By: Sister Laetitia Therese, O.C.D. The Monday after Pentecost, the Church celebrates the memorial of Mary, Mother of the Church. Instituted by Pope Francis in 2019, it seems very fitting for our times. The state of affairs in our world, our country, our Church, our...
By: Sister Anita Mary, O.C.D. Some years ago, we had the privilege of having Bishop Robert Barron at our Motherhouse on the vigil of the Feast of the Assumption. At Mass, he began his homily by describing how Christians tend to think of the feasts of the Assumption...
By: Sr. Mary Louise, OCD Many of us are about to head back to school and all of us know that mixed feeling of excitement and apprehension. Whether you lean more towards one emotion or the other, St. John Bosco has some wisdom that will help make this year more...
By: Sr Mara, OCD Happy New Year! Liturgical New Year, that is! That’s right! It is the beginning of the Church Year again, marked by the holy season of Advent, when, as a Church, we consciously and solemnly prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ. This sacred...
Just hours before we approach the Crib, God speaks to us a liberating word. God needs my YES – AND — if it is not yet a perfect YES, I am not disqualified. The Archangel Gabriel didn’t get as faith-filled reception from Zechariah as he did from Mary. Zechariah...
“Jesus, Who is born tonight, is born thrice. He is born of the Blessed Virgin, in the stable of Bethlehem; he is born by grace, in the hearts of the shepherds, who are the first fruits of the Christian Church; and He is born from all eternity in the bosom of the...
During the second week in December, it is always the time to bring out the boxes in which the statues of St. Joseph, Our Lady, and the traditional donkey are readied for their appearance in our annual Las Posadas. Various areas are prepared to receive these...
We Sisters have just recorded a new album, “Mercy Rushes In.” With the Year of Mercy ending on November 20th, we wanted to capture its essence in a way that we could go back to over and over again! And that is something like Advent. Advent is a way to...
Advent is a time of stillness – a time of reflection. We need this quiet to enter within ourselves and discover anew each year the miracle of Christmas. Advent is, of course, the preparation for the coming of Christ. Not only in history, but into our hearts....
The hum-drum of daily life can sometimes become more and more, shall we say, monotonous? Most of us have the same daily tasks and for the most part we do them in just about the same way each day, don’t we? The seasons of the church year help us rise above the...
If you hear the word ADVENT what is the first image that comes to your mind? Candles? Wreath? Liturgy. Purple. the hymn “O come Emmanue?” These are some answers people have given over the years. What is yours? Mine is NEW YEAR’S resolution because...
Jesus asked that the Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. He gave St. Faustina an intention to pray for on each day of the Novena, saving for the last day the most difficult intention of all, the...
Day 7 – The souls who especially venerate and glorify Jesus’ mercy “Today bring to Me the Souls who especially venerate and glorify My Mercy*,and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit....
Day 5 – The souls of separated brethren “Today bring to Me the Souls of those who have separated themselves from My Church*,and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to...
Day 6 – The meek and humble souls and the souls of children ““Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children,and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter...
Day 9 – The souls who have become lukewarm “Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm,and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives...
Day 3 – All devout and faithful souls “Today bring to Me all Devout and Faithful Souls, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of...
Day 4 – Those who do not believe in Jesus and those who do not yet know Him “Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me, I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart....
Day 2 – The souls of priests and religious “Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious, and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out...
Day 1 – All mankind, especially sinners “Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me.” Most Merciful...
Day 8 – The souls who are detained in purgatory “Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me....
By: Sister Mary IgnatiusThe Advent liturgy is a journey which recalls the thousands of years between God’s promise made in Eden and its fulfillment in Bethlehem with the birth of the Messiah. T.S.Elliott calls this Fulfillment “The still point of the turning world,”...
By: Sister Antonia TeresaDuring the special time of Advent, Catholics around the world may participate in the Hispanic tradition known as “Las Posadas”. This devotion re-enacts the journey of Mary and Joseph to Bethlehem for the birth of the Christ child....
“For everything, there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1) Fall: Winter, Spring, Summer The cycles of nature coincide with the cycles of life. Those of you living today have relived these cycles countless times. We are presently...
Why does the Church year begin with Advent? The Church is the Mystical Body of Christ and each of her members are indeed parts of His Body. Each year the Church recalls those sacred events leading to and resulting from the Incarnation – that moment when the Word...
