New Community for widows/single older women

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I have a question for Catholic widows or single older women following this page, Are you happy where you are at in your religious state of life? Do you wish to belong to a religious community of same women with a Franciscan charism? If this community had different tiers, such as; Sisters living together (wearing habits), Sisters living in their own homes but in the same parish (praying, working and recreating together), Sisters living in their own homes and in another diocese (but seeing community 2 times or more a year), Sister in her own home/assisted living/nursing home (who offers her sufferings for charism of community)— would you be interested in joining something new?
 
sure

I think it makes sense to get an apartment house of one-bedroom apts and live there. Not the same as a convent but still a community. Women have independent, if not necessarily large, incomes. In fact, I’d think an established Order might be interested in sponsoring an auxiliary community that would operate this way. Also, a lot of convents just have extra room because vocations have fallen off. Why can’t we go live with them? They could use the money, we could use the spiritual community. We can still have our semi-independence, not be full-fledged religious, but really want to participate in the community and spiritual life.

I think starting a new community is very hard, I think approaching an established community would be sensible.
 
Julia_Mae said:
sure

I think it makes sense to get an apartment house of one-bedroom apts and live there. Not the same as a convent but still a community. Women have independent, if not necessarily large, incomes. In fact, I’d think an established Order might be interested in sponsoring an auxiliary community that would operate this way. Also, a lot of convents just have extra room because vocations have fallen off. Why can’t we go live with them?** They could use the money, we could use the spiritual community.** We can still have our semi-independence, not be full-fledged religious, but really want to** participate in the community** and **spiritual life. **

I think starting a new community is very hard,** I think approaching an established community would be sensible**.
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👍!!
 
I am starting to receive a number of inquiries to my question of any interest in this proposal of a new Franciscan community. For your personal questions please contact me at consecrated.widow@yahoo.com. I would also like to thank those that have responded on this forum who have ideas and support the idea of a community for widows and for single women over the age of 45.
 
Kathleen777 said:
I am starting to receive a number of inquiries to my question of any interest in this proposal of a new Franciscan community. For your personal questions please contact me at consecrated.widow@yahoo.com. I would also like to thank those that have responded on this forum who have ideas and support the idea of a community for widows and for single women over the age of 45.
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I’d like to see you start a blog about your efforts and post a link to it.
 
I think this is a most wonderful uplifting, hope instilling idea, for those of us that are to mature and otherwise havent a hope and a prayer of discernning our belated calling with those religious communities who cut off at 35ish. Blessings and prayers
 
Starting a new community for widows and older singles is in the grand tradition of the Church, since many communities started just this way. Today, it is possible to lead a religious life in community and choose to be non-canonical. It provides greater opportunity to serve without all the restrictions that come from Rome/Vatican. A community with different ways of belonging addresses the needs of many women to have some kind of community without giving up a career, finances, and family to start over. If you are older it is difficult to start over again, if you do not fit in a tradition community. For me this shows how the Spirit moves in new ways, because I believe that there are many rooms (ways) to live a religious life. I would be very interested in such a community.
 
I am willing to give up #1 my employment (which I don’t want to label as a career) #2-my finances…which I get by on #3-my (small) family responsibilites have been fulfilled #4-Except for rent, monthly utilities, car insurance I am bascially debt free (something that holds a majority of young discerners back) #5-I would be willing to sell all that I have and donate it to help a fledging community getting established for belated/mature vocation discerners. I wouldnt necessarily CHOOSE a non-Canonical community to discern with. Yet, because of my age grouping…over 45 under 55 discerning with the extremely limited/narrow aspect ever present is the reality of what is AVAILABLE. Of course, a full habit traditional community canonically recognised by the pope is IDEAL. Yet again, deemed a dinosaur because of the lower age requirment…most all of those traditional religious communities are not a option. At this stage…someone interested in starting a belated/mature non-Canonical community is a BLESSING!! I totally welcome the aspects of wearing a full habit, living a common spiritual life of love for our Lord Jesus praying recreate,learning, all within some sortof enclosure. "Starting over"is difficult at any age.So adapting and being Flexible is KEY! All of which are required for any age discerners of the religious life.
 
Any new community needs to have a base and they need to have steady income to sustain themselves, until they have a community ministry. Different levels of commitment means there will be several ministries, besides prayer of course. I am 65 and have Medicare and Social Security and I supplement my income because I cannot currently make it in California on just SS and my health is good. If you are younger, you need to be able support yourself and have health insurance, because in the beginning the “community” would not have the means to take care of you if you got seriously ill. These are the kinds of things that would need to be worked out in the beginning. Currently, traditional communities will not take new members generally over 45, with exceptions, because they want to form you while you are young. Non-traditional communities may accept you, but they want you to have an education beyond HS, and have at least some good work experience that can be used in community. You must be able to work and help support the community, which tends to have lots of older members who are currently retired. These members are getting Social Security, because these communities all opted to buy into the Social Security in the 1980.s because they could see the need for it in the future. The Church does not support religious communities, either with retirement or money. If they cannot support themselves they either combine with another community or they disband, by not accepting new member and eventually dying out. I know of at least two communities that are currently doing this. What is your reason for starting a new community besides being open to older women? What would be the charism beyond prayer and dedication to God? Why Franciscan spirituality and what training have you in this charism? Do you have a spiritual director who is Franciscan (priest or sister)? These are just some of the questions I have that would need to be discussed.
 
Well, if we pick a state, all we need is a smart real estate agent to help us all buy a small apt building and we’re in business. Or we find a rich benefactor to buy it and make it a HUD elderly/disabled building, then we all move in together. Maybe we find a retired Sister who’d like to be our spiritual guide. Then we get the local Bishop to give us some sort of status and the owner sells us the building and carries the loan. We need a laundry room and one room or apt to turn into a chapel-ish area.

I vote Las Vegas. It’s warm, they have good elder services and I play poker.
 
Im sure…putting our heads together…we can come up with something workable and viable!
 
I do not propose a non canonical community. I am orthodox and traditional. I propose a FAMILY of Catholic widows 45 yrs. old +(and exceptions for those widows w/o children or women in their 40’s who want to follow the charism of the widowed community) #1 a religious community of Sisters (starting as a private assoc. of the faithful and growing into an Institute of Religious Life) following all of the Canonical laws of formation and life. Living together in a house/convent and wearing a habit. After Aspirancy, Postulancy and 1 yr. canonical Novititate the Jr. Professed or Permanent Professed could go out and live in twos or more elsewhere.#2 Those lay women wishing to stay in the private assoc. of the faithful (which could grow into a public assoc. of the faithful) could also live in community with the religious sisters, but maintain their work and patrimony, of course without any disruption to the religious life of the house/convent. Those women living at the convent could wear a similar secular dress or their own secular clothes. Others could go through the formation, but still live in their own homes or even nursing homes yet share in the community, charism and life of the FAMILY. These women would wear their own secular clothes. The promises that these women would give to the Church and the community would make them “Sisters” within the community and would stay binding unless they withdrew from the community. There are many points to make. I am happy to take questions. Please contact: consecrated.widow@yahoo.com My name is Kathleen.
 
I do not propose a non canonical community. I am orthodox and traditional. I propose a FAMILY of Catholic widows 45 yrs. old +(and exceptions for those widows w/o children or women in their 40’s who want to follow the charism of the widowed community) #1 a religious community of Sisters (starting as a private assoc. of the faithful and growing into an Institute of Religious Life) following all of the Canonical laws of formation and life. Living together in a house/convent and wearing a habit. After Aspirancy, Postulancy and 1 yr. canonical Novititate the Jr. Professed or Permanent Professed could go out and live in twos or more elsewhere.#2 Those lay women wishing to stay in the private assoc. of the faithful (which could grow into a public assoc. of the faithful) could also live in community with the religious sisters, but maintain their work and patrimony, of course without any disruption to the religious life of the house/convent. Those women living at the convent could wear a similar secular dress or their own secular clothes. Others could go through the formation, but still live in their own homes or even nursing homes yet share in the community, charism and life of the FAMILY. These women would wear their own secular clothes. The promises that these women would give to the Church and the community would make them “Sisters” within the community and would stay binding unless they withdrew from the community. There are many points to make. I am happy to take questions. Please contact: consecrated.widow@yahoo.com My name is Kathleen.
 
BREAKING NEWS! Familia Jacopa (Family of Jacopa) is a new Catholic Franciscan family forming in Steubenville, Ohio, U.S.A… Thanks to all of the encouragement of my Forum friends, Spiritual Directors, Secular Franciscan Community, friends especially my widow friends; I am now making this public. Please see my Web Blog; Familia Jacopa at:

familiajacopa.wordpress.com/ or contact me at: familiajacopa@yahoo.com

This family is for widows and single women of all ages. There are two communities; Familia Jacopa and Sororum Jacopa (Sisters of Jacopa).

The Familia Jacopa will have dual formation in the Secular Franciscan Order and with the community (FJ). Women can either live in Steubenville in community at the house/convent or in their own homes. Members could also live elsewhere and receive formation.

The Sororum Jacopa will be born out of the Familia Jacopa and proposes to become a religious community, Franciscan TOR.

My directors have told me to start living the life, make it public to invite inquirers and to continue writing the Constitutions and other needed materials. I hope to have an appointment to present this to the Bishop of Steubenville within a few months.

Pax et Bonum, Kathleen Marshall, ofs
 
there is a wonderfl Poor Clare community in lynton devon england…they dont have an age restriction …they live a simple cloistered life and would welcome women from overseas…
also the franciscan sisters of the sacred heart accept women up to the age of 60 …yes thats right…
and the new community in steubenville ohio i pray gets going …so to all the other communities that say women over 40 are too old, i say think again…look at the person , not the age
 
anon99058993 said:
I have a question for Catholic widows or single older women following this page, Are you happy where you are at in your religious state of life? Do you wish to belong to a religious community of same women with a Franciscan charism? If this community had different tiers, such as; Sisters living together (wearing habits), Sisters living in their own homes but in the same parish (praying, working and recreating together), Sisters living in their own homes and in another diocese (but seeing community 2 times or more a year), Sister in her own home/assisted living/nursing home (who offers her sufferings for charism of community)— would you be interested in joining something new?
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Kathleen what is your email address…
 
The Family of Jacopa Association email address is: familyjacopa@yahoo.com

Website: familyjacopa.com/

Blog: familiajacopa.wordpress.com/

Facebook Page: Family of Jacopa (Familia Jacopa)

Business Website: franciscanarts.com/

Tel. # 740-275-6168

Formation will be starting soon for the first members of The Family of Jacopa (Seculars) and The Sisters of Jacopa invites any Inquirers for a “Come and See” visit any time. Praying to begin living in the new convent soon.
 
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