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As said on the home page, we are Cloister Outreach, which was started by three young ladies in 1988. At that time,
they were discerning the call to the cloister, and wanted to teach the world about the beauty of the cloistered vocation.
In the course of their discernment, and after one of the original three founders persevered to her "target" monastery, Gemma
realized that Our Lady of the Cloister was becoming a more tangible reality than just a pretty name for the Mother of Our
Savior. She began receiving inspirations for a new cloistered religious community who would have a very special
vocation--promoting the cloisters without praying for their own vocations and making reparation for the sins of the world.
The Reparatrix Society of Our Lady of the Cloister would open their cloister doors to discerners much like the Visitation
nuns do in today's world, but in addition to the gentle Salesian spirituality, there would also be Dominican and Carmelite
spiritualities. Since the nuns would represent all orders, the Rule would be taken from all Rules. The Cloisterites
would also be a renewal of the charism of the Society of Mary Reparatrix.
The habit would be almost identical to that of the original given to the Society of Mary Reparatrix in the vision vouchsafed
their foundress, Mother Mary of Jesus. (Said habit was "updated" after Vatican II). The rectangular headdress
would remind the nuns of their vocation (for such looks like the enclosure wall); the square wimple/barbette represents the
Salesian spirituality of the Visitation; the light blue veil being tucked into the scapular would be representative of the
Carmelite aspect; and the white tunic represents the Dominican. The light blue scapular would represent Our Lady of
the Cloister, and smaller versions would be given to lay associates. The profession crucifix with Trinitarian ends would
have the nuns' name and profession date engraved on the back, for the cross becomes her marriage bed with her Beloved.
The cincture would be red, in honor of the Precious Blood, from Which vocations flow. Upon the cincture pendant
would be pictures of the instruments of the Passion. The footwear would be white. The 20-decade rosary would have
white Aves; sky blue Paters; a centerpiece depicting Our Lady with her hands folded in prayer and head inclined; a crucifix
identical to that of profession; and a Holy Face medallion.
Gemma set out gathering up as many religious rules as she could find.
In the meantime (1989?), as she continued her work as a secretary for a quasi-federal agency and living life as a Lay
Dominican--attending daily Mass; weekly Holy Hour; and Saturday Sidewalk Counseling outside local abortion mills, she received
inspirations for two more communities--both contemplative/active, who would have Salesian and Dominican spiritualities as
their bases. The first inspiration was for the Sisters of St. Lazarus Raised; the second for the Sisters of the Holy
Innocents. (We added St. Gianna Molla after we found out about her in recent years).
The Sisters of the Holy Innocents were revealed in what's known as a "mind's eye vision"--in Gemma's mind's eye she saw
sisters dressed like Nashville Dominicans--only in red habits--outside the abortion mill where she was demonstrating one Saturday
morning. (This particular abortion mill was especially dangerous--spiritually speaking--it was conducted by occultists).
The Holy Innocents sisterhood would consist of women who had had abortions, but who wanted to make amends to God; penitents
who had not had abortions; divorcees; widows; and the smallest class would be the virgins.
The Sisters of St. Lazarus Raised were revealed during prayer for one of Gemma's former patients when she was a student
nurse (before changing her major to English). After an auto accident, the man was diagnosed as comatose, but had some
very "active" days, and with proper physical therapy, could've recovered a goodly amount of his faculties. (Does this
not sound like someone who was starved to death in Florida)???
At about this time, Knoxville was made a diocese. Gemma made it a point--after allowing the new bishop time to
settle into his new station--to discuss these conventual inspirations, plus her work for the cloisters. He had
no objection to the latter, but had some concerns with the proposed communities--primarily with Gemma becoming mentally overburdened.
He was delighted with the charisms, though.
He set her to work on the Sisters of St. Lazarus Raised, mainly due to the fact that he personally knew of a woman who
drove a lengthy one-way trip to visit her hospitalized, comatose son. His Excellency wanted to know if East
Tennessee had any resources for the comatose and their families. He also wanted to know about costs. How
best could we start? After some very difficult research, (the internet was still in its infancy), Gemma concluded
that a group of lay people would probably be the way to go--the "Compassionate Friends of the Comatose. " We had
hopes that the vocations would come from this group. God had other plans, though.
Gemma had met her husband, married, and was a Gulf War I wife before the end of 1990. During the course of the
next 19 years, she would continue to promote the cloisters through the mailouts and parish vocation committees, while holding
down her full-time wife, mom, and homemaker positions.
The charisms have stayed with her, and are now gently making their presence known--asking to be born into a suffering
world so that God's healing may conquer.
Gemma has no plans to be dictatorial with the aspirants to the foundations. She believes that each aspirant will
bring a part of the charism's constitutions with them, and will work with them to establish the community. Once the
charism is taught, Gemma will give the community more autonomy.
Update: May 2007 -- Gemma has discerned that the proposed active charisms are to be founded/renewed by our proposed Reparatrices
of Charity of the Miraculous Medal (RCMM). She has set herself to the task of updating the RCMM website to reflect
this.
The Cloisterites will be responsible for the cloistered foundations and renewals, to include their "active" branch, the
Daughters of Our Lady of the Cenacle.
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