Australian Redemptoristines

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Mad_Theologian1

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I was a member here a long time ago, so long ago that I couldn’t find my account. So I have started a new one using most of my old name lols.

This post is to let discerning women know that the Monastery of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptoristines) in Australia currently have a lady living in trying her vocation with the sisters and that the sisters would welcome having a conversation with those who are seriously discerning cloistered life.

I currently cannot post the website but the person who hosts it is here, so hopefully she can post it as a response to this post.

The postal address is
Rev Mother Prioress
Monastery of the Most Holy Redeemer
64 Maitland Vale Road
Bolwarra Heights NSW 2320
Australia

While the normal upper age limit is 50 years old, the sisters understand that sometimes life or caring responsibilities towards aged parents or other things can get in the way of being able to move quickly or early. They are more than willing to walk with you for an extended period of time, if necessary.

They have walking with me for over a decade while I care for my mum and wait until I can enter.

The Redemptoristines are papally cloistered contemplative nuns. They pray the Liturgy 7 times a day. Have Mass daily and times of adoration and confession weekly. Anyone close by, (once covid settles) is able to attend Mass or pray in the public side of the chapel.

Prayer is the main work of the nuns and they are to grow to become “a living memory of Jesus” (writings of Blessed Maria Celeste Crostarosa, Foundress) . They do make sacred hosts as their other work. While the community is small only having 3 finally vowed sisters, they have a number of women discerning with them, along with the current lady who is living with them.

First contact is usually made through letter, as the Rev Mother will send you a vocation information pack. I am able to answer questions here. If I do not know I will refer the question via email to Rev Mother and cut and paste her response.

Mad_Theologian1
MTheolSt
Long term discerner with the order.
 
I’m not sure how much more I can say about our website for them. A discerner wrote the website, and obtained the photos, and I put them together into what one sees now. The nuns have been grateful for the publicity. If someone else publishes a another website for them with their approval, we will remove ours.
 
Have you done any (comparative) analysis between them and the Passionists? The Redemptoristines were founded around the same time as they and the Nuns of Perpetual Adoration.
 
My comparison was between the Visitation order and the Redemptoristines. The Redemptoristines have some things in common with the Visitation.
 
It would not be much help as it only refers to a small amount of shared practice through the spiritual advisor of Blessed Maria Celeste who had a lot to do with the reforming of a Visitation convent and wanted to push those reforms which were not compatible with with Viva memoria (Redemptoristines are to become and live a life as a living memory, Viva memorial of the life of Jesus). The majority of my thesis is on the comparison of the writings of St Margaret Mary and Blessed Maria Celeste on divine union. The stuff on the Visitation is only a few lines long.
 
Still, you’re treating of a fascinating subject, in which I maintain interest.

I don’t think Viva Memoria has been adequately explained – anywhere. I have a copy of the primitive rule, which includes a rule for hermits. I began to understand VM only after reading it, and Our Lord’s insistence that the rule be followed exactly. (Does Bolwarra take to their cells between One and Three O’clock, in imitation of Our Lord being on the cross)?
 
The sisters unless they have work that requires them to be outside the cell, do retire to their cells to observe the little silence between 1-3pm.

Viva memorial is not easy to explain simply because it is a way of life and not a concept. A person would need access to the rule, constitutions and the spiritual writing of Blessed Maria Celeste to gain some brain based understanding. Even then that is very limited. Each section of the day is attached to an event of the life of the Saviour. The sister is to keep that in mind each day. I need to look something up, it will take a little while. I will write more a bit later.
 
The best introduction book is The mystic who remembered by Joseph W Oppitz. This is usually sent to those interested in the vocation. Page 76 says that “memoria is the consciousness and the continued actualisation of redemption as the ongoing recreation in man of the possibility of and the will to accept God’s loving Self-sharing in Christ”.

To truly get it you need access to all the resources but they are not currently available outside of the order unless like I was, one is doing academic research. But that book gives the discerning soul enough information to understand.

The theology is very robust and very focused on spiritual union.
 
That’s very similar to my method of prayer for the sanctification of the cloistered/contemplative life. Each action, particularly a religious exercise, I pray that they are focused and fervent.
 
Yes, the steps to spiritual union, while they vary in interpretation walk a very similar path. I will post the names of two texts that we used in my Masters studies that come in handy in regard to the topic. Sorry, it’s midnight here and I need to get some shut eye.
 
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