"In union with Mary, Mother of the Church, we strive to magnify Jesus Christ, her Divine Son, by communicating the Beauty, Goodness, and Truth of the Catholic faith, in a spirit of joyful evangelization..." ~ From the MSSR Charism Statement While not every sister teaches in a classroom, every sister participates in carrying out our charism of joyful evangelization in some way. Some sisters do teach the faith in a classroom setting, while others form the younger sisters or serve as catechists for the parish and diocese. The convent seamstress is never without things to do for her Spouse. She serves Him personally by preparing sacred linens for use at the altar. She serves Him in the person of His representatives on earth, the priests, and she serves Him by clothing his spouses. As women religious, our primary duty is the contemplation of divine things and assiduous union with God in prayer (cf. Canon 663), but from this union with God flows an abundance of apostolic works. This past week, the sisters... ...traveled to Eureka for the freshman retreat at St. Bernard's Academy... ... presented at the Queen of the Angels Girl Club retreat... ... assisted in veiling the statues and images at the Cathedral... ...veiled the images in the convent chapel... ...said farewell to our dear Chaplain, Fr. Christopher Henderson... ...all for Jesus! Formal, communal prayer is an important part of the life of a Sister. It is also, to be honest, a real joy. In these times of praying the Divine Office, adoring Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament, praying the Holy Rosary, and attending the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass together, we grow in love for Jesus and are prepared for the coming day. We are like Our Lady at the Annunciation - open to the workings of the Holy Spirit and inviting Jesus to come to us. We, with the Blessed Mother's help, can offer our own little fiat for that day. The times of personal prayer, especially visits to the Blessed Sacrament, help foster and deepen what was planted in times of communal prayer (and vice versa). Our life is not just spent in the chapel, although we keep the chapel in our hearts in all we do. Like Our Lady in the Visitation, who after receiving the Word into her womb went out in charity to her cousin Elizabeth, we go out to our duties for the day. Whether it is out teaching in the schools or laboring in the cathedral sacristy or at home cooking, cleaning, and gardening, we strive to live the spirit of the Visitation. We come together several times in the day for prayer as well as meals and time for recreation. All of these activities, flowing from our times of communal and personal prayer, make our whole day a prayer. At the end of Easter week, the Sisters had the great blessing of going to Institute on Religious Life's Conference at Mundelein Seminary. Since we were in the area, the Sisters attended Holy Mass (twice! once in the Ordinary Form and once in the Extraordinary Form) with the Canons of St. John Cantius in Chicago. Beautiful, reverent liturgies and outstanding hospitality - truly our brothers in Christ. After seeing the Canons, we went up to the Seminary for amazing conferences, Holy Mass, Rosary and Benediction, and fellowship with other Religious from around the country. What a blessing! |
Categories
All
Archives
March 2024
|