Sister Adorers of The Royal Heart

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DiscerningCatholic94

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Hi,

I’m relatively new to this forum, and was hoping to enquire if anyone has experience with the Sisters Adorers of The Royal Heart of Jesus?

I’m writing from Europe, but my understanding is they are an international contemplative, non-cloistered Order affiliated with the Institute of Christ, originating from France and Italy.

My main questions were, does anyone know their discernment process, their age limit etc? I would be 28 by the time I came to apply to join.

Thank you!
 
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Thank you Cloisters,

I have seen this and also their French website, neither of which provide much information relating to my queries. I also tried contacting them some time ago, but never received a response. I hope that isn’t a sign they aren’t interested?

God Bless,
DiscerningCatholic94
 
Try calling the ICKSP direct, and see if you can get a direct phone number to the convent in Italy. Then, get an overseas calling card from either a grocery or pharmacy so the rates will be cheaper, and try calling. Don’t forget about time zones.

They did try making a foundation in the US, but the sister making the foundation was too ill. I am wanting to say the project was abandoned, but I’m not 100 percent sure on that.

The Sister Adorers are very picky with vocations, so you’ll need detachment. Just work on your relationship with God for now.
 
Thank you,

In what way are they picky with vocations? I know a couple of women who spent a few weeks discerning with them in Tuscany, both of whom decided the life wasn’t for them, but I don’t ever recall them finding the Sisters selective.

I would be 28 by the time I enter, but I’ve been told that is regarded as a young age to enter religious orders nowadays.

God Bless,
DiscerningCatholic94
 
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That’s just the impression I got. They’re one of only a few communities using the TLM and Latin, and are therefore very selective about vocations. Twenty-eight may be too old for some communities, whose cut-off age is sometimes 25.

Your persistence in the matter will be very telling, as well.
 
Thank you,

I’m aware the Sisters Adorers cut off point is 30, as someone I know from the US spent time with them back in 2010 and she was 32 at the time.

I received a reply back from an Institute Canon who said he will ask them to contact me back, but I’ll email them again if I don’t hear within the month. Even though it’s 4 years away, I still would like to know and discern with them in that time, if possible.

God Bless,
DiscerningCatholic94
 
I don’t know why you think that a traditional community is necessarily “more selective.” Many of the more progressive communities I know are highly selective, incorporating spiritual discernment, formal education, psychological evaluations, live-ins, and more into their process. I would hope that ANY community would be rigorous in their discernment with applicants.
 
I thought with the drastic shortage of female vocations in modern society (especially to Traditional orders), most of them would be very keen to keep the women who expressed a sincere desire to join them. As a Dominican friend said, ‘nowadays, we cannot afford to appear exclusive’
 
DiscerningCatholic94 said:
I thought with the drastic shortage of female vocations in modern society (especially to Traditional orders), most of them would be very keen to keep the women who expressed a sincere desire to join them. As a Dominican friend said, ‘nowadays, we cannot afford to appear exclusive’
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Some of the issue may also be space. There may be girls who are interested, but the Order simply can’t house them.
 
Women from the U.S. are asked to contact the U.S. Provincial Headquarters:
Address: Institute of Christ the King
6415 S. Woodlawn Ave.
Chicago, Illinois 60637-3817
USA
Phone: 773-363-7409
Fax: 773-363-7824
Email: info@institute-christ-king.org

There are several sisters from the U.S., including, I think, 3 postulants. They still do intend to make a U.S. foundation when the time is ripe.
 
Thank you JHFamily,

I did try that email address some weeks ago and never received a reply, but because I’m from the UK, they probably expected me to contact the Sisters in my country. I did, and received a reply from one of the Insitute Canons over here, who has asked the Sisters to contact me. This was a couple of weeks ago, and have still heard nothing.

They are perhaps very busy, but will hopefully reply to me in time.

God Bless,
DiscerningCatholic94
 
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Oh, that is good to hear. Right now, they are in the midst of their continuing education classes and whatnot, so don’t get discouraged. Also, some orders take up to 6 weeks to reply as a way of testing vocations.
 
JHFamily,

I’m interested to hear why some Orders deliberately delay replying 6 weeks, as I’ve never encountered this before. What should I do to ensure I ‘pass the test’? Write another email after a month?

God Bless,
DiscerningCatholic94
 
They’re part Benedictine, for one. St. Benedict says to chase potential vocations off to see if they are “for real” as we say in today’s parlance. If they come back after three times, give them a hearing.

Otherwise, keep in mind that the vocation directress has other responsibilities within the convent. The Toledo Visitation wrote back promptly when I wrote, as did the Sacramentines of New York. The Visitation’s directress was also the novice mistress, and she was corresponding with several other prospective vocations at the same time. Additionally, she had charge of some of the house’s linens.
 
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Thank you Cloisters,

I am rather hesitant to contact them three times as exemplified by St Benedict, but will nevertheless persist in the matter if I don’t hear back within the next few weeks. Having already corresponded with a Canon who replies on their behalf, it may take him a few days to inform them. I’ll let you know the outcome either way.

In the meantime, I did hear back from an old friend who spent some time with them a few years ago. Apparently the oldest postulant then was 40, as such, there isn’t grave urgency. However I would like to begin discerning with them ASAP, even if my point of entry is 3-4 years away.

God Bless,
DiscerningCatholic94
 
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Hi DiscerningCatholic94! I’m Rachel and I was briefly a postulant with the Adorers in 2010. At that time they didn’t necessarily have a set program that each girl had to follow to discern with them. For me, I emailed them to tell them of my interest, and they directed me to speak with one of their priests who was in the U.S. That priest determined that it would be fine for me to visit, so I spent a week with them in Gricigliano around Pentecost of 2010, at the end of which I told the mother superior that I thought God was calling me to join. They had me speak again with the Institute priest, as well as with my own spiritual director, and both of them gave the green light, so I made many preparations and then entered as a postulant in October. After six weeks God showed me that He didn’t intend for me to stay with them, and I went back to the U.S. I never became a nun, but I am so, so glad I had that experience with the sisters. Their life is tough but at the same time they’re so loving. I’m also really glad I dropped everything to enter; it was a very important event in my life that God used for great good.

They might have changed a great deal in the eight years since I left. I remember it was a bit hard to communicate with them while I was in the U.S., and it didn’t help that I don’t speak French at all (fortunately the mother superior and the novice mistress both knew English well enough to communicate with me.)

I don’t know if they have a formal age cutoff.

I’ll say a prayer that the Holy Spirit will guide you along the path that only He knows. I think when I was discerning, my main fear was that I would never figure out my vocation one way or the other. But now here I am at 40, neither married nor a nun, and I can definitely say that God is faithful and I’m grateful to be on the path He wants for me. ❤️
 
Hi Rachel,

Thank you so much for your message, it’s really informed me about contacting them and how to approach my discernment in the meantime. How soon did they answer your enquiry? I wrote a few weeks ago, firstly to the HQ in Illinois, from which I received no response, and secondly to the community of Sisters here in the UK. I was contacted by a Canon from the Institute last week, who said will ask them to contact me. I hope the delay isnt siginificant.

I did inform them that I wouldn’t be able to join for another 3-4 years (currently studying my second degree, and will need to work a year beforehand), but would nevertheless like to develop strong contact with them during that time. Did you have to undergo a formal interview, or was it a brief chat, and what about?

A friend spent about 6 months with them in 2016, after staying there a few weeks and asking to be received into the postulancy, but later decided with the Mother Superior it wasn’t a life she was called to. Did you leave of your own accord? Like me, she knew a bit of French. How much Latin are you expected to know? My knowledge is very basic, mainly what I know from attending weekly Latin Mass.

Thank you so much for tolerating my questions, but ever since hearing about them a couple of months ago, I have researched and prayed about them every day since, and having come to love everything I read about them, I am just desperate to contact them to pursue this calling, even if I can’t actively commit for another 3-4 years.

God Bless,
DiscerningCatholic94
 
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I know a young man who intends to join the Institute next year. He was able to go for a two week immersion in French this summer and then will go again early before the school year starts next year. I don’t know if the sisters have this available. They are getting some vocations from English-speaking countries, so there is probably a little less isolation in this regard than there once was. As for the Latin, I think as long as you can follow a Missal and Breviary, that will be all that is expected upon entrance. Most TLM communities teach Latin in the novitiate, though I don’t know if this is true of the Sister Adorers. Give it a little time, and if you don’t hear back, reconnect.
 
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