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gradstud35
Guest
What is the reasoning behind it? Seems like you can be too old for alot of them if you hear your calling too late.
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Madaglan
Guest
Maybe they don’t want people to think of them as retirement homes for widows and widowers? 
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Dauphin
Guest
They don’t want to pay medical expenses. Convents aren’t nursing homes.
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chicago
Guest
It’s also a matter of conforming to a lifestyle. People who are older tend to be more set in their ways and it can be hard to adapt to living with others in a community to begin with, let alone a rule of life or dealing comfortably with people as your “sisters” (or dare I suggest superiors) who you are tempted to think of as “young enough to be my daughter!”
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augieboo
Guest
Most of the convents where I grew up – San Francisco Bay Area, California – are nursing homes. In many of them, a 50 year-old novice would be young enough to be the daughter of almost any member and the grand-daughter of many.
I don’t know about convents, but I have spoken to the vocation directors of various orders of priests about this. There seem to be two schools of thought.
The first school of thought says that it is too difficult for someone who is already all grown up to learn to live in community. Personally, I think this is silly. Sure, it would be difficult at my age, (43), to adjust to Fr. Groeschel’s group, or to the Legionaries, but most orders today are so lax that the argument doesn’t hold water. In reality, I think they just want to make sure they only accept people who think and act exactly as they do. (Please pardon my cynicism and pray that the Lord graces me with more charity, humility, and patience.)
The second school of thought, which appears, sadly, to be the dominant one, is purely utiltarian. We are going to invest X dollars to form you, and thus we must get at least Y years of service out of you before you are ready to put out to pasture.
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RevDrNorth
Guest
I think many of these answers capture the issue. Practically it is difficult if you end up with too many older retired people and also the issue of lifestyle change. I am a 42 yr old Gen X type. Even now (and being relatively youthful) I realize that it is more dofficult for me to adjust to being at the bottom and so on. I have reached a certain career success, hold a doctorate and am used to giving instruction as well as taking them. Suppose I were to end up as a humble novice. I might well be able to transition but I might also become frustrated.
This is where the beauty of Roman Catholicsm comes in. There are so many ways to live out your vocation in association with orders (through joining a Third Order) and doing volunteer work, joining a lay association and so on. There are even various forms of consecrated life that allow you to live in the world.
If you are seeking an order I pray you find one and if not I pray you find a way to live out your vocation.
In Christ,
Rev North
This is where the beauty of Roman Catholicsm comes in. There are so many ways to live out your vocation in association with orders (through joining a Third Order) and doing volunteer work, joining a lay association and so on. There are even various forms of consecrated life that allow you to live in the world.
If you are seeking an order I pray you find one and if not I pray you find a way to live out your vocation.
In Christ,
Rev North
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bpbasilphx
Guest
I cannot speak for Eastern Catholics, but Orthodoxy permits anyone to enter monasticism at any adult age. Many enter late in life–widowed priests or widows of priests, or others after children are grown, in particular.
The late Mother Alexandra of Ellwood City (nee Princess Ileana of Romania) entered the notiviate when she was 60 and founded the women’s Monastery of the Transfiguration, a flourishing foundation.
OTOH, St. Elizabeth the New-martyred Abbess stipulated that the Martha-Mary Convent of Mercy (because of their active ministry) would not accept women older than 40.
The late Mother Alexandra of Ellwood City (nee Princess Ileana of Romania) entered the notiviate when she was 60 and founded the women’s Monastery of the Transfiguration, a flourishing foundation.
OTOH, St. Elizabeth the New-martyred Abbess stipulated that the Martha-Mary Convent of Mercy (because of their active ministry) would not accept women older than 40.
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gradstud35
Guest
The cut-off for most of them is mid thirties or 40. Not fifty or sixty. If you take a vow of obedience and are true to it, wouldn’t that help you with communual living?
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LilyM
Guest
I’m sure it helps - and a lot is up to the personality of the individual too. Plenty of young chickadees would have problems with obedience and taking orders as well, you’d imagine.
But as a general rule older women (and being mid-thirties I’m finding this more and more true of myself too) are less adaptible to unfamiliar circumstances, and remember nuns can be sent to some pretty rough places!
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bpbasilphx
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<<If you take a vow of obedience and are true to it, wouldn’t that help you with communual living? >>
Nope. Trust me, life in community is a moment by moment struggle–and the vows themselves give no help.
Nope. Trust me, life in community is a moment by moment struggle–and the vows themselves give no help.
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Lepanto
Guest
Middle age can mean maturity and determination. I once heard a diocesan vocation director say that men who enter the seminary in their 40s are five times as likely to stick with it to ordination compared to men who enter in their 20s.
Many saints turned around their lives after they were middle-aged and “settled.” St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Benedicta Stein come to mind.
Many saints turned around their lives after they were middle-aged and “settled.” St. Ignatius of Loyola and St. Benedicta Stein come to mind.
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gradstud35
Guest
That’s so true. I was just reading Psalms 26 tonight–“Remember no more the sins of my youth; remember me only in light of your love.”
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RevDrNorth
Guest
So true. Sometimes by our late 30’s and 40’s we are not bothered or brought down by many of the issues that disturb younger people. You may have arrived at a place where you have greater committment to your calling and have tried other ways of life. CLASSIC example is Fr. Corapi (one great dude) who entered the Priesthood later.
I have been married and tried the “other life” and am comfortable with the committment and calling to celibacy as a Priest. I would not be wondering what if…as some 20 year olds might.
Good luck to all! Maybe they will relax the 40 limit since people are living longer and in better health. Heck look at 61 year old GW Bush (no matter what you think of him politically, etc) he is athletic (someone called hima jock) and that is not what it meant to be a 60 year old a generation ago nor what it looked like.
Rev North
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chicago
Guest
It seems that these are two of the most significant criteria in ALL of vocational development, actually.In reality, I think they just want to make sure they only accept people who think and act exactly as they do. (Please pardon my cynicism and pray that the Lord graces me with more charity, humility, and patience.)
The second school of thought, which appears, sadly, to be the dominant one, is purely utiltarian. We are going to invest X dollars to form you, and thus we must get at least Y years of service out of you before you are ready to put out to pasture.
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Leopard
Guest
So does Catholicism. Individual religious communities set their own age policies, and are free to acccept older candidates if they choose to do so. In the same manner, I presume Orthodox monastic communities are also free to establish age policies for candidates as they see prudent.
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triciafrancess
Guest
I think there is truth in what everyone has said so far about the practicality of accepting only relatively young women into religious life. However, I think we also need to look at what a person is willing to give, and being willing to give one’s youth to the Lord is a far greater gift than being willing to give what’s left over. Pardon me for being crude, but isn’t it a bit presumptuous to offer Jesus our sloppy seconds?
Just a thought.
Just a thought.
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bpbasilphx
Guest
<<Pardon me for being crude, but isn’t it a bit presumptuous to offer Jesus our sloppy seconds? >>
God calls at any age. Sometimes, He may not call until mature years; such was the case of St. Paul the Simple (first discile of St. Anthony).
And related to this, part of God’s call is being providentiallly able to follow it, which may not happen until later in life. Such was the case of St. Elizabeth the New Martyred Abbess and Mother Alexandra.
God calls at any age. Sometimes, He may not call until mature years; such was the case of St. Paul the Simple (first discile of St. Anthony).
And related to this, part of God’s call is being providentiallly able to follow it, which may not happen until later in life. Such was the case of St. Elizabeth the New Martyred Abbess and Mother Alexandra.
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gradstud35
Guest
Wow,how old are you? That’s an awfully negative view of people you have there in general. Usually, people become wiser, more mature and more faithful and some people even start to take better care of their bodies as they grow older. Some people actually have better adulthood in their 30s, 40s, and 50s than in their 20s. I guess using your logic, all the nuns who are past forty should retire since they are in the “slopply seconds” of their life? When you are older, you have more money, more emotional connections to the opposite sex; there can be quite alot more to give up than someone who is younger. If you think Jesus cares about your age, then your are applying human reasoning and rationale to something you shouldn’t.
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LoverofChrist
Guest
“If I only knew then what I know now…” Ever heard that before? Our life experiences teach us so much and the older many times are wiser. Yes, they can be more set in their ways but I think all the different age groups would have something very special to bring to the table.
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elisa
Guest
true that Lord can call at any age and one must answer at any age, but it’s something special about giving one’s youth totally to our Lord… because when you grow older you loose many dreams about life, how the life must be build… answering God’s call to religious life in young age person puts all his/her trust in God, because there are usually so many options what to do in life apart from serving to the Jesus Christ
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