Sunday, August 09, 2009

Dublin sisters defy vocations downturn

A Dublin community of contemplative nuns has increased numbers once again with the arrival of its latest novice.

The enclosed Redemptoristine Sisters welcomed Sister Maria Sidorova to their St Alphonsus monastery in Drumcondra this month, the sixth new member of the community since 2005. Her arrival brings the community's numbers to 14, offsetting a decline that had become evident in recent years.

A Slovakian native, Sr Sidorova is also the third young woman from the eastern European nation to join the Dublin Redemptoristines, a figure attributed to the order's links to the fledgling order in Slovakia since 2000.

Speaking after the new sister's arrival, St Alphonsus prioress, Sister Gabrielle Fox said all of the new entrants had brought the Redemptoristines a ''new vitality''.

She added that the young women represented a ''new creative dimension'' for the community, ''because they all have brought their own talents''.

Defying the vocations downturn, the Redemptoristines' success has been credited to the order's willingness to engage with new technologies towards promoting life within the order.

The order maintains its own website which contains a webcam glimpse of life within the community, and a blog page of events.

www.rednuns.com
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