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aurel
Guest
Hello! I am looking for some info on the contemplative life. If anyone has any, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks!
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tdandh26
Guest
GO FOR IT! May God bless you abundantly for serving Him and not the world. Oh, and please pray for me when you do go please 
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LynnieLew
Guest
Hi there!
Check out the Dominicans. They are a personal favorite of mine. I checked them out while discerning and would have joined had I not been strongly called to married life.
They have a strong contempletive life while seeking higher education and sharing of the faith.
May God bless you on your journey.
LynnieLew
Check out the Dominicans. They are a personal favorite of mine. I checked them out while discerning and would have joined had I not been strongly called to married life.
They have a strong contempletive life while seeking higher education and sharing of the faith.
May God bless you on your journey.
LynnieLew
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tjmiller
Guest
As a Discalced Carmelite Secular, I am partial to the Discalced Carmelite Nuns!
(presuming you mean contemplative nuns?)
As long as it is a community which is faithful to St. Teresa’s charism and mission, and loyal to the Eucharistic Lord, Our Lady, and the Supreme Pontiff - as is my local Carmel of the Holy Spirit in Denver, Colorado:
6138 S. Gallup, Littleton CO 80120; (303) 798-4176
read St. Teresa’s “Way of Perfection”.
Although lay persons, we OCD Seculars consider our lives to be “contemplative life”, for we follow the contempative spirituality of Ss. Teresa of Jesus, John of the Cross, and Therese of Lisieux, and through practice of the evangelical counsels seek union with Christ in contemplative prayer…We’re just not cloistered religious, is all.
(presuming you mean contemplative nuns?)
As long as it is a community which is faithful to St. Teresa’s charism and mission, and loyal to the Eucharistic Lord, Our Lady, and the Supreme Pontiff - as is my local Carmel of the Holy Spirit in Denver, Colorado:
6138 S. Gallup, Littleton CO 80120; (303) 798-4176
- ask for Mother Judith Hartford, prioress.
Dallas Texas, also has a good Carmel.
read St. Teresa’s “Way of Perfection”.
Although lay persons, we OCD Seculars consider our lives to be “contemplative life”, for we follow the contempative spirituality of Ss. Teresa of Jesus, John of the Cross, and Therese of Lisieux, and through practice of the evangelical counsels seek union with Christ in contemplative prayer…We’re just not cloistered religious, is all.
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Agricola
Guest
I am partial to the Carthusians. They have a unique charism. Here is their website: chartreux.org/.
God bless,
Agricola
God bless,
Agricola
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KatarinaTherese
Guest
Hmm, this interests me. I’m thinking about being a religious, but if I end up not being called to it, this might be an option for me. This might sound like an odd question, but well… what sorts of things are you supposed to do?
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tjmiller
Guest
Re: Carmelite contemplative life:
Your question had me thinking a lot last night as I went to bed, thanking God for my Carmelite vocation. For the first time, I appreciated that, even though we Seculars are not cloistered religious, and must live our contemplative charism in the world, in some respects we have opportunities for a MORE contemplative prayer life than our enclosed Sisters.
This goes to your query, “what do we do?” Like the religious, we daily pray Lauds, Vespers and Compline of the Liturgy of the Hours. Unlike them, we do not usually pray it liturgically in choir. This means that, instead of having to be occupied with the communal, oral recitation of the Hours, I get to enjoy the texts meditatively, at my leisure! Also unlike them, our daily life is not regimented and highly structured - so we can pray when and as we please.
(“Contemplative” religious life may not actually be as contemplative as some imagine it to be! Our nuns can be busy people…When St. Therese began to write her autobiography, for example, she was constantly delayed and interrupted by a variety of community duties. St. Teresa was always on the lookout against Sisters who preferred to remain in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, when they should have been sweeping the floors instead!)
Carmelite Secular life is also distinguished by: daily Mass, if possible, regular meditation and spiritual reading, frequent Confession, monthly Community meetings, etc. I especially enjoy getting to pray the Divine Office along with our unique Carmelite Proper - lots of inspiring Saints and Blessed not on the General Calendar.
OCDS Formation includes training in: praying the Hours, the lives and teachings of our Founders and Doctors, the profession of the Evangelical Counsels and Beatitudes, the lay apostolate, community, etc. One typically makes temporary promises after 2 years, and definitive after 3 more.
You can read our Constitutions at: helpfellowship.org/secular_carmelite_constitutions.htm
Exploring the OCDS charism can be a good way to help discern a possible vocation to either the Secular or Religious Life. I’m familiar with several persons who have gone on to Religion after Formation in the Secular Order!
Blessings on your Journey!
Your question had me thinking a lot last night as I went to bed, thanking God for my Carmelite vocation. For the first time, I appreciated that, even though we Seculars are not cloistered religious, and must live our contemplative charism in the world, in some respects we have opportunities for a MORE contemplative prayer life than our enclosed Sisters.
This goes to your query, “what do we do?” Like the religious, we daily pray Lauds, Vespers and Compline of the Liturgy of the Hours. Unlike them, we do not usually pray it liturgically in choir. This means that, instead of having to be occupied with the communal, oral recitation of the Hours, I get to enjoy the texts meditatively, at my leisure! Also unlike them, our daily life is not regimented and highly structured - so we can pray when and as we please.
(“Contemplative” religious life may not actually be as contemplative as some imagine it to be! Our nuns can be busy people…When St. Therese began to write her autobiography, for example, she was constantly delayed and interrupted by a variety of community duties. St. Teresa was always on the lookout against Sisters who preferred to remain in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, when they should have been sweeping the floors instead!)
Carmelite Secular life is also distinguished by: daily Mass, if possible, regular meditation and spiritual reading, frequent Confession, monthly Community meetings, etc. I especially enjoy getting to pray the Divine Office along with our unique Carmelite Proper - lots of inspiring Saints and Blessed not on the General Calendar.
OCDS Formation includes training in: praying the Hours, the lives and teachings of our Founders and Doctors, the profession of the Evangelical Counsels and Beatitudes, the lay apostolate, community, etc. One typically makes temporary promises after 2 years, and definitive after 3 more.
You can read our Constitutions at: helpfellowship.org/secular_carmelite_constitutions.htm
Exploring the OCDS charism can be a good way to help discern a possible vocation to either the Secular or Religious Life. I’m familiar with several persons who have gone on to Religion after Formation in the Secular Order!
Blessings on your Journey!
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aurel
Guest
Thank you all so much for your help! I really appreciate it! 
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