Tag: Franciscan Friars of the Renewal

Ordination and profession of vows in 2018

What follows is a general listing of various religious orders who admitted new members, professed vows and/or ordained. The purpose is to show how the Lord is working (or not) in many of the communities. Some communities are clearly alive and living the charism of their religious group; and it is equally clear that some groups are dying.

Alexian Brothers
3 clothed in the habit
6 renew temporary vows

Basilian Salvatorian Order, Methuen, MA
1 professed temporary vows

New Skete Monks, Cambridge, NY
1 clothed in the habit

New Skete Nuns, Cambridge, NY
1 clothed in the habit

Christ the Bridegroom Monastery, Burton, OH (Byzantine Catholic nuns)
1 professed life vows

Missionaries of the Holy Apostles, Cromwell, CT
1 admitted to postulancy
2 ordained deacon

Franciscan Handmaids of Mary
1 professed temporary

Franciscan Friars of the Renewal
8 admitted to postulancy
8 clothed in the habit
4 profess temporary vows
2 profess perpetual vows
1 ordained deacon
4 ordained priest

Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal
3 clothed with the habit

Capuchin Friars, St Mary Province, NY
6 men renew temporary vows

Cistercian Abbey of Our Lady of Dallas
2 clothed in the habit
1 professed temporary vows
1 solemn vows
1 ordained deacon

Holy Cross Abbey —OCSO, Berryville, VA
1 admitted postulancy

Christ in the Desert Abbey, Abiquiu, NM
7 clothed in the habit
2 professed simple vows
3 renewed vows
12 solemn vows
1 ordained deacon

Our Lady of the Desert, Blanco, NM
2 professed final vows
1 professed simple vows
1 admitted to postulancy

Mount Saviour Monastery, Pine City, NY
2 admitted to postulancy
1 clothed in the habit
1 professed simple vows

St Scholastica Priory, Petersham, MA
3 clothed in the habit

Monastery of the Holy Cross, Chicago
1 ordained to diaconate

St Meinrad Archabbey, St Meinrad, IN
1 clothed in the habit 
2 professed simple vows
1 professed solemn vows
1 ordained priest

Subiaco Abbey, Subiaco, AR
2 ordained priests

Marmion Abbey, Aurora, IL
1 clothed in the habit
2 professed simple vows
1 ordained priest

Mount Angel Abbey, Mt Angel, OR
2 clothed in the habit
4 professed simple vows
3 professed solemn vows

St Joseph Abbey, Covington, LA
2 clothed in the habit

Conception Abbey, Conception, MO
3 clothed in the habit

St Vincent Archabbey, Latrobe, PA
4 clothed in the habit
4 professed simple vows
2 professed solemn vows
2 ordained priest

St Bernard Abbey, Cullman, AL
3 clothed in the habit
3 professed solemn vows
1 ordained priest

Mary, Help of Christians Abbey, Belmont, NC
1 admitted to postulancy
1 clothed in the habit
1 professed solemn vows

Mary, Mother of the Church Abbey, Richmond, VA
1 admitted to postulancy

Assumption Abbey, Richardton, ND
1 professed simple vows

St Mary’s Abbey, Morristown, NJ
1 clothed in the habit 
1 professed simple vows

St Gregory’s Abbey, Shawnee, OK
1 admitted to postulancy

St Anselm Abbey, Manchester, NH
1 admitted to postulancy
3 clothed in the habit
1 professed simple vows
1 professed solemn vows

St Leo Abbey, St Leo, FL
1 professed simple vows
1 professed solemn vows

St Procopius Abbey, Lisle, IL
1 professed simple vows

St John’s Abbey, Collegeville, MN
1 professed simple vows
1 clothed in the habit

St Andrew Abbey, Cleveland, OH
1 clothed in the habit
1 ordained deacon
1 ordained priest

St Benedict’s Abbey, Atchison, KS
2 admitted to postulancy
2 clothed in the habit
2 professed simple vows
1 professed solemn vows
2 ordained deacon

Newark Abbey, Newark, NJ
1 admitted to postulancy
1 professed simple vows

St Martin’s Abbey, Lacey, WA
1 admitted to postulancy

St Anselm Abbey, Washington, DC
1 ordained deacon

St Gregory the Great Abbey, Portsmouth, RI
1 professed simple vows

Abbey of Regina Laudis, Bethlehem, CT
1 clothed in the habit
others in formation
3 given the Consecration of Virgins

Abbey of Our Lady of Ephesus, Gower, MO
10 in the novitiate
8 admitted to postulancy
5 junior professed

Immaculate Heart of Mary Monastery, Westfield, VT
1 professed simple vows (an extern sister)

Glencairn Abbey, Ireland (Trappistines)
2 postulants admitted
2 professed solemn vows

Tautra Mariakloster, Norway (Trappistines)
2 professed simple vows

Mount Saint Mary Abbey, Wrentham, MA (Trappistines)
3 admitted to postulancy
2 professed simple vows
1 professed solemn vows

Order of Preachers —Province of St. Joseph
16 clothed with the habit
9 professed simple vows
11 professed solemn vows
9 ordained priest
6 ordained deacon

Order of Preachers —Province of St. Albert the Great
1 professed simple vows
1 professed solemn vows

Our Lady of Grace Monastery —Order of Preachers, North Guilford, CT
1 admitted to postulancy, then novitiate
1 professed simple vows

Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, Hawthorne, NY
2 clothed in the habit
2 renewed their vows

Dominicans of the Immaculate Conception, Chicago, IL
1 admitted to postulancy

Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, Ann Arbor, MI
12 clothed in the habit
6 professed simple vows
7 professed perpetual vows

Dominican Missionaries for the Deaf Apostolate, New Britain, CT
3 admitted to postulancy
4 clothed in the habit
1 final profession
1 ordained priest

Society of Jesus
40 entered the Provinces in the USA, Canada, and Haiti
27 ordained priests for the States, Canada and Haiti
26 professed simple perpetual vows for the USA & Canada

Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Hamden, CT
4 admitted to postulancy
1 clothed in the habit
3 professed simple vows
5 renew vows
1 professed perpetual vows

Sisters of Life
6 clothed in the habit
4 renewed vows
7 professed simple vows
8 professed perpetual vows

Maryknoll Sisters
4 professed perpetual vows

Congregation of Norbertine Sisters, California
2 admitted to postulancy
2 professed simple vows

Abbey of Santa Maria de la Vid –Norbertines
1 clothed in the habit

St Norbert Abbey, Norbertines, DePere, WI
1 clothed in the habit
2 professed simple vows
1 professed solemn vows
1 ordained deacon
1 ordained priest

Abbey of Saint Michael, Norbertines, CA
1 ordained priest
? enter the novitiate

Legion of Christ
7 professed simple vows
11 clothed with the habit
9 to be ordained to priesthood scheduled for May 4, 2019

Order of Virgins
several made their consecration as Virgins in particular dioceses in the USA

Friars of the Renewal –ordinary witness, extraordinary era

In my opinion, the Franciscans of the Renewal (the friars and the sisters) are among a few very dynamic communities in the USA who are actually living the gospel and being formed by sacred Tradition. Their following and their belonging to Jesus Christ is out-of-this-world. I may be biased because of my friendship and experience with many of the CFRs, but I think you might say the say if you went to pray and work among them. A recent article on the CFRs speaks a little to their charism…

Congrats to the newly ordained

new bport priests.jpgIn recent days several dioceses and religious orders have ordained men to the priesthood.

The priest is to “understand … imitate … and conform” his life to the Cross of Jesus. The bishop exhorts the man to be ordained to see that he believes what he reads, that he teaches what he believes and practices what he teaches.

Here is a random sample:
The Archabbey of Saint Vincent: 1
The Franciscan Friars of the Renewal: 4
The Order of Preachers, New York: 6
The Idente Missionaries of Christ: 1
The Archdiocese of Boston: 5
The Archdiocese of Hartford: 7
The Archdiocese of New York: 6
The Archdiocese of Newark: 5
The Archdiocese of Philadelphia: 3
The Archdiocese of Los Angelus: 2
The Eparchy of Newton: 1
The Eparchy of Saint Maron, Brooklyn: 2
The Diocese of Bridgeport: 7
The Diocese of Paterson: 9
Saint John Mary Vianney, pray us.

Pilgrimage to the Filippini Sisters, Newark Abbey & the Friars of the Renewal


Filippini.jpgThis morning, August 28th, began with the Sacrifice of the Mass offered by Father Jeremiah, a monk of Saint Mary’s Abbey, at Villa Walsh, The Institute of the Religious Teachers Filippini. The monks of Saint Mary’s Abbey have offered Mass for the sisters for many decades. We had a modest and delightful breakfast with Sister Betty Jean, the Provincial of the Filippini sisters and some other sisters. The sisters’ patience with me was grand because I had so many questions about the Congregation; I had never met a Filippini sister before and I was intrigued by their charism.

The vocation of a Filippini sister, based on what Saint Lucy Filippini and Cardinal Mark Anthony Barbarigo gave to the Church is your fundamental living of the Gospel being a contemplative in action, that is, A Filippini sister has a life of prayer with her life of ministry. Sounds like the Jesuits and other orders founded since the 16th century; and you can see these sisters are serious about their vocation when you meet them. Saint Lucy and the Cardinal founded schools of Christian Doctrine for girls in Italy, ministered to the poor and the sick, conducted retreats and guided the women preparing for marriage. What more does the Church need?

Later in the morning, Father Jeremiah and I ventured to Newark Abbey and Saint Benedict Prep

StMarys.jpgto visit with the Benedictine monks, particularly Brothers Maximilian and Patrick. We prayed Mid-day prayer in a beautiful abbey church, toured the school, Saint Mary’s Parish and the abbey. Newark Abbey is the original site of the Benedictine monks of the American-Cassinese Congregation sent by Archabbot Boniface Wimmer in 1857 to Newark. It is from this abbey that Saint Anselm’s Abbey and later college where founded in Manchester, NH, and Saint Mary’s Abbey in Morristown, NJ. Brothers Maximilian and Patrick were very gracious hosts and great fun. We lunched at The Tops Diner (East Newark) and visited Newark’s Basilica of the Sacred Heart. You would not believe the beauty of this cathedral church! Even Pope John Paul II made a visit here and former President William Clinton remarked how surprised he was to see such a magnificent in Newark, New Jersey. A brief video was produced in 2007 by the NJ Star Ledger on the Newark Abbey monks, have a look.

Chapel_1.jpgThe last treat of the day was the afternoon visit to the Community of the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal based at the Friary of the Blessed Sacrament (Newark, NJ). This is the group founded by Father Benedict Groeschel and seven other Capuchin friars in 1987. The friary was the former the Monastery of Saint Dominic (nuns of the 2nd order of the Order of Preachers). It was indeed a privilege to visit the friary: it was peaceful, prayer-filled and beautiful (much work has been in the 4 years since the coming of the friars). When the nuns moved to other monasteries, their dead were exhumed and reburied in a local cemetery, including the incorrupt body of an extern sister known for holiness, Sister Mary of the Blessed Sacrament who died in 1899. Our host at the friary was Father Richard who graciously illustrated for us the life of the friars: their simple life, their prayer and their clear witness to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What I experienced was genuine and one which I have confidence is made by God for service in the Church.

 What a day! Say a prayer for the Filippini sisters, the monks of Newark and the Friars of the Renewal: they need our moral and spiritual solidarity, indeed they need we ought to be in friendship with them. Perhaps more accurately, we need their witness!