In the Shadow of His Wings

Sponsa Christi July 26th, 2011

Regarding the recent priest scandal one of our Sisters was inspired to write this poem and chalk this image of Our Lady – Sorrowful Mother of Priests. May this inspire each of us to seek to offer our lives with and for our priests. They need our prayers and sacrifices! And our world needs them!

MATER DOLOROSA SACERDOTUM
(Sorrowful Mother of Priests)

At this Cross my station keeping,
I shed mother’s teardrops, weeping
for my fallen, wayward son.

Ramah sounds anew with moaning –
What revives the ancient groaning,
Rachel’s grief again begun?

Way abandoned, crossed beams broken,
crown discarded, all the tokens
of unfinished holocaust.

Hear my bitter lamentation:
What can be my consolation?
Ah, my son! My son is lost!

Tenderly now let me gather
in my arms what sin has scattered,
for to safeguard faithfully.

Pierced with thorns, my hands now shed
crimson tears in his blood’s stead;
may their prayer beg grace from Thee!

Father, make my heart the altar
where his flame burns, lest it falter,
left forgotten by its priest.

Him who cannot himself offer
on my paten I now proffer
for Thy sacrificial feast.

As I lift up contrite heart,
let my spirit take his part
in a humble offering.

In my tears find his contrition,
in my prayer his heart’s petition,
as my voice Thy mercy sings.

Never shall I cease to raise
heart and eyes – in grief or praise –
to the Savior of our ways.

“Comfort, daughter,” says the Lord,
“Mourning love I shall reward:
thou shalt see thy son restored.”

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• Blessed Mother , Passionist Life , Passionist Spirituality , Prayer , Redemptive Suffering
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Sponsa Christi July 19th, 2011

Since Sister Rose Marie’s Mass of Religious Profession a spirit of consecration continues to linger like incense here in the monastery. This prayerful spirit of consecration, this attitude of offertory, brought to my mind the section in our Constitutions under our Vow to Promote Devotion to and Grateful Remembrance of the Passion and Death of Jesus.

By this vow, they will dedicate themselves in a special way…to offer to God their life of prayer, of community, of self-denial, of work, continually carrying about in their bodies the dying of Jesus. They do this so that the Church may be able to proclaim effectively and everywhere “the cross of Christ as the sign of God’s universal love and the source of all grace.

When we live our Passionist life faithfully we help the Church proclaim the cross of Christ as the sign of God’s universal love and source of all grace! How humbling and awe-inspiring.

Recently, two siblings of our Sisters have made a commitment to proclaim the cross of Christ to the world.

Sr. Mary Andrea seen with her dear sister Theresa Niehaus. Theresa has recently committed to proclaiming the Gospel to college students by her work with FOCUS. You may have read my blog post featuring a talk Theresa wrote for a TEC retreat in 2008 about Sr. Mary Andrea’s vocation to the cloister. Don’t miss it!

On June 18th Sr. John Mary’s brother Jeff Read was ordained to the Transitional Diaconate for the Diocese of Evansville, IN.

Actual moment of consecration

Deacon Jeff assisting Bishop Emeritus Gettelfinger during the Liturgy of the Eucharist at the Mass of Diaconate Ordination.

What a joy! Siblings united in their consecration to Christ!

May we all be united fulfilling our personal call to holiness. YOU are called to be a saint! Let us lift high the Cross – the universal sign of God’s love and the source of all grace!

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• Bride of Christ , Passionist Life , Passionist Spirituality
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Sponsa Christi July 18th, 2011

With regard to your vocation, wait on the loving breath of the Holy Spirit and live entirely abandoned in the divine arms of Jesus Christ, who is mindful of the state in life you should embrace. Be sure that if you are faithful to God, he will open a wonderful path so that you may find a place apt to lead to the highest perfection. But for now take care of yourself as best you can in your home, where you have occasions to exercise great acts of virtue at every hour and every moment.

St. Paul of the Cross to 18 year old Teresa Palozzi. Teresa was a part of the first group of Passionist Nuns which were founded when she was 34 years old.

Photo: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, by iko

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• Passionist History , Passionist Spirituality , Prayer , Saint Paul of the Cross , Vocation Discernment
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Sponsa Christi July 16th, 2011

Recently someone left this question in the combox:

What is daily life like in the novitiate, and how is life different in community for junior and perpetually professed members?

Our newly professed Sr. Rose Marie was asked to respond…

Life in the Novitiate…

Life in the novitiate is designed to help us to ease into cloistered religious life, so that this big adjustment is made more gently. A postulant or novice participates in community life while not yet having the full responsibilities of a professed religious. She goes to all of the community liturgy, recreation, and meals. She also has some work to do in the monastery like house cleaning, kitchen work, garden work, laundry and other things like that.

She is under the supervision of the novice directress, who keeps her in line, helps her to learn and live Passionist life through spiritual direction, and also provides classes for formation… and a lot of other wonderful things as well! Basically, she helps a formation sister to discern while gradually growing into a deeper spiritual life and into community.

While a postulant or novice participates daily in community activities mentioned above, there are also specific times of the day when the novitiate sisters do things separately from the professed members of the community. They have 45 minutes of class time daily in the mornings as well as 30 minutes of study time every afternoon. They also pray the rosary and have recreation together in the afternoon.

Life as a Sister for Six Years in Temporary Vows…

When a novice makes her first profession of vows, she moves out of the novitiate into the professed cell wing. She is then directly under the superior rather than the novice directress, though she (the newly professed sister) may also be assigned another professed sister to supervise her work and her spiritual needs. She gradually begins to participate more in community work and responsibility assigned to her by the superior. She continues to have some study time and moves up to begin taking classes once or twice a week with the other junior professed members of the community.

In place of other class time, she instead does spiritual reading in the mornings. She may still join the novitiate a couple times a week for the afternoon novitiate recreation and rosary. I have only been a junior professed sister for 2 weeks, so I, myself, am still figuring out how life is different in community for a junior professed sister.

Schedule for Sisters in Perpetual Profession

My understanding of a perpetually professed sister’s day is that she works more closely with the superior concerning her community work and responsibilities (which are more serious) and her spiritual needs. Rather than class time, she takes time for spiritual reading in the mornings. She has study time every Wednesday afternoon. She usually does not participate in novitiate activities unless she is the novice directress or for a special reason.

There is much more that can be said, but I hope this is helpful. As you can see, the length of my respective paragraphs for each stage of religious life is an indication of my experience!

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• Passionist Life
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Sponsa Christi July 11th, 2011

Come, Spouse of Christ! Veni, Sponsa Christi!

Ahhh…how does one write an article about such a profound event?! …Being set apart for the praise of God, being deputed to intercede on behalf of the Church and the world… Sr. Rose Marie’s Profession of Vows was such a mystical experience.

I shall let the photos tell the story…

The Rite of Religious Profession takes place during the Liturgy of the Word within the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. There are a number of stages within this Rite

• The Call
• The Examination
• The Prayer for God’s Grace
• The Profession of Vows
• The Presentation of the Passionist Insignia
• The Intercessions
• The Presentation of Gifts

Profession of Vows:

To the honor of God, I, Sr. Rose Marie of the Merciful Heart of Jesus, firmly resolve to consecrate myself more intimately to Him, and to follow Christ more closely. In the presence of the community of this Monastery of St. Joseph, a part of the whole Institute of the Religious of the Passion of Jesus and a sign of the universal Church, and in your hands, Mother Catherine Marie, I vow to promote devotion to and grateful remembrance of the Passion and Death of Jesus Christ, and to express it in my style of life. I also vow chastity, poverty, obedience, and to live in enclosure, for three years, according to the Rule and Constitutions of the Religious of the Passion of Jesus Christ.

I promise to lead a life of love, together with you, my Sisters, “called within the Church to be a sign of the love of Jesus Crucified for the Father and for mankind.”

May the grace of the Holy Spirit, the intercession of the Sorrowful Virgin Mary and of St. Paul of the Cross, and your
charity, my Sisters, sustain my weakness, and strengthen me in what I have promised by vow.

Help your servant, Lord. With trust in the word of your Gospel, she has given you her faith.

The superior responds:
By the authority entrusted to me, I accept your vows in the name of the Church for the Institute of the Religious of the Passion of Jesus Christ. I commend you earnestly to God that you may fulfill your dedication which is linked with this Eucharistic Sacrifice.

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Presentation of the Insignia of Passionist Profession:

The newly professed Passionist is now given:
–the black veil and a ring, both of which signify that she is truly the bride of Christ Crucified, united to Him by her holy vows.

The celebrant hands the black veil to the newly professed who is then clothed with it:
Celebrant: Receive this veil which proclaims that you belong entirely to Christ the Lord and are dedicated to the service of the Church.
Newly Professed: Amen.

As the celebrant gives her the Passion Sign, he says:
Celebrant: Receive, dear Sister, the Sign of the Passion of Jesus Christ. Place it as a seal on your heart, so that the Passion thus symbolized may be truly within your heart.
Newly Professed: Amen.

He then places the Passionist ring on her finger, saying:
Celebrant: Receive this ring, for you are betrothed to the eternal King. Keep faith with your Bridegroom, so that you may come to the wedding feast of eternal joy.
Newly Professed: Amen.

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The newly professed receives the Profession Crucifix, the cross and the crown of thorns, all of which are symbolic expressions of her vocation to participate in the Passion of Christ and become one with Him in His love for the Father and for the Church.

Then the celebrant gives her the Profession Crucifix:
Celebrant: Receive, Sister, this Crucifix. May it recall to you the saving love of your Crucified Spouse, so that you may be faithful to what you have promised Him today.
Newly Professed: Amen.

Next, he gives her first the cross and then the crown of thorns:
Celebrant: Receive, Sister, the cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the crown of thorns. May you follow Him in humility, obedience and self-denial.
Newly Professed: Amen.

The newly professed Passionist Nun, together with her community, sing the following:

Veni, Sponsa Christi
(Come, Spouse of Christ)

The love of the Father has set you apart, Veni Sponsa Christi!
The love of the Son now draws you to His Heart, Veni Sponsa Christi!
The love of the Spirit of God Most High, has called out to you
that eternal cry: Veni Sponsa Christi! Veni Sponsa Christi!

Arise, my love! My lovely one, come! Veni Sponsa Christi!
For see, the winter is past, and the rains are gone.
Veni Sponsa Christi!
The flowers now appear on the earth,
and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
Veni Sponsa Christi!

The Lord of lords holds your life in His embrace.
The King of kings fills your soul with His own grace.
Veni Sponsa Christi! Veni Sponsa Christi!
For the King now desires your beauty!
For the King now desires your love!
Veni, Veni, Veni;
Veni Sponsa Christi! Veni Sponsa Christi! Veni Sponsa Christi!

(Copyright Carmelite Sisters, D.C.J. 1988; Used by Permission;
Music by J.A.S.)

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Presentation of the Gifts:

The Church herself, by her God-given authority, accepts the act of profession, and in her liturgy associates it with the Eucharistic Sacrifice of Christ. The grace of a total giving of self to God through the profession of the religious vows is first received by a person as a gift from God before being brought back to God as an offering. Sr. Rose Marie and her novice directress, Sr. Mary Veronica, together with Sister’s parents and brothers now carry the gifts to the altar.

Bishop William Medley, Bishop of our Diocese of Owensboro, KY, presided at the Mass. There were a number of other priests, religious and diocesan, as well as two seminarians and two transitional deacons. The deacon at right is Sr. John Mary’s brother Deacon Jeff Read of the Diocese of Evansville, IN.

Sign of Peace

Holy Communion

Canticle of Love

How great and tender is our God who has smiled on the lowly.
Eternally, my heart will sing a new canticle of love.
Come, all who hunger, all who thirst, all who long for fulfillment.
The God of mercy waits for you as a mother her child.
Oh come to the living water, fear not your weakness,
forever trusting in God’s merciful love.
Through the shadows of this night,
love will be my guiding light.
Presence hidden from my sight,
‘til the clouds are put to flight.

Beneath your gaze I’ve blossomed forth, as a rose in the sunshine.
With joyful heart I’ve given all to the mystery of love.
In peace I will come before you with empty hands,
relying solely on your merciful love.
Through the veil your face appears,
beauty shrouded, bathed in tears.
Bread of sinners I will share,
rose un-petalled everywhere.
Ah, my God, I will sing of your love
for this one eternal today,
for this one eternal today, eternal today….
Until in eternity we join in one chorus,
forever singing of God’s merciful love,
canticle of love, for today I will sing, sing of your love.

by Sr. Marie Therese Sokol, OCD
(St. Therese of the Child Jesus was also young when she entered religious life.
The following hymn using St. Therese’s words and spirit, is very fitting for a young Passionist Nun.)

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Happy parents

Happy brothers

The reception for our guests following the Mass of Religious Profession

“Most Sacred Heart of Jesus I implore,
that I may ever love Thee more and more.”

Fr. Fred Sucher, CP – perhaps the most venerable of all our guests!

Sister greeted all the guests – here she is with two postulants of the Fathers of Mercy.

Well…I know I kept you waiting for this blog post; I hope this was worth the wait!

*** Special thanks to our dear friend Larena Lawson who took all these photos!

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• Bride of Christ , Novitiate news , Passionist Life , Passionist Spirituality
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Sponsa Christi July 5th, 2011

I hear that some of you are so anxious to see some photos from Sr. Rose Marie’s First Profession of Vows. The visitors to the blog last Friday were almost double the usual amount – Perhaps hoping for some news about the festive day! Here are a few photos to whet your appetite…

Thanks to Larena Lawson there will be more to come later of the actual Profession Rite and Mass.

After professing her vows the Nun receives the black veil, the Passion Sign, the ring and the Profession Crucifix.

Here are the five vows the Passionist Nun freely professes:

1. To Promote Devotion to and Grateful Remembrance of the Passion of Jesus
2. Chastity
3. Poverty
4. Obedience
5. Enclosure

 She then is given the cross and a crown of thorns; she wears the crown of thorns for the rest of the Mass.

Here is the “altar of sacrifice” and the chair in which the Superior sits. With the authority invested in her by the Church she is able to receive the vows of the religious. The vows are made for 3 years, then renewed for another three years. At the end of six years she will make perpetual profession. Pray for that blessed day!

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  Later I will upload some photos of the actual rite and Mass

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NOW HERE IS THE BRIDE…

with faithful college friends from Texas A&M

  with Aunt Tina and Nanny

and her beloved family…

More to come later…

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