Friday, August 15, 2014

The Beauty of The Little Way

Beautiful piece on Patheos about a women's religious community called the Little Sisters Disciples of the Lamb.  They are a contemplative order that welcomes women who have Down's Syndrome.  Read more here.

Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Two New Communities

The Diocese of Bismarck (our neighbor to the west) has two new communitites established by Bishop Kagen.  Both are Carmelite - two sisters are from the Carmelite community in Alexandria, South Dakota and the other two sisters are from the Congregation of Teresian Carmelites in India.  Read more from the Diocese of Bismarck here

Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Prayer to Know Your Vocation

Lord, my God and my loving Father, you have made me to know you, to love you, to serve you, and thereby to find and to fulfill my deepest longings. I know that you are in all things, and that every path can lead me to you.

But of them all, there is one especially by which you want me to come to you. Since I will do what you want of me, I pray you, send your Holy Spirit to me: into my mind, to show me what you want of me; into my heart, to give me the determination to do it, and to do it with all my love, with all my mind, and with all of my strength right to the end. Jesus, I trust in you. Amen

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

On the Dignity of Women

An awesome post from the blog of Christ the Bridegroom Monastery

Christ The Bridegroom: "Bob wants to be a nun" and the dignity and vocati...: Yesterday we spoke at the "Ladies' Day Out" at St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church in Barberton, Ohio.  We enjoyed spending...

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Pro Orantibus Day

From the Cloistered Life website:
On November 21 (the Memorial of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple), the Church will celebrate Pro Orantibus
Day ("For Those Who Pray"), an ecclesial event established by Pope John Paul II for all Catholics worldwide to commemorate the hidden lives of cloistered and contemplative religious. We celebrate this day because the contemplative life is a gift from God to us all, because these men and women lay down their lives to pray for the needs of the world, and because we all benefit from the graces obtained by their prayers, even when we do not know it. All vocations need one another, and so, on this day, the faithful are encouraged to reach out to the cloistered and contemplative communities in their diocese, through prayer, encouragement, and material support.
Some concrete ways to do this are: participating in a novena and offering up Masses, writing letters to contemplative communities, visiting them, and making a special point to teach families, religious education classes, youth groups, etc., about the tremendous value of the contemplative life. In Pope Benedict XVI’s words, "Let us thank the Lord for the sisters and brothers who have embraced this mission, dedicating themselves entirely to prayer and living on what they receive from Providence. Let us pray in our turn for them and for new vocations, and let us work to support monasteries in their material needs."
For more information visit CloisteredLife.com.

This Thursday, November 21 (the Memorial of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple), the Church will celebrate
Pro Orantibus Day ("For Those Who Pray"), an ecclesial event established by Pope John Paul II for all Catholics worldwide to commemorate the hidden lives of cloistered and contemplative religious. Ways to honor the event include prayer (participating in a novena, offering up Masses, etc.), encouragement (writing letters to contemplative communities, visiting them, calling them to thank them, etc.), and material support.
Pope Benedict XVI spoke often of the tremendous value of the cloistered, contemplative life. Addressing a group of cloistered Dominican nuns in Rome, he referred to such religious as the "heart" which provides the blood to the rest of the Body of Christ. Pope Francis also made a point to meet with and show his appreciation to contemplative nuns while in Brazil for World Youth Day.
Special promotion of this annual celebration is being coordinated in the United States by the
Institute on Religious Life.For more information visit CloisteredLife.com.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

One Rose

Ok, I am late in the game on this one.   Today is the day for the One Rose Campaign from the Imagine Sisters.  Know a young (or old) woman who might be considering a religious vocation? Here are some things you can do to encourage them.

  • Pray and reflect on the women of God in your life. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide your prayer.
  • Ask yourself, “Who do I know that would make a great sister? Who radiates the joy of Christ?” You may know more than one woman and that’s okay, invite as many as you feel called to invite.
  • Give a single rose to that person on October 1st, affirming the gifts you see in her. Be bold, joyful, and supportive! Let her know about the Imagine Sisters site, and thank her for being awesome! You can even send the rose to the young woman if you will be unable to see her that day.
  • Pray in thanksgiving, and ask God to water the seeds if it is His will for her to discern the religious life.
For more information, visit the One Rose Campaign