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)
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The IRL welcomes our newest Affiliate Community—the Congregation of Norbertine Sisters in Wilmington, California. They are the newest branch on the Norbertine Order which lives according to the age-old inspiration of St. Norbert (1080-1134) and the Rule of St. Augustine.
In 2006, Rev. Thomas Nelson, O.Praem., from St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County, California, spoke with the Norbertine Sisters’ Superior General, Mother Hermana, about establishing a new community of active Norbertine sisters in the USA. In 2011, three sisters from Slovakia responded to that invitation and came to Wilmington, California to live in the convent belonging to SS. Peter and Paul Parish.
As Norbertines, they are not bound to any specific apostolate, but in the spirit of St. Norbert, are “prepared for every good work.” Currently, they operate the Poverty Program which provides food and clothing for over 700 families, teach religious education to children and adults, staff the parish bookstore, and work in the sacristy. In the spirit of St. Norbert, the Congregation has sought to maintain a balance between liturgical prayer, zeal for souls, and contemplation.
