Text Box:      November 7, 2004 was a day of great joy for our community, as Sister Mary of the Bleeding Wounds of Jesus made her First Profession of Passionist vows. This means that God has called her to live the Gospel radically as a consecrated religious woman. In our world today, why would a woman ever want to do such a thing? The answer is clear:  to help Christ bring the fruits of His Passion to the world!      All of Sr. Mary’s immediate family plus some extended family and friends were able to be present for this most important day. Their presence brought great joy to Sister, especially since many of them traveled such a distance to be with us.  The story of every vocation is unique and special, and so we thought you would enjoy reading how Our Lord drew her to Passionist life in our community:      Sr. Mary was born in the Detroit area.  When Sr. Mary was a child, her sister Sandi wanted a bride doll and Carole (Sr.

Text Box: Sister Mary makes her first profession into the hands of the Superior, Mother Catherine Marie.

Text Box: Sr. Mary’s family: 3 nephews, Adam, Raymond, Jason. Her brother, Ray. Her sister, Sandi and niece, Carrie

Text Box: Mary) wanted  a nun doll, which she received and treasured for many years.  This was the beginning of her attraction to religious life. After attending St. Florian Catholic School for twelve years, she joined an active teaching order, but left after 3 months.       Sr. Mary received a B.A. in Communications from Michigan State University, after which she received an MBA from  California Lutheran University.  She held a variety of positions as she climbed the corporate ladder, yet, the higher she progressed, the more empty she felt inside.  Eventually she moved to Tennessee where she joined the Lay Cistercians of the Trappist Monastery in Conyers, GA.  This wonderful experience opened a whole new horizon to her as she learned about contemplative life. During this time she began to realize that perhaps Our Lord was calling her to religious life after all.       Taking a two year leave of absence from work, Sr. Mary became part of a new community called “The Little Ones of Jesus Crucified” located in Conyers. While there she worked at The Abbey Store of the Trappist monks. Through this close

Text Box: connection with the monks, and her three month live-in experience with the Trappistine nuns, Sr. Mary decided to pursue religious life, though it was not yet clear where God was leading.      Through our website, Sr. Mary discovered the Passionist way of life.  Her own devotion to the Passion of Christ resonated deeply with our Passionist charism which seemed to match the understanding she had come to in prayer of

Text Box: Our Lord’s personal love for her revealed through His suffering, death and resurrection.  She was especially touched by a photo on our website of a Nun at her Profession bearing the cross on her shoulder and wearing a crown of thorns.      That was just the beginning.  The Passionist charism thrilled her heart in so many other ways too.  She loved the time we have for prayer with Jesus Crucified, and the fact that we pray the entire Liturgy of the Hours together in choir.  Having a great devotion to the wounds of Jesus, she found to her delight that our holy founder, St. Paul of the Cross, himself would often in prayer place people and situations in the wounds of Jesus just as she had been drawn to do.  Everything she had sensed in prayer she was finding fulfilled in Passionist life.  There was only one thing to do, and that was to request admittance, which she did in 2001.  Thus began her Passionist journey that led her to First Profession here at our monastery in November of 2004.       We rejoice and thank God with Sr. Mary for calling her to our monastery. Please join us in praying that she will become more and more a “flame of crucified love”, which St. Paul of the Cross desired all of his Passionist Nuns to be.      Pray also that many other generous-hearted women will respond to the call of Christ Crucified in Passionist contemplative life.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                 

All Rights Reserved.  ©  see Terms of Use and Legal Restrictions