Reparatrix Anchoresses

new blog

2011-09-09T15:37:00.000-07:00

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cloisterite_blog/

blessings,

gemma

New Entrance Procedure--"Vena Cava"

2011-01-25T03:19:00.000-08:00

Our entrance date for Cloisterite Hermit aspirants is usually February 2. However, due to inquiries not coming through Cloister Outreach, we have discerned a process we pray will be more beneficial to all involved.

Since the Plan of Life is called "Nesting in the Sacred Heart," we have dubbed the process "Vena Cava." In the heart's anatomy, there are the Superior Vena Cava, and the Inferior Vena Cava. Our point in using this name--received through inspiration--is to put the discerner/aspirant into greater proximity of the Sacred Heart, in which they should build their nests (confidence).

The first year of Vena Cava--starting the First Sunday of Advent--will be spent as a Discerner-Cooperator (D-C) with Cloister Outreach (CO). This entails becoming familiar with our website; yahoo groups; mission in general; and vocations in one's own territory. Since the hermits will eventually be taking over CO, knowledge of the association's mission is essential. Membership on the Cloister Outreach Vocations Incubator (COVI) listserv will be required, for the sake of the daily prayer for discernment to the Holy Ghost. Membership on some of our other groups will depend on the D-C's circumstances.

The second year of Vena Cava will be spent as a white-cord Lay Cloisterite. A distinctive garb may be worn with the white-cord tiechel. This year is required due to our desire for the hermits to have first-hand knowledge of the Lay Cloisterite experience. The last ten months (February 2 to November 21) of the Lay Cloisterite phase will assist in preparation for acceptance as a Cloisterite Hermit Nova, with the last month spent with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. One has a choice of leaving COVI, but membership on the Cloister of the Heart listserv will be required.

November 21, the Feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple, and the date of the Pro Orantibus, is the reception date for the Cloisterite Hermits.

Vena Cava Timetable:

First year:

First Sunday of Advent--Begin work as Discerner-Cooperator for Cloister Outreach

Second year:

First Sunday of Advent--Begin lifestyle of Lay Cloisterite.

February 2 to October 21--Follow procedures for Cloisterite Hermit Aspirant

October 21-November 21--Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola

November 21--Begin lifestyle of Cloisterite Hermit Nova

Close-of-year-2010 Update

2010-12-10T06:54:00.000-08:00

Since a vocational discerner said she thought it best if monastic communities didn't blog on a daily basis, we are following her opinion, and are blogging about every six months, which had been her preference.

Housekeeping matters, first, though:

The Reparatrix Anchoresses/Anchorites of Our Lady of the Cloister are a private preparatory association of Christ's faithful with the intention of becoming an institute of religious life.

According to the Guidelines for establishing religious organizations (available from the Institute on Religious Life), the Cloisterites are in the first years of their organization, in which they exercise a voluntary association of members while practicing experimentation. This phase does not require any church official's permission. This experiementation includes the use of religious names, post-nomial initials, habit materials, etc., within the group.

Gemma's local bishop has been updated on the progress of the Cloisterites. However, since we still don't know where the novitiate will be established, and we don't know yet as to "what works for us," we will remain a preparatory association until the requirements have been met (rule, constitutions, etc.). The IRL emphasizes that each stage of a new foundation may take as long as five years, thus culminating in the group reaching Pontifical Right status after 25 years of growth.

That being said, the Postulants' formation reading, each of which expands on a particular aspect of the Cloisterite Plan of Life, has been as follows:

June -- The Devotion to the Sacred Heart by Fr John Croiset, SJ

July -- The Dialogue of St. Catharine of Siena

August -- The Blessed Sacrament by Fr. Faber

September -- Re-read Dark Night of the Soul by St. John of the Cross

October -- The Secret of the Rosary by St. Louis de Montfort

November -- A Treatise on Purgatory by St. Catherine of Genoa

Advent -- The Incarnation by St. Alphonsus de Liguori

On October 21, a group of four aspirants began a month-long pre-admittance retreat with the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

Both groups started their pre-promotion retreat-novena to the Poor Souls on November 13.

On November 21, those who had been experimenting in the postulant stage completed that year, and initiated Novice studies. The aspirants, who had been Lay Cloisterites, begain their Nova studies. Their experience will assist with the further solidifying of the Nova year studies.

Some Cloisterite backstory. . .

The formation program is adapted from that which Gemma had developed when she was living the charism in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1988-89. Obviously, this was before she met her husband. She had met with her bishop, asking for his approval of the charism, and he stated that he couldn't approve anything until he knew "what works for you," which is a direct quote from him. At the time she knew only the basics of the charism: blue and white habit; work for cloistered vocations; formation based on Salesian, Dominican; and Carmelite spiritualities. He also told her that she could live the charism by herself, and wanted the laity to be involved. Back to the drawing board.

The Passionist nuns offered assistance with the structure of the Cloisterite constitutions, which is now known as the Summary--both branches will share it. The Passionists taught her that the formation program explains the constitutions. Their superior also gave her over-the-phone lessons about poverty, explaining that the "woodenware" so popular in St. Paul of the Cross' time was now far too expensive for them to afford. They now ate off of divided plastic cafeteria plates and used inexpensive eating utensils. She also explained about their remunerative work (altar hosts), and how their schedule had been changed due to the advancing age of the nuns (Matins at 11pm). Straw tics were no longer used as mattresses due to allergies.

Habit parts were more evasive. The distinctive headdress, as Gemma came to find out, was a piece of wood under the veil, as per the communities which had used such a veil at one time, and those who still used it. However, neither patterns nor seamstresses were anywhere to be found.

She added the night rising for all 15 decades of the rosary, but a lay Discalced Carmelite advised her not to "unless the Lord gets you up." She followed his advice.

She had about half of what was required in hand when she met her husband. They married six months later, and he was almost immediately deployed for Operation Desert Shield/Storm.

When she went online in 2002, she published a website for her apostolate, then named the Society of Our Lady of the Cloister (SOLC), and published advertising websites for not only the Cloisterite Nuns, but two other charisms she had presented to the bishop in 1989. He had had no objections to them. Her bishop had said that she would take the vocations for the Cloisterite nuns from those who came to the SOLC for discernment assistance and support. Such has come to pass.

In 2008, a group of seven discerners had decided it was time to come together for experimentation. However, they lost the starter convent; part of their remunerative work; and the aspirants that went with those two elements. Gemma told the others to stay put and live like Third Order members. A meeting with a diocesan canonist set them on the eremitical path.

Due to a miscommunication, we are no longer working with a canonist. Since there are many, many questions asked by canonists regarding the charism, and we are still in the experimentation stage and don't have many answers yet, we do not feel the need to retain a canonist at this point in time. The Guidelines from the IRL mention receiving in writing a summary of what services the canonist will provide, so miscommunications with canonists are apparently a regular occurrance.

Advice from former adherents of other emerging charisms has led us to take everything very slowly, and to make sure we have a formation program that works before going to the chancery. As stated above, we do not know where the novitiate will be established as of yet. The bishop of that particular (arch)diocese will be the one approached for constitution as a "private association of the faithful with the intention of becoming an institute of religious life." This status is one of the three designations of private association which is recognized by canon law.

There are five living the Novice level of formation, and now three on the Nova level. One of the four Novas transferred to the Contemplatives of Life. She and the affiliate founder for the Sisters of the Holy Innocents & St. Gianna Molla are in discernment regarding the CL charism at present.

The hermits now have their first gentleman Nova. He will be helping start the men's branch of the eremitical expression.

We ask that those interested in the Cloisterite Hermits--or even the cenobitic expression--to please contact Gemma directly at foundress2003@yahoo.com We require a number of months of discernment before admission to the aspirant level.

###

Updated Formation Reading List

2010-06-21T14:11:00.000-07:00

Advent--The rest of Fr. Faber's Bethlehem. We read the first part last Advent. We don't have any assigned readings for the last two weeks of Advent, due to the family commitments some of the hermits-in-training may have.

January--The Interior Castle by St. Teresa of Avila

Lent--The Conferences of St. John Cassian

May--Devotional book in honor of Our Lady for the Month of May

June--The Devotion to the Sacred Heart

Carthusian meditations are also given on a fairly regular basis.

We continue to field vocational inquiries.

Blessings,
Gemma

In Response to Our Critics

2010-03-09T09:01:00.000-08:00

The Reparatrix Anchoresses of Our Lady of the Cloister (Cloisterite Hermits) are a private association of the faithful with the intention of becoming an institute of religious life. They are comprised of five women who have persevered in the spirituality of this charism. They have a right to associate under the private association provisions of canon law, and are distinctly separate from Cloister Outreach.

One of the indicators of a true charism is whether or not its adherents experience peace and expansion of heart while living the spirituality. Those involved in the Cloisterite Hermits have experienced both, and have no intentions of abandoning this way of life, despite the criticisms.

Gemma, Cloister Outreach coordinator, had been handling the "legal" part of the Cloisterite Hermits, to include interactions with the canonist. Because of this, we thought that the local ordinary was aware of the project. However, due to Gemma's autism, and the complexities involved with the language of canonical legalities, she (Gemma) did not understand a particular phrase used as meaning that the canonist had separated herself from the project. This was entirely Gemma's fault--not due to stupidity, but due to autistic deficit.

As a result, the Cloisterite Hermits had persevered in the development of their charism (entirely legal under canon law), thinking the canonist had still been retained. Critics went so far as to contact the canonist and posting her information online--thus violating her privacy which we had fought to maintain, as per her request--in an attempt to undermine the Cloisterite Hermits' foundation. Due to the information that we were working with at the time, we were under the impression that the Cloisterite Hermits were a work-in-progress known to the diocese. Now that we know the actual situation, the websites will be amended to reflect such.

Our spiritual director, the former president and vice-president of the Fellowship of Emerging Religious Communities, assures us that this happens all the time with new foundations, and is assisting us with the matter.

In the charism's best interests, Gemma has put the responsibility of contacting any bishop at the appropriate time on the hermits' shoulders. She will continue to support them and assist in assembling resources, but the legalities will be entirely in their hands. It will now be up to them to persevere in their vocations, and to become holy hermits. Once they have the Seven Pillars of New Foundations (rule, constitutions, horarium, formation program, remunerative work, stable source of habit parts, and four persevering members), they will be ready to present their information to the appropriate bishop. As to whether or not that will be in the Diocese of Charlotte remains to be seen.

Formation Reading List--August through November

2009-11-13T07:04:00.001-08:00

With all that is going on in my life (mom, MIL, and Aspergers son), I may have been remiss in posting the Formation Reading List for the last few months. Here goes:

August -- St. Alphonsus Liguori -- little chapters on prayer in his collected works from Paulist Press. They were free to read more in the book, if the Spirit led them to do so.

September -- Magisterial documents on the religious life from the Vatican website.

October -- St. John of the Cross -- Dark Night of the Soul. This is a snippet from "The Ascent of Mount Carmel" but they were free to read that as well.

November -- Fr. Faber's "All for Jesus."

Blessings,
Gemma

Pre-postulancy Novena-retreat Begins Today

2009-11-13T06:48:00.000-08:00

The Novas become Pre-Postulants today, as they begin a nine day novena to the Poor Souls in Purgatory for assistance in their upcoming year of formation. The Novas' Postulant year begins next Saturday, November 21, Feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple, and the date of the Pro Orantibus ("For those who pray").

Their garb for the coming year will be all black--skirt, blouse or quality t-shirt, hoodie, and tiechel. The Miraculous Medal will be retained.

We follow the Carthusian Rule interepreted for our own purposes by our Plan of Life, known to us as "Nesting in the Sacred Heart." The Carthusian Rule calls for an eight day retreat prior to profession, and the Spirit indicated that for us, we should have nine days, and include a novena. November 21 is on a Saturday, which for us is dedicated to the Poor Souls and the Mother of Sorrows.

Please keep our Pre-Postulants in your prayers. Be assured of our prayers for you and your intentions.

Blessings,
Gemma

As the Nova Year Draws to a Close

2009-09-22T11:09:00.000-07:00

Everybody is persevering, and the Plan of Life continues to "distill"--bits and pieces presenting themselves at their own pace to be put in the final make-up of the rule.

The post-nomial initials will be "eremOLC". In the future, aspirants will take a new name--filling in the blank behind "Sr Mary of ____" and use "a.eremOLC" with the "a" indicating the aspirancy level. The reason for the name format is this: imitation of Blessed Emilie's Society of Mary Reparatrix. Since the sisters were to be other Marys making reparation with her and in her place--as far as possible--they had such a format. "Sr Mary of St Agatha" would be called "Sr Mary St Agatha" or "Sr Mary Agatha."

Aspirants will begin their journey with us in July, so that they may begin the Novaship on November 21. They will also be requested to name their hermitage.We are doing the aspirancy differently than other orders. In our charism, the Aspirant is one who has discerned that this is where God is leading her, and the aspirancy is a true preparatory phase for the Novaship. The aspirants will start practicing covering, and will pare down their wardrobes. This is what happened with the first aspirant band, so we made note and added it to the Plan of Life.

I have been asked if the prayerbooks will be strictly Latin. In this time of economic upheaval, I do not wish this to be a burden to anyone, so following the suit of a friend who is a monastic novice mistress, I say "use what you have on hand".When we start having the Cloisterite Convergence, as the Spirit has named the hermits' coming together, I will have to ask somebody's permission to copy Latin prayer and Mass books. We will also use the time for retreat and business matters.

However, due to my husband more than likely running for Congress (House) in 2010, any Convergances won't take place until 2011 or thereabouts.

Blessings,
Gemma

Novas pausing with foundress

2009-07-31T04:11:00.000-07:00

to pray for my mom, whom I've mentioned on my personal blog.

Blessings,
Gemma

Novas Making Reparation for Tiller Murder

2009-06-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

Monday is dedicated to making reparation to the Holy Ghost, and we certainly have our work cut out for us today.

I can think of nothing more insulting that could happen on the Holy Ghost's feast day of Pentecost--other than committing suicide.

For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Kansas abortionist Dr. Tiller was murdered at his church yesterday as he was exercising the office of Minister of Hospitality (formerly known as an usher).

The perp--who knows what he was thinking. But does he realize that he has potentially put the head of every pro-lifer in this nation on Obama's platter? Hopefully, the president shows more balance and rationale than the perp did.

Not only do we need to make reparation for what the pro-death faction (the abortion industry) is doing, but we also need to make reparation for the irrational judgements that our own have rushed into.

Blessings,
Gemma

Promise to post more after Easter

2009-04-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

The novas continue their formation. We have been reading "The Foot of the Cross" by Fr. Faber for Lent.

Will post more after Easter.

Blessings,
Gemma

The Start of Ordinary Time

2009-01-24T05:14:00.000-08:00

The novas will be finishing Fr. Faber's "Bethlehem" next Advent.

We have started in on "Imitation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus."

Since my husband is having back surgery on Monday, January 26, I will not be at liberty to update any of my blogs until sometime in February.

Blessings,
Gemma

Back from Christmas Vacation

2009-01-06T08:42:00.000-08:00

Or at least the foundress is.

We have been reading Fr. Faber's "Bethlehem," and I, a convert, have been wondering why these truths of mystical theology have not been taught to the merest children. I think our Church would be the better for it.

I should be able to blog more later, after we get back into the swing of things.

Blessings,
Gemma

Week of the Immaculate Conception

2008-12-15T15:02:00.001-08:00

As I mentioned in a previous post, our family (nuclear and extended) has been experiencing health problems. The hermit-novas understand, and are supporting the situation with their prayers.

Part of this added burden included my son injuring his knee on December 7, thus causing him to miss school on December 8. I told the Lord that if He wanted His novas to receive instruction, the matter was in His hands. Between drs offices, He showed me the time I had to visit the hermits' yahoo group.

Blessed Emilie had received her charism in Belgium at the very moment the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception had been proclaimed in Rome on December 8, 1854. Mary wanted other Marys to be with her Son in the Blessed Sacrament, to make the reparation on Earth that she could no longer do.

Well, with that accomplished (far longer than what I'm posting here), I went on with the "hermitage on wheels." The tidbits of instruction that I was able to give the hermits the rest of the week were: the three basic tenets of the eremitic life are silence, solitude, and simplicity; then I assigned them to research "acedia."

We are still reading Fr. Faber's "Bethlehem" through the Advent and Christmas Season. It has been quite enriching. Fr. Faber majored in mystical theology in his books, and his mystical explanations made some mysteries much clearer. At the end of Chapter 2, we encountered a "Godincidence." One member of Blessed Emilie's congregation was a mystic who kept a journal, and in it she talks of how Our Lady cared for the Child Jesus. Fr. Faber said the Trinity had given Mary special mothering skills for the sake of the Holy Child, and Mother Mary of the Lamb of God said she saw Mary saying to Jesus, "Is there anything I can do for you? How can I serve you?" A good lesson for all of us, I would think.

Blessings,
Gemma

Yes, we have the support of our diocese

2008-12-01T08:41:00.001-08:00

I thought I had made it perfectly clear that our 'project,' as the Church calls it, has the support of our local bishop. Our canonist, a hermit for our diocese, is in touch with our bishop, and keeps him updated on our progress.

So, if there is still doubt, call the chancery of the Diocese of Charlotte, NC, and ask for yourself.

Blessings,
Gemma

Online formation has begun

2008-11-24T08:10:00.000-08:00

On Friday, November 21, the Feast of the Presentation of Mary in the Temple, and the date of the Pro Orantibus (Day of Prayer for the Cloisters), the Cloisterite Hermits received their first online lesson and assignment. I am now classifying them as "Novas." Under our cenobitic plan, the Novas were the first stage of training. Modern psychology teaches that a person requires 14 weeks to make adjustments, and that was part of the basis for the creation of the Nova stage. They would be doing mostly prayer--learning how to make their prayer better--and making adjustments to community life.

In our eremitic expression, though, it will be slightly different. They are receiving online formation (until further notice due to my familial circumstances which popped up unexpectedly), and are classed as Novas until the World Day of Prayer for Vocations in February. Then, they will be considered postulants.

Their Nova "habit" is all white--skirts and blouses--plus an all-white hoodie and white tiechel with white cord. Their postulant habit will be the same, except black. The eremitic habit is still under discernment, but it will retain the white tunic and light blue scapular of the former habit of the Society of Mary Reparatrix. The Cloisterites follow the Reparation spirituality of their foundress, Blessed Emilie D'Oultremont.

We order our tiechels from Headcoverings by Devorah.

We recommend that anyone interested in our eremitic way of life begin as a lay (non-canonical) hermit. That does not mean that we won't entertain inquiries from c.603 (canonical) hermits. The four basic tenets of Cloisterite eremitical life are: reparation; prayer for the cloisters and their vocations; prayer for emerging charisms and their vocations; the intentions of Cloister Outreach, including those whom we serve. Our eremitical plan of life is titled, "Nesting in the Sacred Heart." Blessed Emilie wrote that her SMRs were to further develop and deepen the Sacred Heart devotion given to St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. The reparation nuns, as they were known, prayed the Office of the Sacred Heart. Alas, I am not able to find such a book.

For Thanksgiving week, I have challenged the Novas to be the strongest person when present at any family gatherings, and not to give themselves over to emotions, as some reunions can trigger melt-downs. Part of the Cloisterite charism is taken from the Visitation nuns: profound humility before God and great sweetness toward neighbor. As St. Teresa of Avila told her nuns: "Emotionally, be a man."

Pax & bonum,
Gemma

Foundation/Formation starts in earnest Nov. 21

2008-11-17T15:11:00.000-08:00

God has His reasons for 'delays.'

While we were on foundational hiatus, due to my lack of a spiritual director, I continued with my research on Blessed Emilie, the foundress of the Society of Mary Reparatrix, whose spirituality we are adapting.

While reading her biography by Fr. P. Suau, S.J., I learned that Blessed Emilie and the SMRs' founding postulant band began their novitiate on November 21. The Pro Orantibus (prayer day for those who pray, aka, the cloisters) is that date this year.

I now have two spiritual directors--one is a Dominican friar involved in full-time formation, and a hermit with 40 years life experience with eremitism who conducts internet spiritual direction, and has his own eremitic community. The Dominican used to be involved with the now-defunct Fellowship of Emerging Communities.

The Holy Ghost moves when one door is closed and another is opened. Cloister Outreach and its hermits have as a constant prayer intention the emerging charisms and their vocations. Cloister Outreach also hosts the Founders Forum private, by-invitation-only, yahoo group, and Founders_and_Friends, an open-to-the-public yahoo group. Here is the URL:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Founders_and_Friends/

Pray for us, as we pray for you.

Blessings,
Gemma

Purpose of our blog

2008-11-12T14:31:00.000-08:00

We'll be commenting on the progress of our proposed eremitic religious organization--the Reparatrix Anchoresses of Our Lady of the Cloister. Our link: http://cloisters.tripod.com/cloisterites/

The Cloisterite Hermits, as they're more commonly known, will have as their purpose in life withdrawing from the world to be more attentive to Our Lord. All of them hold regular jobs, so this will be challenging for them, but it can be done. They will be following a Plan of Life, known to us as "Nesting in the Sacred Heart," which will be based primarily on the spirituality of Blessed Emilie D'Oultremont, the foundress of the Society of Mary Reparatrix. The Cloisterite Hermits will have as their main four emphases: reparation; prayer for the cloisters and their vocations; prayer for emerging charisms and their vocations; and the initiatives of Cloister Outreach.

The hermits have each day of the week dedicated to a specific devotion:

Monday -- the Holy Ghost, making reparation in particular for suicide
Tuesday-- St. Joseph, making reparation for neglecting him and the saints
Wednesday--the angels, making reparation for the misuse of their name & purpose
Thursday--the Blessed Sacrament, making reparation for sacrileges, etc.
Friday--the Sacred Passion, making reparation for sin & disbelief
Saturday--the Poor Souls & Our Mother of Sorrows, making reparation for disbelief
Sunday--the Resurrection, making reparation for disbelief & unnecessary servile labor

If there are any questions regarding this emerging charism, please feel free to contact me. Please put "Cloisterite Hermits" in the subject line.

Blessings,
Gemma
foundress2003@yahoo.com