General interest, Saints

The Amazing Life and Death of Bl. James Kern, O.Praem.

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Many of you know that our National Director, Fr. Thomas Nelson, O.Praem., prayed to Bl. James Kern during his recent battle and miraculous recovery from mouth cancer. Here is the story behind this beloved Norbertine.

The amazing life and death of Blessed James Kern

“Throw yourself into the breach!”

By Sr. Joanna Marie, L.M.

          “Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (Jn 15:13). This verse describes the beautiful life of Bl. James Kern, a priest, soldier, and true hero of the Church. Here is his little-known story:

A baby boy, Francis Alexander (Blessed James Kern), was born on April 11, 1897, in Vienna, Austria, to Francis and Anna Kern. When Anna was pregnant with her son, she visited a Marian Shrine and prayed that if her child was a boy he would be called to become a priest. She promised Our Lady that she would do all she could to teach her child how to be holy and to love and revere the priestly calling.

When Francis was four or five years old, he received some ordinary toys for Christmas. His mother asked if he liked them and was shocked when he sadly answered: “No,” explaining that he had hoped to receive “an altar with candlesticks and candles and flowers.” His parents soon found a play altar for him.

Francis entered the minor seminary at age eleven. His life was built upon prayer and he received Holy Communion daily. He was intensely devoted to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Blessed Virgin Mary. His classmates appreciated his joyful and childlike spirit and noticed that he was one of the happiest young men in their peer group. He enjoyed a good joke and had a quick sense of humor! Caring for the sacristy was his favorite assignment during his time in the minor seminary, as he loved deeply the Sacred Liturgy. He loved to use his strong clear voice to sing, praising the Lord with his brothers in their times of communal prayer.

Francis was studying diligently with his eyes fixed on the goal of the priesthood when World War I broke out. On October 15, 1915, at age 18, Francis reported to fight for his country with the 50th infantry in Salzburg. A devoted patriot, Francis was proud to be a soldier of the emperor. But he was a soldier for God before all else and was unashamed to openly practice his faith, serving at Holy Mass (while wearing his military uniform under the cassock) despite the ridicule of some of his fellow soldiers.

On New Year’s Day, 1916, Francis knelt adoring Jesus Christ exposed in the monstrance in Saint Blase’s Church in Salzburg, Austria. The soldier made a request of His Lord that would soon be granted. He prayed… to be showered with suffering. His deepest wish was to be like Jesus, Who suffered for the sake of others.

Francis’ life changed forever on September 10, 1916 when his platoon was attacked by Italian forces. During the attack, he witnessed one of his comrades fall mortally wounded. Francis was deeply saddened and said the prayers for the dying with the man. The attack continued, and Francis bravely fought on. The following day, he was struck with a bullet, sustaining severe wounds to his lungs and liver.

When Francis finally arrived at a hospital two days later, his wounds were infected, and he had a high fever. To the amazement of the doctors and nurses, the suffering seminarian-soldier was heard singing: “Trust my soul, confidently trust in the Lord. He helps those who trust in Him. In trial and distress our faithful God will protect you.” For nine months, his life hung in the balance. He battled the infection and endured intense pain and a surgery to remove a piece of one of his ribs. He was awarded the silver medal and promoted to second Lieutenant for his bravery.

When he was strong enough, Francis returned to the seminary. For a time, he was excused from military service due to his weakened health. However, he was called to fight again and returned to the battlefield.

The war ended in 1918, leaving political chaos in its stead. This confusion and revolutionary spirit did not leave the Catholic Church untouched. In the newly established “Czechoslovakia,” a dissident Czech “national church” was being founded by a group of misguided priests and religious. This “national church” was not in union with the Pope. One of the leaders of this movement was a priest named Isidore Bogdan Zahradnik, a member of the religious community called the Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Norbertines. The press found out about this scandal and spread the story like wildfire.

Abbey of Geras in Austria

Francis was profoundly affected when the news reached him. He felt deeply the pain that the fall from grace of this priest was causing the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Recalling the experience of seeing his comrade fall mortally wounded on the battlefield, Francis realized this was far worse. A priest—one of God’s soldiers in the battle for souls—had fallen. He heard an interior voice from deep in his soul saying: “Throw yourself into the breach! Take the place of the deserter!” He knew what he had to do. He would enter the Norbertine Order and take the place of this fallen priest. In this way he would make direct atonement to the Sacred Heart of Jesus as a sacrificial soul. His spiritual director recognized this as a unique inspiration and wanted to test that it was truly from God. He advised Francis to wait for one year before joining the Norbertines. At the end of the year, Francis’ desire was stronger than ever. On October 18, 1920, he entered the Norbertine Abbey of Geras and received the religious name “James.”

During his seminary days and time of religious formation, James often prayed, “Dear God, let me live to offer the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass at least once.” His deep and persistent longing would soon be fulfilled. On July 23, 1922, he was ordained to the Holy Priesthood. The prayer of his mother Anna was answered! On August 1, 1922, James had the joy of offering his first Holy Mass. He did so at the convent of a group of sisters who had provided hospitality to him during his time as a soldier-seminarian. The sisters, and indeed all the people from the surrounding village, were overjoyed. Dressed in traditional folk costumes, the villagers gathered in church to celebrate and pray with the new priest. James recounted in his writings: “My first Mass was filled with jubilation. It was like Palm Sunday and Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem. Now I am entering my Holy Week.”

As a young priest, Father James poured himself out tirelessly for the people of the small villages in which he ministered. His sermons drew more and more of the faithful. People were struck by his strong faith and could tell that he spoke from his heart. Many sinners were inspired to be reconciled with God through the Sacrament of Penance. Father James rejoiced every time he was able to bring one of God’s prodigal children back to Him by absolving their sins in the confessional.

The sick and suffering were very dear to him. It never mattered to him if he was called at an inconvenient hour or had to travel a far distance to minister to them. He would travel quickly, praying as he went and encouraging those accompanying him to do so as well. He showed the same compassion for children and young people by teaching them religion and organizing groups and associations to help them grow strong in their faith. He often prayed: “Lord, You may take everything else from me, but give me souls.” As Our Lord thirsted while hanging on the cross, Blessed James was consumed—body and soul—by this thirst after souls. His already fragile health was rapidly declining.

Things came to a crisis on August 10, 1923. Father James had to be taken to the hospital due to hemorrhaging blood and a recurrence of the infection in his chest wound. Because his heart was so weak, he had to undergo surgery without anesthesia. The pain he endured is unimaginable. Initially the surgeon removed three ribs, but soon discovered removing a fourth rib was necessary. Father James made a joke about it, saying he was sorry to be so much trouble! It is reported that he bit through a towel as he silently suffered through horrendous surgery.

During his time in the hospital, Father James edified everyone around him, especially the doctors and nurses who cared for him. He was constantly cheerful, never complained, and showed deep gratitude, despite his intense suffering. His room was next-door to the chapel and he wrote in a letter at that time that having “the Savior for a neighbor is the crowning of all that is good and beautiful. It is a glorious compensation for the little suffering that I bear.” It took months, but he finally recovered enough to return to the Abbey of Geras.

Only a few months of life remained for the faithful priest of God. He gave his final sermon on July 20, 1924. He preached on the importance of loyalty to the Bishops and the Church—the very thing he had given his entire life for. He had only to crown this glorious witness by his death. That day would soon arrive. In September, his health collapsed. He underwent another surgery in which four more ribs were removed. Yet another surgery would be required after he built up his strength. This was not to be, however, and the 27-year-old priest knew it. He foretold that he would not live through this final surgery.

October 20, 1924 was the date scheduled for the operation. Amazingly, this was also the day the young Norbertine was supposed to make his final profession of vows in his religious Order. The evening before the surgery, a Sister caring for Father James was preparing a small altar from which he would receive Holy Communion before the operation. He asked her to please prepare everything as beautifully as possible because “the last Communion should be celebrated as solemnly as the first.” He also said: “Tomorrow I will receive my last Communion and celebrate my solemn profession in heaven.” And that is indeed what happened. The priest of the atonement died on the operating table as the Angelus bells chimed at noon.

James Kern was beatified by Pope John Paul II on June 21, 1998. In his homily the Pope said of Blessed James: “Out of love for Christ he did not selfishly cling to life, but consciously offered it for the good of others.” May we all follow his example of sacrifice. Let us confidently ask his intercession in our needs. He is just one step away from canonization. His prayers must bring about miracles in order for him to be canonized a Saint. God wants us to ask the Saints for their prayers. Blessed James Kern, pray for us!

Men's communities

From Diocesan Priest to Carmelite Friar: A Guide on the journey

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Written by Fr. Michael-Joseph of St Thérèse, OCD from the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians at Holy Hill in Wisconsin

In pursuing a vocation to religious life, often a young man responds to what he perceives as a divine call, enters initial formation and, if there is a vocation to the priesthood, proceeds with studies and priestly formation. If all goes accordingly, he will make solemn profession of vows and be ordained to the diaconate and then to the priesthood. For some religious, however, the path is different. They enter religious life after they have been ordained to the priesthood. While all face obstacles in doing God’s will, I believe a diocesan priest who desires to enter consecrated life will face them intensely. Because of the uniqueness of this journey, priests need encouraging witnesses to show them that they are not alone, and that God will make all things work out if the call is truly from Him.

In my case I found a saintly witness who helped me get past the various road blocks in following this vocation―Bl. Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus. He is the newest Discalced Carmelite Blessed, having been beatified in November of 2016. His compelling story is a great example for all people facing obstacles, but especially for priests who experience the call to embrace a completely new way of being for the Lord.

Bl. Marie-Eugene encouraged me initially through his writings on Carmelite spirituality. As I learned more about his life however, I discovered that he had greater obstacles to overcome in his resolve to enter Carmel than I could have imagined. I consider him a vocational hero in the face of these difficulties.

Henri Giralou (he took the name Marie-Eugene in Carmel) was born in 1894 in the Aveyron region of France. He discerned a call to the priesthood at a young age and entered the minor seminary, but his studies were interrupted by the outbreak of World War I. After distinguishing himself on the front he reentered the seminary in 1919.

As he was on his retreat to prepare to be ordained a subdeacon, he took along a little book about St. John of the Cross that he had been given by a Carmelite nun. During his reading, he had a eureka moment: “This is exactly it!” he thought. He knew he had found his heart’s deepest desire and received an indisputable “call” from the Lord to become a Discalced Carmelite. Though he had never met a Carmelite friar and did not know if there were any in France, he knew God made him to be a Carmelite.

He first approached his seminary spiritual director, a gentle and holy man, in whom he trusted very much. The priest told Henri “absolutely not” and forbade him to speak any more about this folly of an idea. Henri found himself in a crisis for his interior light was so strong, but it was not being confirmed by God’s representative in his life. He was obedient, said not a word, and was left alone with the haunting thought of entering Carmel. It got to a point though that after he was ordained a subdeacon, he said to the Lord: “The spiritual director must bring this up before Easter of this year or I will know this is not really from you.” Lent comes, Holy Week comes, the Triduum comes, and still no word! Henri was on the edge of his pew on Good Friday wondering what would happen. Suddenly his spiritual director came into the chapel, sat beside him, and said out of the blue: “So what is it with this Carmel thing?” Henri explained his experience, now matured over several months. At the end of the meeting, the priest turned to him and said: “If you were not resolved to go to Carmel, I myself would force you to go!”

As the weeks passed, Henri was ordained a deacon and was set to be ordained a priest. He felt he must speak about this to the bishop. Henri was a gifted man with great strength of personality, intellect and heart. He was an incredible leader who distinguished himself in WWI and quickly became the lieutenant of his regiment. The bishop planned to have Henri lead a missionary band of priests to go throughout the diocese to bring back the many fallen away Catholics. Naturally, at the request of Henri to depart for Carmel, the bishop said, “Absolutely not, you will report to your new assignment after ordination and that is all.” Henri was saddened but confident that God would find a way. Several weeks later, the bishop asked the seminary spiritual director: “How is Henri doing?” To which he answered: “He submits to you.” The bishop then recounted that since his meeting with Henri, he had not gotten a good night’s sleep. He could not get Henri’s request off his mind and was convinced that God would not let him rest until he let him go. The bishop told the rector: “Tell Henri he may go!”

The next obstacle was the greatest and most heart wrenching―his mother, a widow who spent the last ten years working numerous jobs to pay for Henri’s seminary education. They were very close and shared a deep love for each other. Her one dream was to retire from her arduous daily labor and live with her son at his rectory as a housekeeper and companion. When Henri told her about his desire to enter Carmel, she was very upset. She believed that he was going to hide away in a cloister and would never see her again. Henri tried to explain that this was a misunderstanding of Carmelite life, but she would not listen to reason. She cursed his path to Carmel and even threatened to take her own life. Henri was completely broken by these encounters.

He did not know what to do. He was about to be ordained a priest and his mother said she would not have any part in his ordination or first mass. Henri knew his mother never went back on her word. He asked God for a miracle: if she came to the ordination this would be the last confirmation that this call to Carmel was from God. Ordination day arrived, and she was not in the pew. Then just as the Mass began, Henri spotted her in a corner. The miracle had happened!

Fr Marie-Eugene with Notre Dame de Vie co-foundress Marie Pila

After ordination, Father Henri spent some days in his hometown making visits and celebrating first Masses before leaving for Carmel. In this brief period, some priest friends accused him publicly of running away from his duties and hurting his family. Three weeks after receiving Holy Orders, Father Henri was received into the novitiate of the Discalced Carmelites, taking the name Fr. Marie-Eugene of the Child Jesus. After much prayer and suffering over two years, his mother was reconciled to her son’s vocation, and they resumed their loving relationship. His life as a Carmelite bore abundant fruit as he took on various leadership roles, bringing    Carmelite spirituality to the Church in an unprecedented way and founding a thriving Secular Institute, Notre Dame de Vie (Our Lady of Life). Part of the Carmelite family, its members live ordinary lives, being fully consecrated to God, for the world, in three autonomous branches for laywomen, laymen and priests.

I believe any priest who feels called to religious life should turn to Bl. Marie-Eugene for prayers and guidance. May he obtain for us the light and strength we need to embark on this completely new path, no matter what the obstacles.

Icon written by a Carmelite nun in Harissa, Lebanon

For more information on his life:

I want to see God & volume II I am a Daughter of the Church Thomas More Publishing (November 1, 1998)

Where the Spirit Breathes (Alba House,1998)

Under the Torrent of His Love (Alba House,1995)

15 Days of prayer with Fr Marie-Eugene (Alba House, 2009)

Jesus Contemplation of the Paschal Mystery (Editions du Carmel;1986)

 

Discernment, General interest, Liturgical Year, News, Reflection, Resources, Saints, Vocations, Women's Communities

New IRL Affiliate Alert: Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa!

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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too… It behooves all of us to preserve the riches which have developed in the Church’s Faith and prayer, and to give them their proper place.”  ​
​- Pope Benedict XVI, concerning the venerable liturgical rites of the Church

We at the IRL are happy to announce a new community added to our roster: Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa!

The Superiors of the Marian Sisters previously belonged to another religious Traditional order, however at the gracious invitation of Robert F. Vasa, Bishop of Santa Rosa, California, they founded a new community “to make visible the invisible reality of God’s love in the Diocese of Santa Rosa.”

As Marian Sisters, they live and love at the heart of the Church.  Their spirituality can be described as Ecclesial, Eucharistic, and Marian.  This is, in part, lived out through their charism of living the fullness of the liturgical life of the Roman Catholic Church – they participate in both the Ordinary Form (Novus Ordo) and also the Extraordinary Form (traditional Latin) in their chapel several times a week and provide the choir for the Extraordinary Form High Mass at the Cathedral each Sunday.

Since their founding, the community has grown and its active apostolates have expanded.  Committed to the spread of the faith in the Diocese, every Sister teaches the Faith in some manner.  While some are formal classroom teachers, most of the Sisters exercise the charism more broadly through children’s catechesis, faith formation groups, retreats and camps, and any other way in which God’s will is made manifest.

Called to a life of total consecration to Christ and His Church, the Sisters take the Blessed Virgin Mary as their inspiration and model and dedicate their time and talents completely to the service of God and neighbor.

The Constitutions of the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa  were approved and canonically erected the community on January 4, 2012.

 

 

Men's communities, News

New Direction for Mercedarian Friars USA – 800th Anniversary Sees Anticipated Growth

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High on a balcony of the lavish Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy in Lima, Peru, a full-size statue of the Blessed Virgin gazes down at pilgrims and tourists.

The Mercedarian friars there have served the parish for centuries, their white habits a familiar sight in the center of town. But although these priests and brothers are well-recognized in many countries of Latin America, including Mexico, they are practically unknown in the United States.

They plan to change all of that – God willing.

“We’ve done a lot of soul-searching over the last few years, and it seems that the Holy Spirit is asking us to reignite our original charism and make some needed changes,” said Fr. Daniel Bowen, OdeM., the vocation director of the Mercedarian friars in the United States.

“It’s taken years, and a lot of discussion and praying, and now we are taking on new responsibilities and doing things in ways different from the past,” Fr. Daniel said. The Order’s growth will certainly be a helpful factor here. They have expanded from five friars in 1970 to 24 today.

A Charism of Redemption

Fr. Daniel said that the Order, known more formally as the Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy, has looked anew at the charism of their order, which is to redeem Christians whose faith is in danger of being lost.

The order was founded in 1218 in Spain by St. Peter Nolasco, who saw the plight of his fellow Christians who were taken captive by Muslims and made into slaves.

“St. Peter Nolasco, our founder, would collect money to redeem Christians held as captives in Muslim countries,” Fr. Daniel said. “Today, we rescue Christians from modern forms of captivity, such as social, political, and psychological forms which place their faith in danger.”

New Ministries of Freedom

The Order looked at one form of captivity – that of families trapped in vicious cycles of failed marriages. So, in 2016 they started a ministry for marriage – the St. Raymond Nonnatus Foundation for Freedom, Family and Faith. The goal of the group is to promote family life according to Catholic moral principles, under the patronage of St. Raymond Nonnatus, another Mercedarian saint.

Also, the U.S. Mercedarians have been given two parishes in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The order has been in the country for at least one hundred years, with friars from a different province serving there. The order has also been to staff two small rural parishes in Jacksonville, FL. This ministry includes acting as chaplains to the nearby prisons. Prison ministry is fully in line with their charism of redemption.

Formation Program Moves Overseas

Their formation program will be changed from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia to Europe for most of the men’s formation. They will initially live in Philadelphia as postulants learning Spanish, spend their novitiate in Spain, and then study at the University of Salamanca, in Spain. Friars headed for the priesthood will study theology in Rome.

“We are becoming much more international as we should be, and more closely connected to our European and Spanish roots,” Father Daniel said. “We are excited by these new directions. We see a lot of possibilities for fulfilling our charism and helping to bring about the New Evangelization.”

Younger Faces

In recent years, the Order has seen younger faces in their U.S. contingent. “This of course allows us to grow, and we are grateful to God for this blessing,” Fr. Daniel.

Overall, there are signs of hope for men’s religious institutes in the United States, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). In 1970, there were 116 institutes, and by 2015 the new communities outstripped the folded ones by 15, so that there are 131 men’s religious communities today.

While the number of men in religious life in the U.S. has declined by 58 percent in those forty-five years, the ten smallest religious communities of men increased in number by 84%, according to CARA. The Order of Our Lady of Mercy, one of those ten, experienced the second highest gain – 380%.

“We’re riding the wave of the new growth of vocations in the United States,” Fr. Daniel said. “Although we’ve been around since the early part of the twentieth century in America, serving Italian immigrants in Ohio, we definitely have new expectations.”

A Special Fourth Vow

The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy is an international community of priests and brothers who live a life of prayer and communal fraternity. In addition to the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience, members take a special fourth vow to give up their own selves for others whose faith is in danger. Their motto is “my life for your freedom.”

Today, friars of the Order of Mercy continue to rescue others from modern types of captivity, such as social, political, and psychological forms which place their faith in danger. They work in jails, marginal neighborhoods, among addicts, and in hospitals. In the United States, the Order of Mercy gives special emphasis to preserving the faith of families through education and parish work. They now serve in the dioceses of Cleveland, Buffalo, Philadelphia and St. Petersburg, FL.

“We think that these new ministries are fulfilling the needs of modern life, as well as carrying out our original charism” Fr. Daniel said.

Contact the Mercedarian Friars

Read more about the Order of Mercy’s charism on their website, or visit their Facebook page. See the YouTube video of their history, “Redeeming Medieval Captives.”

Think you might have a Mercedarian vocation? Find out about the friars’ next Come and See Discernment Retreat, by emailing Fr. Daniel at vocations@orderofmercy.org. Click also to sign up for the friars’ Vocations Newsletter.

Women's Communities

Mother Clelia Merloni, Foundress of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Pronounced Blessed by the Church

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The Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus joyfully celebrated the Mass of Beatification of their foundress, Blessed Clelia Merloni, on Saturday, November 3, 2018, at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, Italy. The mass marked an historic event anticipated by the Apostles and by thousands of lay faithful throughout the world. Mother Clelia gives us a tremendous example of one who suffered from false accusations, misunderstandings and even exile from her sisters, yet she responded with forgiveness, humility and charity. Her deep understanding of God’s love for her enabled her to unite herself with her crucified Spouse.

Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints, and representative of Pope Francis at the Mass of Beatification, said of Mother Clelia in his homily: “She shared the wound in the Heart of Jesus, responding to hostility and contempt with love. She placed all opposition before the Tabernacle. This is what sustained her. Before the Heart of Jesus, she recognized that His will was to be reconciled with everyone.”

In her words of gratitude to Cardinal Becciu, Mother Miriam Cunha Sobrinha, the Superior General of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, proclaimed: “This moment confirms the timeliness of Mother Clelia in the Church and opens for us a new era of hope, because Mother’s life, lived in hiddenness and as an offering to God, shows us that suffering, pain, misunderstanding, slander and persecution are not the last word. The last word belongs to the merciful love of God who loves us and forgives us always!”

While 15 sisters from the United States Province of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus traveled to Rome to join the thousands of pilgrims gathered for this long-awaited gift, the remainder of the sisters in the United States gathered either in Hamden, Connecticut at the Provincial House or in St. Louis, Missouri. With inexpressible joy, the sisters watched the live coverage on EWTN, complete with the English commentary by their own Junior Professed, Sr. Elizabeth Doyle. Regional celebrations are scheduled in the spring at the cathedral of each diocese where the Apostles now serve in the United States. For information about the dates of these liturgies, please visit www.ascjus.org.

Mother Clelia, the humble servant who pronounced her “Fiat” with so much love and trust, was born in Italy on March 10, 1861. In 1892, Clelia entered the Congregation of the Daughters of Our Lady of Providence in Como where she became ill with tuberculosis. When she made a sudden recovery at the end of a novena to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, she felt that she was mercifully given another chance at life. She developed a clear and precise vision of what she had to do: to dedicate herself to the good of the poor, orphans and the abandoned, to offer her life of good works for the conversion of her atheist father, and to become a spiritual mother of souls by founding a religious congregation of sisters consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

On May 30, 1894, at the age of 33, she fulfilled her dream. During a ceremony attended by her first two companions and “a great host of the faithful” (as described by witnesses), the first three Apostles were presented to the parish and the Congregation of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus was born.

The Institute blossomed without delay. Clelia immediately opened a school, which soon outgrew itself. A nursery school, a home for the elderly, and a sheltered workshop followed. Then, thanks to the generous support of her father, Clelia acquired the Palazzo Montecatini, where she was able to welcome orphans and the elderly. In addition, the Sisters taught catechism to the parish children.

The number of Sisters in the Congregation quickly grew. To add to the heavenly graces that were blessing the new Congregation, Clelia became the sole beneficiary of her father’s substantial patrimony upon his death in 1895, whose conversion on his deathbed was aided by her many prayers and sacrifices. But the resultant expansion of her works ended abruptly after only three years when the dishonesty of the priest who administered her father’s inheritance led to complete bankruptcy. This forced the Apostles to abandon their numerous missions.

Divine Providence was watching over them and so the Congregation did not fail. On the contrary, it received new impetus from the Bishop of Piacenza who accepted the floundering group into his diocese and, in 1900, launched the Apostles in mission to Italian immigrants who had settled in Brazil, and then to the Italians in Boston two years later. By 1903, the Congregation numbered 196 Sisters in 30 houses worldwide.

Mother Clelia, however, became a victim of calumny after the bankruptcy and subsequent law suits. Not wanting to accuse the priest publicly, she took the blame on herself, which led to untold misunderstanding. She was no longer consulted on matters regarding the Congregation’s governance and in 1904, by Vatican decree, Mother Clelia lost her title of Superior General, and the passage of authority went to another sister.

Even though Mother Clelia was reinstated the following year, three Apostolic investigations followed, at the end of which Mother Clelia was once again removed from office with a decree from the Sacred Congregation of Religious in 1911. Numerous requests by Mother Clelia to review her case were left unanswered. Alone and considering herself an obstacle to the peace of the community, Clelia decided to leave the Institute she had founded rather than to see it torn apart by discord.

In 1916, she received a dispensation from her religious vows. Thus, began a most difficult period of exile. Her name became unknown to successive generations of Apostles; it was prohibited to correspond with her or send any means of support, and sisters who had been loyal to her were expelled from the Congregation.

In 1920, Mother Clelia wrote to the Pope, begging to be allowed to reenter the Congregation that she had founded. Many years passed before she was finally allowed to return to the Generalate in Rome in 1928.  Aging and quite weak, and deprived of any association with the other Sisters, Mother Clelia spent the last two years of her life in solitude and prayer before the Blessed Sacrament and in self-offering to the Heart of Jesus. The hallmark of her charity was the unconditional forgiveness she gave to all who had been the cause of her sufferings over the years.

Mother Clelia Merloni died in Rome on November 21, 1930 and was buried in nearby Campo Verano Cemetery, which was heavily bombed during World War II. On May 20, 1945, after a painstaking search, her body was found incorrupt and was transported to the main chapel at the Generalate. On April 23, 2018, the seal on her tomb was opened in the presence of medical authorities from the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Now her body has been prepared to be viewed in a new glass tomb in the Chapel at the Generalate of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Rome.

Her sisters today number over 1,000 members and serve in 15 countries: Italy, Brazil, the United States, Switzerland, Argentina, Chile, Albania Mozambique, Uruguay, Paraguay, Benin, the Philippines, Haiti, Ireland and Portugal. The Congregation’s presence in the United States dates from 1902, when six Apostles journeyed from Italy to Boston to serve the Italian immigrants. The Apostles left Boston and arrived in New Haven, Connecticut, in 1906. The provincialate was transferred to Mount Sacred Heart in Hamden, Connecticut in 1953. The ministries of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus include education, healthcare, social work, parish ministry, legal services and prison ministry.

In 1988, the cause of beatification of Mother Clelia Merloni was opened. On January 27, 2018, Pope Francis signed the approval of the miracle of Mother Clelia Merloni. Blessed Clelia Merloni’s feast day will be celebrated in the Church on November 20, which is the eve of the anniversary of Clelia’s death―November 21, 1930.

Mother Clelia once said: “Throw yourself with complete trust in the Heart of Jesus, hoping for and expecting every advantage, support, and victory from Him alone.”

Blessed Clelia, pray for us!

Contact:  Sr. Colleen Therese Smith, ASC

Email: advancement@ascjus.org

Phone: 203-281-2562

PS> There are Regional celebrations of Bl. Mother Clelia’s life taking place all throughout the spring in the following states: Florida, Pennsylvania, New York, Missouri and Connecticut.  Please see their website for locations and times.

 

News, Women's Communities

First Federation of the Order of the Visitation Launches New Website

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On November 9, 2018 the First Federation of Visitation nuns launched a new website. Designed by Vocation Promotion, the website, VisitationSistersFirstFederation.org, provides links to the six monasteries in the Federation, which include: Mobile, AL; Rockville, VA; Philadelphia, PA; Snellville, GA; Toledo, OH; and Tyringham, MA.

This was one of the steps taken to comply with the requirements of the recent Vatican document Vultum Dei Quaerere and its implementing instruction Cor Orans.  They will also, said Sr. Sharon Gworek, Federation President, be revising the “Constitutions and related documents to bring them in line with those two documents. A committee has been formed to undertake this task and it is being accompanied by the prayer of all the sisters.”

The First Federation is one of two federations of Visitation nuns in the United States. The federations serve as a source of communion and mutual support for the monasteries especially since each monastery is autonomous. The federations help them to strengthen the bond of love that unites them to one another.

The question is often asked: is contemplative life still relevant today?

 The answer can be found in Vultum Dei Quaerere, No. 6:

 “Dear contemplative sisters, without you what would the Church be like, or without all those others living on the fringes of humanity and ministering in the outposts of evangelization?

 The Church greatly esteems your life of complete self-giving. The Church counts on your prayers and on your self-sacrifice to bring today’s men and women to the good news of the Gospel.

 The Church needs you! It is not easy for the world, or at least that large part of it dominated by the mindset of power, wealth and consumerism, to understand your particular vocation and your hidden mission; and yet it needs them immensely.  

The world needs you every bit as much as a sailor on the high seas needs a beacon to guide him to a safe haven. Be beacons to those near to you and, above all, to those far away. 

 Be torches to guide men and women along their journey through the dark night of time. Be sentinels of the morning (cf. Is 21:11-12), heralding the dawn (cf. Lk 1:78).  

By your transfigured life, and with simple words pondered in silence, shows us the One who is the way, and the truth and the life (cf. Jn 14:6)….”

 

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Hawaii Carmel to be Re-Founded

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Sister Mary Elizabeth de Jesus with fellow Carmelites after her temporary profession in 2013.

In 1973, seven Carmelites from Hong Kong came to Hawaii to found the Carmel of the Holy Trinity. Now only three remain.  But on September 10th, Sr. Mary Bernard, a sister from the Carmelite monastery in Quezon City, Philippines, sent an email to Bishop Larry Silva, Diocese of Honolulu,  with good news: “Peace! Your dream for Hawaii Carmel is slowly coming true by the grace of God.”

The remaining sisters, Sr. Agnella Iu, Sr. Elizabeth de Jesus (temporary vows) and Sr. Veronica Wilson (novice) were faced with closing their monastery and moving to another Carmel. But soon 5 nuns from the Philippines will be joining them so full-fledged Carmelite life can resume in the “re-founded” monastery.

Pioneer Sisters

A delegate of the Carmelite superior general in Rome recommended closing the monastery but said Bishop Silva: “This was not a recommendation the sisters or I wanted to accept, because we know the great value of the Carmel as a quiet source of prayer support to the people of this diocese.”  So, the delegate suggested another option – refounding the monastery with sisters recruited from elsewhere.

Since there are many Filipinos in Hawaii, it was natural to look at their homeland because there are 22 active monasteries there and one monastery had already sent sisters to Wales, the United Kingdom, Palestine, Belgium and Mississippi.

After a careful selection and discernment process, the chosen sisters visited other Carmels to become familiar with how other autonomous monasteries function and attended an orientation seminar run by the Society of the Divine Word Missionaries. The sisters will be accompanied on their journey to Hawaii by Sister Mary Bernard and a Carmelite father to ease the transition.  As with all families, they are seeking to minimize the sisters’ culture shock like any loving mother and father would do.

“Hopefully, the Lord will give them the grace to persevere to the end, giving their lives to God for the church and the diocese,” said Sr. Mary Bernard. “Let us re-introduce Carmel once again in the diocese for prayer and more vocations. A fire has been enkindled once again.”

Excerpted from the Hawaii Catholic Herald -please see article for the complete story.

News, Women's Communities

Sisters of the Holy Cross in Opus Angelorum Elevated to Pontifical Status

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The Sisters of the Holy Cross in Opus Angelorum, an IRL affiliate community since 2004, was elevated this year from an Institute of Diocesan Right to an Institute of Pontifical Right. With the authorization of the Holy Father, Pope Francis, the Congregation for Religious promulgated the decree of pontifical recognition on the Feast of St. Mark, April 25, 2018, which was communicated to the Mother General on June 1, 2018. With this step, the governance of the Sisters no longer stands under the Bishop of Innsbruck, Austria but reports directly to Rome and the Congregation for Religious. It is a confirmation of their way of life and mission in the Church, and more firmly anchors them to the rock of Peter, to whom they pledge their fidelity.

History of the Sisters

The first Sisters were lay women who joined priests and other lay persons in a group gathered around Mother Gabriel already in the 1950’s in order to live a closer bond with the Holy Angels in their role in the economy of salvation, and to spiritually assist priests, both spiritually and materially, in their vocation. This was the beginning of the spiritual movement, Opus Angelorum. The first canonical institution of Opus Angelorum to be erected in the Church was the Confraternity of the Holy Guardian Angels in 1961 in the diocese of Innsbruck, Austria, which also has a branch in the US today. The Sisters received a house in the diocese of Salzburg, which they named the “House of Adoration”. There they held their first novitiate for a newly formed “pious union,” which was erected in 1964. Along with the Opus Angelorum and the brother community of priests, the Canons Regular of the Holy Cross, the community of the Sisters quickly spread to other countries, including Germany, Switzerland, Portugal, Brazil and the Netherlands. Today, they are present and active in 10 countries with 170 perpetually professed Sisters. They were erected in the Diocese of Innsbruck as a Diocesan Institute in 2002.

The Sisters first came to the US in 1998 and lived for over 10 years at an inner-city parish in Detroit. In 2015, they moved to a residential home in Ohio, as they wait for the completion (hopefully this fall!) of their first convent in the United States.

Spirituality of the Sisters

Beginning from their own total surrender to God, seeking the glorification of the Triune God through a life in imitation of Christ and of sharing in His salvific mission, the Sisters devote themselves by prayer, Eucharistic Adoration, sacrifice and service, to the sanctification of the priesthood and religious state. They are particularly devoted to the Passion of Christ, which they commemorate weekly. They live their life in communion with the Holy Angels, consecrating themselves to them and collaborating with them in the spiritual battle for souls. The Sisters are aggregated to the Order of Canons Regular of the Holy Cross, share the same spirituality and assist the priests in the apostolate, Opus Angelorum.

News, Women's Communities

Mother John Marie Stewart (1926-2018), Foundress of the Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ

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On May 26, 2018, Mother John Marie Stewart, DLJC, the foundress of the Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ, a Franciscan charismatic religious community, passed into eternal life. Her funeral Mass was celebrated by Most Reverend Patrick J. Zurek, Bishop of Amarillo. He was joined by Most Rev. Samuel Jacobs, Bishop Emeritus of Houma, LA, as well as other priests.

Mother John Marie was born in Arkansas in 1926 to a family of Methodist ministers, elders and missionaries. She graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in nursing. While working towards a Ph.D. in English Literature at Columbia University, Mother John Marie, a Catholic convert who gradually became a secular humanist, was brought back to the Catholic faith after a long absence by the quiet evangelization of a Catholic sister.

In February 1969, two years after the beginning of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the United States, Mother received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. In the ensuing years she participated in street evangelization and attended many Charismatic Conferences.

On January 22, 1972, while on retreat at a Poor Clare Monastery, the Lord gave her the community’s Founding Document which along with the Franciscan Third Order Regular Rule and Constitutions are the framework of their way of life. The Disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ were erected as an Institute of Diocesan Rite on April 7, 1991 in the Diocese of Amarillo, Texas

By her untiring love for souls, Mother John Marie taught her spiritual daughters to “go after the lost sheep” and then help them receive the fullness of the Holy Spirit through the Charismatic Renewal. She traveled the world where she was never afraid to openly declare that “Jesus is Lord” and to remind people that Jesus loved them.

Mother John Marie leaves behind thirty-eight spiritual daughters―thirty sisters in Perpetual Profession; three in Temporarily Profession; and one Novice and three Postulants. Their Motherhouse is in Prayer Town, Texas and they also have local houses in Texas, New Mexico, Pennsylvania and Mexico.

For more information, please visit: www.dljc.org

 

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Apostolate For Family Consecration Founder, Jerry Coniker, RIP

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The Apostolate for Family Consecration (AFC) mourns the loss of their beloved founder Jerome Francis Coniker (b. November 2, 1938) who passed into eternal life on July 4, 2018 in Kenosha, Wisconsin.  Jerry and his late wife Gwen (d. 2002 and declared a Servant of God) were the 2008 recipients of the IRL’s Pro Fidelitate et Virtute Award. They knew that “the future of the world and the Church passes through the family” (Familiaris Consortio, no 79) and so founded the AFC “to help families get to Heaven.”

Jerry and Gwen were the parents of 13 children and founded the AFC in 1975.  Desiring to live the message of Our Lady of Fatima, they consecrated themselves to Jesus through Mary according to the motto “Totus Tuus” and dedicated themselves to transforming families, neighborhoods, schools and parishes into evangelizing communities, nourishing them with the timeless, Eucharistic, Marian and family-centered spirituality of St. John Paul II.

The AFC is located in Bloomingdale, Ohio, where at Catholic Familyland, there are opportunities for families to participate in events on the 803-acre property (a former abandoned seminary). There are Family Fests, silent retreats, youth conferences, the Totus Tuus “Consecrate Them in Truth” Family Conference, and much more.

“My father was a man truly driven to make a difference in the world,” said their daughter, Theresa Coniker Schmitz. “The salvation of souls and the protection of families through consecration were his passion. He desired the laity to know and embrace their call to holiness, to be saints, because he was convinced that ordinary fathers, mothers, and children can help to bring about the kingdom of God on earth when they make their daily family life an offering to God.”