{"id":35837,"date":"2020-04-03T16:03:17","date_gmt":"2020-04-03T20:03:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/?p=35837"},"modified":"2020-04-03T16:21:01","modified_gmt":"2020-04-03T20:21:01","slug":"fearing-isolation-byzantine-nuns-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/2020\/04\/fearing-isolation-byzantine-nuns-advice\/","title":{"rendered":"Fearing isolation? Byzantine nun’s advice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Given that we are at the beginning of Holy Week –a week that has changed all of human history– and that we are dealing with the drama of the Coronavirus, we need a word of hope at this time of challenge. It’s important to attend to the words of a cloistered nun because she is at the heart of humanity and the heart of the Church.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>All this in mind, John E. Usalis wrote a piece for today for <\/em>The Republican Herald, “Fearing isolation? Byzantine nun offers advice from life in cloister” with David McKeown as photographer. They did a good job bringing to life some good ideas from Mother Marija, the Mother Superior of a monastery unknown to many in the USA. <\/i>The Holy Annunciation Monastery<\/strong><\/a> (Sugarloaf, PA) is rather unique place as the nuns adhere to the\u00a0Byzantine Liturgy, theology and\u00a0spiritual disciplines and they belonged until recently to the Washington Province of Carmelites. Now they are in process of moving to a monastic way of life that is closer\u00a0to the Eastern ethos (dependent on the bishop) while\u00a0following the Rule of St. Benedict, and other historic monastic rules.) So, the article is a bit confused as to the exact details of the life. The nuns are working on a clear line of communication.<\/i><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Self-distancing and isolation in these trying times of the coronavirus is a difficult adjustment for many.<\/p>\n

For an order of religious women in Luzerne County, however, it is their lifestyle.<\/p>\n

Holy Annunciation Monastery near Sugarloaf is home to the Byzantine Discalced Carmelites, a religious order that follows the Monastic Rule of St. Benedict. The monastery is part of the Ruthenian Byzantine Eparchy of Passaic, New Jersey.<\/p>\n

The 12 nuns in the monastery live a cloistered life, which means they are strictly separated from the affairs of the outside world. Once they profess their solemn vows, they live apart from society, free of distractions and immersed in a life of prayer \u201cfor the good of the world,\u201d according to \u201cA Nun\u2019s Life\u201d website.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Ninety- year- old Mother Marija of the Holy Spirit, one of the three founding nuns when the monastery was inaugurated on Feb. 23, 1977, is the monastery\u2019s superior. Father Walter J. Ciszek, S. J., whose cause for canonization in the Catholic Church is being investigated, played an important part in the monastery\u2019s founding.<\/p>\n

Mother Marija has been a Carmelite nun for 74 years, the first 30 years in the Roman Catholic rite. \u201cPatience obtains everything,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s not much difference here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s about growth\u2019<\/p>\n

Entering the order currently allows for a much slower adaptation of oneself in living a cloistered life.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cIt was very, very strict; very rigid. For 20 years I never saw the front door,\u201d Mother Marija said. \u201cWhat I did in six months postulancy, now we take two years observership and two years postulancy. So now instead of six months, it\u2019s four years. That is so the person can grow. In my day, you were processed. Now, it\u2019s about growth.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said adapting to a more closed- in condition can depend on each person\u2019s personality.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people are predisposed to a certain amount of solitude, who are the introverts,\u201d she said. \u201cThere are also the extroverts. They\u2019re great neighbors, but not always such great people in the house. Their neighbors enjoy them more than their family members do.\u201d
\nShe said it\u2019s important for those entering the cloister to see \u201cwhere our gifts are,\u201d and find balance.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou identify how God made you. That\u2019s a big thing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI tell the sisters that when you get to heaven, you\u2019re all a bunch of cakes, but are you an angel cake, a chocolate cake, a pound cake? God will put into your life what is needed in your recipe.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\u201cI don\u2019t think enough of us \u2014 and it took me a long time \u2014 realize that before we were made, God knew exactly what he wanted of us,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Hope, love, truth<\/p>\n

Mother Marija offered tips for living a self- distancing life through its religious aspects.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first thing is, you have to have hope. We all have to know where we\u2019re going. You always have a destination. If you\u2019re making something, you need to have an idea of what\u2019s next,\u201d she said. \u201cYou just don\u2019t leave aimlessly.\u201d
\nThe second thing is to believe one is loved.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat has to be an experience that is already there. We should be so kind to other people. Mother Teresa wanted for everyone to feel before they died in the Hindu culture of untouchables that that person was loved. That gives you value. You have to have love and faith and prayer working interchangeably.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>Looking for the truth in a situation is also necessary.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat means that we\u2019re not too sure of ourselves,\u201d she said. \u201cThere needs to be an area of self- doubt, a trust in someone else\u2019s opinion and the readiness to communicate.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thinking of others beyond oneself is also an important condition.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you\u2019re young, up until 21, you think of the success of yourself. You have to develop your own potential,\u201d she said. \u201cBut from 30 on, make a success of someone else.<\/p>\n

Holy Annunciation Monastery
\n403 West County Road
\nSugarloaf, PA 18249<\/p>\n

570-788-1205<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Given that we are at the beginning of Holy Week –a week that has changed all of human history– and that we are dealing with the drama of the Coronavirus, we need a word of hope at this time of challenge. It’s important to attend to the words of a cloistered nun because she is … Continue reading Fearing isolation? Byzantine nun’s advice<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[32320,32318,32319],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35837"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35837"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35848,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35837\/revisions\/35848"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/communio.stblogs.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}