Srs Of The Holy Innocents & St. Gianna Molla

[Gemma]

Website should have most of the relevant details. Any questions arising from the lack of information will help fill out the website.

http://cloisters.tripod.com/holyinnocents/

I wasn't able to change the title or sub-title, but they are a Cloister Outreach affiliate. Someone else is writing the constitutions, etc.

Blessings,
Gemma

Edited October 24, 2009 by Gemma

[Saint Therese]

I don't mean to be ugly, but the website said that you "hope to be located" somewhere in Tennessee, which would indicate there are no sisters of this "community", much less a foundation. Why title this thread a "new foundation"? I'm not trying to be unpleasant but it seems to me this could be misleading.

[Gemma]

[quote name='Saint Therese' date='24 October 2009 - 02:39 PM' timestamp='1256405947' post='1990700']
I don't mean to be ugly, but the website said that you "hope to be located" somewhere in Tennessee, which would indicate there are no sisters of this "community", much less a foundation. Why title this thread a "new foundation"? I'm not trying to be unpleasant but it seems to me this could be misleading.
[/quote]

There is a foundress now living in Alcoa, TN. I have been working with her for about a year. She is a delayed vocation, and the Spirit is moving through her.

We plan to have the paperwork together by either Christmas or early next year so that she can present it to the canonist, who will in turn talk to the bishop on her behalf.

The foundational information is on the website.

If our posting the website doesn't bring in vocations before that time, she will petition to start her year's novitiate with a few different communities whose apostolates are similar to hers.

The premier bishop of Knoxville didn't have any objections to this charism. Please consult the link on the site titled, "How Charisms Emerge".

Blessings,
Gemma

[tnavarro61]

[quote name='Saint Therese' date='25 October 2009 - 02:39 AM' timestamp='1256405947' post='1990700']
I don't mean to be ugly, but the website said that you "hope to be located" somewhere in Tennessee, which would indicate there are no sisters of this "community", much less a foundation. Why title this thread a "new foundation"? I'm not trying to be unpleasant but it seems to me this could be misleading.
[/quote]

had the same thoughts, too. i wonder who the foundress is and i also wonder if the family of St Gianna knows about this.

Edited October 25, 2009 by tnavarro61

[Gemma]

[quote name='tnavarro61' date='25 October 2009 - 03:05 AM' timestamp='1256450735' post='1991016']
had the same thoughts, too. i wonder who the foundress is and i also wonder if the family of St Gianna knows about this.
[/quote]

St. Gianna Molla belongs to the entire Church. "Permission" from her family is not necessary, though advising them of the emerging charism is on the to-do list.

We have yet to create the foundress' page. Since I have one official project already, I am considered a founder-mentor.

The foundress' name is Karen Lhotka of Alcoa, TN. She posted about the emerging charism on someone's blog which featured the Little Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Europe, and the blog stated that the LSGS were the only active Ecclesia Dei community for women. The Holy Innocents' sisterhood will be Ecclesia Dei, also, which is why she posted her comment on the blog.

We hope to have the Holy Innocents' Sisterhood in Knoxville itself. Bishop Stika is very open to religious communities, but we always have to have a "Plan B" in case he doesn't approve of them being in his diocese. Every founder keeps this in the back of their mind and prepares for it.

HTH.

Blessings,
Gemma

[Saint Therese]

I still don't understand how someone can be a foundress when there is no community. Technically, she hasn't "founded" anything yet, although she may wish to. I'm sorry but I think this should be clarified.

[organwerke]

[quote name='Saint Therese' date='25 October 2009 - 07:38 PM' timestamp='1256492329' post='1991099']
I still don't understand how someone can be a foundress when there is no community. Technically, she hasn't "founded" anything yet, although she may wish to. I'm sorry but I think this should be clarified.
[/quote]
Well, I'm not an expert...
I know that, for example, the Blessed Therese of Calcutta lived alone for a period, when she left her order of Loreto, and before having postulants in the Order she founded. This because there was a sort of "discerning" time between the Inspiration she received and the beginning of the new congregation. Maybe this is a similar case?

[GraceUk]

And Charles de Foucald (not sure of spelling) founded the Little Brothers of Jesus. I don't think he had any brothers join him. It was only after his death that the order came into being but he is still regarded as the founder. (Hope I have got the facts more or less right. Its years and years since I read a book about him. Called I think 'The Desert My Dwelling Place.'

[Gemma]

[quote name='organwerke' date='25 October 2009 - 05:55 PM' timestamp='1256504113' post='1991159']
Well, I'm not an expert...
I know that, for example, the Blessed Therese of Calcutta lived alone for a period, when she left her order of Loreto, and before having postulants in the Order she founded. This because there was a sort of "discerning" time between the Inspiration she received and the beginning of the new congregation. Maybe this is a similar case?
[/quote]

Yes, exactly. Thank you for speaking up.

Karen will be here subsequently.

Blessings,
Gemma

[Gemma]

[quote name='GraceUk' date='25 October 2009 - 06:13 PM' timestamp='1256505205' post='1991165']
And Charles de Foucald (not sure of spelling) founded the Little Brothers of Jesus. I don't think he had any brothers join him. It was only after his death that the order came into being but he is still regarded as the founder. (Hope I have got the facts more or less right. Its years and years since I read a book about him. Called I think 'The Desert My Dwelling Place.'
[/quote]

Yes, correct again.

Blessings,
Gemma

[zunshynn]

While I think it is important to be clear about the stage that an order is in, I think the website was, I don't think it's necessary to have multiple members for a community to be considered "founded". If there is a charism and form of life set... then really there is a community... it's just in the beginning stages.

Mother Marie de Ste. Claire and Father Bonaventure Heurlaut were considered the foundress and founder of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration before anyone else joined Mother Marie de Ste. Claire, I'm pretty sure.

Correction... they weren't called Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration at the time, and the community evolved into something quite different then was originally planned, but still, they had "founded" a community.

In any case, I don't think this is an issue that warrants two negatives. Seriously?

Edited October 25, 2009 by zunshynn

[tnavarro61]

is it already a community when there is only one member? and what does "Cloister Outreach New Foundation" means? does it mean it's the Cloisters Outreach founding another congregation?

Edited October 26, 2009 by tnavarro61

[tnavarro61]

[quote name='GraceUk' date='26 October 2009 - 06:13 AM' timestamp='1256505205' post='1991165']
And Charles de Foucald (not sure of spelling) founded the Little Brothers of Jesus. I don't think he had any brothers join him. It was only after his death that the order came into being but he is still regarded as the founder. (Hope I have got the facts more or less right. Its years and years since I read a book about him. Called I think 'The Desert My Dwelling Place.'
[/quote]

It's Foucauld... I think he was called a founder when there was a community.

[Gemma]

[quote name='tnavarro61' date='26 October 2009 - 08:30 AM' timestamp='1256556648' post='1991436']
is it already a community when there is only one member? and what does "Cloister Outreach New Foundation" means? does it mean it's the Cloisters Outreach founding another congregation?
[/quote]

Cloister Outreach--as an apostolate to the vocational world--has noticed needs where discerners are concerned, and has received--through prayer--possible charisms.

Seeing as a number of them have attracted vocations, and are in the "emerging" stage, I'd say they have a good chance of being legit.

I will make another thread covering these emerging charisms, if you so desire.

They are known as "affiliates" because I can have only one project at a time, and that, as you know, are the Cloisterite Hermits, here in the Diocese of Charlotte, NC. I am considered "founder-mentor" unless the bishops approving the charisms state otherwise.

HTH.

Blessings,
Gemma

[humbleheart]

[quote name='organwerke' date='25 October 2009 - 09:55 PM' timestamp='1256504113' post='1991159']
Well, I'm not an expert...
I know that, for example, the Blessed Therese of Calcutta lived alone for a period, when she left her order of Loreto, and before having postulants in the Order she founded. This because there was a sort of "discerning" time between the Inspiration she received and the beginning of the new congregation. Maybe this is a similar case?
[/quote]


[quote name='GraceUk' date='25 October 2009 - 10:13 PM' timestamp='1256505205' post='1991165']
And Charles de Foucald (not sure of spelling) founded the Little Brothers of Jesus. I don't think he had any brothers join him. It was only after his death that the order came into being but he is still regarded as the founder. (Hope I have got the facts more or less right. Its years and years since I read a book about him. Called I think 'The Desert My Dwelling Place.'
[/quote]

I'm not sure that this is the same thing as the Little Brothers of Jesus and the Missionaries of Charity. To begin with, Mother Teresa was already a fully professed religious sister when she asked permission to found her own community. She was able to train any novices who came to join her. She also got permission from the bishop and the provincial of her own order before she left Loreto. If I understand Gemma correctly, the lady who wants to found this new community isn't a religious sister and hasn't spoken to the bishop yet.

Equally, did Charles de Foucauld intend to found a new community? Myunderstanding of him was that he lived a hermit's life, and men whowere inspired by his work and prayer decided to come together incommunity after he died. I don't know much about him, but I'm not sure that his situation can be compared to this.

Gemma, I've read the part on the website where it says that it isn't necessary for an aspiring founder to go to the bishop until aspirants have been gathered and the constitutions drawn up. That doesn't fit with what I know of the foundation process. Here in Britain there are two very new communities, the Sisters of the Gospel of Life and the Community of Our Lady of Walsingham. Cardinal Winning was involved in the foundation of the Sisters of the Gospel of Life from the outset, and when Sr Camilla felt called to found COLW the first thing she did was ask for help and encouragement from her diocese. I would be uncomfortable discerning with any community (a prospective one in this case) if the bishop did not know what was going on. I suspect other discerners might feel the same.