I am going to enter Carmel!

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That is right Thank God! I am so sorry I havent got back to you on that email but I will send it soon and if you seen the video when I get done read my St. Theresa of the andes book I am going to send it to you and anything else that you may want. But yes I cant wait to enter and give my life over to him. I want to give you a BIG virtual hug!!!:hug3:
goforgoal said:
First of all Brandee a huge hug but would you settle for a “virtual hug” (((HUG))) :hug3:

Second CONGRATULATIONS this is so awesome :D:extrahappy::dancing:

I am so happy for you my dear, you are so blessed, and filled with the Holy Spirit it is such been an amazing journey watching your story unfold.

Thank God that you found the Cristo Rey Carmelites.

Thank God for the Cristo Rey Carmelites and all the Carmelites.

Thank God for you my dear friend.

Thank God for our wonderful and Awesome God.
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carmelitegirl93 said:
That is right Thank God! I am so sorry I havent got back to you on that email but I will send it soon and if you seen the video when I get done read my St. Theresa of the andes book I am going to send it to you and anything else that you may want. But yes I cant wait to enter and give my life over to him. I want to give you a BIG virtual hug!!!:hug3:
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Hey Brandee, can you tell I was excited when I responded? (laughs)

I meant to say it has been such an amazing journey watching your story unfold and it still is.

You’re amazing and a blessing Brandee thank you for kind consideration on sending the book.

God bless,
goforgoal
 
carmelitegirl93 said:
barb finnegan;7620039:
How nice to hear!

Which monastery are going to enter? Do you have your date all set?

I thought of entering Carmel when I was young (ages 15 to 23)-but it didn’t happen. 😦
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Ahhh, this is a beautiful monastery and an even more beautiful community of Carmelite nuns! God be praised!
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Congratulations Brandee!

I was particularly struck by the picture of the wooden door that you posted on your blog: what a day it will be when, God willing, you walk up to it and knock.
 
You can look at the exterior of this beautiful, traditional monastery from its street sides on Google Earth. Note that it does have a limited courtyard, not the large exterior gardens/land as some monasteries do.
 
🙂 God bless you! It’s such a joy to witness your enthusiasm and warmth. Thank you so much for sharing it. It’s so lovely to know that there are people like you who are so dedocated to praying for all of us.

Have a virtual hug all the way from England 🙂 (hope it reaches you okay!!!)
 
Congrats! I am discerning a vocation too, at 19. I feel called to be a Carmelite. I am not sure whether I am called to a cloistered, contemplative order or an active/contemplative order (yes, some Carmelite communities have “active” apostolates with deep contemplative prayer, see Carmelites of the Divine Heart of Jesus). I have thought about the Carmelites of Cristo Rey a few times. My question is, is this your first visit and they are already willing to accept you, or has this been a longer process? Thanks!
 
How precious! I don’t see myself why so many turned you down as I can see in you what the order could see. Maybe God was testing your faithfulness and how much you really wanted a vocation. Maybe He was growing you in that time. They say that God speaks through the Superior.

You’ve given me much hope, seeing how you had to try so much, and finally were granted acceptance. I have learning disabilities and a mental/emotional issue, so I’m hoping to get acceptance if I’m called. Please keep me in your prayers.

Congratulations!
 
JoyfulLife said:
How precious! I don’t see myself why so many turned you down as I can see in you what the order could see. Maybe God was testing your faithfulness and how much you really wanted a vocation. Maybe He was growing you in that time. They say that God speaks through the Superior.

You’ve given me much hope, seeing how you had to try so much, and finally were granted acceptance. I have learning disabilities and a mental/emotional issue, so I’m hoping to get acceptance if I’m called. Please keep me in your prayers.

Congratulations!
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I have decided, and probably been told several times, that if God wants you to be a sister or a brother or a priest there is no seminary or community that will stop Him, no matter what your situation is. 😉 so then, I learn more to trust Him because - if God wants me to be a sister, He will make it happen on His time, not mine! (being patient for His time is what I’m struggling with!)
 
melissa09 said:
Congrats! I am discerning a vocation too, at 19. I feel called to be a Carmelite. I am not sure whether I am called to a cloistered, contemplative order or an active/contemplative order (yes, some Carmelite communities have “active” apostolates with deep contemplative prayer, see Carmelites of the Divine Heart of Jesus). I have thought about the Carmelites of Cristo Rey a few times. My question is, is this your first visit and they are already willing to accept you, or has this been a longer process? Thanks!
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I knew from the very start God wanted me to be a cloistered Carmelite, I went to stay with the Carmelites of DCJ last year and they are very wonderful but I know God is not calling me there. Well this has been a kind of a long process but even longer becasue I have to wait till August:crying: but all in God’s time right? but when I go see them for the first time in August I will stay a week and at the end of that week I can go back home or enter and I WANT TO ENTER! but if you like I would be so happy to email you and tell you alot more about them! or you can email me anytime (atruestar93@yahoo.com) I would love to tell you more becasue one of my friends knows them and she just told me alot more about them not to long ago.
 
JoyfulLife said:
How precious! I don’t see myself why so many turned you down as I can see in you what the order could see. Maybe God was testing your faithfulness and how much you really wanted a vocation. Maybe He was growing you in that time. They say that God speaks through the Superior.

You’ve given me much hope, seeing how you had to try so much, and finally were granted acceptance. I have learning disabilities and a mental/emotional issue, so I’m hoping to get acceptance if I’m called. Please keep me in your prayers.

Congratulations!
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Yes! that is how I see it now God wanted me to wait and he had this Carmel in mind along I wish he would have told me sooner haha but I know this is where God is calling me I know it in my heart! I have given you hope WOW! thank you. I know it must seem very hard and it is like you know nobody will take you but I was thinking that way too but God wanted me more then anything I guess and he wants me his bride and that is why he is calling me to Cristo Rey.
 
Carmelitegirl, I am so happy for you!

To how many other Carmels did you write or email and ask for information? Did all of them respond to you? I ask this because it’s my impression from what many others have written that many don’t respond right away, or even in a few weeks. Why this is so (if it is so) I do not know. Recently the US Conference of Catholic Bishops authorized CARA, the sociology group at Georgetown Univ, to conduct a survey of all women who reached final profession in 2010. CARA sent questionnaires to over 300 groups in the US, including all contemplative groups. About 30-odd % of contemplatives replied. Why is this? This was a study performed for the USCCB–and they don’t answer? (Of course, they might not have any final professions, but you can still fill it out…). BUt I am getting off the subject.

Are you taking all your information (certificates) for entering with you, so you can enter directly if you and the Carmel wishes it? This is a lot to do beforehand. Also taking care of your things, apt and car if you have them, etc. . In the men’s Trappist orders, the man who wishes to enter has to leave after a visit, go home, get ready, think it over, and then return and enter. He *can’t *enter directly after a long retreat, say.
 
cara1 said:
Carmelitegirl, I am so happy for you!

To how many other Carmels did you write or email and ask for information? Did all of them respond to you? I ask this because it’s my impression from what many others have written that many don’t respond right away, or even in a few weeks. Why this is so (if it is so) I do not know. Recently the US Conference of Catholic Bishops authorized CARA, the sociology group at Georgetown Univ, to conduct a survey of all women who reached final profession in 2010. CARA sent questionnaires to over 300 groups in the US, including all contemplative groups. About 30-odd % of contemplatives replied. Why is this? This was a study performed for the USCCB–and they don’t answer? (Of course, they might not have any final professions, but you can still fill it out…). BUt I am getting off the subject.

Are you taking all your information (certificates) for entering with you, so you can enter directly if you and the Carmel wishes it? This is a lot to do beforehand. Also taking care of your things, apt and car if you have them, etc. . In the men’s Trappist orders, the man who wishes to enter has to leave after a visit, go home, get ready, think it over, and then return and enter. He *can’t *enter directly after a long retreat, say.
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Oh my gosh I wonder why is that! but most of the Carmels did respond I think I only had two that didnt but here is the thing I had been wanting a community to just talk with me send me letters back you know I mean Cristo Rey did that! but the others didnt for some reason maybe becasue I was young and I just came in to the Church I dont know but it was all in God’s hands so he wanted me to go to Chisto Rey thanks me to God!

They have given me the list of things I need to get to enter so all I have to do now is see my Doctor I have sent them all my certificates and I thank God I dont have a car or anything like that.
 
Did you ever try Morristown or Flemington both in New Jersey? I’m just curious as they are supposed to be excellent orders, and one has a very Holy Mother Superior.
 
cara1 Carmelitegirl, I am so happy for you!
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To how many other Carmels did you write or email and ask for information? Did all of them respond to you? I ask this because it’s my impression from what many others have written that many don’t respond right away, or even in a few weeks. Why this is so (if it is so) I do not know. Recently the US Conference of Catholic Bishops authorized CARA, the sociology group at Georgetown Univ, to conduct a survey of all women who reached final profession in 2010. CARA sent questionnaires to over 300 groups in the US, including all contemplative groups. About 30-odd % of contemplatives replied. Why is this? This was a study performed for the USCCB–and they don’t answer? (Of course, they might not have any final professions, but you can still fill it out…). BUt I am getting off the subject.
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Can you provide the website that stated this I tried browsing around the usccb website but couldn’t find anything?

I do apologize if I sound or seem like I’m trying to discredit you—I’m not I just find this interesting and I would like to read more about this.

I’ve also written to a few other Carmelite orders in the United States that didn’t respond mind you I told them that I was discerning with the Discaled Carmelites in Armstrong, B.C.

carmelspall.org
 
You sound so happy! Is there a place where your story is written down for those of us who cannot view videos? I’d love to read your story. Thanks and may God bless you.
 
To whomever is trying to get a response from a Carmelite order, some years ago, I had written to the two in New Jersey I mentioned, and I remember one definately wrote back, and the other, I can’t remember. It was all snail-mail. Usually you write asking to visit the order, and next they ask you to tell some about yourself and then you ask that they consider letting you visit.
 
goforgoal said:
Can you provide the website that stated this I tried browsing around the usccb website but couldn’t find anything?

I do apologize if I sound or seem like I’m trying to discredit you—I’m not I just find this interesting and I would like to read more about this.

I’ve also written to a few other Carmelite orders in the United States that didn’t respond mind you I told them that I was discerning with the Discaled Carmelites in Armstrong, B.C.

carmelspall.org
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Not at all. No problem. There is a lot of information in this report.

The report was by CARA (Canter for Research in the Apostolate*) the *major sociology group in the US, which is unbiased and very reliable and professional. It is based at Georgetown Univ. The report is on their website.

www. cara.georgetown.edu

and is at:

usccb.org/cl/profession-class-2010.shtml

Click on “report”.

As I said earlier, I am surprised that* all *the institutes didn’t respond–after all, this is the USCCB calling–and noted that a low % of contemplative institutes responded–meaning answered at all–in the 30+ range. So it’s not surprising that they, especially the DC’s, may not respond to casual requests for info. I imagine that they receive a lot of inquiries. If if were me, I would do as much research on each institute on the web as I can, and carefully draft a snail mail letter, giving my background, including age and education, and my religious history–conversions, awakenings, what Carmelite books I have read, etc. Maybe even a picture. I would approach it sort of like a college application. If after a number of weeks, you don’t hear, I would send a followup letter, referring to your first inquiry, and wait. If you still don’t hear, but are still interested (!), you might consider a “nun run” and see if they are receptive to visitors for retreats. But that sort of thing takes money and time (whence the “nun run” idea–with others, or combining institutes).

I do think that letters can get lost, especially if there is a transition, a death in the community (especially in Carmels). Some religious may wear many hats. Some may feel that you should keep knocking. I don’t know. Some may actually not be able to take more in formation at the current time.

Depending on the status of your discernment with BC, you might persist with Carmels in the US, as the entire process does appear to take so long. There is a huge amount of information about Carmel on phat, also on the forums.catholic-questions.org. Mainly on phat, tho’.
 
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