In the Shadow of His Wings

Sponsa Christi May 2nd, 2012

Well…I can hardly believe it!

I created a widget in the side bar of this blog OVER A YEAR AGO called “Interesting Passionist Articles”, featuring PDF articles written by or about Passionist life in the Institute on Religious Life Magazine of September/October 2010.

Just last week it came to my knowledge that I linked to every one of those articles incorrectly! (Yes, I can believe I made this mistake) But I can’t believe that none of you, my dear friends, caught my mistake!

Please let me know if you find any other broken links on this blog site. I’ll gladly correct them if I can.

And I hope you’ll check out the articles in the side bar.

The Prefaces for Easter pray that we be “overcome with Paschal joy”…that is our prayer for you during this Eastertide!

Tags: Passionist News, Saints

• Blessed Mother , Catholic Vocations for Women , Life as a Passionist , Passionist History , Passionist Saints , Passionist Spirituality , Passionist Vocations for Women , Saint Paul of the Cross , The Holy Eucharist
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Sponsa Christi February 20th, 2012

Our “Venerable” Fr. Fred Sucher, CP (retired at St. Heart Passionist Monastery in Louisville, KY) is with us for a few days this week. He just turned 95 years old and his spirit is undimmed (although he certainly has selective hearing!) Mother Catherine Marie arranged his days here to help us Sisters make a generous start of the Lenten Season.

Fr. Fred waxed eloquent this afternoon on the following letter of St. Paul of the Cross to Teresa Palozzi. Teresa would be one of the first Passionist Nuns, the first monastery being founded in 1771.  There is no date on this letter but Fr. Fred guesses it was probably written in 1763. At this time Teresa was a single lay woman living in her home. She was in her 30′s by this time…waiting on God’s providence to unfold and hoping the Passionist Nuns would be founded soon. She lived somewhat like a servant in her family home. Sort of like St. Catherine of Siena.

I pray this letter blesses you and helps you start your Lent with a generous spirit, an interior spirit of self-denial and penance, bearing fruit in a generous gift of self with Jesus to the Father. No matter what state of life you are in you are called to be a saint. Remember…only saints get into heaven!

So, let us begin…

May the holy Passion of Jesus be always in your heart.

I did not answer your letter sooner because I was overly occupied. You would like to know how to govern yourself during this present Lent. I tell you that the life of men and women servants of God should be a continual Lent, that is, a continual exercise of mortification, internal and external. So distrusting yourself and depending much upon God, make your continuous Lent by always denying your will, being subject in exact obedience in the things most difficult and bitter to your self-love.

Mortify your external senses, that is, your eyes and your tongue, by speaking as little as possible and only when really necessary. Flee dealing with men, even with women, except when necessity demands it. Take the sweet as though it were bitter, the bitter as though it were sweet, and love contempt of self and that no one makes any account of you. Remain crucified with Jesus Christ, embracing every occasion to suffer for love of God with patience, with silence, and without ever justifying yourself, being resentful, or complaining. There, Teresa, is a short way to live a continual Lent and a short compendium to make yourself holy.

Do not be scrupulous about eating what they serve in the house in accord with the indult of the Highest Pontiff. God is pleased with your good will, and you will have the same merit as if you ate only Lenten fare. I am happy with the vow of virginity the confessor had you take until the Feast of the Annunciation. You may renew it from feast to feast, but do not take it perpetually. The time will come when you are consecrated to God for ever. Be patient. Be persevering and faithful to God, for you will see that the Lord will open a great pathway.

Meditate on the Passion of Jesus and the Sorrows of Mary Most Holy. When you feel yourself more moved by some affections of holy love, learn how to rest your spirit on the breast of your Beloved Good in a silence of faith and holy love, and allow your soul to be filled by this holy affection. When it dies down, continue your meditation with a peaceful spirit and without straining your head or breast. Be careful to do everything gently.

Keep your heart recollected in the Presence of God during your work. Your heart should be a living tabernacle for the gentle Sacramental Jesus. Remain within yourself in this tabernacle at the feet of Jesus, as did Magdalene. In spirit embrace those divine feet, listen to his sweet words, and let yourself be completely consumed with love for him.

Do not be scrupulous. Let any scruples be consumed in the fire of divine love. Have no scruples about your vow of virginity, for God will help you to keep it well. Pray for me and Jesus bless you. Amen. Greetings in the Lord to your mother.

Your unworthy servant,

Paul of the Cross

Tags: Letters of St Paul of the Cross

• Bride of Christ , Catholic Vocations for Women , Lent , Passionist History , Passionist Spirituality , Saint Paul of the Cross
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Sponsa Christi October 19th, 2011

Blessed Feast of St. Paul of the Cross!

Yesterday, October 18th, brought us the 236th anniversary of his entrance into eternal life. Today brings us his universal celebration. But since those of us who live in North America are celebrating the North American martyrs today tomorrow will bring us the celebration of St. Paul of the Cross. This change in dates is not well understood. In fact, we have a Little Sister of the Poor here on retreat and this morning she greeted our Superior with a “Happy Feastday!” Mother had to explain the above to her. Probably what adds to the confusion is that the date given in the breviary is October 19th but the date given in the missalette is October 20th!

We are anticipating a day full of spiritual and temporal blessings with a very rich Liturgy of the Hours, Mass offered by our Bishop Medley followed by a wonderful meal.

You all have been included in our prayers during this novena and will be especially remembered in our Holy Mass tomorrow!

Now…for some spiritual reflections.

The Last words of a dying man are never forgotten, much less those of a dying Saint. The following are excerpts of the Last Will and Testament of St. Paul of the Cross. We will be reading this during First Vespers of this great Mystic.

“Before everything else, I strongly recommend the observance of that remembrance given by Jesus Christ to his disciples: “By this will all know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” Behold, my dear brothers, what I want of you with my whole heart, both of you here present as well as all others who now wear the habit of penance and mourning in memory of the Passion and Death of our loving, Divine Redeemer, as well as all those who by the Divine Mercy will be called in future times to this small flock of Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, I recommend to all, especially to those who will be in the office of superiors, that there always flourish in the Congregation the spirit of prayer, the spirit of solitude, and the spirit of poverty. Let them be sure that, if they will maintain these three things, the Congregation, “will shine like the sun in the sight of God and the nations”.

I recommend with special emphasis filial affection to Holy Mother the Church and entire submission to its visible head, the Roman Pontiff. To that end they will pray day and night in their prayers for the Church and for the Supreme Pontiff. They will also strive to cooperate, as much as they are able for the good of the Church and for the salvation of the poor souls of their neighbor with missions, retreats, and other works that are in accord with our Institute, and promote in the hearts of all devotion to the Passion of Jesus Christ and to the Sorrows of Mary most Holy/…/

I recommend in a particular way that they pray with great fervor for our present Holy Pontiff so that the Divine Mercy preserves him prosperously for a long time for the good of his Church and comfort him with the success of his intentions/…

Finally, with my face in the dust and with the weeping of my poor heart, I ask pardon from all in the Congregataion, those present and those absent for all my shortcomings committed in my office, which I exercised in order to do God’s Will for so many years. Oh, poor me, as I depart for eternity, I leave you only my bad examples. However, I must confess that I never had such an intention, but I always had at heart your holiness and your perfection.

You, O Immaculate Virgin and Queen of Martyrs, by the sorrows you experienced in the Passion Death of your Beloved Son, give us your motherly blessing while I place and leave all under the mantle of your protection.

Behold, my dear brothers, what are the remembrances that I leave with you with all my poor heart.

I leave you and I will await all of you in paradise, where I will pray always for the Sovereign Pontiff, for the Church I love so much… I leave all of you, present, absent, and future, my blessing: “May the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, descend upon you and remain forever”.”

Special thanks to our  special friend for the above selections from our Founder’s Last Will & Testament

Tags: Feast Days

• Blessed Mother , Passionist History , Saint Paul of the Cross
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Sponsa Christi October 14th, 2011

With a clear call from God and the love of Christ Crucified flaming in their hearts, five Passionist Nuns set out from their monastery in Scranton, Pennsylvania in 1946 and started the long journey to Kentucky. It is with profound gratitude to God that I dedicate these blog posts to those Foundresses as we celebrate the marvels He has done.

The community of Passionist Nuns in Scranton, PA in early 1946. The Superior, Mother Mary Agnes Roche, is seated second from the far right. The other four foundresses together with the first postulant are circled.

Five valiant Nuns consecrated to Christ Crucified brought Passionist life to Owensboro, Kentucky, planting the spirit of St. Paul of the Cross firmly in Western Kentucky soil. The tiny seed of those early days has grown and borne fruit as winter, spring, summer and fall recurred over the course of 65 years. I hope you will continue to journey with us as I recount the story of those first beginnings….

Kentucky Bound!

Your letter of May 1st comes as a great surprise to me.   I am wondering how you even knew there was an Owensboro Diocese….

So began a letter of Most Rev. Francis R. Cotton, Bishop of Owensboro.  In early May, 1946, he received a letter sent by the Passionist Nuns of Scranton, Pennsylvania  to 21 bishops.  Bishop Cotton’s speedy response on May 3rd—the first favorable answer the Nuns received—proved to be decisive.  God knew there was an Owensboro diocese, and that’s exactly where He was going to lead the founding nuns!

From Scranton to Owensboro

During the 1930′s and early 1940′s, the Scranton community was blessed with so many vocations that they began planning a new foundation.  The superior, Mother Mary Agnes Roche, hoped to open the new monastery in Boston, or perhaps Trenton or Camden, New Jersey.

Although the bishops in these cities responded graciously, none was able to consider a new monastery in his diocese.  Mother Mary Agnes then searched the Catholic Directory for dioceses that had no contemplative monasteries, or at least none that engaged in retreats.

Meanwhile, let us cry to the Lord continually, since this holy work must be the fruit of prayer.

-St. Paul of the Cross to Mother Mary Crucified, the first Passionist Nun

Mother Mary Agnes and her Scranton community understood this very well, and so they backed up all these efforts by earnest prayer.

Under the Patronage of Saint Joseph

Realizing the gravity of the enterprise, and her need for divine guidance, Mother Mary Agnes sought the powerful intercession of St. Joseph, the Patron of the Interior Life and the Guardian of Virgins.  Here is her own account of the “long talk” she had with him one day:

I said to him, ‘What am I to do?  They want me to make a new foundation and I don’t know where to go or what to do.  But, dear St. Joseph, if you take over, I’ll follow the counsel of those who have a right to advise me.’

Subsequent events throughout our 60 year history show how seriously St. Joseph took this conversation!  Later Mother Mary Agnes wrote that she had visited Owensboro “with great confidence in St. Joseph…as we had so specially placed our difficulties before him.”  She added that

St. Joseph manifested his care by donations sent in his honor or in his name.  This happened so frequently that we decided on dedicating the new monastery to his patronage.

Choosing a Site

Arriving in Owensboro for a visit, the Nuns found that Bishop Cotton had already picked out the Benita Avenue property for the new monastery.  He did, however, suggest that the Nuns inspect a few other possible sites.  In the end, Benita Avenue was chosen and Mother Mary Agnes expressed her satisfaction in a letter:

We secured a very nice piece of property at Owensboro.  The grounds are in good condition and are considerably larger than our place here in Scranton.  There are two houses and a garage.  The main building is a large…eight room residence with four massive white columns along the front. The other is a little four-room cottage.

Both places are in perfect condition so we will not have to spend anything on repairs, just for alterations necessary to adapt them to our needs.  We shall have to get our enclosure wall erected and later when we have grown and can think of building the convent and chapel, the present house will be excellent for retreats.

To be continued…

Tags: Kentucky, Owensboro Diocese

• Life as a Passionist , Passionist History , Saint Paul of the Cross
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Sponsa Christi October 4th, 2011

This month of October brings us 65 years of loving and prayerful presence in the Diocese of Owensboro, Kentucky, USA! Won’t you join us in thanking and praising God for bringing our 5 Mother Foundresses to the “South” those many years ago.  They have all gone to their eternal reward and have left us virtuous examples to follow as we seek to faithfully continue the charism they began on Kentucky soil. God-willing, throughout this month I will bring you snippets of the history of our foundation.

This Friday, October 7th – Feast of the Holy Rosary – is the day we keep as our “Foundation Day”. It was the day Mass was first offered in the little old “mansion” on Wing Avenue in Owensboro.  This Wednesday (tomorrow) we will keep as a Gaudeamus Day to celebrate this special occasion.

So be on the look-out for some neat photos, inspiring history and reflections. And please do keep us in prayer – that we may remain faithful to this awesome gift God has given us – to be called to be a Passionist Nun in the 21st century.

Deo Gratias!  St. Paul of the Cross, Venerable Mother Mary Crucified and our Mother Foundresses, ora pro nobis!

Tags: Kentucky, Owensboro Diocese

• Life as a Passionist , Monastery traditions , Passionist History
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Sponsa Christi September 29th, 2011

Tags: Feast Days

• Life as a Passionist , Passionist History , Saint Paul of the Cross
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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

Tags: Letters of St Paul of the Cross

• Passionist History , Passionist Spirituality , Prayer , Saint Paul of the Cross , Vocation Discernment
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Sponsa Christi April 1st, 2011

Recently several of you have inquired about some good reading materials on St. Paul of the Cross. Our Passionist Fathers on the East Coast (Province of St. Paul of the Cross) have a helpful on-line shop of Passionist resources. Here are some of my favorites.

             
Here are two good biographies of St. Paul of the Cross

 
This book is a great resource on the spirituality of St. Paul of the Cross by the esteemed Fr. Bennet Kelley, C.P.

 
An excellent 30 minute DVD on the life and times of
St. Paul of the Cross

• Visit his birthplace
• See where he made his famous 40 day retreat and wrote the first Rule
• Monte Argentario where the first Passionist monastery was erected
• View shots of Sts. John & Paul, near the colisseum in Rome
  which is the Generalate of the Passionist Congregation

 
Three volume set of the Letters of St. Paul of the Cross. These are lovely hard-bound copies.

• Historical introductions to the different periods of Paul’s life
• Great footnotes
• Drawings of persons, maps

Don’t let this simple cover fool you. This is chock full of important Passionist stuff by the well-known
Fr. Jude Mead, C.P.

This book features…

• A short biography
• His mystical spiritual diary
• Intro to his letters
• St. Paul of the Cross’ doctrine
• Papal documents
• Various texts including a reflection on St. Paul of the Cross written by Cardinal Karol Wojtyla (Pope John Paul II)
• Passionist history
• Foundation and development of the Passionist Nuns
• Paulacrucian materials, i.e. liturgical texts, prayers and devotions, hymns and so on

Daily Devotional of excerpts from the letters of
St. Paul of the Cross - this book is a little gem!

Tags: Letters of St Paul of the Cross, Pope John Paul II

• Passionist History , Passionist Spirituality , Saint Paul of the Cross
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Sponsa Christi March 11th, 2011

   Today we begin our annual solemn novena to Saint Joseph – patron of our monastery! Two years ago I shared how our Foundress, Mother Mary Agnes, chose St. Joseph to be protector of our monastery.   

    This statue has been with us since the beginning of our foundation in this diocese in 1946. It was donated by the Steele family who have been wonderful friends of our community since those early days.  A few years ago a friend of ours painted it. May the Lord bless all our benefactors who make our life of prayer and penance a possibility!

    Perhaps you would like to join us as we make this novena. Each day we have a common reading from Guardian of the Redeemer by the Servant of God Pope John Paul II. Below is the prayer we are using. It is by Blessed Pope John XXIII.

Saint Joseph, guardian of Jesus and chaste husband of Mary, you passed your life in loving fulfillment of duty. You supported the holy family of Nazareth with the work of your hands. Kindly protect those who trustingly come to you. You know their aspirations, their hardships, their hopes. They look to you because they know you will understand and protect them. You too knew trial, labor, and weariness. But amid the worries of material life, your soul was full of deep peace and sang out in true joy through intimacy with God’s Son entrusted to you, and, with Mary, his tender Mother. Assure those you protect that they do not labor alone. Teach them to find Jesus near them and to watch over him faithfully as you have done. Amen. 

    During this novena we are especially reminding St. Joseph of your needs and intentions. Would you please pray for us? Especially for more young women to respond to God’s call to be a Passionist Nun. Two or three women will be here for a vocation visit on St. Joseph’s weekend!

    Feast of St. Joseph – March 19th

+++

    Thanks for your kind prayers for Liz. Her discernment with us was very graced and she returned home earlier this week. I’m sure she would appreciate a prayer or two as she re-adjusts to life outside the monastery and peacefully seeks the Lord’s plans for her future. God bless you Liz. We miss you!

Tags: Pope John Paul II, Saints

• Life as a Passionist , Monastery traditions , Passionist History
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Sponsa Christi December 19th, 2010

    Woe is me…lots of ideas but no time to post articles as the Christmas Mystery draws near! 

    But here is something of great interest.  The Passionist Nuns were featured in the September/October issue of the Institute on Religious Life‘s magazine Religious Life.  Here is a link to the PDF file. I hope you enjoy the articles. Special thanks to IRL for permitting us to link to this issue.

    Blessings upon you as we enter into the sacred mysteries about to be renewed.  We are keeping each of you in our prayers.

Tags: Mother Mary Crucified

• Bride of Christ , Life as a Passionist , Passionist History , Passionist Saints , Passionist Spirituality , Saint Paul of the Cross
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