What Do You Get Someone For First Vows?

[PhuturePriest]

[quote name='AnneLine' timestamp='1334360201' post='2417394']
Miles, Miles, I don't want to pile on you, but as anyone who has ever been around the Dominicans can attest, they refer to St. Francis as 'Holy Father Francis' and the two orders are VERY close!!! They just preach in different ways.

And I can tell you, both Franciscans and Dominicans (and Carmelites, Jesuits, Visitandines, Benedictines, Carthusians and anyone else I could conjure up) LOVE a good meal - because it is seen as a gift of a Good God.

As St. Teresa put it, there is a time and a place for penance, and a time and a place for partridge. (We would probably re-write that as a 'time and place for penance and a time and a place for a T-Bone, but Partridge was their fancy-pantaloons meal back then.... and yes, she said it while enjoying some!)

Most of the active teaching/nursing communities have a very balanced diet because their work is pretty heavy. The penance for them is eating what they are given and not being picky. And some convent food is great... but some is decidely NOT great... and if you are a good religious, you just chow down on what you are given, are grateful, and then go off to pray and work and love God and others.
[/quote]

I don't hate Dominicans. I discern with them off and on, and I love them. I just like to make cracks about them.

And yes, I do realize there is a time for penance and a time for feasting upon good food. The Franciscan Missionaries of the Eternal Word enjoy their great food, and I have no prejudice against this. I simply like to lovingly bash the Dominicans.

[AnneLine]

Glad to have that clear! Now we can invite you to party and not worry about offending you!

As far as the present..... certainly something like having a Mass card, or something the whole community can use (food, craft supplies) is always appreciated... or a donation to something like Habitat, or the Heifer Project, or to one of the Missions, or a Dominican Shrine, or PHATmass in her honor? or to the Community's Retirement fund?

Remember, there's a good chance that MANY communities require professed religious to 'give up' any tangible gift you are giving them because of the Vow of Poverty -- that means that they may or may not be able to have access to it for their own use.

Books are nice, but just keep in mind... most books will be read and then placed in a community library, so you may want to skip the special dedication inside the cover, for example - you could slip in note so she can keep it (with permission, of course!).

You might consider a book mark or something -- yes, you will probably want to get her something bigger, but include something like that as she probably will be able to keep it, use it, and see it every day.

Anybody know for sure about this community? Each one has their own policy on things like this....

Edited April 13, 2012 by AnneLine

[FutureCarmeliteClaire]

An edible arrangement, bada bing bada boom.

[MissyP89]

Can you get her a CD of sacred music and some of her favorite candy, maybe?

[AnneLine]

A medal of a favorite saint or mystery to attach to her rosary?

[Cherie]

We loved to get Masses or Mass enrollments. Sacramentals (like rosaries and holy cards and such) are always appreciated and used (often for passing on to people we'd meet) but we got a LOT of them, and people didn't often think about having Masses said for us, but it meant the world to us when they did.

[Cherie]

And yes, at least for our community (which was very close to the Nashvilles), any gifts like books, money, etc., was given to the Community. The Superior may have given us permission to keep it, but we still had to ask permission.

[Luigi]

Money.


The perfect gift for all occasions.


One size fits all.


No fancy (but useless) wrapping paper or ribbon needed.


It's the one gift nobody ever returns.

Edited April 14, 2012 by Luigi

[Strictlyinkblot]

All the suggestions are great. It might be worth asking the Novice Mistress or Prioress if they have a special need at the moment, like a musical instrument, book tokens, religious paintings, gardening plants etc. Also, you could as the Novice Mistress or Prioress what you could give her that she'd probably be allowed keep. That's what I did for a friend of mine. Her family bought her a guitar that was used by the community but I got permission to buy her a little statue.

[mantellata]

I think very often people want to give a personal gift but for someone with a vow of poverty a gift that the whole community can benefit from is much better.

How about a $50 donation in her name to the community? Or a board game? (Great for recreation) Of course you can never go wrong with flowers for the altar or for the statue of our Lady. A rosary she has, and a fancy one she likely cannot keep... (avoiding luxury).

I loved the suggestion of asking her superior or Novice Mistress if the community has any particular needs.... usually it is good to suggest how much you would like to spend so they have an idea of what to suggest. (Religious communities have all sorts of needs, big and small).

Wine works too. It's not something they would go out and buy themselves but would be appreciated for a Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner.

(this coming from a former religious)

[Deus te Amat]

[quote name='AnneLine' timestamp='1334367112' post='2417457']
A medal of a favorite saint or mystery to attach to her rosary?
[/quote]

This. I will even take it to Rome and touch it to all the Dominican places for ya if you want.

[linnie]

How 'bout a gift card to Home Depot or Lowe's? With spring coming (or at least trying to come here in the Mountain West) they may love to be able to buy plants or gardening supplies.
Or a gift card to a craft store to buy yarn, scrap book supplies, or other craft items.

blessings, linnie

[MissScripture]

[quote name='she_who_is_not' timestamp='1334344692' post='2417205']


That could get expensive. How many sisters now, MS? 250?
[/quote]
Not sure exactly. Close to 300, I think.

[AnneLine]

Wow. I tried to post 250 emoticon nuns... and I got a message that it was too many to post!

So just multiply this by 25 or 30...

[Deus te Amat]

[quote name='MissScripture' timestamp='1334448927' post='2417908']

Not sure exactly. Close to 300, I think.
[/quote]

270-280