Category Archives: Cloistered life

Cloistered life, Eremitic Life

Pro Orantibus Resources Now Available Online

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On November 21 (the Memorial of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple), the Church will celebrate World Day of Cloistered Life, an ecclesial event for all Catholics worldwide to commemorate the hidden lives of contemplative religious in cloisters and monasteries. On this day, the faithful are encouraged to reach out to the cloistered religious in their diocese, through prayer, encouragement, and material support.

We’ve put together some free, downloadable resources to help your community celebrate this event:

Some concrete ways to support cloistered communities are: participating in a novena and offering up Masses, writing notes of appreciation to contemplative communities, visiting them, and making a special point to teach families, religious education classes, youth groups, etc., about the tremendous value of the contemplative life.

Pope Francis has said, “It is a good opportunity to thank the Lord for the gift of so many people who, in monasteries and hermitages, dedicate themselves to God in prayer and silent work.”

Cloistered life, News, Women's Communities

Visitation Sisters Celebrate Jubilee Year for the 100th Anniversary of the Canonization of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque

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On May 13, 2020, the Order of the Visitation we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the canonization of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, VHM. To celebrate this occasion, they obtained from the Apostolic Penitentiary of Rome the grace of a Jubilee Year for all of the monasteries of the Order of the Visitation and the grace of a plenary indulgence to all those who pass through the doors of their Monastery chapels.

The year will open on October 16, 2019 and will close on October 17, 2020.

The usual conditions of a plenary indulgence apply:

  • To be in a state of grace
  • To go to Confession and to receive Holy Communion within 20 days preceding or following
  • To pray for the intentions of the Holy Father

… on the following dates:

  • October 16, 2019 Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, VHM
  • January 24, 2020 Solemnity of St. Francis de Sales
  • May 13, 2020 100th Anniversary of the Canonization of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, VHM
  • May 31, 2020 Solemnity of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary
  • June 19, 2020 Solemnity of the Sacred Heart
  • August 12, 2020 Solemnity of St. Jane de Chantal
  • October 16, 2020 Feast of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, VHM
  • Monthly First Fridays

A video was produced by VocationPromotion.com explaining the timeless significance of the messages of the Sacred Heart of Jesus to Saint Margaret Mary in support of this Jubilee Year.

When requesting this grace from the Apostolic Penitentiary, the Visitation nuns  expressed the reason for this Jubilee as follows:

“ [. . .] Desiring to be renewed (in the mission received by our Holy Order of the Visitation), so that the love of the Heart of Jesus might further shine forth over the world, we have thought that the grace of a Jubilee Year, with the possibility of a plenary indulgence, could also allow the numerous faithful who frequent the chapels of our monasteries to intimately experience the love of the Heart of Jesus, and to render him ‘love for love’ according to the desire that he himself had expressed to Saint Margaret Mary.

There are four Visitation Monasteries that are Affiliates of the IRL located in:

Snellville, Georgia

 

 

 

 

 

Tyringham, Massachusets

 

 

 

 

 

Toledo, Ohio

 

 

 

 

 

Mobile, Alabama

 

Cloistered life, News, Women's Communities

Dominican Monastery in Marbury, Alabama, Celebrates 75th Jubilee

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This year, the Dominican nuns of the Monastery of St. Jude in Marbury, Alabama, are celebrating their 75th anniversary. 

How it began is truly divinely inspired…

In the 1930’s, Mother Mary of Jesus, the prioress of the cloistered Dominican Sisters of the Perpetual Rosary in Catonsville, Maryland, saw as in a vision a race riot, with a crowd of angry people with clubs in hand engaged in a violent struggle. Then the scene changed and the same mob knelt in prayer, each one with a rosary in hand. On the hill in the distance there was a monastery with Sisters of all races praying the rosary with arms outstretched before the Blessed Sacrament. Mother Mary of Jesus felt that God was indicating His desire that there should be an interracial community where any young Catholic woman called to live the cloistered, contemplative life would be welcome. Mother Mary of Jesus died on November 18, 1939, having confided her “dream,” as she called it, to Mother Mary Dominic.

When a young woman was denied entrance to Catonsville because of her race, the time seemed right. Mother Mary Dominic and Mother Mary of the Child Jesus obtained permission to write bishops around the country. Mutual friends put them in touch with Bishop Thomas J. Toolen of Mobile, Alabama. He extended a kind welcome and introduced them to Fr. Purcell, who had long desired a monastery of Contemplative Sisters at the City of St. Jude.

Aspirants came and tried their vocation and in time the first two young women persevered to make Perpetual Vows, June 13, 1950. As more Sisters were received, the little house began to bulge at the seams. Dreams and plans for a “real monastery” were discussed and put away for a future day. To ease the strain of limited space, the Sisters installed a folding stairway to the attic. On Archbishop Toolen’s next visit, he was shown their achievement and asked again for permission to build. Archbishop considered a moment, looked at Mother Mary Dominic with a twinkle in his eye and said, “Yes Mother, go ahead. If the Sisters can help, you will save a lot on expenses.” On January 1, 1953, the bulldozer arrived to begin construction. On October 28, 1953, the Sisters moved into the new half-built monastery, which was completed over the ensuing years as funds allowed, forming the simple yet cherished building they have today.

Sheltered within the cloister walls, the Sisters were already living the harmony and equality before God and man that were so hotly contested in society during the 1960’s. Young women continued to be drawn to give their lives to God; in the monastery, no racial tensions arose to mar the focus on love of God and of the Sisters. When Mother Mary Dominic went to her eternal reward on July 20, 1966, she knew that her life’s work had been an offering acceptable to God. Today, they continue to give their lives to God for the salvation of souls, grateful that the community is no longer unique in admitting young women of any race.

As the tumult of the ‘60’s and ‘70’s rocked both society and the Church, the cloister at Marbury represented an oasis of stability and tradition to the young women who entered during this time. Until her death on June 2, 1980, Mother Mary of the Child Jesus wisely protected the community from disturbances and ensured that the Sisters received authentic Catholic teaching.

The community was founded as a monastery of cloistered contemplative Dominican Sisters of the Perpetual Rosary, a branch of the Dominican family specifically dedicated to honoring Our Lady and interceding for souls through the perpetual recitation of the Rosary. From the beginning, the Mother Foundresses had desired to continue their life of Rosary devotion more closely united to the Dominican Order as papally enclosed nuns. With a new edition of the Church’s canon law and the need for updated Constitutions, the time seemed ripe. On August 15, 1995, all the Sisters in the community joyfully pronounced their Solemn Profession as Nuns of the Order of Preachers.

Hour after hour, the Sisters succeed each other praying the Rosary, for Mary’s honor and in intercession for the needs of the world. Our Mothers bequeathed to us a tender love for Our Lady, in our Dominican spirit, as we live out Total Consecration to Jesus through Mary.

Please visit their website for more information!

(Information gleaned from their 75th Jubilee Newsletter)

Cloistered life, News

Habemus Prioram = The Dominican Nuns at the Monastery of the Infant Jesus in Lufkin, TX, Elect New Prioress

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On July 12,  under the Presidency of Most Rev. Joseph Strickland of Tyler, the Dominican nuns of Lufkin, Texas, elected a new prioress: Sister Mary Margaret, OP.

Sister was born in Aurora IL and originally entered the Dominican Sisters of Springfield IL. Shortly before her final vows she discerned her vocation to the cloister and came to Lufkin in 1972. Previous to being elected prioress, Sister Mary Margaret was Sub-Prioress and in charge of the Print Shop. Sister is very talented artistically, as well as practically and spatially (i.e., she would have been a good engineer). Sister is also the Liturgist and principal organist. So please pray for her, she has her hands full! And pray for all the nuns as well. The rest of the community now awaits their new work assignments for the next three years.

They also express deep thanks to Sister Maria Guadalupe who concluded her six years of totally selfless service to the community. God reward you, Sister!

Cloistered life, News

Letter Announcing Closing of the Carmelite Monastery – Hague, ND

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J.M. ♰ J.T.                                                                                   April 2019

Carmel of the Holy Face of Jesus Discalced Carmelite Nuns
2051 91st. St. SE
Hague, ND 58542
Phone: 701-336-7907

Dear Friends and Benefactors of Carmel,

Praised be Jesus Christ! When we first came to the Diocese of Bismarck 5 years ago, we enthusiastically set about arranging things so that we could remain for at least 100 years and all of you have been so supportive and generous in helping us. One of the first things we did was to establish the boundaries of our enclosure area which is very important to cloistered contemplative religious. A privacy fence and a chain link fence were put up and many trees were donated and planted. With all the proper permissions we began planning for a monastery that would house all the nuns that would soon be entering. We even obtained 2 mobile homes — one to temporarily serve as a Novitiate and one for a Guest House. God was blessing these efforts and we thought that God was answering the prayer that all of you have been saying with us for the permanent establishment of the Carmel of the Holy Face of Jesus.

Yet, a very short time ago, we have been faced with the possibility that maybe the answer to this prayer is no — such are the mysterious designs of God’s Will. We are not obliged to understand why things turn out the way they do but just to cooperate with them when His Will becomes apparent. So it is with great sadness that we are writing to inform you of the decision that has been made by our Superiors to close the Carmel of the Holy Face of Jesus. (The voice of our superiors is a most sure sign of the Will of God.) We do not have the required minimum number of nuns to remain open. With the Instruction for contemplative nuns (Cor Orans) which was issued from our Superiors in Rome in May of 2018, the minimum number of Professed Sisters required in order to be able to have a Novitiate and receive new members is 5. We have only 4 and our Monastery in Alexandria, South Dakota (from which we originally came) does not have any other Sisters to send to us. It is on this account that we are having to return to South Dakota.

Though the closing of the Carmel of the Holy Face of Jesus comes as a great disappointment to us and to all of you, we need to rely totally on our Faith in God that He is working some marvelous wonders of sanctity through this sudden turn of events. Trusting in the Goodness of God who has provided so bountifully for us these past 5 years, we cannot stop trusting Him now. Trusting in the Lord does not mean that if we pray the right prayer long enough and fervently enough that God will change His mind and let us stay. Trusting in God means believing that God is working through these circumstances to accomplish His loving plan for each one of us and that obeying our superiors will be the best thing for us… even if we don’t understand right now why it has to happen this way. Fortunately, as you have heard from us many times before, our main objective in establishing a monastery here was not just to build a monastic structure for ourselves – we have wanted to build faith in the hearts of individuals, of families and of parishes throughout the diocese of Bismarck and all of you who write and call from across the United States and beyond. This has been our main goal and we will continue to strive to fulfill it just the same, but from a different geographical location. There are no state boundaries where God’s love is concerned. You will ever have a special place in our hearts and prayers. We cannot but marvel at the bounteous Providence of God that we have experienced through the goodness and kindness of each one of you from the very day of our arrival in Hague up to this present moment, and we ask our most loving Father to abundantly reward each one, filling you to overflowing with His choicest blessings, as indeed we know He will.

There are, of course, a number of practical matters that must be taken care of in this process:

1) Mass stipends: Many people have sent us requests for Masses and our remaining time here will not be sufficient to have them all offered in our Chapel. Any Masses that are left will either be entrusted to our Chaplain, Fr. Leonard Eckroth, or sent to the priest at the Bismarck mission in Kenya.

2) Perpetual Enrollments: Those who have been enrolled in the perpetual prayers of the Sisters of the Carmel of the Holy Face of Jesus will now be added to the enrollment register in the Monastery of Our Mother of Mercy & St. Joseph in Alexandria, S.D., to which we will be returning. Please be assured that those perpetual prayers WILL CONTINUE to be offered!

3) Donated items: If anyone has donated something to the Carmel of the Holy Face of Jesus which is of sentimental value to themselves and they would wish these items to remain in a convent here in North Dakota please contact us as soon as possible, no later than June 15th. (701-336-7907) All those who have generously given to us will now be considered benefactors of our Sisters in Alexandria as well and will remain in our grateful prayers.

4) Building Fund: We had already contracted with our architect for the design/development of phase one before we received the news that we might be returning to Alexandria, and since the decision was not yet definitive, the work proceeded as agreed upon. Thus, all “donor designated” funds that were set aside for the building project have in fact been used toward planning for that intended end. If our present situation, so different from the hoped-for results of your generous gifts, presents a difficulty for those who donated to the building project, or for any other of our donors, please contact us and we will see what we are able to do. All the remaining funds of the Carmel of the Holy Face of Jesus will now provide for us at the Monastery of Our Mother of Mercy and St. Joseph in Alexandria, SD.

5) Present correspondence: Due to the many preparations needed for our return to Alexandria (which is scheduled for late summer), we will be unable to continue our correspondence beyond necessary business. Please be assured of our continued prayers for ALL of your intentions, despite our inability to respond by letter.

6) Future correspondence: For those of you who would like to continue participating in Carmelite Novenas and in requesting prayers throughout the year, you may contact us at the following address:

Carmelite Monastery
P.O. Box 67 a
Alexandria, S.D. 57311

You may also call in prayer requests at: (605) 239-4382.

We give thanks to our Father in Heaven for the countless blessings He has showered on us during our time in North Dakota and we ask Him to continue to bless all of you for your kind charity towards us. We ask you to join us in praying daily the enclosed Prayer for Vocations to the Contemplative Life, entreating Our Blessed Savior to renew and increase the contemplative life and, thereby, His whole Mystical Body, the Church. May our good Jesus grant that through an abundant outpouring of His Holy Spirit in our day, true contemplative vocations would abound, making it possible for the Diocese of Bismarck to one day have her own contemplative monastery.

May the Lord bless you and keep you.
May the Lord make His Face to shine upon you,
and be gracious to you.
May the Lord lift up His Countenance upon you,
and give you peace.
Num. 6:24-26

Gratefully in Jesus, Mary and St. Joseph

Mother Mary Baptist of the Virgin of Carmel, O.C.D. and Community

 

Cloistered life, News

Carmelite Monastery in Launceston, Tasmania, Joins St. Joseph Association

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The Carmelite Monastery in Launceston, Tasmania, recently received approval from the Holy See to join St Joseph’s Association of Carmelite Monasteries in the US.

The Carmels that are part of this Association choose to live a traditional interpretation of the Rule given to them by St. Teresa of Avila.

The principal aims of the Association are:

In all the member monasteries of the Association, papal enclosure is observed, the full Carmelite habit is worn, and the traditional austerity of the Order is joyfully embraced.

Sprinkled into this blog post is artwork done by one of the Carmelite nuns in Launceston, Sr. Christina Mary of the Incarnation. She was tremendously encouraged by Pope Saint John Paul II’s Letter to Artists and continued on with her artistic works after entering religious life.

Launceston Carmel was founded from the Carmel in Adelaide, Australia, in June 1948 in the town of Longford, Tasmania. (Do you know that Australia was originally called by the early explorers “the Great South Land of the Holy Spirit”?)

The community moved to the present monastery built in the hills of West Launceston in April 1975 at the request of the then Archbishop Guilford Young to be nearer the priests and people. The parish priests in Launceston offer daily Mass which a small regular congregation also attend.

Carmelite Monastery
7 Cambridge St
Launceston TAS 7250
Australia
email: tascarmel1@gmail.com

Cloistered life, News, Women's Communities

Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey Welcomed as a New Affiliate

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The IRL is pleased to welcome Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey as a new Affiliate Member. The Abbey is a cloistered, monastic community of 20 nuns of the Cistercians of Strict Observance (Trappist), striving to follow Jesus Christ through a life of prayer, silence, simplicity and ordinary work.

The Abbey was founded in 1964 when 13 nuns left the Mount Saint Mary Abbey in Wrentham, MA, to found an new community near Dubuque, Iowa.  Situated on a bluff overlooking the  Mississippi River, the nuns support themselves though the Trappistine Creamy Caramels they make themselves and sell by mail.

Seven times a day the nuns gather in the Abbey to sing God’s praises. All of their liturgies are open to the public. Four small guest houses are available for individuals or small groups wishing to make a private retreat in a beautiful, peaceful setting.

Stay in your cell, and your cell will teach you everything.

– Sayings of the Desert Fathers

Cloistered life, News, Women's Communities

Sr. Mary Wilhelmina, OSB, first Prioress of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, Dies at Age 95

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From the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles….
+PAX
Dear Family, Friends and Benefactors,
Mother Abbess and the Sisters humbly request your prayers for the soul of our beloved Sister Mary Wilhelmina of the Most Holy Rosary, osb (née Mary Elizabeth Lancaster) who passed away peacefully at 8:35 PM on Wednesday, May 29th, 2019 having been strengthened by the Last Sacraments and the entire community surrounding her in prayer. It seems Our Lord could not have granted a more consoling departure from the community, who loved her so dearly.
Sister became unresponsive on Saturday morning. Nevertheless, several times she joined in as best she could while the Sisters sang Marian hymns and prayed the Rosary between Sunday and Wednesday. She also briefly smiled at the Sisters gathered around her.
On May 29th, the feast of the Ascension having begun with First Vespers, the whole community assembled at 7:00 PM in Sister’s cell while Mother Abbess read to Sister Wilhelmina and all of us the various notes of assurance of prayers, along with prayer requests from family and friends. At this time Sister was not actively conscious, though it cannot be doubted that she indeed was taking all to heart. After singing some more of her favorite Marian hymns, the community chanted Compline in her cell. As Mother Abbess was giving the traditional sprinkling of holy water to the community, peacefully and without a struggle, Sister Wilhelmina breathed forth her last breath immediately after Mother Abbess blessed her with holy water, as the Sisters finished the antiphon Vidi aquam.
Sister Wilhelmina once was asked who was her favorite Benedictine saint, she replied, “St. Bede the Venerable, of course! I became a Benedictine on his feast you know.” 1300 years ago on this very feast, St. Bede the Venerable also expired peacefully as the evening Offices were being completed. Though it was Rogation Wednesday, according to Liturgical accounting he is said to have died on the Ascension, since First Vespers of this feast had been chanted, and it was an hour after sunset. Following not only in her beloved saint’s footsteps in the love of the Divine Office and our Blessed Lady, our dear Sister Wilhelmina followed him even in the manner of death.
Sister’s final words were “O Maria” on Tuesday afternoon, as the Sisters sang one of her favorite hymns: “Hail Holy Queen Enthroned Above.”
Sister Wilhelmina has long been the treasure of the community, both by right as our first Prioress and through her exemplary conduct as a Bride of Christ. We are deeply saddened at the loss of her beautiful example. Sister Wilhelmina recently celebrated her 75th anniversary of vows and her 95th birthday, so we remain deeply grateful to God for her persevering fidelity and faithful service.
Many years ago, our first chaplain asked Sister Wilhelmina “why did you become a religious?” Her instantaneous reply was: “because I was in love with Our Lord.” It could be easily said even in her declining years that she never fell out of love with Him. Let us unite in loving prayers that the love she bore for her Divine Bridegroom likewise bears her directly to His embrace.
All are invited to pay prayerful respects at the wake, which will begin immediately in the Chapter House at the Abbey until the Funeral Mass. Traditionally, a silent wake is kept so that the community may take turns praying the psalms, so we do ask that all talking cease upon entry into Chapter House on the southeast side of the church. The Funeral Mass (Requiem) will be offered in the Abbey church at11:00 AM on Friday, May 31st. Sr. Wilhelmina will be buried at the Abbey cemetery immediately following Mass. All are welcome to the reception to follow in the basement of the Abbey Church.
Thank you for your many prayers for the soul of dear Sr. Wilhelmina, and for our entire community. May God bless and reward you all.
In Corde Mariae,
Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles

Cloistered life

A Carmelite Artist in Tasmania Inspired by Faith

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Those who perceive in themselves this kind of divine spark which is the artistic vocation—as poet, writer, sculptor, architect, musician, actor and so on—feel at the same time the obligation not to waste this talent but to develop it, in order to put it at the service of their neighbor and of humanity as a whole.                                                                                                             —Pope John Paul II, “Letter to Artists” (April 4, 1999)

One of the beautiful Carmelite monasteries listed on our new CloisteredLife.com website is the Discalced Carmelite Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Tasmania.  The nuns have long been receiving our magazine Religious Life and we are happy to be united with them in spirit across the ocean on our website.

Last Sunday, they hosted an art exhibition at the monastery because they have a wonderful artist-in-residence—Sr. Christina Mary, O.C.D., who entered Carmel in 1999. She comes from a family of artists and her whole upbringing was characterized by art and faith. Sister Christina graduated college with an honors degree in art and wondered if her art would distract her from living fully the Carmelite life. But her superior and novice mistress at the time realized “that God was working in and through my art and so they gave me permission to continue.”

The date chosen for the exhibition recalled St. John Paul II’s “Letter to Artists” issued on April 4, 1999, Easter Sunday, in which he said: “…my hope for all of you who are artists is that you will have an especially intense experience of creative inspiration. May the beauty which you pass on to generations still to come be such that it will stir them to wonder! Faced with the sacredness of life and of the human person, and before the marvels of the universe, wonder is the only appropriate attitude.”

Mother Teresa Benedicta of the Cross said that Sr. Christina Mary’s work continues a centuries-old tradition of nuns and monks involved in creative pursuits. “All the Sisters are encouraged to develop their gifts in creative ways,” she said, “which gives glory to God and is an extension of our prayerful pondering of the Word of God and the mysteries of Christ, and also provides relaxation and human flourishing in manifold ways.”

The Australian Carmel in Launceston was founded in June 1948 and moved to its present location in April 1975. Their life of prayer and sacrifice in solitude, in strict papal enclosure as desired by St. Teresa and given by the Church, is for the sake of the Church and the world, supported by life in community. They wear the habit of Our Lady of Mount Carmel as a sign of our consecration.

The Cloister Grounds

Sister Christina Mary accepts commissions for new paintings and  relies on photos, her imagination and the sky above to find her inspiration, though they have a great vista down the Tamar Valley in northern Tasmania. Mother Teresa Benedicta says: “Please God, it will draw people to Our Lord through the beauty of her art.”

Cloistered life, Consecrated Virgins, Discernment, General interest, News, Pro-life, Reflection, Resources, Saints, Vocations, Women's Communities

New Website Alert: Poor Clare Colettine Nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery in Rockford, IL

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In the Fall of 2017, a seminarian for the Diocese of Rockford, Jack Reichardt began exchanging letters with Poor Clares Mother Abbess, Mother Maria Dominica, PCC, in order to obtain permission and discuss building a new website for the local monastery, home to twenty professed nuns.

Finally meeting at the Monastery in January, Reichardt and Mother Dominica decided that the site should serve two purposes:

  1. To appear to an audience of those women who may be discerning a call to the consecrated life as a Poor Clare nun, and
  2.  To appeal to the faithful who would like to visit with the Poor Clares in prayer.

Having taken a web design course while in high school, Reichardt wanted to put his hobby to use and build something worthy of the Poor Clares that reflected their “beautiful life, that is chaste and pure and prayerful” where people could find out more about their history, life, and vocation.

Click here: Poor Clare Colettine Nuns of Rockford, Illinois | JMJ+FCC

In gratitude for his hard work, one of the sisters offered the following remarks:

“[Jack’s] deliberation and prayerfulness impressed us very much, and his competence to create a site that is simple but beautiful and which effectively reflects our way of life has been crowned with success. We are grateful to him and to all those who contributed!”