August 2022
God’s peace be with you! We hope your summer thus far has been pleasant, and a time of growing closer to the Lord as well.
Much has happened here this summer. Our General Chapter (held every five years) took place during the last two weeks of June, and included elections of the General Superior and General Councilors.
Our local bishop, Bishop Gerardo Colacicco, presided over the election of the General Superior. Mother Maria Catherine was re-elected as our General Superior. Here she is pictured with the Bishop after the election.
Our annual eight-day retreat followed soon after. Retreat time is always a very graced time of prayer, reflection, and spiritual preparation for the year ahead. Most of the Sisters were on this retreat, other than a few Sisters who had special duties and will have their retreat later on.Our apostolate continues, with vacation Bible schools, visitation of families, and much more. Here is a girl who was instructed by a Parish Visitor and is now enjoying being a baptized Catholic!
Our apostolate also took us to Ireland this summer! Four Sisters are there on a three-month temporary mission, and Mother Maria Catherine joined them for the first two weeks. We hear that all is going very well there, and right from the beginning the Sisters reached out to the people. They’ll be helping with a summer church camp, visiting families to strengthen their faith, and much more. Here are four of them before leaving Marycrest for the airport.
We’ve had time for some summer relaxation as well.
It’s a great joy to be a Parish Visitor, loving and serving God and His people throughout our lives.
Wouldn’t you like to join the circle?
May God bless you always, and may He guide you to know His will and to have the courage to do it!
In Jesus,
All your Parish Visitor Sisters
On June 24, the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist, the Parish Visitors had a great reason to celebrate. Sister Jhoan Marie of Tacloban, Philipppines and Sister Mary Imelda of Bicol, Philippines made their Perpetual Profession of Vows at our motherhouse in Monroe, New York.
On April 20 we hosted Bishop Gerardo Colacicco, Fr. David Rider, Fr. William Damroth, Fr. Reynor Santiago, and Fr. Kevin Hanlon, who have celebrated Mass for us at Marycrest. It was our way of saying thank you to them for their spiritual care for the Sisters. (Several other priests who also celebrate Mass at Marycrest were unable to attend.) A Eucharistic Holy Hour which concluded with Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament was followed by free time for the priests to relax together. They joined us for Evening Prayer and Rosary. After a special dinner, the we sang songs that had been written in their honor. May God bless all our priest friends!
Seek 21 was this year’s FOCUS (Fellowship of Catholic University Students) conference. With the pandemic, it had to be done virtually, with youth taking part from where they lived, around the country. Our Pennsylvania Sisters were able to join the group of participants at Cathedral parish in Philadelphia. May God grant that much fruit comes from this conference!
Besides the pandemic, we also have a famine!
Jen goes to get ashes as a custom, as something she’s always done, but then she goes on living her immoral lifestyle.
“The Sisters are to have cloistered hearts, to be contemplatives for the street. They are to seek out, after the example of the Good Shepherd, those in need of spiritual and material assistance, the poorest and most neglected, those not practicing their Catholic faith. The union of contemplation and missionary activity is the essence of the Parish Visitor vocation.”
Pray that everywhere we serve, our apostolate will be very fruitful for the Lord, in this Lenten time of grace and always.