Vocation and mental/physical wellness

[BarbaraTherese]

Hi All:

I just had the most wonderful one-hour long telephone conversation with Mother Wendy James, SSC, of the Servants of the Sacred Cross.

She is a retired nurse, and we discussed depression and other “mental” illnesses in relationship to a vocation in her order. She does NOT consider depression to be a prohibition for entry into the society for those who will be living in their own homes. Debt is not a factor in this case either. If one should desire to enter their contemplative/active house in Halifax, Nova Scotia, all debts would have to be paid first; however, a person with a history of controlled depression would certainly be considered for entry in the contemplative/active house. She said she might require a letter from a physician, but that is very little to ask when one considers how most American contemplative/active communities reply to an applicant with controlled depression.

For any of you interested, here is the website again:

thesacredcross.org/main.htm

I left a voicemail message for her only yesterday, and she returned my call today! The order has 14 members throughout the world, two in Australia. They will be receiving more postulants (after discernment with Mother Wendy) this September–if both mother and the woman feel that the woman is ready to be a postulant. They have no age limit, except that you must be 18 or older to enter. If you have been finding nothing but closed doors, I urge you to give Sr. Wendy a call. The number to call is on their website. They accept Anglicans of the Traditional Communion, Roman Catholics (check out the positive comments from the Vatican on their website!) and Eastern Orthodox. I talked to my parish priest about this order yesterday, and his reply was very positive!

I am just thrilled after talking to her. The Servants of the Sacred Cross may be the answer to prayers for many women who have found nothing but discouragement when speaking with other communities!:extrahappy:

Praised Be Jesus Christ!

GREAT NEWS!
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/4/4_1_110.gif

Yeahhhhhh! Mother Wendy and the SSC!

Barb

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Mother Wendy’s "model’ for religious life is similar to what I had in mind for sufferers of MI or other disabilities currently excluded from forms of religious life and living, were I ever called to be a foundress…except the habit would not be a traditional habit, nor in any way appear like one. Yet would be a habit - just a new design of one . One could either live in one’s own home, or perhaps a hermitage, and there would be a community as well on the same property as the hermitages. My ‘vision’ is broader than that but too much to go into here. But I feel no call at all to be a foundress, and at this point am content simply to write about my concept. But if there are any women sufferers of MI around interested in religious living living in Australia who live here, drop me a PM.

I might - might - have a website up and running at some point re my concept, am working on it on and off now and then…and if I do open it to the public will be posting the link into my signature.

Nothing, I stress, at this point is definite, except that I am putting my concept into writing. It would take at least three women interested living in Australia I guestimate to get things off the ground and possibly confirm that perhaps I should prayerfully make more of a move than I currently am doing, and start talking further with my director.

 

[OrdainedPraise]

Welcome to CAF OP!!! …we are a motley crew as we were from the first 12. I don’t know what post to which you are referring, but dont be too upset…most all of us mess up in posts from time to time!!! …Barb

Thank you so much for the feedback. The forum is new to me and I have to kind of monitor what I can do. I was trying to talk about something that is near and dear to me and I got totally off topic. Now I feel personally responsible for confusing everyone. I’m actually doing my ‘brainstorming’ on the post which I’m sure is very confusing. Anyway, I’ll keep working on improving. Your acknowledgement is very comforting!

 

[ziza]

Here’s the thing. If you’re doing apostolic work, it’s the same as having a job. Most mentally ill people function perfectly fine in society and perform well in their jobs and home lives. Most people never realize in the outside world how many people that they know are mentally ill.

You only ever hear about the people who go off the rails.

I mean, I guess I feel like they could at least use the postulancy period to evaluate instead of only looking at that one detail.

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Here’s the thing. If you’re doing apostolic work, it’s the same as having a job. Most mentally ill people function perfectly fine in society and perform well in their jobs and home lives. Most people never realize in the outside world how many people that they know are mentally ill.

You only ever hear about the people who go off the rails.

I mean, I guess I feel like they could at least use the postulancy period to evaluate instead of only looking at that one detail.

Great points! Many sufferers of MI who are working and/or in professional careers do not speak of their illness openly as at this point in our social development it is an invitation to stigma and all sorts of problems. And they function extremely well and no one knows that they do suffer MI.

Interestingly the crime rate per capita is far far higher amongst ‘normal’ people than sufferers of MI…and yet our media love those big headlines “Sufferer of MI …” You never hear of the big headlines “Normal person…”.

I mean, I guess I feel like they could at least use the postulancy period to evaluate instead of only looking at that one detail.

A really excellent point! Postulancy and the noviciate are supposed to be times of the candidate ‘testing the waters’ (way of life) and the Order testing the candidate. There is a presupposition and a presumption abounding that sufferers of MI would not be granted a vocation it seems, and so no need to consider such an application, let alone admit them to aspirancy and then postulancy.

Barb

 

[BarbaraTherese]

Thank you so much for the feedback. The forum is new to me and I have to kind of monitor what I can do. I was trying to talk about something that is near and dear to me and I got totally off topic. Now I feel personally responsible for confusing everyone. I’m actually doing my ‘brainstorming’ on the post which I’m sure is very confusing. Anyway, I’ll keep working on improving. Your acknowledgement is very comforting!

Dont let being human get atcha …probably not one member in the whole of CAF can claim that they have never posted a post that they wished so much they had not posted!!!
Rest assured too that if members are confused, they usually jump in quick and ask for clarification…most ask very nicely, but now and then we will get out on the wrong side of bed and every person we meet must pay the penalty!

I remember my first days and postings here, I trembled mightily, who am usually most often rather cool calm and collected, but when I loose my ‘usual self’ oh what a mess I make of things.

You’ll soon be into the swing of things. Great place to be, is CAF!!! … and a big welcome again!

Barb

 

[ChristIsTheWay]

This ecumenical Order may interest you. We ca, as practising Catholic women, divorced, single, married or widowed, under Canon Law enter this Order and it is a most unusual one I think. It does mean one can live in one’s own home…anyway have a look at the website for interest sake:
thesacredcross.org/main.htm
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The foundress and the sisters are certainly very highly thought of in many quarters indeed from what I have read here and there. We do have a couple of Servants of The Sacred Cross sisters here in Australia who are practising Catholic married women …and some of our Australian Bishops have been most supportive of this order of sisters. I have read that their formation and on an ongoing basis is comprehensive/intense and that their Rule of Life is towards very compehensive…although not overly so. Mind you I have neither sighted their Rule of Life, nor been in any sort of formation with them…I am merely deducing or concluding from what I have read here and there.
Having had some correspondence with their foundress, Mother Wendy James, I have a very high opinion indeed, indeed, of her in every way. I stay in touch with their website regularly. Mother Wendy is an oustanding woman and in every way to my mind and very approachable and helpful in every way. If you should contact her, her workload which I have concluded must be much - new foundations sound an aweful lot of work, may mean a bit of a delay in any reply…but she will reply.

Blessings and prayers…Barb

Something else just occured to me, have you heard of the Order of Virgins within The Catholic Church which would mean that you would be consecrated and as a nun, but can live in your own home as I understand things. It does ask that you be a physical virgin…not what is known as I hear a “reborn virgin”.

Does anyone know of a similar group for men? I’ve recently been diagnosed with mental illness and I am exploring my options for discernment. Thank you.