All posts by Anne Tschanz

Cloistered life, News, Women's Communities

Help Wanted: Long Hours, Hard Work, No Pay

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The Poor Clare Monastery of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Roswell, NM, put out a funny vocations brochure in 2009 which just came to my attention. Here are some tidbits from their brochure:

Hard Labor: If you have ever secretly supposed that the contemplative life to be a leisurely round of devotional exercises, punctuated by strolls in the garden and a spot of embroidery now and again, FEAR NO  MORE!….Here you will be given ample scope and freedom to pursue an ambitious career as a fully-certified, full-time lowly servant of God.

Long Hours: Imagine the joy! Each night you will leap from your sleep at the enchanting hour of 12:30 a.m.!!

No Pay: Yes, say goodbye to that jingle in your pocket for there are no salaried positions to be had in the monastery, no payroll, no wallets, not even a piggy bank.

For as there can be never be labors too hard, nor hours too long in the service and praise of God and in the life and death struggle for souls, it follow that…

THERE CAN NEVER BE TOO MANY POOR CLARES!

The Roswell Poor Clares were established in 1948  as a foundation from Chicago. Since then they have established 6 daughter-monasteries over the years including one in the Netherlands and one back in Chicago. There are currently 23 in the community.

 

Women's Communities

A Moo-ving New Vocation for the Benedictines of Mary

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The Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, continue to welcome new members into their community, though one is of the four-legged variety! Sweetpea was born in June to Ephy, the Sisters’ dairy cow, who gives them up to 8 gallons of milk a day!

The sisters also rejoiced on September, 15, 2012, when three postulants received the habit: Sr. Gina, Sr. JoAnna and Sr. Margaret Mary. That same day they welcomed Regina Shannon as a new candidate.

Aspirants are welcome to visit, usually staying for a week at a time. As the sisters say, “We surely don’t mind bumping elbows at the refectory in order to help them discern their own vocations.” They also welcome priests and seminarians who want a quiet place for a retreat.

Please pray that God who has begun His work in them may bring it to fulfillment!

 

Liturgical Year, News

The Miracle of the Liquidation of the Blood of St. Januarius

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Today is the Feast of St. Januarius and the people of Naples, Italy, eagerly awaited the miracle when the dried blood of the the saint liquifies.

The miracle has occurred annually since 1389! If the blood does not liquify, then the people believe that a tragedy will befall the city. The last time this happened was in 1980 when an earthquake caused over 2500 deaths.

To see Father James Kubicki’s comments on the miracle, click here.

 

 

News, Women's Communities

Uniting Suffering to the Cross

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Mother Mary Salvador, CP, of the Passionsist Nuns of Ellisville, MO, thinks it is no accident that her bout with pneumonia and hospitalization occurred on the same day that President Obama announced his “compromise” for religious employers who objected to the HHS health Care mandate.  The Passionists, along with seven other contemplative communities in the Archdiocese of St. Louis, have joined together to pray for religious liberty.

There is value in suffering, she says, and it is important to take all of our suffering and turn it into prayer. The Passionist motto is:  “May the Passion of Christ be always in our hearts.”Sister Veronica says, “As the mystical body of Christ, we can unite to Jesus on the Cross.”  In the Gospel of John, Jesus prayed that “they may be one, even as We are one.” Mother Mary Salvador says it is important to pray together. The impact of prayer is greater when “we all speak together. It’s important that we do this unanimously.”

The entire article is available from the St. Louis Review.  Let us join them as we pray with one voice to the Father:

Almighty God, Father of all nations,

For freedom you have set us free in Christ Jesus (Gal 5:1).

We praise and bless you for the gift of religious liberty,

the foundation of human rights, justice, and the common good.

Grant to our leaders the wisdom to protect and promote our liberties;

by your grace may we have the courage to defend them, for our­selves and for all those who live in this blessed land. We ask this through the intercession of Mary Immaculate, our patroness, and in the name of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ,

in the unity of the Holy Spirit, with whom you live and reign,

one God, forever and ever.

Amen.

News

Maximilian Saint of Auschwitz Drama

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For those of you in the Chicagoland area, the IRL and Marytown (home to the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe) are sponsoring Maximilian: Saint of Auschwitz, a drama performed FREE by Leonardo Defilippis of St. Luke Productions on Sunday, September 23, 2012, @ 6:30 PM, at the University of St. Mary of the Lake Auditorium in Mundelein, Illinois.

There is no charge for the performance but you must register in advance by calling Marytown at (847)367-7800 ext 226 or visit the Marytown Gift Shop at 1600 West Park Avenue in Libertyville, IL, 60048.

The Conventual Franciscans of the St. Bonaventure Province, an IRL Affiliate, are the guardians of the shrine to St. Maximilian. Their beautiful chapel has adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, open to the public, 365 days a year, 24 hours a day. It is located on the property adjacent to the Mundelein Seminary where the drama will take place. Stop by and pay the Lord a visit!

 

News, Resources

He Speaks To You

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Sr. Helena Burns, FSP, has written a book that is the perfect gift for any young woman starting out in life. But while geared to women in particular, it is a wonderful exercise in spiritual formation for anyone seeking to grow in God’s grace. The goal of everyone should be to become the person God created us to be and with the help of this gem of a book, Sr. Helena invites us to open our hearts “to let the Word Himself love you and become incarnate in you.”

The book has a series of reflections, to-do’s, suggestions and scriptures for each day of the year (even a leap year day is included!). Timeless thoughts from saints, reflections by sisters from other congregations,  recommendations for book reading both old and new, websites to visit, Church documents to pray over are just a few of the items in this content-rich book.

Each month has a theme: God’s love, His life, His Cross, His Will, His family, His majesty, His ways, In His image, In His service, His Mother, His Kingdom and In His arms (last things). Here is one sample of a day.

May 28

Do you know where you came from? From Me! But your existence is the culmination of a long chain of history!

God’s Word: Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the Lord” (Psalm 102:18) .

Words of Wisdom: It is commonly said that whoever doesn’t know history is bound to repeat it. Get to know your roots: your family history, ethnic history, and world history, but most of all get to know your spiritual history by reading and studying salvation history: the Bible and Church history.

To Do:  Read the Acts of the Apostles and watch A.D. or Peter and Paul. Read Church history like A Compact History of the Catholic Church by Alan Schreck. Get a good Bible commentary to help you verse by verse like The New Jerome Biblical Commentary or Collegeville Bible Commentary.

To Journal: How would you describe your little place in the universe? Read Max Ehrmann’s famous poem, “Desiderata” for inspiration.

Prayer: Dear Jesus, no one is an outsider, unplanned, or an accident. Each of us was loved by You from all eternity. I rejoice in my little place in Your creation and kingdom!

I plan to give this book to a young women who is considering religious life. But it is a book that will speak to everyone. I have made a New Year’s resolution (a little early) to faithfully read this book every day starting January 1.

News

The Tyburn Tree of Life

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A thriving community of cloistered Benedictine women religious in London, England, is situated near the site where 100 Catholic  men and women were executed during the Protestant Reformation. Located just yards from the site of the infamous Tyburn Tree or King’s Gallows, their crypt honors the more than 350  Catholics who died for their Faith. As their website says, the martyr’s blood turned a tree of death into a Tree of Life.

The first Tyburn martyr was a Carthusian who refused to accept the  supremacy of King Henry VIII over the Church of England. The last martyr was St. Oliver Plunkett,  Archbishop and Primate of Ireland, who was drawn to  the gallows on a hurdle (sled) in his pontifical robes. Margaret Ward was hung by her hands and flogged for smuggling a rope to a priest in prison and ultimately hanged. Relics to be seen include straw and linens stained with the blood of 5 Jesuit martyrs and a bone from the finger of St. John Roberts, OSB, who was hanged, drawn and quartered for being a Catholic priest.

The community at Tyburn, The Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of Montmartre, was founded by Marie-Adele Garnier, OSB, in 1898 who desired to offer to the Sacred Heart of Jesus a continual homage of love and reparation. Forced to flee France because of religious persecution, they came to London in 1901 and were encouraged by a Cardinal to set up a “shrine at the English field of martyrs.” In 1585, a priest told the court who had sentenced St. Edmund Campion to death, “One day there, where you have put him to death, a religious house will arise, thanks to an important offering.”

After the convent was established, Catholics came forward with the relics that they had kept hidden away for generations. But God’s light is not kept under a bushel basket. From the London convent, that light has resulted in new foundations in New Zealand, Ireland, Scotland, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia and Australia. In 2005, at the invitation of Pope John Paul II, they established a house in Rome.

A DVD on their life can be purchased on their website. Their apostolate is to pray for the Holy Father, the Church, their country and the world. As the article in Contact magazine (which is published by the Confraternity of Christ the Priest) says, “The Tyburn nuns are called to serve God and Holy Church by the hidden ministry of prayer. A deep prayer union with God is the beginning of Heaven; death merely opens the door.”

News

Five Women Lay Their Lives Down for Christ

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On June 2, 2012, 5 Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal pronounced final vows in the presence of Timothy Cardinal Dolan and their founder, Fr. Andrew Apostoli, CFR.

In poverty, they accept the loving care of the Father Who will provide for them for the rest of their lives. In chastity, they will possess Jesus as Spouse. In obedience, their will and the will of God become one.

Cardinal Dolan received the vows and said, “If you observe them, I promise you everlasting life.”

Sr. Lucille Cutrone, Community Servant and founding member, was a New York City Public School teacher who had as her spiritual director the Servant of God, Fr. Walter Ciszek, SJ. From the wilderness of Siberia to the soup kitchens of East Harlem, nothing is beyond the reach of God and no meeting is impossible to orchestrate!

Congratulations to Sr. Francesca, Sr. Monica, Sr. Mary Pieta, Sr. Joseph, and Sr. Maria Teresa.

Women's Communities

I Meet Him Every Day

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Sr. Mary Mercedes, PVMI, of the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate tells a beautiful story in this month’s The Parish Visitor about meeting Christ (She says she meets Him every day in His children, old and young) in an elderly man she saw hobbling down the street. From his shabby clothes and thin face, she could see that he had not had a good meal in a long time. She came to find out that he had been evicted from his apartment and was sleeping in a hallway where a kind neighbor gave him a little food.

The man was not Catholic but when asked if he would like to live with the Little Sisters of the Poor, he said, “I’d be glad to go and live with them!” That very day, they went to the Little Sisters who fussed over him, gave him a warm coat and hat and invited him to their home. He went back to collect his meager belongings but said to Sr. Mary Mercedes, “You know I still have my pride. I never lost it.”

A year later, Sister Mary Mercedes visited the Little Sisters and was told that the man was still with them, was happy and was going to daily Mass.

What wonderful ministries these 2 communities have. One seeks out the lost and forsaken and the other gives them a home.

 

Cloistered life, Women's Communities

Monastic Stillness and Life

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Our website, www.cloisteredlife.com, has a beautiful description of a “Day in the Life” of a cloistered Carmelite nun. The nun is from the Carmelite Monastery of the Holy Cross in Iron Mountain, MI, which has a community of 17 nuns, including externs.

How beautiful to hear first thing every morning: “Praised be Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary, His Mother. Come to prayer, Sisters, come to praise the Lord!” As Sister says, “These few words capture the essence of what a Carmelite’s whole life is all about; namely, prayer and praise of God.”

One handy feature of our website is a glossary of terms for the cloistered life. I have to admit that Sister’s use of the term Hebdomadary threw me for a loop. A hebdomadary I come to find out is the sister (or monk) whose duty it is to begin and end the Hours of the Divine Office and the Solemn “Salve,” and to lead the prayers at the graces before and after meals. A hebdomadarian is the one who carries out this task.

Also, please say a prayer for the repose of the soul of Sr. Elizabeth Marie of the Holy Trinity, OCD, who died at the monastery on August 30th at age 70. She is survived by six brothers and seven sisters including Sister Pauline Marie, OCD, and Sister Verone, OSF. What examples the parents must have set before them to nurture these vocations to the Church!