do the old Office and the Rosary in common, so they have to fit everything in somewhere. It's great they have that siesta though. Some Carmels don't have it.

Also I thought St. Teresa said her nuns would always get 6 hours of sleep, but I could be wrong. I have a friend discerning Carmel too who keeps mentioning that. We'll have to find it .. :detective:

edit: the Little Hours in the old Office have 3 psalms as they do now :j

Edited by Chiquitunga
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[quote name='MaterMisericordiae' timestamp='1326509513' post='2368679']


I need 9 to 10 hours of sleep to function at my optimum level. If I don't get at least 7 hours, I get cranky and downright irritable. I often wondered if I could handle life as a religious when I was discerning. It smells of elderberries because I have [url="http://www.end-your-sleep-deprivation.com/delayed-sleep-phase-syndrome.html"]delayed sleep phase syndrome[/url] (circadian rhythm disorder) that causes me to fall asleep in the wee hours of the morning and sleep til almost noon (or after) most days. When I kept a full-time job, I had a lot of trouble adjusting my schedule to meet the needs of the hours I worked.

I have often complained to doctors about my problem. Each and every one of them looks at me like I have insomnia and prescribes sleeping pills. The thing is, I do not have trouble sleeping when I'm tired. It just seems like being tired comes later at night. Sleeping pills never have a permanent effect on me.
[/quote]

Mater, you just might find your sleep normalizing on thyroid treatment. It's commonly related. I haven't had to take anything for sleep since getting on cortef, armour, and supplements. :)

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[quote name='Strictlyinkblot' timestamp='1326561791' post='2368943']
The horarium is certainly challenging but I suppose like any other monastic lifestyle you would get used to it after a while. When I did my live in I had to be up at 05:30. Lights out by 22:00, but to be honest I was usually asleep in bed straight after Compline. I had one early night, in bed by 20:30 and I never even heard the bell for Compline. I didn't find it all that hard to get up in the morning though, which is surprising for me.
[/quote]

Hehe, when we visited the monastery this past summer we were joking that 9 p.m. is the new 3 a.m.! My friend and I would sit up after Compline & chores drinking tea in trapeza, but the clock would hit 9 and we'd suddenly feel exhausted and look at each other and say, 'Yep, time for bed!'

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Strictlyinkblot

[quote name='marigold' timestamp='1326581285' post='2369129']
Hehe, when we visited the monastery this past summer we were joking that 9 p.m. is the new 3 a.m.! My friend and I would sit up after Compline & chores drinking tea in trapeza, but the clock would hit 9 and we'd suddenly feel exhausted and look at each other and say, 'Yep, time for bed!'
[/quote]

Early to bed and early to rise, literally.

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[quote name='Strictlyinkblot' timestamp='1326581516' post='2369132']
Early to bed and early to rise, literally.
[/quote]

:)

And we were up at 4.30!

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[quote name='Strictlyinkblot' timestamp='1326583335' post='2369147']
Not sure I could manage 04:30. I found 05:20 tough enough and that was with a cup of tea
[/quote]

You know what, it was the roosters that did it. Best alarm clocks ever. I think they run on liturgical time.

One year, a sister got a cheap deal on a batch of unsexed mixed chicks. It turned out they were all boys. 4 a.m. was party time for them and any sister who thought she'd have a lie-in had to rethink pretty quickly. The loudest one got named Stewpot and that is indeed where he ended up.

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Strictlyinkblot

[quote name='marigold' timestamp='1326584811' post='2369163']
You know what, it was the roosters that did it. Best alarm clocks ever. I think they run on liturgical time.

One year, a sister got a cheap deal on a batch of unsexed mixed chicks. It turned out they were all boys. 4 a.m. was party time for them and any sister who thought she'd have a lie-in had to rethink pretty quickly. The loudest one got named Stewpot and that is indeed where he ended up.
[/quote]

'Vengence is mine', says the Lord. Or his wife's

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Queen'sDaughter

Since the horarium seemed to generate a lot of interest, for comparison here is the horarium of the Benedictines of Mary (the order I have been accepted to):

[center]4:30 Rise[/center]
[center]4:45 Matins[/center]
[center]Lauds/Lectio[/center]
[center]7:15 Mass/Prime/[/center]
[center]Chapter/Work[/center]
[center]10:30 Terce/Work[/center]
[center]12:15 Sext/Rosary[/center]
[center]Recreation/Work[/center]
[center]3:00 None/Dinner/Classes[/center]
[center]4:45 Vespers/Lectio[/center]
[center]6:00 Work[/center]
[center]7:30 Compline Readings/Compline[/center]
[center]9:00 Lights out[/center]

This is their winter schedule, as their schedule changes depending on the season. When I was visiting I always retired immediately after compline (about 8:30), as I do love to sleep! One Sundays, the day is much less structured, as there is no work on the Lord's day. The Benedictines do get more sleep than the Carmelites do, which is a definite plus for me!

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Benedictines do seem to like their sleep! Perhaps a consideration in my internal Carmelite/Benedictine debate. I like sleep. :)

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Queen'sDaughter

I know that I struggled and sometimes still do struggle with an attraction to the Carmelites, but practically, I couldn't live the life! I actually to believe that one of the tools discerners can use is the measure of their ability to live the life of the orders they are interested in. For myself, I am not physically capable of living the very austere life of, say, the Poor Clares. I also do not think that I am capable of living the Carmelite life, and that knowledge has helped my solidify my resolution to join the Benedictines.

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[quote name='Chiquitunga' timestamp='1326574859' post='2369034']
They have a small breakfast .. [url="https://picasaweb.google.com/112954809546652959393/CarmelOfJesusMaryJosephValparaisoNE#5051543847235483010"]https://picasaweb.go...543847235483010[/url] And one reason their day starts a little earlier than other Carmels is because their Divine Office is longer (ie there are 5 psalms in Lauds & Vespers instead of 3) and they have Prime.

I know at least in one Carmel they didn't pray the Rosary together as a community before. But when the Office changed and they had more time, they added it. Valp. & Elysburg do the old Office and the Rosary in common, so they have to fit everything in somewhere. It's great they have that siesta though. Some Carmels don't have it.

Also I thought St. Teresa said her nuns would always get 6 hours of sleep, but I could be wrong. I have a friend discerning Carmel too who keeps mentioning that. We'll have to find it .. :detective:

edit: the Little Hours in the old Office have 3 psalms as they do now :j
[/quote]


Well, this detective is referring to the 1991 Constitutions, which state in Chapter Paragraph 96:
"Nevertheless, the the horarium will keep the faithful balance, which St Teresa wanted, among the hours of prayer, work and rest, as well as harmony between times of solitude and of community acts. They should see to it that about seven hours be given to rest at night, in accord with the Teresian tradition."

The Constitutions of 1581 brought into conformity with Vat 2 according to Canon Law in 1990 do not specifically state the number of hours of sleep but they do discuss hours of the Divine Office and suggest rising at 5am in the summer and 6am in the winter, and encourage all activities to be ceased by 11pm. But since they use solar time, which has had to be adapated to our current use, they are not adhered to strictly in that sense.

Each Carmel is autonomous and have leeway to change or adapt the Horarium to suit their own community, location, customs etc. So some rise at 4.30am and others not until 6am.

The four I have been in have all had a small breakfast, although this followed after Mental Prayer and Lauds.



[quote name='Queen'sDaughter' timestamp='1326588538' post='2369232']

This is their winter schedule, as their schedule changes depending on the season. When I was visiting I always retired immediately after compline (about 8:30), as I do love to sleep! One Sundays, the day is much less structured, as there is no work on the Lord's day. The Benedictines do get more sleep than the Carmelites do, which is a definite plus for me!
[/quote]



On Sundays, there may be no 'work' but there are probably still essential dutires :P. I loved Sundays and Solemnities in Carmel because there was no income producing work but there were still things like cooking and sacristy etc, and as I was assistant Sacristan and Provisor, my work load was actually very busy because during these days the Sacristan work and food work was doubled! But I still had time to myself during the times when we would have been doing the other regular work like sewing or gardening or altar breads or printing or whatever.

And your community sounds great... but not all Benedictines get to sleep the whole night through either. Some rise during the night to pray Matins like the Poor Clares!

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Strictlyinkblot

I think the Redemptorist nuns have the right idea, they don't get up until 06:30 and their prayer schedule starts at 07:00. www.rednuns.com

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[quote name='Strictlyinkblot' timestamp='1326581516' post='2369132']
Early to bed and early to rise, literally.
[/quote]

makes a nun healthy, [b][i]faithful[/i][/b], and wise?

Since 'wealthy' didn't seem to fit here!

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