TradMom Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Praised be Jesus Christ! Dear Phamily, It is with great joy that I announce to all of you that our daughter ("Daughter Number Two" or...how about "Mary" for privacy?) has been accepted to a Monastery, to live the life of a contemplative nun. Many of you know that Daughter Number One had a bit of a shaky start as a Carmelite - she discovered the Monastery she entered was not for her and then, by the grace of Jesus, she entered another one where she is blooming, thanks be to God. The two girls were very close "in the world" and my husband and I initially worried that Mary's vocation was prompted by her sister's. She did not feel called to Carmel, and though we made some of the same visits as our Carmelite did (even to the Monastery she had left), Mary just did not feel the "connection." I believe we would have been a little more concerned if she wanted to join the same exact one! It is difficult work finding the right place! Knowing God is calling you is difficult enough, and to try to figure out where He wants you is another hurdle! She was convinced for quite a while that she was called to be a Dominican, but that was not to be. Like her sister, our Mary wanted the full habit, a traditional life with a sense of sobriety. (Don't think I'm raising a convent full of little serious nuns...these two young women happen to be very serious and studious...unlike the some of our other little ones!) She believes she found the right place, and the Mother believes they have found the right next postulant. Our family trusts in Divine Providence! Unlike many monasteries today, she is joining an order that does not encourage publicity. They do have a lovely website, but it is tasteful and limited. They do not blog or publish news about their nuns, and they ask that we respect their desire to live fully hidden in Christ. Before she received her acceptance letter, she was invited to the Nashville Dominican ceremony of vows, which she wanted to see..."just to make sure." It was indeed beautiful, and as I mentioned from there, we met some Phatmassers there. I have checked with Gloriagurl and have received her permission to share that we met in person! Talk about Divine Providence! It was wonderful to see the ceremony, the community is bustling and gorgeous, and the parental support was just lovely. It was a great experience, and Mary came home very sure she was not called to Dominican life, but very sure God was indeed asking her to be His Bride...and then, there was the acceptance letter. We have no doubt that the collective prayers of the Dominicans this past weekend, who were so welcoming and generous helped Mary find her way. We were privileged and blessed to meet some new friends, and to connect with some old ones. It was a true and special honor to meet Gloriagurl, and at some point, I hope she will share more about her life in a public way as it left Mary and I most encouraged, inspired and awed. This phorum has some very special people here. I have mentioned before that our children are heavily monitored on the internet. At one point, Mary tried to set up an account on phatmass but was unable to do so because we have the same email address. When I told her I was going to announce this news, she asked that I share that her journey has not been easy (in finding the right place), that she has often felt very unsure and confused, but her faith and trust in Christ has been rewarded. She said - and thanks be to God for this! - that when she read her acceptance letter, she was flooded with an overwhelming sense of peace and happiness. She knew, at that moment, all was as it should be. We know that while this inner peace has invaded our daughter's soul, and she rejoices in having found the right place, there remains new hurdles and challenges as she makes her way to her new home. (Entrance day: September 8th). We ask, humbly, that you remember our Mary in your prayers. We also ask that each Phatmasser remembers all those who are considering religious life, but don't have the support of parents or family, are able to move forward. It is very sad to think of how lonely this must be for all people considering religious life...be they young or more mature. Male or female. This is just the beginning for Mary, and for many others moving forward in religious life. Phatmass has been a great resource for my husband and me as we have attempted to help guide Mary. Thank you, all, for your support, care and love. We feel very blessed. TradMom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeniteAdoremus Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Dear Tradmom, It's humbling and beautiful to read these little glimpses into your family life... my prayers are with your children! However dearly I love my parents, I probably wouldn't have minded if they'd resembled you a little bit more in some aspects... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archaeology cat Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 Thank you for sharing this, and my prayers are with your daughters, and indeed with your entire family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortnun Posted August 5, 2008 Share Posted August 5, 2008 So many prayers for your family. Praise God! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DominicanPhilosophy Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 What a wonderful blessing; two Carmelites! Your family and your daughters are in my prayers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
puellapaschalis Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 [quote name='DominicanPhilosophy' post='1618895' date='Aug 6 2008, 10:16 AM']What a wonderful blessing; two Carmelites! Your family and your daughters are in my prayers.[/quote] I'm not sure that Mary is going to the Carmelites, or did I miss something in TradMum's post? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VeniteAdoremus Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 [quote name='puellapaschalis' post='1618899' date='Aug 6 2008, 10:31 AM']I'm not sure that Mary is going to the Carmelites, or did I miss something in TradMum's post?[/quote] I gathered that she's [i]not[/i]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RosaMystica Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Congratulations to your daughter and to your whole family! What a blessing that you have two daughters who are to be the brides of Christ! Your daughter and your whole family have my prayers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DominicanPhilosophy Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 Oh..I thought she meant two different Carmels. Nevermind; this was at 3 AM! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TradMom Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 Praised be Jesus Christ! "Mary" will not be entering a Carmelite Monastery. She is entering a very traditional, very lovely, very faithful contemplative community that also accepts mature women. This was a very important piece for our Carmelite, and I am happy to say that this also influenced Mary as she looked at the various communities. I cannot help but be so very proud of my girls; they stood by the values of our family as they searched for the right place. They could have entered any community because of their age, and yet, in the end, they both found the right place for them - communities that are faithful, beautiful and very importantly, open to the Holy Spirit's voice in women of different ages. I must be honest in explaining that I believe our daughters were greatly influenced by watching their aunt face rejection (based on age) to live as a Carmelite. She left the US and entered a beautiful community in Britain. (She died before her solemn profession, but lived happily and faithfully there.) Also, as many of you know, we have in our family a very special child. This child has brought great joy and happiness to our entire family and each one of us finds great delight in her. I believe this experience has also made all of our children very sensitive to exclusion (for whatever reason) and has bolstered their own determination to be a part of a system (organization, group, family, community!) that welcomes....and is open to others. So many of you have been very open and wonderful about your lives and your individual communities. I am not trying to be secretive or cryptic, and I am sharing as much as I think I can without betraying the community's wishes. I have no doubt that as our daughters progress, and truly find their footing as professed members, we will be able to share more concrete details in a public way. Until that time, I am thankful for the promises of prayers and the lovely PM's I have received, many of which I have passed along. I can assure you both of our girls are very much aware of your prayers and presence, and I am confident they will bring you to Jesus in the depths of their heart(s)... TradMom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deus te Amat Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 [quote name='TradMom' post='1618261' date='Aug 5 2008, 02:33 PM'](Entrance day: September 8th).[/quote] Thank you so much, TradMom, for sharing this beautiful story with us! I will keep your daughter and her vocation in my prayers. I just wanted to say that my best friend is entering an apostolic order Sept. 8th!! (I dont think it is the same community as your daughter's though) May I tell her about your daughter's entrance so they could pray for one another in their first few days? I'm sure my friend would love to do so! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DameAgnes Posted August 6, 2008 Share Posted August 6, 2008 You are very blessed, Tradmom - will keep your daughters and all of you in my prayers. Glad to hear daughter #1 is blossoming in her new convent, too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TradMom Posted August 6, 2008 Author Share Posted August 6, 2008 Praised be Jesus Christ! Oh yes...spread the news! We ALL will keep each other in all of our prayers! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiquitunga Posted August 7, 2008 Share Posted August 7, 2008 That's wonderful, especially having two daughters enter two different contemplative communities! I know of a couple Carmelite nuns whose sisters are Poor Clares. How beautiful for your family! And thanks for sharing about her struggles to find exactly where God was calling her. That's wonderful hearing of the peace that came when she received her acceptance letter. God bless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shortnun Posted August 8, 2008 Share Posted August 8, 2008 I echo the "thanks" to TradMom-- for all your sharings about the blessings your children have been. Thanks to your daughters, the Kingdom is ever more present on earth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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