Faithful, sound orders and religious institutes for WOMEN?

Since it’s LOVE DAY, let’s get real.

I have been asked this before, and I think we have covered it before, but… repetita iuvant.

Really good, sound, faith, orders or religious institutes for women in the USA?  England? Ireland? Canada? Australia?

Where you are?  Anywhere?  Everywhere?

There are vocations to the religious out there.  Where should they go?

Obviously most groups of women these days are non-starters.

People?

We need the mega-list.

About Fr. John Zuhlsdorf

Fr. Z is the guy who runs this blog. o{]:¬)
This entry was posted in "How To..." - Practical Notes, Brick by Brick, New Evangelization, Our Catholic Identity and tagged , , , . Bookmark the permalink.

106 Comments

  1. cowboy says:

    My favorite community in the United States is the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, MI: http://www.sistersofmary.org. Awesome group of sisters!

  2. faithandfamily says:

    What a joy to be the first to respond: If you are feeling a vocation to the cloistered life, the Carmelite Nuns in Alexandria, SD, USA are faithful, joyous, and growing! They are cloistered OCD Carmelites who were invited to South Dakota from Buffalo, NY around 12 years ago. Some wise Mother Superiors protected them from many a harmful influence in the Church throughout the past several decades. They have had a good number of young women entering their cloister in the past few years, with the average age of new postulants around 23. They wear full habits, chant in Latin, and love whenever a priest drops in to offer a TLM! Visiting their monastery is a taste of heaven. Inquiries may be sent to: Mother Marie Therese, Carmelite Monastery, PO Box 67, 221 5th St. West, Alexandria SD 57311

  3. First, as I am a Dominican, so I am proud to call to reader’s attention among active sisters at:

    Congregation of St. Cecilia, Nashville: http://nashvilledominican.org/

    And:

    St. Mary, Mother of the Eucharist: http://www.sistersofmary.org/index.php

    And among the many wonderful houses of our cloistered nuns, see:

    The nuns of Summit (the soup nuns): nunsopsummit.org

    And, my friends the nuns of Marbury AL, who preserve the entire Office in Dominican Chant (and for whom I have celebrated the Dominican Rite Mass): http://www.stjudemonastery.org/

    As for the friars, why not consider my own province, where the Traditional Dominican Rite is celebrated weekly in a number of our houses, and on a regular basis in in others? But you all know about that right? See: http://www.opwest.org/vocations

  4. colospgs says:

    Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, Nashville, TN.

    http://nashvilledominican.org/Home

  5. maioremlaetitiam says:

    Sisters of the Gospel of Life – The best thing in the UK, new and brave and ready to take in more:
    http://gospeloflifesisters.wordpress.com/
    Founded by Card. Winning for his famous pro life initiative.
    Sound, solid, no nonsense.
    Join!

  6. everett says:

    I’m currently in the Diocese of Santa Rosa, where we’ve got a new order called the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa:
    http://www.mariansisters.com/

    They were previously with the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church in Spokane (a group of formerly schismatic nuns who returned to full communion):
    http://www.sistersofmarymotherofthechurch.org/

  7. jcr says:

    For a strict contemplative life, the Carmelite Nuns of Buffalo, NY: http://www.carmelitenunsstjoseph.org/Buffalo.htm

    For an active life (teaching, nursing, etc.), the Franciscan Sisters of the Martyr St. George: http://www.altonfranciscans.org/

    For a contemplative-active life (with Latin Mass and breviary), the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate (in the USA, England Australia, and elsewhere): http://marymediatrix.com/religious-life/sisters-of-the-immaculate

  8. shin says:

    Quote: “There are vocations to the religious out there. Where should they go?
    Obviously most groups of women these days are non-starters.”

    Ha! If you said that in some places today, you’d get censored and reprimanded Father Z.! They claim it’s anti-Catholic to say!

  9. MamaB says:

    The Institute on Religious Life, founded by Fr. John Hardon, promotes faithful, orthodox religious congregations. On the vocation discernment page at their web site they have a list of the many excellent congregations who are members of IRL. It is well worth checking out.
    http://www.religiouslife.com/

  10. Grateful Catholic says:

    Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel’s Hope, a new community founded by Sr Rosalind Moss, now Mother Miriam of the Lamb of God, OSB, and recently relocated to Tulsa in response to an invitation from Bp Slattery.

  11. Cazienza says:

    Cloistered OSBs:

    St. Cecilia’s Abbey on the Isle of Wight in the UK. Congregation of Solesmes.
    http://www.stceciliasabbey.org.uk/
    (Very traditional; about as ‘traditional’ as one can get without actually having the TLM. Flourishing with a Solemn Profession last month, and many entering this year. Stonking brilliant place.)

    The Abbey of Our Lady of the Annunciation near Le Barroux in France.
    http://www.abbaye-annonciation.org/english.html
    (Generalising horribly, the ‘only’ difference being that they have the TLM.)

    Both monasteries are excellent places filled with prayer.

  12. Chatto says:

    I’ll second Cazienza’s promotion of St. Cecilia’s. Since we like monastics who make cool things to support themselves, check out their hand illuminated parchments etc.. here:

    http://www.abbeyscribes.org.uk/

    Also, the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal (CFRs), Fr Benedict Groeschel’s community, have a house in London and in Leeds, UK, and are looking to open another house in Ireland. God knows, Ireland needs it!

  13. akp1 says:

    Missionaries of Charity (Mother Teresa’s Order).

  14. Dr Guinness says:

    Congregation of Mary Immaculate Queen in Spokane, WA … Formerly Sedevacantists, now in full Communion, still Traddies.

  15. One of my favorite communities is the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate: http://www.parishvisitorsisters.org/

    They are active religious Sisters whose charism is to be “contemplative missionaries” who guide lapsed Catholics back into the Church.

    The Parish Visitors are a small community (and not as well-known as I think they really should be!), but they have been totally faithful to the magisterium since their founding in 1920. All the Parish Visitor Sisters I know are joyful, kind, and very prayerful, while still being completely down-to-earth.

  16. JonPatrick says:

    Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with 2 houses in Still River MA and 1 in Richmond NH. Very traditional, assist at the TLM exclusively.

  17. FrSam says:

    The Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus – http://www.ascjus.org
    The Sisters of Life – http://www.sistersoflife.org
    The Little Sisters of the Lamb – http://www.communityofthelambusa.org/
    The Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara – http://www.ssvmusa.org/
    The Marian Community of Reconciliation – http://www.fraternasusa.org/ (nb, the Fraternas are consecrated women, not religious sisters)
    The Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary – http://www.piercedhearts.org/
    The Monastic Family of Bethlehem, of the Assumption of the Virgin and of St. Bruno (no website, but information about this amazing cloistered order is posted here: http://orthfullycatholic.blogspot.com/2007/01/monastic-family-of-bethlehem-of.html)
    The Benedictine sisters of Regina Laudis Abbey -http://www.abbeyofreginalaudis.com/sitelive/index.htm
    Visitation Sisters, Tyringham, MA – http://www.vistyr.org/index.html
    The Little Sisters of the Poor – http://www.littlesistersofthepoor.org/
    The Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma – http://www.rsmofalma.org/

    The CMSWR is a fairly extensive group of religious orders that hold fidelity to Christ and His Church very dear. http://www.cmswr.org

  18. Dan G. says:

    The Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, Michigan.
    http://www.rsmofalma.org/

    Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará.
    http://www.ssvmusa.org/

    Sisters of Life.
    http://sistersoflife.org/

    Dominican Nuns of Summit NJ.
    http://nunsopsummit.org/
    http://www.monialesop.org/

    And don’t forget the organization that joins together so many of these faithful groups: the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious. http://www.cmswr.org/
    Here is a listing of their members: http://www.cmswr.org/member_communities/membercommunities.html

  19. Midwest St. Michael says:

    The Passionist Nuns of St. Joseph Monastery in Whitesville, Ky., are very faithful and sound.

    http://www.passionistnuns.org/

  20. Nora says:

    The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious is the “trade association” of orders faithful to the magisterium, as opposed to those faithful to the LCWR. Any order that belongs will be solid. The site is: http://www.cmswr.org/.

  21. Supertradmum says:

    Rev. Mother Teresa of Jesus, O.C.D., Prioress
    Carmel of Jesus, Mary and Joseph,
    9300 W. Agnew Road,
    Valparaiso, NE 68065,
    United States of America.

    Mary, Queen of Apostles in Kansas City-totally trad. http://benedictinesofmary.org/

    And, ditto on St. Cecilia’s Ryde, but not for the faint of heart. http://www.stceciliasabbey.org.uk/site.php?menuaccess=1

  22. Liz says:

    Here is the daughterhouse of the Valparaiso JMJ Carmelites that’s Supertradmum mentioned above. These are cloisted nuns that started a new place because they had so many vocations!

    http://friendsofcarmeljmj.org/enter/

  23. pberginjr says:

    There is the Abbey of Regina Laudis (in Connecticut) and of course the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary (New Jersey).

  24. Art says:

    http://www.asspconvent.org/

    The All Saints Convent in Baltimore: they came home not too long ago and can use a boost.

  25. kelleyb says:

    The Dominican Nuns of Summit, NJ http://www.monialesop.org/

  26. mormormax says:

    Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles
    Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus
    8005 NW 316th Street
    Gower, MO 64454

    http://benedictinesofmary.org/

  27. Gregg the Obscure says:

    Two that come to my mind:

    Capuchin Poor Clares
    Our Lady of Light Monastery
    3325 Pecos Street
    Denver, CO 80211
    303.458.6339
    http://capuchinpoorclares.org/denver.html

    Benedictines
    Abbey of St. Walburga
    1029 Benedictine Way
    Virginia Dale, CO 80536
    970.484.4342
    http://www.walburga.org/

  28. acardnal says:

    Let’s not forget Mother Angelica of EWTN and her contemplative monasteries of Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration .

  29. frjeremiah says:

    Check out the Missionaries of Divine Revelation, based in Rome. Both Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy and Mons. Guido Marini, Master of Pontifical Ceremonies, are great supporters of these Sisters. Here is their website –
    http://www.divinarivelazione.org/

  30. Jon says:

    Carmel of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
    430 Monastery Rd.
    Elysburg, Pa., 17824

    The sisters are a foundation of the cloistered, Discalced Carmelites of Valpariso, Nebraska. There are currently some 14 sisters there. They are exclusively Traditional, and have their own FSSP chaplain in residence.

    They were invited to the Diocese of Harrisburg in 2009 by Bishop Kevin Rhoades before he was made Bishop of South Bend – God bless him.

    And don’t forget the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate, who are quasi-Traditional.
    http://www.franciscansoftheimmaculate.com/

  31. ozcatholic says:

    Our daughter has been a happy member of the Marian Community of Reconciliation (“Fraternas”) for six years. It was founded in Lima in 1991, and has communities in several countries in Latin America, also the USA (LA, Denver, Connecticut), Rome and Salerno in Italy, Manchester, UK, and Sydney, Australia. They are beautiful, faith-filled, articulate women. http://www.fraternas.org

  32. veritas76 says:

    THANK YOU for this post, Father!
    A beautiful order in New Bedford, MA — the Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate: http://www.franciscansoftheimmaculate.com/

    Their charism is a complete and total surrender to the Immaculate, and they are dedicated to restoring beauty in the Church! This is a snippet of something from one of their sisters:

    “I read an article recently about the crisis in the Church and in society and the author was saying that the situation will be resolved with beauty. By contemplating beauty and offering it to people, this will eventually turn the situation around. Beauty has to be reinserted into everything we do, including the liturgy. The beauty of the Tridentine Mass will be what turns the situation around! Lex orandi, Lex credendi, Lex vivendi.

  33. neworleansgirl says:

    Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist http://www.sistersofmary.org

    and the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church http://www.sistersofmarymotherofthechurch.org

    They are faith filled, faithful and JOYFUL! Check them out.

  34. NancyP says:

    The Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará is a relatively young order (1988), founded in Argentina, with a novitiate house, juniorate house and high school aspirancy in the U. S. They have convents and missions around the world, including the U. S and Canada. My daughter nicknamed them “The Happy Nuns” because, well, they are. Their vocations give them true joy.

  35. ladykathryn says:

    faithandfamily, thank you so much for mentioning the Carmel in Alexandria, SD. My daughter entered there exactly two years ago today. I would highly recommend this Carmel to any young woman interested in the cloistered life.

  36. mcma3985 says:

    I second the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia, Nashville, TN. They are great teachers who love thier vocation and the Church. They are particularily good with youth.

  37. La Sandia says:

    A college friend of mine is a novice in the Sisters of Reparation to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Steubenville, OH. They are a small community, but a very young and growing one! Full habits, emphasis on Adoration and the Divine Mercy, and they also are engaged in the catechesis of children of all ages. They are a very worthy community for a young woman discerning a call to religious life.

    sistersofreparation.org

  38. Fr. Dan T. says:

    A great order of joyful sisters who have a wonderful ministry is the Carmelites of the Aged and Infirm.

  39. takosan says:

    Fr. Ho Lung and the Missionaries of the Poor have started a women’s order associated with their house in Jamaica. They help truly the poorest of the poor. (If you have seen “The Church and the Poor” on EWTN, then you are familiar with their work.)
    http://www.missionariesofthepoor.org/mop_sisters/index(sisters).html

  40. Maeana says:

    I too have to put in a word for the Benedictines of Mary (benedictinesofmary.org). The prioress there is one of my very favorite people in the world.

  41. PA mom says:

    Not to forget the Hawthorne Dominican Sisters, who provide hospice care to cancer patients at no charge. Hawthorne-Dominicans.org. A young woman from our diocese joined them several years ago.

  42. doozer125 says:

    The Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood in Manchester, NH seem pretty orthodox. I have attended Mass there only once, but it was an EF. I don’t think it’s their regular Mass, but they seem all around conservative, orthodox, contemplative, and faithful to the Church.
    Web Site:
    http://www.srspreciousbloodnh.org/

  43. AlexE says:

    Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist
    Benedicitines: Benedicitnes Mary Queen of Apostles
    Carmelites: Georgetown, CA

  44. berenike says:

    Dominican Sisters of Stone
    Sisters of the Gospel of Life (Not the same as the Sisters of Life – less rollerblading!)
    Oulton Abbey (Benedictines of the same ancestry as the EBCs, run a nursing home while keeping their Benedictine, monastic, identity)
    Highland hermit nun(s) (possibly a vegan, but she’s a good egg nonetheless)

  45. Father S. says:

    Do you live in Nebraska, South Dakota, or Iowa? If so, check out the LIHM Sisters (Leaven of the Immaculate Heart of Mary). From the parish where they serve in South Sioux City, NE, they have had nine vocations in ten years. They are part of the large order founded by Fr. Bing Arellano. Fr. Bing has a YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/ATHFamily

  46. cregduff says:

    Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal (CFR)
    http://franciscansisterscfr.com/
    Vocations Hotline 212.831.3322
    Convent of San Damiano
    1661 Haight Avenue, Bronx, New York 10461
    (718) 829-9466

  47. Hawklets 87 says:

    Two amazing orders of young, traditional sisters in the USA are:

    Little Sisters of the Lamb: http://www.communityofthelambusa.org

    Apostles of the Interior Life: http://www.apostolevitainteriore.it

  48. PDJennings says:

    The Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist are an active-contemplative order, and the active part of their vocation is teaching. For the past three years, I have had the privilege of sending my kids to a school run by the DSMME. The sisters are joyful, holy, energetic, and young — almost all are under 40. My kids have blossomed in their faith life more than I had hoped. Frankly, many of the other diocesan schools where I live seem to style themselves as private schools that happen to be Catholic. The DSMME school is Catholic first, and everything else second. I can’t tell you how hard that is to find in this day and age. My dad reminisced that the Catholic quality of that school was like the school he was sent to in the 1930s. (Everyone in his generation of the family stayed Catholic, unlike the following generation.) This is a sign of restoration, a work in Christ, who makes “all things new.”

  49. berenike says:

    Visitation monastery, Sussex
    Ty Mam Duw charismatic hardcore Poor Clare Colettines :D
    Poor Clare Monastery, Bothwell There are also Poor Clares in Humbie, East Lothian, but each monastery’s website seems ignorant of the existence of the other monastery …
    Kirk Edge Carmel (Peak District – jammy!)
    Falkirk Carmel More Carmelites. Falkirk. It needs prayers!

  50. The Norbertine Canonesses of the Bethlehem Priory of St. Joseph in Tehachapi, California, are the USA’s only community of women religious of the Ordo Praemonstratensium, one of the truly grand old orders, though not as widely known as, say, the Benedictines or Cistercians.
    I have a student in this community, which is vigorous, growing like crazy, and filled with joy and faith. Their life is contemplative; right now they’re in temporary quarters on their ranch property. They receive many more applications than they can accept, and they’re working on building a permanent monastery.
    More info at http://www.norbertinesisters.org.

  51. RMThomas says:

    St. Dominic’s Monastery in Linden, VA is an cloistered, contemplative community that is getting a lot of young vocations. They have 5 sisters in formation right now. http://www.lindenopnuns.org/

  52. Acanthaster says:

    They don’t have a website yet, but this is a new order in the Minnesota area:
    The Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus – a small and very new contemplative-active community of religious sisters in the Diocese of New Ulm, MN. Our charism is to live in imitation of Mary, serving the new evangelization in the parish life of the diocese. We have a Eucharistic-centered prayer life, strong community life, and a variety of forms of apostolic activity in the parish family. Our current nine members are all under the age of 35. Contact: Sr. Regina Marie handmaids1@gmail.com or 507-276-9128

    Also the Sisters of St Francis of the Martyr St. George in Alton, IL, and LaCrosse, WI:
    http://www.altonfranciscans.org/

  53. Centristian says:

    faithandfamily said:

    “What a joy to be the first to respond: If you are feeling a vocation to the cloistered life, the Carmelite Nuns in Alexandria, SD, USA are faithful, joyous, and growing! They are cloistered OCD Carmelites who were invited to South Dakota from Buffalo, NY around 12 years ago.”

    And then there are the Carmelites who stayed in Buffalo, of course, who constitute the most wonderful and authentic community of Carmelites one could ever hope to encounter. They boast a beautiful cloistered monastery with a magnificent chapel. Walking in there is like walking back in time, really, and the holiness is almost tangible. You half expect to bump into St. Therese when you’re there. This community is most definitely worth taking a look at.

    http://www.carmelitenunsstjoseph.org/Buffalo.htm

  54. momoften says:

    http://www.trinitariansofmary.com located in Mexico, and Lowell Michigan
    a very thriving order of nuns, The Trinitarians of Mary are a Roman Catholic community of women who lead a non-cloistered Contemplative Life
    of Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration and Monastic Observance for the Building up of the Church
    in the World and in support of Catholic Priests.
    http://www.opusangelorum.org/sisters/societas_sororum_sancta_cruce.htm
    located in Detroit, and worldwide semi contemplative, awesome group of nuns! Mission :
    Mary is the model for each Sister – as Bride and Handmaid of the Lord, as well as companion of her Son beneath the Cross, in the Church and in the world; our holy Guardian Angels and all the holy angels, to whom we bind ourselves by the consecration, are likewise models and companions on our way.
    We pray and sacrifice especially for the Holy Father and the Bishops – especially for the Bishop of our own diocese, his concerns and his priests. Our help for priests consists above all in spiritual support through prayer, sacrifice and living our bond with God; but it is also involves active help in domestic and administrative areas, in the secretariat and management, in retreat work, and in the ministry to families, children and youth.

    We bear all the diverse concerns and needs of men and of our times in intercession before God and ask for them the protection and help of the holy angels.

  55. msproule says:

    Miles Christi (http://www.mileschristi.org) is another young order of men based in Argentina. Their house of study is there, but they are building a retreat center in SE Michigan, where they have had a presence for a number of years. They are located not too far away from the motherhouse of the well-known Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist.

  56. Doubtful Thomas says:

    The Sisters of the Resurrection are a faithful order who can be relied upon to support the magisterium. They have a provincial house in Castleton, NY, but have apostolates throughout the world.
    http://www.resurrectionsisters.org/

  57. racjax says:

    The Poor Clares of Santa Barbara, CA (Colettine observance). Wonderful, holy women.
    http://www.poorclaressantabarbara.org

  58. Sword40 says:

    Here is the website for the Spokane Sisters that was previously mentioned;
    http://www.sistersofmarymotherofthechurch.org/ . They are no longer affiliated with the CMRI.
    I think very highly of them

  59. Cathy says:

    Thank you, Father Z, when I looked, simply from my computer, at the religious orders of consecrated life in my Archdiocese, I was amazed by links I found on their social justice pages. Future Church, LGBT ministries shaking their fingers at the Bishops for being outspoken on the evils of same-sex marriage? I can’t help but ask why their seems to be more public ministries for vocations against the Catholic Church than ministries faithful to the Catholic Church. It’s like, what Bishop or religious vocation director would recommend them to their children? Imagine a man or woman could actually say, I have a vocation to promote womynpriests, and they can actually find a religious order in their diocese that would be agreeable with that.

  60. irishgirl says:

    faithandfamily and ladykathryn: I know about the Carmelites in Alexandria, SD! They were brought there from the Carmel in Buffalo, NY by the late Father Robert J. Fox, who himself was the founder and director of the Fatima Family Apostolate. The Sisters arrived in 1997, the centennial year of St. Therese’s death. I’m so glad to hear that the community is flourishing!
    And congratulations on your daughter’s being in it, ladykathryn!
    @ acardnal: I’m glad that you mentioned the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration. Besides the monastery where Mother Angelica is in Alabama, there are three foundations made by her nuns that are in: Phoenix, Arizona; San Antonio, Texas; and Charlotte, North Carolina (transferred from Ohio).
    There are older monasteries of the PCPAs in addition: Cleveland, Ohio (where Mother Angelica entered in 1944); Canton, Ohio (her birthplace); and Washington, DC.

  61. frjim4321 says:

    Isn’t there some kind of big catalogue of all the orders of women religious that comes out every year? Or at least there used to be. I have a niece who is considering religious life and I can’t find a resource listing all the different orders and their charisms. There are links to many orders on the LCWR website but it’s not the same as a catalogue of orders which lists their location and their charisms in one place.

    It is true that some of the orders seem to be in a state of amalgamation or closure, and I don’t think these would be attractive to a young person. On the other hand some of the more recent upstarts are overloaded with immature members and it is hard to tell how long some of them will last.

    It would seem the safer bet would be one of orders that contributed to the growth of the church through the 19th and 20th centuries and that are still doing well in terms of membership and financing.

    It will probably take a generation or two to see how the newer retro experiments in religious life will work out on a long-term basis.

  62. Sister H. says:

    A spectacular but not very well known (yet!) group of Sisters is to be found in Bridgeport, CT (Dominican Sisters of Bridgeport).
    They are a faithful, top-notch, loving, all-around-great group! I will recommend them to anyone who is looking for an amazing group of Sisters. You can find them here:

    http://dominicanvocations.org/

    http://www.facebook.com/#!/bdoms09

    **You can’t go wrong with this group of Sisters…read about them…you’ll love them!!
    P.S. I’m from an entirely different group myself! :)

  63. David L. says:

    The Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration have a monastery out here in Arizona that looks great:

    http://www.desertnuns.com

  64. samgr says:

    Poor Clares of NJ, Chesterfield (between Trenton and Fort Dix).
    http://poorclaresnewjersey.com/

  65. Father G says:

    I heartily recommend the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, founded by Venerable Mother Maria Luisa Josefa of the Most Blessed Sacrament: http://www.carmelitesistersocd.com/

  66. CBM says:

    Miami!!!
    Institute of the Servants of the Pierced Hearts of Jesus and Mary

    local foundation, young vibrant bi-lingual and thriving
    Miami!!!

  67. Elizabeth D says:

    I can recommend the Cistercian nuns of Valley of Our Lady Monastery in Prairie du Sac, WI, not far from Madison, They live quite a traditional cloistered life, wear a traditional habit, practice some traditional disciplines such as perpetual abstinence from meat, chant the whole monastic office in Latin Gregorian chant, make altar bread to support themselves, and because their current monastery is extremely makeshift, inadequate, cramped, and full of mold, they are about to kick off a fundraising campaign to build a new Gothic monastery in the austerely beautiful historic style of their Order. When I visited them recently they told me that although they have not yet had the EF Mass there (they are not opposed to it, she thought they might some day), the Novus Ordo is now celebrated ad orientem (a suggestion of the priests of the Society of Jesus Christ Sovereign Priest which they eagerly welcomed, and their regular chaplain accepted), and is sometimes in Latin, particularly on feast days. They have a good number of young nuns, this is a community that seems very healthy and is esteemed by the good local priests. This is a good community to join or to donate generously to help them build a new monastery!

    One thing to know about OCD nuns is that, besides each monastery having its unique character, there are two different sets of constitutions that were approved by the Holy See (to the great consternation of many within the Order). The 1990 constitutions nuns are considered the more austere traditional ones, those associated with the reforms of St Maravillas de Jesus, they are also not connected with the OCD friars–which is really painful to the friars, but protects the nuns where the friars are considerably modernist. The 1991 constitutions nuns are connected with the friars but some individual houses are also good.

    FrJim4321, always good for a laff.

  68. Elizabeth D says:

    I forgot to include the link, the Valley of Our Lady Cistercians are at http://www.nunocist.org/
    Their website for the new monastery they need to build is http://www.valleyofourlady.org/
    (not just WANT to build, trust me I have been there and these good nuns really NEED a new monastery, AND they are going to do it right, with architect Ethan Anthony who has designed several gorgeous traditional churches such as the Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Lacrosse, WI; Sr Aleydis told me Matthew Alderman is also involved, to donate go here: http://www.valleyofourlady.org/pledge.html)
    (also the new monastery will be a guest house, which has not been possible at their current monastery location. In fact the guest house is the first thing they intend to build and take up residence therein so they can get out of their mold-filled current monastery asap).

  69. paterscotus says:

    I echo Fr G in recommending the Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Los Angeles. But, please, don’t anybody contact them (http://www.carmelitesistersocd.com/) just yet – I very much need them to send a few sisters to our school ;-) first!

  70. A Dominican Priest says:

    I have had the privilege to visit and to preach at a number of superb contemplative, monastic communities for women (all wear a full habit, maintain a very strict traditional cloister, etc.). I know a good number of the sisters in each of these communities, and can vouch not only for their orthodoxy, but also for their overall health (not only spiritual but also on the natural human level – i.e., prudent superiors, healthy community life), something that is not always easy to see from a website or even from outside. They are places with young sisters, with real hope for the future, a beautiful liturgy, and where one could confidently entrust one’s soul to the rule and to the community – and that is, of course, the most important thing! (We enter religious life to work out our own salvation, to paraphrase St. Paul.)

    Among those not yet mentioned:
    Dominican Nuns of Linden, VA – http://www.lindenopnuns.org/
    Dominican Nuns of Buffalo, NY – http://www.opnuns.org/
    Dominican Nuns of North Guilford, CT – http://ourladyofgracemonastery.org/
    Dominican Nuns of West Springfield, MA – http://www.vocationws.com/

    Carmelite Monastery of Flemington, NJ – http://www.flemingtoncarmel.org/
    Carmelite Monastery of Denmark, WI – http://www.holynamecarmel.org/

  71. jul says:

    My 33 year old niece belongs to the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters- the pink sisters. Their habits are rose colored. It is a cloistered-contemplative order. She is currently in Saint Louis, but became acquainted with them while she was in college in Lincoln, NE. They also have convents in Philadelphia and Corpus Christi in the US, with a total of 22 convents around the world. The convent in Saint Louis is called Mount Grace and visitors may attend Mass and Eucharistic Adoration in the sisters’ chapel, though the sisters are always behind a grille. http://www.mountgraceconvent.org

  72. An order that has weathered the storm, habits intact, giving their lives to the care of those dying of cancer, and whose foundress, Rose Hawthorne, gives her name to the Order:
    http://hawthorne-dominicans.org/s000.htm

  73. egallaher says:

    Expanding on a prior post:
    JonPatrick says:
    Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, with 2 houses in Still River MA and
    1 in Richmond NH.
    Very traditional, assist at the TLM exclusively.

    Here is a website for them: http://www.saintbenedict.com/
    Our daughter attended a week at their summer camp, and I was very pleased to see joyful young fully habited sisters wading out knee-deep into the lake to help with canoe deployment! They run a school and write/publish From the Housetops, among other things.

  74. APX says:

    You never mentioned Canada, but I’m going to give my home province’s Carmelite’s Monastery to-be a plug. They’re the only real nuns still in habit that I know of in Saskatchewan (Sort of. There’s a chapel and a hermitage at the moment. They’re working on it and need money.)They’re . They need money right now finish renovating their chapel so that it can be used all year round and building their monastery so they can have a permanent foundation in Saskatchewan.

    Vocation contact information and online link to anyone who want to donate to their cause.
    http://www.carmelitemonasticsisters.org/carmelites.html

    The only other ones I could think of were the Grey Nuns, which my great aunt was one, but now they’ve gone modern. :( I didn’t even recognize them from the old pictures we have at the house.

  75. Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Alhambra, CA

    http://www.carmelitesistersocd.com/

  76. vanrooye says:

    Another group of sisters not mentioned yet are the Trinitarians of Mary. They are dedicated to perpetual adoration and prayer and penance for priests. Their headquarters are in Mexico but they have small convents in San Diego, Lowell Michigan, and I understand are starting another in Los Angeles. http://www.trinitariansofmary.org/

  77. Joe in Canada says:

    MamaB beat me to it; here’s the link with their list: http://db.religiouslife.com/reg_life/irl.nsf/wa?OpenForm&Count=1000
    As a Canadian I will add Madonna House http://www.madonnahouse.org/ and a new group working towards recognition, the Sisters of the Queenship of Mary (in Ottawa; they don’t seem to have their own site but info can be found through http://adriansharp.wordpress.com/2012/01/28/mass-for-life-and-news-on-the-queenship-of-mary-community/)

  78. rosesoap says:

    frjim4321: Perhaps your niece will find the VISION Vocation Guide helpful. There is a women’s religious community directory in the back. A paper copy is available to order free of charge through VocationNetwork.org but here is the link for the digital copy: http://www.digitalvocationguide.org/vision/2012#pg1

  79. flyfree432 says:

    Always a negative word for youth and orthodoxy eh Fr. Jim?

  80. Sword40 says:

    And here is one that we will be visiting this Fall. I have spoken with them. The Mass is offered in the OF but the LOTH is done in latin and sung. http://ourladyoftherock.com/index.htm .
    Shaw Island, Washington is located in the San Juan Islands and accessible by Ferry.

  81. Margaret says:

    Second the suggestion of Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará perhaps more easily known and recalled as the “IVE” Sisters, part of the religious family of the IVE, Institute of the Incarnate Word. They are joyful, orthodox, and wonderful with the kids. They teach our local CCD program, and the children just love them.

    And of course, many previous mentions of the Sisters of Life. If any of my daughters are blessed with a religious vocation, I really hope these two orders will make the short list.

  82. Father G says:

    Another community I recommend is:
    Servants of Mary, Ministers to the Sick : http://www.sisterservantsofmary.org/

  83. Augustin57 says:

    How ’bout the Consolata Sisters in Eutaw, AL? They serve the very poor there. I think they’re from Italy, if I recall.

  84. asperges says:

    UK: Benedictine contemplative nuns, Tyburn Convent, Hyde Park Place, London http://www.tyburnconvent.org.uk
    UK: Benedictine nuns, Stanbrook Abbey, now in Yorkshire: http://stanbrookabbeyfriends.org/
    FRANCE: ND de L’Annonciation (le Barroux), (EF) http://www.barroux.org/monial/monialpres.html

  85. tkeller says:

    The Poor Clares in St Louis Mo observe traditional monastic life through papal enclosure, a life of penance and absolute poverty. Yes they wear the full wool habit. They just doubled the size of their monastery to accomodate vocations but they are not even online! To contact them write:
    Reverend Mother Abbess
    200 Marycrest Dr
    St. Louis, MO 63129

  86. Definitely the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, Ann Arbor. My daughter is a member of the Order. The joy pours out of the Motherhouse.

  87. mrsmontoya says:

    An old order:
    Cloistered Dominican Nuns – Corpus Christi Monastery, Menlo Park CA. http://www.nunsmenlo.org: full habit, completely cloistered.

    A new order:
    Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa: An Apostolic Religious Community living Evangelical Life in Union with the Blessed Virgin Mary: http://www.mariansisters.com; full habit,

  88. emily13 says:

    Passionist Nuns, Pittsburgh, PA: http://www.passionistnunspgh.org/

    The first foundation of Passionists in the US. They are cloistered, wear a full habit…and make altar breads.

  89. emily13 says:

    And are incredibly joyful!

  90. Jim says:

    Cloistered Carthusian Nuns – http://www.chartreux.org/en/nuns/index.php
    Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, Charlotte, NC – http://www.stjosephmonastery.com/home.htm

    PS: I am not “frjim4321”

  91. JaneC says:

    The Poor Clares in Spokane do not, perhaps, have as visible a presence as the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church, and there are very few of them, but I think they’re worthy of consideration. I was privileged to spend a couple of hours visiting with them once.

    Their vocations page is here: http://calledtojoy.com/

  92. bernadette says:

    These Franciscan sisters from Steubenville, Ohio spoke at our Serra Club meeting and they were on fire for Our Lord. They wear a modified habit with veil.
    http://www.torsisters.org

  93. KFT says:

    Wow! This is quite a list. My best friend is a member of the Poor Clares in Langhorne, PA. They wear habits and take a vow of enclosure. They are allowed visitors (of which I am happily one) and are allowed to leave the enclosure for doctor’s appointments and family emergencies. They currently have no one under the age of 40, so someone who was considering a vocation a little later than normal might find their niche here. http://www.poorclarepa.org

  94. gmk says:

    Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles. Priory of Our Lady of Ephesus. MO. Mission: pray for priests, sewing priestly vestments. http://www.benedictinesofmary.org

  95. Mamma B says:

    Maronite Servants of Christ the Light
    http://maroniteservants.org/cms/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=13&Itemid=29

    EasternRite sisters serving in the areas of:
    Praying for and with our Maronite Communities
    Religious Education/Formation at all age levels
    Retreats and Conferences
    Vocation Awareness and Promotion
    Youth Ministry
    Young Adult Ministry
    Spiritual Support for Marriage and Family
    Visiting the Sick, the Dying, the Grieving

  96. Jael says:

    Fr. Jim is looking out for your welfare when he recommends a well-established group with a track record and sufficient numbers of well-trained elders. There can be abuse in religious orders, they can fold and leave you destitute when you are aged, you can get poor training from inexperienced superiors, you can get in a group so wacky no other order will want you if you wise up and leave. Be hopeful, but also be careful. Prudence, discretion…good words!

  97. gviele says:

    The women orders are pretty exhaustive. Now how about orders for priests and orders for Brothers and then orders for priests AND brothers together?
    I am particuliarly interested in the Alexian Brothers and their status.

  98. berenike says:

    you can get in a group so wacky no other order will want you if you wise up and leave
    Or at least in a group so wacky that the order whose charism the group imitates decides, after a few sad experiences, never again to take people who’ve spent any length of time with that group!

    I thought Fr Jim’s comment perfectly reasonable.

  99. Andrea Mary says:

    Thank you so much, Fr. Z and all posters!
    It is very comforting to know there are so many orders that one can at least pray about. So many of the orders listed here are truly faithful to the Church and Her Traditions, are engaged in good work (that is not limited just to teaching in Catholic schools–much-needed but not the only way of teaching), and are dedicated to preserving beautiful and meaningful habits and to providing real structure in the path to holiness. How lovely! What a gift!

  100. Pavegs says:

    Hermanas Missioneras Servidores de la Palabra (Missionary Sisters Servants of the Word)
    http://www.cybersepa.net/english/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=65&Itemid=78

    This is a Mexican Community that has a number of missions in the US. These sisters are increrdibly faithful, orthodox, and zealous. They do incredible work in hispanic communities as well as non-hispanic communities. The order was founded in the 80s by an Italian missionary priest. These sisters are known to attend both forms of the Roman Rite, wear habits, and LOVE the Church. They are mostly Spanish speaking. They also have missions in Africa and Vietnam.

    Also the Daughters of Mary Mother of Healing Love is a wonderful order in Rochester, NH that works with abused and neglected children. They are really solid, and they wear traditional habits. They (some of them) run 4 miles per day with the kids at the St Charles Children’s Home. They are a new order, fouonded in 2005, that broke off from the Baltic Sisters.

    http://runningnuns.com/

  101. Jael says:

    p.s.
    Don’t be fooled: Mere Latin chant and traditional habits do not necessarily mean a healthy or orthodox community. I had a very bad experience lately at one of the locations mentioned above. Keep your eyes open.

    Tip for checking out a religious community: Go first as a nobody without connections or an agenda and see how they treat you.

  102. AdTrinitatemPerMariam says:

    I know that a couple people have mentioned them already, but I simply must mention again my beloved Trinitarians of Mary. They are the most amazing, beautiful sisters. God willing, I hope to join them this summer. :-D (So if you could pray for me, that would be awesome!) Here is their website: http://www.trinitariansofmary.org/Home_English.html

    (You can laugh if you want, but this post was what made me finally get around to registering to comment, simply so I could mention the Trinitarians! ;-)

  103. New Sister says:

    AdTrinitatemPerMariam – I met some Trinitarian Sisters in Rome and just loved them. I wish you all the best in your vocation!

    I am surprised that the nuns associated with Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest were only mentioned once in 105 comments, but am glad they were. They look just beautiful.

    One solid community not mentioned is les Domincaines du Saint-Esprit in France. They run highly sought-after schools in France and follow the Traditional Office and Mass. They wear the traditional habit that fully covers their hair (unlike US Dominicans) with white linen against the face. Their website does not indicate if they are SSPX or not; I suspect they might be… http://www.dominicaines-du-saint-esprit.fr/index.php

Comments are closed.