Religious Life for 47yo Traditionalist?

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Bennett_Mariae

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I am struggling greatly with the question of vocation.
I’m a 47-year-old traditionalist Catholic man, never married.
While I do not have a vocation to the priesthood, I feel a strong call to religious life, particularly to a mixed-life community that combines living in community with active apostolates–especially parish work.
Unfortunately, the conservative/traditional orders to which I am attracted do not accept postulants who are over 40.
Living as a single Catholic well beyond the ‘young adult’ phase is increasingly alienating and atomized. And because my parish is unable (and, frankly, unwilling) to muster any activities beyond Sunday Mass, I’m feeling a great deal of isolation. My diocese is also, sadly, deeply compromised by modernism, particularly a notoriously heterodox/dissenting presbyterate.

Are there concrete options that I’m possibly missing?

Many thanks for your prayers and consideration.
 
Thanks very much, Yankee RC.
I would very much like to consider becoming a religious brother or internal oblate.
Sadly, I’m way over the age limit for orders that might be appropriate about which I can find information.
My diocese has almost no third-order activity open to men.
The permanent diaconate in my diocese would be extremely distateful for a number of reasons.
 
You may want to do the advanced search on this site:

religiouslife.com/vocationsearch.html

Make sure you click the toggle for accepts older on the bottom.

Also, I’m pretty certain the Archdiocese of Baltimore has some help on their site for those discerning priestly vocations.
Yep, here it is: becomeapriest.org/index.cfm

There is also an email so you can get into contact with the vocations office. It will be at the bottom of the page on the right.

This is actually another decent search engine, although you’ll have to look from group to group for acceptance ages and rules, etc. :vocation-network.org/directory/community_search

It’s not hard to get into religious life at your age. I know some people who had very late vocations that were/are much later than yours. 🙂 Keep going. If God wants you to get there, he’ll figure it out for you.
 
Opus Dei is not present/active in my diocese.
The primary place for priestly formation in my diocese is widely (and, frankly, appropriately) known at the ‘pink palace’, for reasons both moral and policital.
 
Prayers for you! God can use you right where you are today. 🙂

Have a blessed day.
 
Have you considered relocating? If you had a small “outside” income with which to support yourself, perhaps one of the Monasteries would accept an offer of your labor.

There are several of these traditional Monastic Orders around; Carmelites of Wyoming, Benedictines of Clear Creek, OK and I believe the Norbertines of California. Also, the Canons Regular of the New Jeruselem.

I don’t think that you’ll find much to your liking by staying put where you are at.

I’m sort of drwn to the things you have talked about but I’m really “old” and still married.
So my “vocation” is set.
 
Put it in GOD’s Hands and be open to the Grace he sends you. Remember - if GOD is calling you - he will make it known to you in a very profound way. Religious vocations are not something that comes from men. If you are devoted to the Holy Rosary - Then Pray and ask our Blessed Mother to guide you to her Divine Son. You may be surprised at how quickly this comes to be. Which Saints are you devoted to? St Joseph helps with Vocations and the month of March is a Month that emphasizes devotion to St Joseph. GOD will guide and direct you. So put it in his hands.

Pax
 
Many thanks for all, particularly Corsair, for their kind and thoughtful comments and suggestion. I would indeed love to relocate to someplace with more possibilities for exploring and living out my vocation. I currently drive 90 minutes (each way) to a prayer group which has become one of my spiritual lifelines–I can usually only get there once a month, unfortunately. Several times a month I travel over an hour (each way) to go to Mass at a wonderful parish where I know a few people. (My own parish is strictly a place to go to Mass: everyone scurries away immediately or speaks only to those they’ve known for years.) Unfortunately, I’m pretty isolated as a traditionalist Catholic in my area.
 
We drive 2 1/4 hours each way (120 miles) for our FSSP parish. So I know about long distances. I’ll keep you in my prayers.
 
Bennett -
I drive an Hour and 15 Minutes to the TLM since we are living in a small country town - i could walk to the Modern Mass from My House in the town in which I live. But we drive to Omaha instead. We moved to where we live now from San Diego where both my wifes family and my family still live. We wanted our children to have a Traditional Catholic Education. So I know a little bit about having to do that which you have to do in these times. So conform your will to the will of GOD and he will lead you to where you have to be.

Pax
 
Indeed, only Our Lord knows why Traditional Catholics are so denigrated and marginalized by the followers of the Bugnini Mass. As a single person without the foundation of a family–the domestic church–this ecclesial mortification is particularly stark. And even asking the question about vocation only invites frustration.
 
Bennett_Mariae said:
Many thanks for all, particularly Corsair, for their kind and thoughtful comments and suggestion. I would indeed love to relocate to someplace with more possibilities for exploring and living out my vocation. I currently drive 90 minutes (each way) to a prayer group which has become one of my spiritual lifelines–I can usually only get there once a month, unfortunately. Several times a month I travel over an hour (each way) to go to Mass at a wonderful parish where I know a few people. (My own parish is strictly a place to go to Mass: everyone scurries away immediately or speaks only to those they’ve known for years.) Unfortunately, I’m pretty isolated as a traditionalist Catholic in my area.
Click to expand...
Most of the traditional churches in my area have coffee hours after Mass. The coffee hour is always busiest right when Sunday school is taking place, lots of parents waiting for their kids to finish up… But everyone’s welcome, parent of not. Maybe if you hit the coffee hour right, you can get more connected with a few of the people there. 🙂
 
My (‘indult Mass’) parish never has coffee hour or any other kind of fellowship event. I’ve offered to help organize things like this but have been rebuffed repeatedly by the pastor and the 3 people in the parish I know (as a registered parishioner, not just a regular visitor!). It’s a very sad situation.
 
Here is pretty useful vocational website I just learned of this week listening to EWTN. One tool it offers is a search for locations that have retreats and live in retreats.

vocationsplacement.org
 
Well you can count on prayers as you seek the Will of GOD in your life. This month is the Month of St Joseph who is a Powerful Saint to invoke for vocations. We will pray you find that place that GOD has in mind for you soon. And thank you for considering a religious vocation. Because serving GOD as a religious is trully a higher calling.

Pax
 
I am grateful for the prayers of the faithful on this forum.
 
Bennett_Mariae said:
I am struggling greatly with the question of vocation.
I’m a 47-year-old traditionalist Catholic man, never married.
While I do not have a vocation to the priesthood, I feel a strong call to religious life, particularly to a mixed-life community that combines living in community with active apostolates–especially parish work.
Click to expand...
Thank you for starting this thread, Bennett! 👍
I’m in a somewhat similar situation. So many orders seem to have a 20 - 40 age requirement.
And thanks for the links, everybody!
 
It’s great to hear from all the faithful and generous people here.

Unfortunately, I have previously visited all the links/sources that have been mentioned here: I’m usually a very resourceful and dogged searcher after information and options. My original post here was a bit of a Saint Jude prayer: with no apparent options for a religious vocation, no family anywhere close, no parish family other than in-and-out Sunday Masses, no Catholic friends, and an aggressively secular workplace, I’m left with few of the visible, tangible signs of the Church other than the Mass and Penance. I suppose that mortification can sneak up on you.
 
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