Cloisters
Well-known member
I see the subject hasn’t been breached before on CAF, so here goes.
Monasteries usually need extern sisters to assist with the visitors and other matters. The Externs take care of the external parts of the monastery; run errands; drive or go with sisters to appointments; and represent the monastery at vocation events. These particular sisters may or may not have their own quarters outside the enclosure. The one I met at a Visitation monastery was let inside at 5pm, which was when the external parts of the monastery were closed.
Older vocations are usually desired for extern because of their life experience. One would think that the sister would be running her legs off. In some instances, she is. Just like anything else, there are days of “feast” and days of “famine.” Before the monastery in Cincinnati closed forever, I spent time with the extern, and she was very kind to allow me to shadow her. She had a schedule to follow where lights and doors were concerned; joined the nuns in prayer from her own trellised box in the public chapel; and showed great serenity when the laity were grieving over the loss of the monastery.
Here are a few links regarding externs:
Carmel of St. Thomas the Apostle, Auckland, New Zealand:
http://www.carmelites.org.nz/externsisters
Carmel of St. Therese the Little Flower, Loretto, Pennsylvania:
Carmel of the Holy Face, Hague, North Dakota:
https://carmeloftheholyface.com/life
Dominican Nuns of Farmington Hills, Michigan:
http://www.themichigancatholic.org/2013/05/new-nun-never-enough-time-to-worship-god/
Dominican Nuns of Summit, New Jersey:
Dominican Nuns of Buffalo, New York:
Poor Clare Colettines, Cleveland, Ohio:
(A lot of good details in this article):
Blessings,
Mrs Cloisters OP
Lay Dominican
http://cloisters.tripod.com/
http://cloisters.tripod.com/charity/
http://cloisters.tripod.com/holyangels/id9.html/
Monasteries usually need extern sisters to assist with the visitors and other matters. The Externs take care of the external parts of the monastery; run errands; drive or go with sisters to appointments; and represent the monastery at vocation events. These particular sisters may or may not have their own quarters outside the enclosure. The one I met at a Visitation monastery was let inside at 5pm, which was when the external parts of the monastery were closed.
Older vocations are usually desired for extern because of their life experience. One would think that the sister would be running her legs off. In some instances, she is. Just like anything else, there are days of “feast” and days of “famine.” Before the monastery in Cincinnati closed forever, I spent time with the extern, and she was very kind to allow me to shadow her. She had a schedule to follow where lights and doors were concerned; joined the nuns in prayer from her own trellised box in the public chapel; and showed great serenity when the laity were grieving over the loss of the monastery.
Here are a few links regarding externs:
Carmel of St. Thomas the Apostle, Auckland, New Zealand:
http://www.carmelites.org.nz/externsisters
Carmel of St. Therese the Little Flower, Loretto, Pennsylvania:
Carmel of the Holy Face, Hague, North Dakota:
https://carmeloftheholyface.com/life
Dominican Nuns of Farmington Hills, Michigan:
http://www.themichigancatholic.org/2013/05/new-nun-never-enough-time-to-worship-god/
Dominican Nuns of Summit, New Jersey:
Dominican Nuns of Buffalo, New York:
Poor Clare Colettines, Cleveland, Ohio:
(A lot of good details in this article):
Blessings,
Mrs Cloisters OP
Lay Dominican
http://cloisters.tripod.com/
http://cloisters.tripod.com/charity/
http://cloisters.tripod.com/holyangels/id9.html/
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