Until Sunday, They Are a “Set-Elect”

During the mid-20th century, all religious orders experienced a phenomenon of large groups of women entering the convent. (The same was true for men’s orders) Many look at today’s fewer numbers of entrants and say that something must be wrong with  religious life.  Yet if one looks at the entire history of religious life, it is clear that, in most times, religious life was a calling for fewer than that unusual time in the mid-20th century. I think Sister Julie unpacks this well in her blog, “Declining Numbers of Catholic Sisters and Nuns” at anunslife.org.

In those days of plenty, the groups of sisters who entered the convent called themselves groups, crowds, or sets. Sisters in my community still refer to sisters that they entered the convent and the novitiate with as their “set.” In more recent years, we have had sets of one. I entered 15 years ago, and the 6 sisters who have entered after me have all been a set of one, though we have enjoyed larger groupings of novices by our participation in the Dominican Collaborative Novitiate in St. Louis, where most of the congregations of Dominican Sisters in the U.S. send their novices for a year.

This year, we are celebrating a set!!! Colleen McDermott entered our congregation in August, and Kat Repass (though she has already arrived) will be celebrating her entrance on Sunday, January 25th. Colleen and Kat will be our two candidates, and thus a set. But since the ceremony is not until Sunday, they will have to be a “set-elect for a little while yet.”

What a joy to have them! We wish this set-elect the joy of Dominican Life as they embark on this wonderful journey together.

Don’t you think it would be great to be part of this set, or the next one for that matter? If so, please contact me or comment above.