“Not only is the Holy Eucharist our personal comfort, strength and victory, but it is also the greatest gift we have to offer others for their salvation and sanctification.” (Mother Mary Teresa Tallon, our Foundress)
What is more heartrending than a child who is really hungry?? I remember one time when I brought an emergency bag of groceries to a very needy family. Little Mike’s eyes, seeing it, lit up, as he exclaimed, “Food!”
To feed the hungry—how important that is, and how appealing to our nature. Giving not only food, but giving our love with the food. Yet, how many children lack the food their souls desperately need. They don’t even know that their souls are famished, and often their parents don’t seem to realize it, either.
We find these children and adults everywhere, in every town or city in which we work We want to lead them all to Jesus through instruction in the faith! “Feed with instruction those you meet,” as our Foundress said.
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She also said, “Food for their souls is what we want to give them, and indeed, what they need most of all.” Food that will give the spiritual nourishment to sustain them through life and to take them to eternity! Their hungry souls can only be satisfied by coming to God–coming to know Him, or coming back to Him if they have strayed away.
There’s something deep inside everyone that craves for more, for the eternal. However, many people don’t even know why their souls are so restless, don’t know how to go about reaching toward God. Jesus is willing, more than willing, to feed their souls and satisfy their thirst with Himself.
As we are reminded In this time of Eucharistic revival, it’s so important to lead persons to Jesus in the Eucharist! This is true “soul food.”
Persons who have strayed away can be found! They can be helped to return to the Good Shepherd! They can be led to the spiritual food their souls need!
When Parish Visitors approach people, face to face and heart to heart, the people know that the Church is interested in them, that God is interested in them. This personal approach, gentle and non-threatening, can touch hearts quickly. In this age of technology, our person-to-person approach is more and more effective in helping today’s straying sheep.
We’ve been doing all this since our community began, finding these starving souls, who may not even know how starved they are, and leading them to Jesus! Our contemplative prayer life is what empowers this apostolate.
All our convents have a chapel with the Blessed Sacrament always present, and all the Sisters have a Holy Hour of Adoration before the Blessed Sacrament daily. What a privilege this is!
New vocations: We have been blessed with new vocations in the US, in the Philippines and in Nigeria, young women who feel in their heart the call to follow the Good Shepherd in this contemplative-missionary vocation.
Our newest novice, Sr. Marie Michelle, talking with our oldest Sister
Some upcoming events: Again we’ll have a temporary mission in Ireland, during the months of June and July. Sr. Margery Therese, Sr. Theresa Marie and Sr. Alina Marie will be serving there. They, and Sr. Carole Marie, were in Ireland last summer, and they’re excited to be going again to serve the Lord’s people there!
On August 5 we’ll be hosting World Youth Day Not A World Away, for high school teens, at Marycrest, our motherhouse, at the time of the World Youth Day in Portugal. Details are on our website. Please keep this in your prayer. Past World Youth Day events at Marycrest have been spiritually helpful to so many!
If you’d like to get to know us better, just email me at pvmi@frontiernet.net and we can plan a time for a phone chat.
Keep praying for God’s guidance for your life! We’re praying for you, too!
God bless you and your loved ones!
Sr. Dolores Marie and all the Parish Visitor Sisters