Daughters of Our Mother of Peace

Daughters of Our Mother of Peace - CWSMR
The Society of Our Mother of Peace

Founded 1966; Contemplative/Active; some dwell in separate hermitages, other in a convent

"In contrast to our Solitude Sisters who dwell in hermitages, the Convent Community lives in one building where each Sister has a separate room. Here, community living is evident and supports a close bond in Christ. Our apostolate of evangelization is essential to our vocation. Our program is invitational, that is, we extend an invitation to each and every person that we reach, to join us in worship on any weekend of the year. These contacts give us the opportunity to share our Faith, bringing Jesus and His Church into focus in a non-threatening and non-pressured way. Every spiritual dialogue is successful in God’s eyes, since our role is to be “little shepherds” for the Shepherd whose Good News we bring with joy and zeal!"

For those in the hermitage, there is an active part to their ministry also.

"Although our life is basically contemplative, with the stress on silence and solitude, we have a healthy measure of community life by which we are able to support and encourage one another on the path of holiness, and communicate to each other the joy of living solely for God."

Picture at left:  Sisters in Nigeria celebrating the profession of two Brothers

If you would like to go on a retreat, there are some very tempting offers:  see Retreat Plans.

Near St. Louis:
Mary The Font Solitude
6150 Antire Road High Ridge, Missouri
63049-2135
636-677-3235

Near Springfield:
Queen of Heaven Solitude, 12494 Highway T
Marionville, Missouri
65705
417-744-2011

The schedule for those in the hermitage is as follows:
Rise 4:15
Office of Readings 5:00
Solitary Prayer 5:15
Morning Prayer 7:15
Eucharistic Sacrifice 7:30
Thanksgiving 8:15
Breakfast 8:45
Apostolic Work 9:15
Midday Prayer 12:00
Lunch 12:10
Apostolic Work 12:45
Siesta (Optional) 3:15
Solitary Prayer 4:00
Evening Prayer 6:00
Dinner 6:20
Upkeep 7:00
Solitary Prayer 7:45
Night Prayer 9:15
Retire 9:45

Spirituality: St. John of the Cross

Devotions (may vary between convent and solitude community): 2 1/2 hours of private prayer and spiritual reading; Rosary, communal; Divine Office

Apostolates: Evangelization of the unchurched (esp. inner city), Prayer,  Retreats

Locations: Convent in St. Louis, MO; Hermitage in High Ridge, MO; internationally in Nigeria and the Philippines

Ages upon Entrance: 20-55
# of Professed: Unknown
They do have a webpage now, but their vocation link is blank.  I'll write them about this.

Sister Mary Joy Lambert, SMP
8307 Madison Ave.
Vinita Park, Missouri 63114
314-426-7732
smpconvent@yahoo.com

Many (many) years ago, I decided to sample the life of a hermit, and visited the solitude community. I will truthfully say that it is definitely something one needs a calling for (well, that goes for any Religious type of life).  However, they now seem to offer many different types of retreats, as I have noted above.

How long did I survive the experience? I'm not telling.

Re-posted (due to bad links - it was a mess) in March 2012, hopefully more corrections upcoming

Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity

Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity - Main Sister's website
Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity - CMSWR
Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity - Sisters, Brothers, Lay Members etc etc!

"Imitate Mary, Become Like Jesus, Live for the Triune God"

 I was once a Protestant, so I know the proper response to the above - "Can you say amen, brothers and sisters!" Finally, finally, I've gotten around to writing about SOLT, and I'm smiling for excellent reasons. Read on.

Contemplative/Active; The Society was founded in 1958 and I do not know when the Sister's community was formed.  I believe their founder is still living.

 "The Society of Our Lady is a community of Diocesan Rite, currently seeking Pontifical Status in the Church."

They employ a mixed group of missionaries for their extensive endeavors: specifically, Family Ecclesial Teams. "Just as the Trinity lives as three distinct Persons in one God, we serve our missions in teams of priests, consecrated brothers and sisters and laity - each representing each vocation to which God calls all people."

"The sister, the Bride of Christ, gifts herself to Him completely through the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.  She seeks to live the life of charity, to esteem the goodness of her Beloved, which spills over into her relationships with others." The Sisters consecrate themselves to Mary, in the way of St. Louis Marie du Montfort, and you can too. Consecration to Jesus through Mary.

Bits and Pieces:
One way they pay for their work is to make alter wines.
The Anglican Use Rite is used in Corpus Christi, Texas, to help bring about the unity of the Christian Body.
Lay Formation programs, with among other activities such as Family Catechesis, are located in Georgia and Texas.

Apostolates:  Missions/Evangelization primary, Education, Pastoral services, Health Care, Social Services, Homeless Ministry, Drug rehabilitation, Care of orphans and Foster Care, Human Life, and a Catholic Bookstore.

Devotions:  Each week one or more Sisters will be on a Paschal Mystery retreat from Thursday to Sunday.  The purpose is to join Jesus in His suffering, death and Resurrection in an intimate way. Also Morning Prayer and Spiritual Exercises, Mid-day Prayer and Rosary, Holy Hour before the Blessed Sacrament, Holy Mass, Evening Prayer, Office of Readings, Night Prayer and Liturgy Preparation.  Each sister makes her consecration to Our Lady through the method given by St. Louis de Montfort.

Spirituality: Marian-Trinitarian

 Locations: Kansas (Our Lady's Montessori School) ,Georgia, Texas, North Dakota (St. Ann's Indian Missions), Arizona (SOLT Phoenix), New Mexico

Number of Professed Sisters: No idea, but I think quite a number.  11 novices in US last year.

Ages upon entrance:  Not a clue, despite looking at 15 or so websites.  I don't doubt that someone is going to give me that information SOON!

Vocation email: soltsistersvocations@gmail.com
Most Holy Trinity Parish
8620 N. 7th Street Phoenix, AZ 85020
(602) 944-3375 Ext. 119 or Cell (651) 428-8762
The CMSWR address is listed as New Mexico, but I think the above is more recent.

Other Links:
Our Lady of Corpus Christi, Center of the New Evangelization Please see the video on this site.  It uses the JW player, and I do not have the code for that.  Beautiful and reverent.
Home Enthronment of the Sacred Heart
SOLT England
SOLT Phillipine Seminary

Social Media:
Facebook
Flicker
Sister Sharon's YouTube Channel (she likes Tom Petty - I do too)

Blog:
NunEssential
USA Exiled
Love the Lord your God with all your Heart
Right this second my widget is having a bad day on my Nun Blog site, and I can't put the order's name in front of the blog's title.  It suppose it will work at some point.

Need I ask if you think SOLT is serious about the new evangelization and using social media?

Sister Mary's conversion story on EWTN:



SOLT has an astounding number of resources and links - the above represents the limits of my writing energy at the moment.  The only thing I'd love to have included is a picture of their dog - if they have one.

Sisters of St. Benedict Center, Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Sisters of St. Benedict Center, Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

Founded 1949; Monastic, Contemplative
Canonically Recognized

A student center near Harvard University in the 1940's, transitioned into a Religious community in 1949. The primary focus of the community was to preserve Catholic teaching, particularly the doctrine of the necessity of the Church for salvation.  Not surprisingly, but delightfully, their fourth vow is to defend the doctrines of the Church.

Religious life is lived through total consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the promotion of the reign of Jesus Christ in all things. They house the indult center for the Latin Tridentine Mass in the Diocese of Worcester.

As you can see from the pictures, they "wear a traditional black habit and veil as a sign of our consecration to Christ and a testimony to our commitment to visibly preserving traditional Catholic values in the twenty-first century."

The core of the community revolves around -
The Blessed Eucharist
The Mystery of the Incarnation
Devotion to Our Lady
Devotion to the Saints
Love of Sacred Scripture and Scholarship


"Simplicity is in no way opposed to scholarship. Indeed the Doctors of the Church were outstanding for the simplicity and clarity with which they expounded the truths of the Catholic Faith."

Locations: New Hampshire, Ohio and California, and two in Massachusetts

Spirituality: Divine Office, Latin, Chanted; Rosary, communal, daily; High Mass (Sunday); Day of Recollection, First Sunday; Eucharistic Adoration, Friday afternoons, four hours; Benedictine

Apostolates: Publishing and selling books on the Faith; Catechetical work with children; teaching adult converts; nursing; secretarial and administrative work; farming; promulgation of the Faith in every way; human life

Ages upon entrance: 18-50; Mature women are welcome

 Belated vocations: Unknown if they take women over 50 - you can ask

Their email address is: info@sistersofstbenedictcenter.org


Sisters of Saint Benedict Center Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
254 Still River Road
Still River, MA 01467-0022

Thanks to Valerie for bringing this order to my attention.

Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel's Hope

Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel's Hope

Canonically established 2011, a "Public Association of the Faithful"

The picture is of Mother Mariam of the Lamb of God, with Bishop Slattery of Tulsa.  This fledgling Benedictine order was founded with the help of the monks of the Monastery of Our Lady of the Cenacle, also in Tulsa.

You may read more of the story, In the Sight of Angels and Men.  The Daughter's of Mary reside in the Priory of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

I know nothing about this association since their establishment (these things usually take years to gain momentum).  However, obviously they are in a traditional habit, and as it was reported by these particular monks, they may be using Latin for the Divine Office.

I am putting them on my pages, and will update when I get further information.  I wanted to mention them, for those in Oklahoma, and especially in the vicinity of Tulsa, who may be looking for an order with their characteristics.  Close proximity is really a rather important trait in many women's search for a place in Religious life, for many reasons - it is easier and less expensive to visit and become acquainted, less time taken off from work, and so on.  


For the moment, I would get in touch with the monks in Tulsa (the link associated with the Daughters of Mary, top, will take you there), who could undoubtedly steer you in the right direction.  I'll work on getting a more direct email link or telephone number.


I'm going to put them under the Contemplative label for the moment, until I find out for certain.

Thank you to Moni for this link.  


All ya'll know I have to be light-hearted, and when it comes to dogs, there's no way I can leave them out of a post.  Unfortunately, it belongs to the monks, but an astounding number of women's orders have dogs (bless 'em) - maybe the Sisters can follow suit one day.

Handmaids of the Precious Blood, Cor Jesu Monastery

Handmaids of the Precious Blood, Cor Jesu Monastery

Handmaids of the Precious Blood (Institute on Religious Life)

Founded 1947; Cloistered

Pontifical status as a fully cloistered contemplative community in 1992.

"Cloistered Nuns offering their lives for the sanctification of priests in Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration."

There are several pages on their website dedicated to Blessed John Paul II - obviously, the Holy Father was a great inspiration to them. As they say, "As a Pontifical community, our love for the Church is expressed in our unswerving loyalty and fidelity to the Holy Father, the Vicar of Christ on earth."

"As our Founder so clearly stated, our life 'is tied, anchored, bound, fastened, and focused in the Blessed Sacrament.' This is our apostolate, which allows us to extend our love for Jesus and our gratitude to Him to every hour of the day and night. Each Sister enjoys at least one daily Holy Hour in addition to several nocturnal Holy Hours each week.

"We wear a full length wine red habit, a scapular with an attached Trinitarian emblem, a long white veil, cincture, and Rosary. The wine red color symbolizes the Precious Blood and our white veil symbolizes the Eucharist. A simple silver ring is worn by perpetually professed Sisters."

"By the call of God we form a true family, like the first Christian community. We are gathered in His name around our Mother Prioress, a true spiritual mother and friend. Together we seek the Will of God from moment to moment in faith and simplicity. This brings a peace like unto that of the Holy Family, whose hearts were completely united."

"The fruition of the Handmaids' life of prayer and self-immolation is to be realized in a hidden life of deep personal sacrifice and constant prayerful intercession in the interest of the holiness of all priests and in behalf of the needs of all souls."

This is an ethnically diverse community, with Sisters from many places in the US and internationally.

Spirituality: Handmaids (they have their own Rule of life, being eucharistic, Marian, and Sacerdotal); Our Blessed Mother; Blessed John Paul II

They are separate and distinct from other Orders which share the title "of the Precious Blood".

Devotions: Prayer - Communal 3X daily (separate from Holy Hours); Scripture and other spiritual reading; Habit - traditional (as best I can tell from a picture); Eucharistic Adoration, one hour a day per Sister, as well as some night time Holy Hours;Divine Office - chanted, communal; Rosary - three daily during Holy Hour; Meditation; Silence - Grand

About five hours a day are spent in the chapel, not counting Adoration Hours.  I do hope I have most of the above correct.  Just take it for granted they pray a bunch, and most of it in community.

Apostolates: Prayer (for priests and all souls), spiritual works of mercy

Locations: New Mexico and Illinois
Their New Mexico location (in a canyon) is said to be spectacular, even in the winter, with the sun's brightness bathing the entire scene, down to the Canyon's bottom at 6300 feet!

Ages upon entrance: 19-39
Belated vocations? No
# professed sisters or nuns: About 20

Cor Jesu Monastery, PO Box 90, Jemez Springs NM 87025-0090
Phone: (575) 829-3906

Please note:  the Sisters prefer mail or email communication, as they leave their answering machine on nearly all the time, so as not to interrupt prayers.  It will be harder to reach them if you use the telephone.

Vocation email link

According to IRL, "Candidates participate in the 2-4 week 'Come and See' experience at the motherhouse or by a 3 months aspirancy program either at the motherhouse or by correspondence."

They offer many opportunities for both lay and religious External Apostolates.

Two ministries that are new to me are listed on their links page, and I think would be of great interest to my readers. I will put this on my main blog eventually. They should be more well known than they are (or maybe I've been oblivious). On further inspection, I see that Encourage Priests is part of the Catholics Coming Home movement - and they have made terrific videos.  Spectacular - and inspired.  If you've never visited their site, please do - Catholics Come Home. 

EncouragePriests.org

Courageous Priest

Can't seem to stop:  Also, see Stations of the Cross.  I think you will like it, as you can pray them with strong visual reminders, which I always find helpful.  

This post has been in revision for some length of time - I can't even think about it. These Sisters MUST have a sense of humor, as they only send me kind emails, no matter how many times I mess up.

Revised/re-published, March 2012, and revised again, several days later.  Sighs.......

Episcopalian Orders

Not everyone who drops by this blog is Catholic, Roman or otherwise.  Episcopalians have made significant suggestions and done research for this blog.  I thank them all.  Here are some resources for Episcopalian (Anglican) Orders:

CAROA - Conference of Anglican Religious Orders in the Americas

Religious Orders and Faith Communities - the Episcopal Church

The picture above are some Sisters of the Order of Julian of Norwich

Note:  Yes, yes, yes, I wish they were all Catholic.  Do not make me tired with any such comments. 

Passionist Nuns of St. Joseph Monastery

 Passionist Nuns of St. Joseph Monastery

IRL:  Passionist Nuns of St. Joseph Monastery

"Now He dwells with Him Who was

His Indweller here,

And He casts that Fire on earth

Wonderfully near."

Sr. Mariam of the Holy Spirit

Founded by St. Paul of the Cross, 1771;  cloistered, contemplative, monastic -

It is very difficult to fit Religious Orders into neat boxes - your guess is probably as good as mine as to what an order is like who is both cloistered and monastic.  Sorry, I'm not that smart.

I was quite struck by the following sentence, and after my years of writing about these things, I think this says it well:
"The contemplative vocation can be judged truly only through the eyes of God."

We can talk and talk about religious calling, but in the end this is (excuse my phrasing), a God Thing. It is between you and God - for the Church and for the world.  Back to the sisters ...

Christ is always young in the heart of a Contemplative!

Our monastic charism of solitude with God enlarges the hearts capacity for community with one another.

Their habit is wonderful - note this: Passionist Nuns have never had a long scapular as part of our habit, nor the “gimp” as part of our head gear.  Because there is very little material used in making our simple habits, this is one form of our poverty.  We do not own individual coats, jackets or boots.  There are several common coat closets in the monastery where coats of various sizes are hung.  A Sister goes there to get a coat when she needs one.  At the first profession of vows, the passionist emblem is given -

Here they are in 1946, looking very similar to today!

The Center of their Passion:

"We who are called in the Church to make a vow to live and promote devotion to the Sacred Passion of Jesus, continually cherish and honor the living memorial of His Passion in the Holy Eucharist. Memorial in this case means not just a memory of an event that took place 2000 years ago, but the presence of what is called to mind. We truly do experience the Eucharistic 'amazement' that Pope John Paul II spoke of, as we study and pray the Church’s teaching about this Sacrament of Christ’s love, as well as in our communal and personal prayer before His 'Eucharistic Face.'"

The Way of the Cross is also very much a part of their daily living and praying and being with God.

Spirituality:  Loving memory of the Father's love in giving us His Son to live, suffer and die for each one of us personally, keeping Jesus company with our Mother of Sorrows at the foot of the cross, rich teaching of Holy Founder, St. Paul of the Cross.

Devotions: Divine Office 7X day communal; Friday exposition of the Blessed Sacrament; Way of the Cross Friday communal and daily individually; private rosary.

Apostolates: Prayer and more prayer. They also have a retreat house where seminarians, priests, religious and laity come for solitude and to join the nuns for Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours. The retreat house facilities also welcome group retreats who bring their own facilitators.

Locations: Kentucky, and internationally

Ages upon entrance:  18-35

Belated vocations?  No

# of professed nuns:  13

Blog: In the Shadow of His Wings

Their gift shop: Have you ever lost your rosary? I have, so many times I cannot bear to reveal this to you. Buy a rosary case. That's what I'm going to do.

Note:  Had a request to write about Passionist nuns, and I thought to myself - surely I have posted something about them.  But no!  So here they are.

Ya'll know I'm not absent minded. Oh no.

General information:

John Mary, C.P. Vocation Contact
8564 Crisp Road
Whitesville, KY  42378-9782

Interested?  Request Information here.

Dominican Sisters in Catonsville, Maryland - Information Please

Received the following email - 


Seeking information about the now closed, cloistered, Dominican Sisters  of the Perpetual Rosary who resided on Maiden Choice Lane in the  Catonsville, Maryland area. I am doing some work recording the 26  burials in the grave yard. If you can point me to any information source  on this order I'd appreciate it. Thank You.

Jerry Harlowe / Catonsville, Md. / Historian for St. Paul's Catholic Church, Ellicott City, Md. 

If you can help Jerry out, reply at 
pleiku1168@yahoo.com