Well, I haven't been around in awhile. Life in the monastery is pretty hectic during Advent/Christmas and the times immediately following that (for those of you who don't know, yes, I am a Catholic nun). I haven't had a lot of time to post replies, though I have kept up with a lot of posts here on the board.
Anyway, I just wanted to tell everybody that my community has voted and I am to be admitted to First Profession! I am so excited! It's the first really big step in the community. In April I will make temporary vows for three years with the intention of further discovering God's call in my life and my fit within this community. I am so happy that I could just scream. Actually, I cried when I was told that the vote was over. I knew that I had a 99.999999999% of getting accepted and that there was no reason for them to vote no, but I am just elated to have the vote over. Now I can begin to really look forward to the profession itself.
Anyway, just wanted to let y'all know!!
Sr. Kat
Posted by Luet13 (Member # 9274) on :
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
Congratulations!
What will the next three years hold for you?
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
First Profession? That's not anything like the Oldest Profession, is it?
And allow me to be the first to wish you Mazel Tov!
Posted by katdog42 (Member # 4773) on :
LOL Tante!
Thanks, all.
The next three years will be about living more fully the monastic life. For the first three years, we operate mainly with our small group of others who are in formation. We live and work at the monastery and spend most of our time getting to know the community and studying monastic life and Church teaching.
Now, I will get a full-time job (actually I do work part-time outside the monastery right now as I begin to transition to full-time ministry) and will likely move to one of our mission houses (as there aren't a lot of job opportunities in this small town). I will continue taking classes on community living and monasticism, but the emphasis for the next few years will be on just living the life and seeing if it is a good fit for me and if I am a good fit for the community. At the end of the three years, I will have the chance to renew my temporary vows for another three years or to take final vows, if I feel prepared to do so.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester: First Profession? That's not anything like the Oldest Profession, is it?
I was going back and forth about making that joke until I scrolled down and saw that I'd been beaten to the punch!
In any case, congratulations, katdog!
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Where are your misison houses located? I'm remembering that you're currently somewhere north of Louisville, so it's possible I'll know where the other locations are.
Posted by katdog42 (Member # 4773) on :
Mostly Louisville KY and Evansville IN.
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Cool. I have a friend who grew up in Haubstat.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Sounds interesting. Congrats! Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Noemon/Tante:
Hmmmm, trying to figure out the origin of the phrase. The first google match for me was just a church group using the phrase without explanation. The second match amuses me:
quote:A doctor, and engineer, a rabbi and a lawyer were debating who was the world's first professional.
The Doctor said "It must have been a doctor. Who else could have helpd with the world's first surgery of taking a rib from Adam to create Eve, the first woman.
"No," said the rabbi. "It must have been a rabbi, since the Lord needed someone to help preach his message to Adam and the world.
"Wait," Said the engineer "The world was created in 6 days from nothing. Do you know what a master engineering feat that must have been to create the whole world into an orgnanized civilized place from utter chaos?"
"And WHO created the chaos?" said the lawyer.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Congratulations!
Posted by katdog42 (Member # 4773) on :
I was in Haubstadt last week giving a vocation talk to a bunch of fifth and sixth graders. Good kids!
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Congratulations, katdog42!
Posted by MightyCow (Member # 9253) on :
Congrats. Hope you find new fulfillment and wonderful experiences.
Posted by Lavalamp (Member # 4337) on :
The joy of being accepted as a peer by a group of people one admires is wonderful.
But you have the added joy of service and a calling.
Congratulations.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
Congratulations on this milestone in your personal spiritual journey.
As we've discussed before, I was born just outside Evansville, and many of my family are or were in the Benedictine order. I remember Ferdinand with great fondness.
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Seriously, congratulations. Hope you find everything you're looking for. Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Congratulations! Posted by Al (Member # 1669) on :
May God bless you and keep you close to him.
Congrats!
Posted by kmbboots (Member # 8576) on :
Congratulations!
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mucus:
quote:A doctor, and engineer, a rabbi and a lawyer were debating who was the world's first professional.
The Doctor said "It must have been a doctor. Who else could have helpd with the world's first surgery of taking a rib from Adam to create Eve, the first woman.
"No," said the rabbi. "It must have been a rabbi, since the Lord needed someone to help preach his message to Adam and the world.
"Wait," Said the engineer "The world was created in 6 days from nothing. Do you know what a master engineering feat that must have been to create the whole world into an orgnanized civilized place from utter chaos?"
"And WHO created the chaos?" said the lawyer.
Posted by katdog42 (Member # 4773) on :
quote:Originally posted by Corwin: Oh boy, is that you: internet nun?
Seriously, congratulations. Hope you find everything you're looking for.
Hey, how did you find that picture of me?
Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
Congrats!
One of my aunts is a nun, but I don't actually know that much about what the job is as it's never really come up in conversation and my father is something of a black sheep in terms of the Church. It's really interesting to hear about the process though, so thanks for sharing this milestone with us.
Posted by katdog42 (Member # 4773) on :
Dragon, it's not so much of a job as it is a way of life, like getting married. In those terms, this is equivalent to, say, getting engaged (just a particularly long engagement). I have made the decision that this is where I really want to be. It's just a matter of waiting and assuring before I take the final full step (my symbolic wedding ceremony) of Final Profession.
Posted by Irami Osei-Frimpong (Member # 2229) on :
Posted by Kelly (Member # 9576) on :
Just out of curiosity, what order do you belong to katdog42?
God bless and congrats! Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
katdog, tell me what you think about the status of women in the church. Did that bother you at all when you were thinking of joining the order? If so, how do you resolve it? I'm curious because that's something I still have issues with as a Latter Day Saint, and my feeling from being raised Catholic is that it's worse in the Catholic church.
Would you tell us what you think on this subject?
Posted by katdog42 (Member # 4773) on :
I do think that it is a serious issue in the Catholic Church, one with which I have struggled on many levels.
I have absolutely no desire to ever become a priest so on that level, I'm not terribly bothered. However, I know several women (including my own blood sister) who feel called to the priestly vocation but cannot fulfill that because the Church says "No!" In studying theology (at a local seminary) I have found no convincing evidence that women should NOT be priests other than the fact that the papacy doesn't allow it. My hope is that we are a church that looks forward and that someday this will be remedied for all those young girls who want such a thing in their lives.
On the other hand, just on the treating of women in general, I think that the Church has some work to do and this upsets me far more than the priestly issue. Women are not allowed to even be deacons, however, they must attend all the classes with their husbands. This has always seemed unfair. They do the same work, yet the woman is their only to serve and assist her husband. In some places, girls cannot even serve for mass. The language of the Church is very male-centered (I had a course in which we read many Vatican II documents which consistently spoke only of "man" and "mankind"). I have a problem with the church seeing the role of women as to support and care for its men and its priests. And I have a problem with women who see this as the only way to belong.
Despite all of these things, I feel that I am still a very strong Catholic. I still have a great conviction that the Catholic Church is the Church for me for reasons like the true Presence and the Unity of one Church.
So how do I reconcile these two sides? I learned long ago that I cannot live an angry and resentful life. I pray that someday the Church and the world will come to see women and men as equals.
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