You’re lucky to be an English speaker!
And, I need to know more about apostolate opportunities in Russia, what I could possibly do…Don’t worry you WILL know, I was also worried about that and I know now and I don’t know why or how but I do so I know that I of all people shouldn’t be telling you this because I’m really bad at it but TRUST GOD!!Thanks for your supportive responses and prayers!!
I can only feel bad and somewhat guilty that I didn’t start discerning earlier… sometimes I feel that I’ve lost a lot of time being engaged and trying to get something positive out of relationship with my former fiance. Year by year, he kept promising me that we are about to marry, and every year he was finding just another excuse to delay the marriage. I was literally stuck in this relationship from 1998 and until 2004; I was really naive and believed this man almost blindly.
May be I had to start discerning right after my father’s death in 1998, instead of trying myself in the engagement. On the other hand, I wasn’t spiritually ready to leave Russian Orthodox Church at this time, and I never wanted to join orthodox monastery, all of them are cloistered, and I want active apostolate, whish is unavailable for orthodox nuns.
I really wonder now which community will be “mine” because they all sound very nice. I explored their websites carefully, I want to visit the sisters when I get money… and I’m afraid it would be hard to choose! I would like to get a “hint” from Heaven, because there are really many great congregations and it’s hard to choose and visit them all!
I just sent a letter to Polish motherhouse of international community that has mission in distant russian city; russian sisters say that their age limit is 30, but american vocation director says it’s 35. I wonder what they would say about my 33, may be I’m still good for them. The fact that they have mission in Russia is good, however for novitiate and studies one should spend some years in Poland, and I’m greatly afraid of studying polish language
…My spiritual state is a bit “dry” these days; I’m not so emotional as I used to be in my young years, I became more calm&cold. But I have inner feeling that following the Vocation is something “right”, something I need to do. I know that I would be sorry for the rest of my entire life if I won’t try to answer the call and join the Order. I believe it’s not too late!
Have you sent an email to the Dominican Sisters of St. Joseph in the UK?They noted that from my letter they got an impression that I’m “a soul eager for God” and having “a flame of love to the Truth” …(something like that, the translation from italian a sister made for me was rough, so I requested a help from someone who knows italian, to translate the letter…) and they don’t say that I don’t have a Vocation… They’ve been very nice and gentle; too bad the age limit is too strict in their rule.
I feel being very young. 33 is really not too much.
The other problem is lack of dominican communities in Russia. The only two available have age limits. So I have to apply to a community in another country, and I need much money for visas and visits. If I had the money, I would quit the job and start visiting communities tomorrow
1234:
The Visitation Order takes older women, as well as some Carmelite communities. You didn’t specify your age, so it’s a little hard to make an accurate suggestion. I’m 43, and I’m seriously discerning the Visitation Order.
Inity,
Would you mind telling us how old you are?
That happened to me. There is only one admin, “dust,” who approves new accounts, for what I understand. I finally got a friend who is an old member to email “dust” for me.I registered at phatmass today, but after several hours waiting, and two re-requests, I still didn’t get confirmation e-mail. I emailed the webmaster, but no reply yet. And PMs and other stuff aren’t available until I confirm the email.
So now I’m just sitting and reading old messages at the Vocation Station, not being able to reply or send anyone a PM.
The phorum is very interesting though
It will have to be either the SFOs (or another lay branch of a religious order) or the religious life–or the single life.
Huh! Never knew that. It seems that I was lucky not to enter a secular third order, then!!
EX-cellent, Inity–I knew you’d find a way!Huh! Never knew that. It seems that I was lucky not to enter a secular third order, then!!
I first wanted to join lay dominican group in our parish, and I got very harsh response from the administrator (he didn’t like the fact that I was in Orthodox Church and joined the Catholic Church! he looked at me as if I was a traitor of my “native” faith or something) . It was very hard to be rejected, but seems that things are working in God’s way!..
And it’s so great to feel that many dominican sisters (who I got in touch with) are praying for my vocation! I feel really enlightened
For 1234: I found a way to contact VeniteAdoremus by commenting in her blog, and now we are exchanging emails (and I’m overloading her with questions, heh
58 is on the upper limit to start discerning. But if you are in excellent health and have no ‘encumbrances’–debt, dependents, there are orders that would consider you. Most of these are in the ‘updated’ category, who don’t wear habit or who wear a very modernized habit. Many of the large, older Franciscan, Dominican and Benedictine groups fall into this category. These are frowned upon by younger discerners who want a habit, but I believe are far more compatible with older discerners. Most of these have an apostolate of some sort, but there are a number who are cloistered or contemplative and are small. All of these had an older average range, but most orders in the US, with only a few exceptions, do not.