All posts by Anne Tschanz

Men's communities

He Heard the Master’s Call – Br. James Curran, l.b.s.f.

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Br. James (l) and Br. Paul O'Donnell, f.b.p.
Br. James (l) and Br. Paul O’Donnell, f.b.p., at the 2006 IRL National Meeting, Mundelein, Illinois

On June 28, 2015, Br. James Curran, l.b.s.f., long-time friend and supporter of the IRL, went home to the Lord. He died as he lived, a humble Franciscan, without pomp or ceremony. Brother James received the IRL’s Pro Fidelitate et Virtute award in 2006 for faithfully living our his brotherhood and for supporting the IRL as a Board Member, coordinator of the Boston Regional Meeting and as chairman of the Forum of Superiors of Communities of Men.

But he is best remembered as a friend to the poor.

Brother’s journey to religious life is an amazing story. Born in Dorchester, Massachusetts, his father was killed during World War II. Inspired by his mother, Brother James became a Franciscan tertiary as a teenager but it was not until 1967 that he received the special grace that would define the rest of his life. While performing with the Boston Opera Company at the White House before President Lyndon Johnson and other distinguished guests, Brother James said that he “was confronted with a compelling desire to change my life around immediately. As if in a mirror, I saw the emptiness of my life and the lifestyle.”

lbsf
Br. James with Cardinal O’Malley

He detached himself from possessions and perks and began to spend more time in prayer and adoration. The Lord opened his eyes to see the poor and destitute who populated the streets of Boston. “What a miracle of grace God worked when they became for me what the leper was for St. Francis – instruments of peace and love to turn my selfish heart away from egotistical pursuits and once again towards God!”

In 1970, Brother James founded the Little Brothers of St. Francis, patterned after Francis’ Rule for Hermitages. The brothers lived deeply contemplative lives in urban Boston, preaching the Gospel by their Christian hospitality and healing presence. The brothers disbanded in December of 2012 and in the last few years, Brother James lived in nursing homes, knowing the loneliness that goes with being alone with infirmity.

In his final newsletter, he wrote that he was “still convinced that God gave us our charism as a simple response to the Gospel and will continue to call others to that forma vita (way of life) so dear to St. Francis: contemplative presence among the poorest of the poor.”

May others follow in his footsteps, albeit big ones to fill. We will miss you Brother James. May you rest in the peace of Christ after your long labors.

News, Women's Communities

“For Love Alone” – New Film on Religious Life

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Bishop Senior WebsiteOn August 15, 2015, the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious will release a new film on religious life called For Love Alone. The 18-minute video was produced by Grassroots Films.

Mother Mary Clare Roufs, ACJ, and Sr. Clare Matthiass, CFR, went on a two week blitz around the country previewing the film in locations ranging from College Station and the Aggies in Texas to seminaries and finally, appropriately enough, to Hollywood.

Here are some comments:

At the Wake Up the World rally in Toronto, Canada: “Many of us have not grown up or ever met nuns.  This film gave us the perfect exposure to what the consecrated life is like. What a beautiful insight!”

In West Palm Beach: “The comments from the Sisters and all those in the film are so honest.  You can tell they are speaking from a place of truth, and it just pierces through your heart.  It is a film that is not just for Catholics, anyone can watch this film and be captivated by the beauty of Religious Life.”

Texas 1From a seminarian in Denver: “Though this movie is about Religious Life, ultimately it is about ones encounter with the one we love -Christ Himself. For me, as I watched the film, it was as if my heart was being pierced with a longing for this intimacy with Christ. The film moved me deeply and made me want to go straight to the chapel and pray. He (Christ) is the reason I want to be a priest. Thank you for this beautiful, beautiful film!”

From an aspirant in Vancouver: “The film was exciting! I feel it was a good representation of the excitement I feel about my call to religious life. I would love for my parents to see this film!”

Click here to be notified when the film is released!

And thank you to the Hilton Foundation for making this project possible.

 

Women's Communities

Sr. Nirmala, MC, RIP

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mc2On Tuesday, June 23, 2015, the Missionaries of Charity announced the death of Sr. Nirmala Joshi, 81, who succeeded Bl. Teresa of Calcutta as superior general. She served the community in that capacity from 1997 to 2009.

Sr. Nirmala suffered from ill health over the past few years and was brought home from the hospital a few days before her death. Sister Nirmala did not have the high-profile of Mother Teresa but she quietly carried on the works of charity in the manner of a contemplative. Prior to her election, she was head of the contemplative branch of the order.

mc3Archbishop Thomas D’Souza of Calcutta said that she was a great soul and that “she never talked about herself; she was more about how to support peace, to be helpful to the poor … she had a deep union with Jesus and she was a gentle apostle of peace until the end.”

Sister was born into a Hindu family, though early-on educated in Christian schools. Inspired by Mother Teresa’s work, she was baptized and later became a sister. Her youngest sister became a Carmelite.

Here is a beautiful quote from Sister Nirmala about Mother Teresa  as quoted in L’Osservatore Romano (Aug 5, 1998):

“And then I think of her humility. I remember it always, it is always in my heart. I remember that Mother Teresa’s eyes looked beyond this world. Mother Teresa surrendered in an absolutely radical way to God’s will, and God used her as an instrument of His love.

This is the great mystery of God and it is also the mystery of our vocation. ‘I am thirsty.’ Jesus’ words on the Cross explain Mother Teresa’s life and our choice. We must quench the thirst Jesus continues to have for the poor. Jesus even called me from afar, from a family that was not Christian, to make me, with implacable gentleness, understand His thirst and to quench it”.

Cloistered life, Women's Communities

A Desert Nun’s Clothing Ceremony

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dseet nunOn June 6th, Jennifer Meissonnier became Sr. Augusta Mary of Our Lady of Grace, becoming clothed in the habit of the Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration  in Tonopah, Arizona. They are commonly referred to as the “desert nuns.”

The image of the desert is appropriate because it was the underlying theme behind Sr. Marie Andre’s talk during the ceremony. As she rightly pointed out, many people misunderstand the call to the cloistered life, viewing it as “barren.” On the contrary, a life lived in response to the Lord’s call is always fruitful. “Our life here justifies the absence of an exterior apostolate/working out in the world,” said Sr. Marie Andre, “by drawing down from Heaven an abundance of divine grace to assist the evangelical workers (especially priests and active-order Sisters) in the field of their labors.”

As Jennifer began her journey into the desert, Sister Marie Andre quoted Fr. Robert Barron who said quite beautifully: “The desert represents a stripping away so as to make the fundamental things appear. In the desert there are no distractions or diversions or secondary matters. Everything is basic, necessary, simple. One survives or one doesn’t. One discovers in the desert strengths and weaknesses she didn’t know she had.”

Sister Marie Andre asked the question posed by the Psalmist long ago: “”Is it possible for God to prepare a table in the desert?’ (Psalm 78) And like the Israelites of old, we have to say YES!!!! Not only a table with the manna of old, but a Eucharistic Throne, and this happens because God does all!”

Here are some highlights from the clothing ceremony. God bless Sr. Augusta Mary of Our Lady of Grace!

 

 

 

Men's communities

The Finest Work of Charity: Fr. Joseph Presley, IC

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fr presleyA familiar face throughout the years at the annual IRL National Meeting has been Fr. Joseph Presley, IC, a member of the Institute on Charity, more commonly known as the Rosminians. Recently we and many others received a letter from Father that was both heartbreaking and heartwarming.

Father was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease about six years ago. Over the years, it has slowly limited his activities but until recently, he has always been able to celebrate the Mass with assistance. Now, he believes he should stop celebrating the Mass on Sundays because he does not know if he will always be able to finish. As he says, “That would mean that some people might not be able to fulfill their grave obligation to to hear Mass on Sunday.”

Father can only see the ground in front of him as he walks, perhaps, he says, emblematic of the imagery in Bl. John Henry Cardinal Newman’s famous poem Lead Kindly Light.

“Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see, The distant scene—one step enough for me.

At the conclusion of the letter, he included an excerpt from a letter his brother had written to him a couple months ago. It is worth keeping as consolation to us all when faced with debilitating situations.

Father Joseph, I know that perhaps there is not much I can do for you now, but I know that (my wife) and I think of you often and offer many prayers for you in your ministry and for great strengthening in Faith, Hope and Charity. I recall as one of my finest memories, the Mass you said the day after your first Mass. It was at a nursing home next door to Rosmini House in Peoria and there were half a dozen or so aged nuns who participated in the celebration. I remember how physically broken down they were, some could not even hold their heads up…I remember your words of encouragement to them that after a lifetime of serving others and now finding themselves unable to serve any more and to require others to now serve their needs, it would be easy to become discouraged…but that now they were free to do their finest work of charity: to pray without ceasing for the conversion of sinners. I remind you of this as a way of encouragement and knowledge that your suffering is not in vain: that sinners are watching you and that your response to suffering is a powerful witness and impetus toward conversion.

Please pray for this dear, humble priest, a true reflection of the Fatherhood of Jesus.

“I dearly love each and every one of you,” wrote Father Joseph, “and my one desire for each of you is to see you in Heaven.”

 

 

Women's Communities

A Neighborhood of Care – The Carmelites in Duarte

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ocd duarteWe can only hope that when and if our time comes for nursing care in our golden years, that the Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles in California will have expanded far enough east to accommodate all of those who seek a good Catholic home in their twilight years.

As described in Our Sunday Visitor (June 14, 2015), the sisters have opened a Neighborhood of Care at Santa Teresita, a Catholic assisted-living facility in Duarte, California. Nestled at the foot of the San Gabriel Mountains on 12 acres, the residence is the first of twelve cottages planned for the site. Once all of the nine planned cottages are built, they will truly form a neighborhood of love.

The first cottage is home to twenty senior residents who have individual rooms but share and plan the meals in common. Sixteen sisters are part of the staff. In the home-like setting, the sisters keep the residents active with activities such as gardening, fitness and computer classes, and outside speakers.

Mother Luisita founded the Carmelites in 1921 in revolutionary Mexico. However, they were forced to flee the country and in 1930, established Santa Teresita in Duarte as a home for women with suffering from tuberculosis. Today, there are 134 Carmelite sisters, eight of whom are novices.

The residents partake in the prayer life of the sisters and have opportunities for daily mass, the rosary, and confession. When a person is near death, the sisters are at the bedside along with family members. One man said, “I love it, We have our own chapel and chaplain, and when I have trouble walking over, they bring Communion to me.”

leanThe sisters were also featured in a Wall Street Journal article (May 27, 2015) which talked about their new album of song called “Lean Into the Wind.” Proceeds from the sales will help the building-expansion program under way at Santa Teresita. The writer of the article said, “To say “Lean Into the Wind” has moments of beauty is to understate its power. Some of the performances are manifestations of love in its purest form and glimpses into the tranquility found in a life dedicated to the service of others and of God.”

Men's communities, Pro-life

Franciscans of Life and Project: Joseph

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fl logo“I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10)

This phrase from scripture inspires the daily life of a new Franciscan community called the Franciscans of Life. Founded in 2009 by Br. Jay Rivera, their mission is to proclaim the Gospel of Life through service to the voiceless, in particular the preborn child and his family, the terminally ill and the elderly, the immigrant poor who feels hopeless, and the person living with disabilities.

They are trying to replicate the brotherhood that grew up around Saint Francis of Assisi in the thirteenth century, where there were friars, nuns, married men and women, diocesan priests, widows and single people who followed the Gospel according to the Rule of Penance written by Saint Francis.  Today, their fraternity is comprised of men only.  There are “regular” brothers who live the evangelical counsels in private vows and “secular” brothers who live the evangelical counsels as single or married men.

One of their most unique apostolates is Project: Joseph which provides education, counseling and assistance to fathers in crisis pregnancies. This may sound foreign to ears used to hearing about women and crisis fl3pregnancies. But like the unborn child who has no voice, the father is often left out of the equation when mothers are contemplating “choice.” Their fatherhood, established at conception, is undermined in so many ways.

Project: Joseph began when Brother Jay was praying at an abortion clinic. As he saw the fathers drop off mothers-to-be, he thought: “This is very much like Planned Parenthood and other ‘pro-choice’ organizations.  Pregnancy is a woman’s issue.” Through a dream and another miraculous occurrence, he entrusted the work to Saint Joseph. Today, they serve about 20 expectant fathers per week in the Archdiocese of Miami.

If you would like to know more about this beautiful fraternity, please visit their website.

Cloistered life, Women's Communities

Chosen: The Hidden Life of the Poor Clare Colettines, Rockford

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reeseDuring this year’s National Meeting at the seminary in Mundelein, Illinois, the IRL was blessed to host a photo exhibit on the lives of the Poor Clare Colettine nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery in Rockford, IL. Entitled Erased From the Landscape: The Hidden Lives of Cloistered Nuns, the 40-photo exhibit beautifully portrays the everyday, extraordinary life of these women who are hidden from the world but are at the heart of the Church’s mission.

During the National Meeting, Abbie Reese, artist, author and filmmaker who developed the exhibit, talked about her next project called Chosen: Custody of the Eyes. For this project, Abbie provided the cloistered nuns with camera equipment, allowing them to capture their life on their own, rather than have an intruder inside the walls.

Chosen follows the story of one of the newer members of the community, beginning with her discernment, entrance, clothing, and vows. The new sister, who uses the pseudonym Sister Amata to protect anonymity, reflects on her transition and life within the monastery. This was one of Abbie’s aims—to capture the internal journey of this mysterious road to the cloister.

reese3How did Abbie, a non-Catholic, get a foot in the door with this community? It began when she approached the nuns and asked if she could undertake an oral history storytelling project. After a period of prayer and discernment, the nuns opened their cloister to Abbie who conducted interviews with members of the Poor Clare Colettines, allowing their story to be told to the world. Reese relays the oral history of the community in her work Dedicated to God: An Oral History: An Oral History of Cloistered Nuns (Oxford University Press, 2014). (See prior blog post on this fascinating book)

If you would like to help Abbie raise the $15,000 needed to finalize the film and send it to post-production, please consider supporting her work through her current crowdfunding campaign. Please visit https://www.indiegogo.com/projects/chosen-custody-of-the-eyes–2#/story to make a tax deductible donation. During this Year of Consecrated Life, please consider supporting the effort of Reese to bring the life of Corpus Christi Monastery to the world.

Men's communities, News

The Benedictine Monks of Norcia Issue Marian Chant Album

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Norcia_Benedicta_Cover_v18_1500px-1024x1024The Benedictine Monks of San Benedetto Monastery in Norcia, Italy, founded by Father Cassian Folsom, OSB, on the site of Sts. Benedict and Scholastica’s birthplace, are issuing their first international recording—a CD album of Marian chant. Called BENEDICTA: Marian Chant from Norcia, the selections focus on the seven mysteries or defining moments of Our Lady’s life.

When you purchase BENEDICTA: Marian Chant from Norcia directly from their web site, a significant amount of the proceeds will go directly to them. The funds will assist with the many needs of their growing community.

EWTN will be airing a special called “Behind the Scenes”, a behind the scenes look (as is evident by the title) at the recording process. Those air times are: June 2, 2015, 6:30pm ET & June 4, 2015, at 10:30pm ET. You can also watch the shows streaming live online at EWTN.com.

Cloistered life, News, Women's Communities

180 Years of Consecrated Life – in three sisters!

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MotherMaryJohn
Mother Mary John, OCD

What some families give back to the Church in terms of children who enter religious life is often incredible and heroic. Witness the jubilee celebrations of Mother Mary John Billeauld, O.C.D., Sr. Theresa Anne Billeaud, C.D.P., and Sr. Anne Deelaus, O.C.D. Together they are celebrating 180 years of consecrated life!

On May 24, 2015, the three Sisters celebrated their triple jubilee during a Mass in front of a record breaking crowd of over 400 family members and friends. Concelebrating the Mass with Bishop Emeritus Sam Jacobs of Houma, Louisiana, was Msgr. Michael Jamail, V.G. of the Diocese of Beaumont, Texas, and several other priests.

Mother Mary John and Sister Theresa Anne are blood sisters.  They come from a family of nine girls, five of whom entered religious life. Three are Sisters of Divine Providence and two are Carmelites. Commenting on her vocation, Mother Mary John said, “I just knew that (Our Lord) wanted me to be a Carmelite nun and He filled me with a desire to respond to Him. When this conviction is so strong on one’s heart, there is no room for doubt.”

Sr. Anne, OCD
Sr. Anne, OCD

In this year celebrating the 500th anniversary of the birth of St. Teresa of Avila, Mother said that one of the best experiences of living the life of a Discalced Carmelite nun at the monastery in Lafayette, Louisiana, is knowing that the legacy left to them by St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross “can be fulfilled in our own lives today…”

Sr. Anne comes from a large family as well. Two of her sisters entered religious life as Carmelites in Rhode Island and New Orleans. After Vatican II, with all the changes sweeping through communities, Sr. Anne said that her superiors in Lafayette “strove to faithfully maintain the original Carmelite charism – prayer for the Church and world, and the necessary silence and solitude that would foster the growth of prayer and awareness of the needs of the time.”

What kept her going through the years? It was simple, she said. “I knew God wanted me here and I wanted to be here.” Difficulties experienced were lightened by her relationship with Jesus and His Mother and her sisters in Christ.

We gave thanks for these many years of fidelity to a call of the Spirit who has filled the hearts of our Sisters with His Living Flame of Love. With St. Teresa we can say: “The true love of God is as a fire!” This Fire has inflamed the hearts of our Sisters through these many years.

See the interview with two of the sisters in The Advertiser, Lafayette, LA and watch the video of the Mass on the Lafayette Carmel website.