Yes, I have considered them. Maybe I should contact them again. But it seems to me the last time I contacted them, they had an age limit.
I’ll bet you they’ve raised their age limit! They used to have two houses in the US and combined them; they have few vocs now–not too many people around with physical disabilities now
that other orders won’t take Emphasis here. Many other orders are taking older folks, I mean in their 60’s now, with a variety of health issues (not mental health issues, tho’). These orders tend to be the non-habited, so-called ‘updated’ ones which this forum and phatmass doesn’t like. And of course, it’s always an individual decision, as it should be. And some of these orders are growing. Check out the Benedictines in Cottonwood Idaho, and many of the Benedictines thruout the midwest–Yankton, SD, Our Lady of Grace in Beechgrove, IN, Ferdinands in Indiana, among others. These orders appreciate the competence, education, training, experience and just plain brains that many ‘older’ women have.
The most recent order I have researched is the Community of the Resurrection in Casco, Maine. 4 sisters, formerly Dominicans of Bethany, who worked with prisoners. 160 acres abutting on 2000 public acres in gorgeous country 1 hour/20 miles NE of Portland. They are still Dominican, give retreats, seminars, board dogs, visit prisons, accept to age SIXTY with EXCEPTIONS, pray the office, go to the local church for mass, have an hour of adoration before the BS/per day and one hermit day/mo. Not new agey. They have a nice website with a contact, Sr. Renata, who will send inquirers 3 attachments w/ more details. They also have a permanent membership available for those who have canonical impediments or don’t want to take final vows for some reason–sort of an OP claustral oblate, which some of the Benedictine orders have. They seem really neat and nice and good for an older vocation. They have had 2 postulants but don’t have a newsletter, so I don’t know what’s happening (their website needs to be updated).
I think that a lot of orders, not the ones attracting droves of teenagers and not the Poor Clare Collettines–are learning that ‘older’ women *can and do *make good vocation material. They are often well educated, have lots of work experience, have been married and had kids (grandkids!) have nothing to prove and are much less driven and intense and a lot more mellow than when young. Been there and done that, now ready to move on. Many have had serious family impediments which have taken decades to resolve.
So-o I really think that there *are *good orders out there who are looking at, accepting and professioning the ‘older’ candidates!
