Communio – Page 587 – …bearing with one another in love, making every effort to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

Religious life 2008: Profession of vows, entrances and ordinations Religious

Updated August 30th

I was curious as to how many people responded to the Lord’s call to serve Him as a
consecrated religious (being a sister, a nun or a priest) this summer. The Anchoress made a similar report on August 18; visit her blog for more info. Here is a sampling of those who took vows, promises or were invested with the habit in last calendar year.

St. Benedict’s Abbey: 1 professed simple vows; 1 professed solemn vows; 1 clothed in the habit.

St. Mary’s Abbey: 1 ordained to the priesthood; 1 postulant

St. Louis Abbey: 1 solemn profession; 3 clothed in the habit; 1 claustral oblate

Mary, Help of Christians Abbey (Belmont Abbey): 1 first profession; 2 clothed in the habit

St. Meinrad Archabbey: 1 solemn vows; 3 postulants

St. Vincent Archabbey: 2 solemn professions; 4 first professions; 5 clothed in the habit; 2 ordained to the diaconate

Monastero San Benedetto: 1 solemn vows; 2 novices; 3 postulants; 1 ordination to the priesthood

Franciscan Friars of the Renewal: 7 novices; 10 first professions; 7 perpetual professions; 2 priests and 2 deacons ordained

Province of St. Joseph (the Dominicans): 11 clothed in the habit

A NEW congregation: Maronite Servants of Christ the Light: 1 sister and many more to come!

Sisters of Christian Charity: 1 first profession; 3 novices; 3 postulants

Congregation of St. Cecilia: 18 entered postulancy; 12 first vows; 8 renewed their vows; 11 made final vows; 6 clothed in the habit

Mary, Mother of the Eucharist: 14 first professions; 8 received the habit; 8 made final profession

Apostles of the Sacred Heart: 2 first professions; 2 vow renewals; 1 clothed in the habit

Queen of Peace Monastery: 1 first profession; 1 postulant

Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George : 3 postulants; 4 clothed in the habit; 6 professions; 22 Junior sisters; and an undetermined number making final vows in 2009

Valley of Our Lady Monastery (Cistercian nuns): 5 novices, 3 postulants

Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles: 4 postulants, 2 novices

Dear friends, life is not governed by chance; it is not random. Your very existence has been willed by God, blessed and given a purpose (cf. Gen 1:28)! Life is not just a succession of events or experiences, helpful though many of them are. It is a search for the true, the good and the beautiful. It is to this end that we make our choices; it is for this that we exercise our freedom; it is in this – in truth, in goodness, and in beauty – that we find happiness and joy. Do not be fooled by those who see you as just another consumer in a market of undifferentiated possibilities, where choice itself becomes the good, novelty usurps beauty, and subjective experience displaces truth.

Pope Benedict XVI, WYD Australia, 2008

Inflamed with the love of Christ: Saint Bernard of Clairvaulx

Truly it is right and just, our duty and our salvation,

always and everywhere to give you thanks,
Lord, holy Father, almighty and eternal God,
through Christ our Lord.

Christ is the Word
whom Saint Bernard held in the silence of his heart;
Christ is the Bridegroom
whom he desired with all the ardor of his soul;
Christ is the Son of the Virgin Mary
whose sweetness was his comfort and delight.

In the holy abbot Bernard you have given your Church
a teacher in the school of charity,
a prophet burning with the fire of the Holy Spirit,
a poet to sing the praises of the Virgin Mother,
a servant of unity and peace.

Even today, his words fill us with wonder,
inflame us with longing for the wedding of the Lamb,
and inspire us to sing your praise with joy.

Therefore, with the angels and the great company of saints,
we exalt your glory forever.

(Preface of the Mass of Saint Bernard)

Defending the Family

A Rome-based news agency made a recent entry on the new head of the Pontifical Council of the Family, Ennio Cardinal

Antonelli can be viewed here.

In 1973, Pope Paul created Committee for the Family and in 1981, Pope John Paul raised this committee to the rank of a “Pontifical Council.” The mission, therefore of the Pontifical Council for the Family is being “…responsible for the promotion of the pastoral ministry and apostolate to the family, through the application of the teachings and guidelines of the ecclesiastical Magisterium, to help Christian families fulfill their educational and apostolic mission. It also promotes and coordinates pastoral efforts related to the issue of responsible procreation, and encourages, sustains and coordinates initiatives in defense of human life in all stages of its existence, from conception to natural death.”

Here in the US, the faithful know that in the Venerable Servant of God Father Michael J. McGivney they have a heavenly patron for the protection of families.

Hence, the Knights of Columbus has as one of its hallmarks the defense of the family and it frequently stands up for the family from the vulgar attacks the family faces today. It is very clear to me that one can find no other lay Catholic organization that defends the dignity of the family than the KofC today. Also, the work of the US bishops on behalf of the family should be noted.

Let’s pray for families especially those facing some difficulty that the protection of Mary Most Holy and of Saint Joseph will be with them. It is the desire of us all that families resist the disintegrating forces of certain elements in contemporary culture which undermine the very foundations of the family. Hence, this desire is only realized through prayer, hard work, education and courage. And as the Pope Benedict asks, “us resolve to make our own homes radiate with Christ’s loving harmony and peace.”

The 6th World Encounter of Families is scheduled for 13-18 January 2009 in Mexico. It is hoped that the Pope would attend this meeting.

I am grateful for my family as they have been a great grace to me. My parents are married 42 years this November and this is a wonderful thing! May God grant them many more years together.

Saint Bernard Tolomei

Today in Benedictine monasteries the liturgical memorial observed is that of Blessed

Bernard Tolomei (sometimes he is already referred to as a saint but he won’t be canonized by the church later this year). From the region of Siena, Blessed Bernard was the 14th century founder of the Olivetan congregation of Benedictine monks. Bernard and his spiritual sons are known for living a life of solitude and austerity while introducing a new form of monastic observance with a congregation structure (i.e., with an elected abbot general). The Olivetan monks wear white habits in honor of Our Lady and have a special devotion to the Paschal Mystery. The congregation was founded and continues to thrive at the Archabbey of Monte Oliveto Maggiore (or here); congregation is present in the USA at the Abbey of Our Lady of Guadalupe (aka Pecos).

Familiarize yourself with Bernard’s influence. The charism and witness of this monastic tradition is manifested in Pope John Paul’s Letter to the Olivetan Benedictines. An Italian artistic and cultural society is fostered in the Bernard Tolomei Foundation.

The Mass collects for today are help for our prayer:

Introit

I will give you shepherds after my own heart, and they shall feed you on knowledge and sound teaching. (Jer. 3:15)

Opening Prayer

Lord our God, through blessed abbot Bernard, you enriched Your Church with a new

form of monastic observance. Strengthened by his help and example, may we gain the good things prepared for those who believe in You. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Prayer Over the Gifts

Lord, accept these gifts from your people. May the Eucharist we offer to Your glory in honor of Blessed Bernard help us on our way to salvation. Grant this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Communion antiphon

The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. (Mt. 20:28)

Prayer after Communion

Lord, we receive the bread of heaven as we honor the memory of [Blessed] St. Bernard. May the Eucharist we now celebrate lead us to eternal joys. Grant this in the name of Jesus the Lord.

Monk of St. Meinrad Professes Solemn Vows

A long tradition of some Benedictine monasteries is the profession of solemn vows on August 15, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Benedictines take vows of obedience, stability, and conversion, that is, fidelity to the monastic way of life. At the Archabbey of Saint Meinrad the tradition continues to be observed.

Today at the Archabbey of Saint Meinrad,

Brother Martin professed his solemn vows before God, Archabbot Justin, the monks of the archabbey and friends. Notice the corona worn by Brother Martin.

Familiarity with the Word, which the Benedictine Rule guarantees by reserving much time for it in the daily schedule, will not fail to instill serene trust, to cast aside false security and to root in the soul a vivid sense of the total lordship of God. The monk is thus protected from convenient or utilitarian interpretations of Scripture and brought to an ever deeper awareness of human weakness, in which God’s power shines brightly. ~Pope John Paul II

May God grant Brother Martin many years!

The Pattern of the Church’s Perfection: Mary Sets the Standard

In a Georgian Hymnal we see a verse of a hymn which reads:

You went forth from the world,
O virgin Theotokos,
to the eternal light.

The sacred Liturgy bases its Marian Theology on the biblical images of Mary as the “New Eve,” the
“Beloved of the Bridegroom,” the “Ark of the Covenant,” and the “Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven.” From what we read in sacred Scripture to what we know by sacred Tradition, Mary remains the mother of mystery. Our Catholic belief is that Mary was raised up body and soul and sits in heaven with the Blessed Trinity. But was she raised up like Enoch (Genesis 5:24) or Elijah (2 King 3:11)? When Pope Pius XII declared the Assumption of Mary as a dogma of the Faith in the Apostolic Constitution Munificentissimus Deus, he deliberately left the question open, saying that Mary was assumed after “having completed the course of her earthly life.” Later, Pope John Paul II said that he believes Mary, like her Son, experienced the “human drama of death.” Perhaps Saint John of Damascus says it best: “As the Mother of the living God, she goes through death to Him. For if God said: ‘Unless the first man put out his hand to take and taste of the tree of life, he shall live forever,’ how shall she, who received the Life Himself, without beginning or end, or finite vicissitudes, not live forever.”

Looking at the consistent teaching and liturgical observance of the fact of the Assumption it is clear that the Church, East and West, has believed from the earliest days that Mary shared in her Son’s dramatic victory over death by conquering death. The Apostle Paul and the prophet Isaiah called this fact “the swallowing up of death.” AND this is a reason for our Hope.

Many of our Protestant brothers and sisters reject this feast as idolatry, missing what Pope
Pius said about the divine truth revealed in the Assumption: In Mary, Mothers of God, we know, “to what lofty goal our bodies and souls are destined.” The Church, therefore, prays at Mass this collect:

Almighty and Eternal God, You Who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of Your Son, body and soul into heavenly glory, grant, we beseech You, that, always intent on higher things, we may merit to be sharers in her glory.

And the Preface

Since today the Virgin Mother of God was assumed into heaven
as the beginning and pattern of your Church’s perfection
and a sign of sure hope and comfort to your pilgrim people,
For justly you would not allow her
to see the corruption of the tomb,
because from her own flesh she brought forth ineffably
your incarnate Son, the author of all life.

(Draft 2006 I.C.E.L. Translation)

A New Mission: Nashville goes down under

Dominican sisters based in Nashville start new mission in Australia

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) — The 12 months spent by three U.S. Dominican sisters

in
Sydney, Australia, to help plan and organize World Youth Day has led to a new mission in Australia for the congregation. The three — Sisters Mary Madeline Todd, Mary Rachel Capets and Anna Wray — are members of the St. Cecilia Congregation in Nashville. They have returned home but two of them will go back to Sydney to help establish their community’s first permanent mission outside the United States. Cardinal George Pell and Auxiliary Bishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney, a fellow Dominican, “we’re eager to have our sisters working in Sydney,” said Sister Mary Madeline. “What we could offer and what they needed were complementary.” What the Dominicans offer and what is needed in southern Australia, Sister Mary Madeline said, is a “witness of religious life.” Although Australian society has become increasingly secular, “there is a great interest in religious life in Australia,” Sister Mary Madeline told the Tennessee Register, newspaper of the Nashville Diocese.

On another note, the Nashville Dominicans finally professed 11 sisters on July 25^th. May God grant many years!

If you are interested in knowing more about the Nashville Dominicans, send an email to Sister Mary Emily at: vocation@op-tn.org

Blessing of Herbs on the Solemnity of the Assumption of Blessed Virgin Mary

The Blessing of Herbs and Flowers in Honor of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

After the Asperges if it is a Sunday, otherwise immediately before Mass, the priest, standing before the altar and facing the people who hold the sheaves of new grain, garden vegetables, flowers and new herbs and the finest fruits of their orchards in their hands, says in a clear voice:

P: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

Pray Psalm 64

P: Glory be to the Father.

All: As it was in the beginning.

P: The Lord will be gracious.

All: And our land will bring forth its fruit.

P: You water the mountains from the clouds.

All: The earth is replenished from your rains.

P: Giving grass for cattle.

All: And plants for the benefit of man.

P: You bring wheat from the earth.

All: And wine to cheer man’s heart.

P: Oil to make his face lustrous.

All: And bread to strengthen his heart.

P: He utters a command and heals their suffering.

All: And snatches them from distressing want.

P: O Lord, hear my prayer.

All: And let my cry come unto you.

P: The Lord be with you.

All: And with your spirit.

Let us pray.

Almighty everlasting God, who by your word alone brought into being the

heavens, earth, sea, things seen and things unseen, and garnished the earth with plants and trees for the use of man and beast; who appointed each species to bring forth fruit in its kind, not only for the food of living creatures, but for the healing of sick bodies as well; with mind and word we urgently call on you in your great kindness to bless + these various herbs and fruits, thus increasing their natural powers with the newly given grace of your blessing. May they keep away disease and adversity from men and beasts who use them in your name; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Let us pray. God, who through Moses, your servant, directed the children of Israel to carry their sheaves of new grain to the priests for a blessing, to pluck the finest fruits of the orchard, and to make merry before you, the Lord their God; hear our supplications, and shower blessings + in abundance upon us and upon these bundles of new grain, new herbs, and this assortment of produce which we gratefully present to you on this festival, blessing + them in your name. Grant that men, cattle, flocks, and beasts of burden find in them a remedy against sickness, pestilence, sores, injuries, spells, against the fangs of serpents or poisonous creatures. May these blessed objects be a protection against

diabolical mockery, cunning, and deception wherever they are kept, carried, or otherwise used. Lastly, through the merits of the blessed Virgin Mary, whose Assumption we are celebrating, may we all, laden with the sheaves of good works, deserve to be taken up to heaven; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Let us pray. God, who on this day raised up to highest heaven the rod of Jesse, the Mother of your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, that by her prayers and patronage you might communicate to our mortal nature the fruit of her womb, your very Son; we humbly implore you to help us use these fruits of the soil for our temporal and everlasting welfare, aided by the power of your Son and the prayers of His glorious Mother; through Christ our Lord. All: Amen.

And may the blessing of almighty God, Father, Son, + and Holy Spirit, come upon these creatures and remain always.

All: Amen.

They are sprinkled with holy water and incensed.

Saint Maximilian Kolbe and Fr. Michael J. McGivney: 2 models of holiness

Today’s the feast of the martyr Saint Maximilian Kolbe (January 8, 1894-August 14,
1941), the Apostle of Consecration to Mary. Pope Benedict reminded us recently that the death of Kolbe was a witness of the love which “defeats the darkness of egoism and hatred.” The Holy Father recalled words attributed Saint Maximilian Kolbe: “Hatred is not a creative force: only love is.” On August 14, 1941, the saint died in place of Franciszek Gajowniczek.

When Pope John Paul II canonized Kolbe in the presence of Franciszek Gajowniczek he said that Saint Maximilian Kolbe was not a confessor, but a martyr. He is one of ten 20^th-century martyrs from across the world who are depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey, London.

Saint Maximilian is the patron saint for those living with drug addictions, the imprisoned people, journalists, political prisoners, prisoners, and the pro-life movement.

Kolbe is a special saint for me because from my school days his image and story were imprinted in my mind and heart by the Nazareth sisters. How could the story of Fr. Kolbe not move you? When I visited the Nazi concentration camps in 1996, and prayed in Kolbe’s cell, his offering was very present to me. Through Kolbe’s intercession before the Throne of Grace we ask for world peace and peace in our hearts.

118 years ago the Venerable Servant of God Michael J. McGivney died at the age of 38. A diocesan priest of the Hartford Diocese and founder of the Knights of Columbus, McGivney urged holiness and missionary activity with the Knights and his parishioners. The only way to manage this is to adhere 100% to Jesus Christ.

The prayer for canonization is an excellent summary of McGivney’s work and a challenge for us to similarly respond to God and service of neighbor. The McGivney Guild which promotes McGivney’s cause for sainthood by giving relevant information on Fr. McGivney and it has a number of devotional items to encourage devotion to him. The Guild publishes a newsletter 6 times per year. Membership is open to all people and free.

Prayer for the Canonization of

Father Michael J. McGivney

God, our Father, protector of the poor and defender of the widow and orphan, you called your priest, Father Michael J. McGivney, to be an apostle of Christian family life and to lead the young to the generous service of their neighbor.

Through the example of his life and virtue may we follow your Son, Jesus Christ, more closely, fulfilling his commandment of charity and building up his Body which is the Church. Let the inspiration of your servant prompt us to greater confidence in your love so that we may continue his work of caring for the needy and the outcast.

We humbly ask that you glorify your servant Father Michael J. McGivney on earth according to the design of your holy will.

Through his intercession, grant the favor I now present (here make your request).

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

A new monastery of Dominican nuns: the witness

Saint Dominic’s Monastery is where a group of Dominican nuns –not to be confused with the

third order sisters like Nashville Dominicans or Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist– are beginning a new life in Linden, Virginia, and they ought to be on your radar screen. The monastery is 12 miles from Christendom College and a short distance from Washington, DC.

The nuns need our prayerful solidarity, vocations and material support. What’s more beautiful than a life dedicated to following the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the charism of Saint Dominic by faithfulness to a life of sacrifice, worship, study and community life? The nuns live what is considered a traditional Dominican nuns’ life with the night office, the traditional habit, community life and abstinence. Their life is not easy but they it is beautiful, happy and rewarding. The monastery will be blessed (dedicated) and the nuns formally enclosed by the bishop of the Dicoese of Arlington, The Most Reverend Paul Stephen Loverdi on October 7, 2008, the feast of the Holy Rosary.

A great story of monastic adventure may be found at Roman Catholic Vocations blog.