Calling all Penitents!

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deekod1967

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Hi - I am considering joining the Penitants Confraternity (see following link) - are there any members out there who would like to share their experiences?

www.penitents.org

Many thanks in anticipation,

DD
 
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deekod1967:
Hi - I am considering joining the Penitants Confraternity (see following link) - are there any members out there who would like to share their experiences?

www.penitents.org

Many thanks in anticipation,

DD
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Hey, deekod! I will be entering my third novice year on Ash Wednesday. I’ve just been asked to serve as Regional Coordinator for the Way of the Cross Region (Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Ohio, Washington DC).

The annual 4-day retreat at Christ the King Seminary near Buffalo is a wonderful event; try not to miss it if you can work it into your schedule and budget.

This life is definitely not for everybody. I find that our Rule keeps me focused on what really counts in life and challenges me to channel my use of time and the world’s goods in order to promote the Kingdom.

Advice: Begin your search for a spiritual director right now. Do not wait until the beginning of your first novice year. Experience shows that finding a spiritual director can be extremely difficult and we are required to be under direction in the last two years of formation.
 
Many thanks mercygate,

I will be spekaing to my wife over the wekend about the rule and - especially the tithing / fasting parts. Assuming she is OK I’ll be emailing my inquirer application soon.

I would love to come to Buffalo but I live in Scotland and I dont think I could stretch to the air fare right now - but thank you for your kind offer.

PS -I wouldnt know how to begin searching for a spritual director! - how did you “get hold of one”??

Many thanks,

DD
 
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deekod1967:
Many thanks mercygate,

I will be spekaing to my wife over the wekend about the rule and - especially the tithing / fasting parts. Assuming she is OK I’ll be emailing my inquirer application soon.

I would love to come to Buffalo but I live in Scotland and I dont think I could stretch to the air fare right now - but thank you for your kind offer.

PS -I wouldnt know how to begin searching for a spritual director! - how did you “get hold of one”??

Many thanks,

DD
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Go to the Confraternity Home Page (or is it someplace else???) and you will see a link to an article on how to find a spiritual director.

I agree: Buffalo is a little remote for someone in Scotland! But we have members in Germany, Italy, and Australia . . . So you’re not alone. There is a lot of Internet contact as well.

Welcome!
 
Thanks again mercygate, I could only find the following text on the CFP website re: locating a spiritual director…

*How do I find a spiritual director if I don’t have one? *

Spiritual directors can be priests, deacons, or male or female religious. They can be in your parish, your city, your town, or on the internet or via mail. The Confraternity of Penitents has contacts who will help you find a spiritual director once you need one (during First Year Novice Formation).

Do the priests, deacons, or male or female religious need to be CFP members to act as spritual directors?

I may become the first CFP in Scotland by the sounds of it! - I am worried I may not be able to complete my formation due to lack of spiritual directors over here.

Can spiritual directors operate without "face to face " discussions, i.e over the internet chat/email/video messenger chat etc?? - thus opening up spritual directors to work with others overseas?

Many thanks again,

DD
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deekod1967:
Thanks again mercygate, I could only find the following text on the CFP website re: locating a spiritual director…

*How do I find a spiritual director if I don’t have one? *

Spiritual directors can be priests, deacons, or male or female religious. They can be in your parish, your city, your town, or on the internet or via mail. The Confraternity of Penitents has contacts who will help you find a spiritual director once you need one (during First Year Novice Formation).

Do the priests, deacons, or male or female religious need to be CFP members to act as spritual directors? Not at all. My director is a diocesan priest – no connection to CFP at all. And my confessor is a different priest.
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I may become the first CFP in Scotland by the sounds of it! - I am worried I may not be able to complete my formation due to lack of spiritual directors over here.
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I doubt that will be a serious problem. Remember: though clergy are very busy, they often find it refreshing to encounter someone with the spiritual intensity it takes to live our life!
Can spiritual directors operate without "face to face " discussions, i.e over the internet chat/email/video messenger chat etc?? - thus opening up spritual directors to work with others overseas?
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We have a monthly chat. But I highly discourage anything other than face-to-face direction. One can sometimes work with a phone contact (in fact – not in relation to the CFP, I have arranged a connection between a priest here in metro New York and a woman on the West Coast. But there is no substitiute for “face-time.” I advise beginning the process by using the same priest for confession all the time. Contacts can be made via a local monastery . . .

I travel nearly an hour each month to visit my director. It doesn’t have to be someone in your back garden.

Good luck.

Many thanks again,

DD
 
Well - looks like its back to the drawing board, my wife will not agree to me joining the Penitents, “I dont want a husband who lives like that” - fair enough - she didnt sign up for that when we got married. Does anyone know of an internet list of Confraternities that I could look through with my wife to see if I can find something else suitable - perhaps a little less onerous?

PS - I am still considering inquiring to be an associate member, so we’ll see what happens.

Many thanks to all who posted, your posts are very dear to me.

DD
 
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deekod1967:
Well - looks like its back to the drawing board, my wife will not agree to me joining the Penitents, “I dont want a husband who lives like that” - fair enough - she didnt sign up for that when we got married. Does anyone know of an internet list of Confraternities that I could look through with my wife to see if I can find something else suitable - perhaps a little less onerous?

PS - I am still considering inquiring to be an associate member, so we’ll see what happens.

Many thanks to all who posted, your posts are very dear to me.

DD
Click to expand...
Our life is not meant to disrupt our families. Some of us must get dispensations in observing the rule because of our famlies. For example, my spouse likes to see me in the beautiful (really beautiful) jewelry he buys me; I can’t spurn that. I have a dispensation to wear it when I am with him.
 
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