Any known male religious orders which would accept older men, (over 50), who are widowers or divorced (and anulled), who wish to live the remainder of their days in comtemplative life? What if you’re not called to religious cloistered life until you are over 50?
Sincerely curious,
Steven
Tough question. I hope someone can give you some pointers. Most want people under 40 who generally adjust to the discipline that being a novice entails. There are some who will conser between 40 to 50 year olds. When you being looking at 70 year olds then you are often putting the order in the position quickly of running a nursing home (not always but it happens). I have known many very sharp and athletic 70 year olds. On the other hand my father is in horrible shape and were he to suddenly decide to enter a relgious order they would defintely be investing for more in him than he would in them.
Someone who is 70 might want to consider consecrated life within one of the Religious Institutes or a Third Order while maintaining their secular life.
Incdientally, a couple of the Priests I worked with in the army were active duty officers in their early 60’s (Col’s). Both were in super shape and ran circles around some of the 20 something military females who ran with us. So there is no way to make a hard and fast rule. I think that is why there are some orders who will consider older applicants.
Good luck and keep us posted. Hopefully someone has a better answer than I did.
North
Try the deaconship as the priests need all the help they can and it will open up many doors for you. Also God Bless you in your search! dessert
Steven,
Go to this link and click on Men’s affiliates. There are 35 communities listed. Some restrict to under 30, many to under 45/46 and a number of them note that they consider older vocations (eg older than 45) on an individual basis. I think the Servants of Charity has no age limits as it is all individual. Because you want to become a brother you will have a better chance at 60 (or however old you are) than were you trying to become a Priest.
religiouslife.com/vocsearch/search.phtml
Best thing is to contact them and discuss your particular situation, skills and so on. For example, a health sixty year old physician, electrican and so on may be looked at differently than an 80 year old who has had two strokes and is bed bound and wants to become a brother.
But even if it does not work out DO NOT give up. You can always consecrate yourself within a Third Order or Religious Insitute, take vows and lead a life dedicated to prayer and so on within your own home. There are many. The Brothers and Sister of Charity have a domestic expression in which you meet in cell groups and there is no age limit. Whereas their monastic expression is up to age 45. littleportion.org/Vocations/index.asp?id=17
God has something for you!
Please keep us posted. 
North
In addition, try the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity (Fr. Corapi’s order). solt3.org/solt1.htm
If you scan down you will see a number of different levels of membership including hermits, deacons, and even Consecrated Widows and Widowers.
Rev North
Steven,
The Congregation of the Resurrection – “Resurectionists” – have an age-limit of the late 50’s. They currently have a novice who is 58.
resurrectionist.net/English/index.cfm
HTH,
Tom
There is some misunderstanding here, and I guess I can see how that would be after reading my post. While I AM over 50, and WOULD no doubt be in an order, (most likely Franciscan), I am happily in the vocation of marriage currently, and my wife is alive and well. It really is mostly a point of curiosity that I got to thinking about. I couldn’t find anything really doing the searches I was doing in Google.
It is personal only in the sense that I suppose that if I found myself in this situation, I couldn’t think of a more productive way to spend my golden years then to be in the companionship of like minded brothers, in prayer and devotion to God for the rest of my days.
I guess I understand the idea of not becoming a nursing home a little bit. I’m not talking of a teaching order or anything like that. Contemplatives only. Elderly people, with strongly committed religious hearts and souls, no longer in the vocation of marriage late in life due to the death of their spouse, who have no desire to either live alone, nor re-marry, but instead to take vows, and live out their days in the companionship of other religious, praying for all of us. Regardless of age. Perhaps the inevitable nursing home aspects of these communities, as may would age, and die of course at the monastary, could be self supported by the donation at time of entry, by all residents of their social security, or other reitirement income to the monastary. They would not need but a small monthly stipend from it for modest personal items, since they are under a vow of poverty anyway. I guess I’m a little surprised. It sounds like such a beautiful life for both the religious and the people they serve with their prayer. Giving purpose and warmth to people whose productive lives may be somewhat extended in this vocation.
Anyway, thankyou everyone for the information and links. I’ll continue my research, and who knows, maybe there is a new order out there yet to be born?
Yours in Christ,
Steven
The web sits don’t work why
The web sites don’t work ,what now ???
The web sites don’t work
Try this:
religiouslife.com/vocationsearch.html
Select “Consider older vocations” and click on Submit.
VERY ,VERY ,GOOD AND HELPFULL,THANK YOU SO MUCH. I hope to find something.
You’re very welcome…and good luck!
If there is a lote of older men that want to be Religious ,when we my just have to make our oun and start it at 45yrs and older. We are now living up to 80 or 90 yrs now so we can give the Church a good 20 or 40 yrs and think that is good. It is funny that they say “If you here God calling you harden not your heart and answer him”. So when I used just that to ask to become part of an order, They said " OH NOT YOU" you are to old. That is when I asked them were did it say that GOD STOPS CALLING AT 45 YRS…
Some Trappist or Benedictine Abbey will go up to 50 only:eek:
www.trappistabbey.org bluecloud.org/index.html
I have had trouble to get in to an order because I am 50. But that didn’t stop our Lord from calling us. Now if men over , 35, 45, 50 all cut off ages, become a third order and take vows then live in community and call it a semi cloister, (They my have to work and come back) can they wear a habit. they would live on there own money. We would do and act just as a real cloister, monastery, or abbey. ( for prayers) What do you think?
I have had trouble to get in to an order because I am 58. But that didn’t stop our Lord from calling us. Now if men over , 35, 45, 50 all cut off ages, become a third order and take vows then live in community and call it a semi cloister, (They my have to work and come back) can they wear a habit. they would live on there own money. We would do and act just as a real cloister, monastery, or abbey. ( for prayers) What do you think?:)
I have had trouble to get in to an order because I am 58. But that didn’t stop our Lord from calling us. Now if men over , 35, 45, 50 all cut off ages, become a third order and take vows then live in community and call it a semi cloister, (They my have to work and come back) can they wear a habit. they would live on there own money. We would do and act just as a real cloister, monastery, or abbey. ( for prayers) What do you think?
I have had trouble to get in to an order because I am 58. But that didn’t stop our Lord from calling us. Now if men over , 35, 45, 50 all cut off ages, become a third order and take vows then live in community and call it a semi cloister, (They my have to work and come back) can they wear a habit. they would live on there own money. We would do and act just as a real cloister, monastery, or abbey. ( for prayers) What do you think?
Which religious orders serve the poor elderly population in nursing homes?