by Sr. Mary Emmadoña Lee | Apr 16, 2024 | Newsletter
The Easter peace of Our Risen Lord be with you! During this whole Easter season, we rejoice in the resurrection. Our foundress reminds us that during the forty days after the resurrection, He appeared only to His friends. You are one of His friends, so expect some special graces from Him during this special time!
You’ve seen in various places lists of FAQs (frequently asked questions). Here are a few FAQs about the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate.
Q. You say you are contemplative-missionaries. Just what does that mean? How can a Sister be both at the same time? Or, are some Sisters missionaries and the others contemplatives who pray for them?
A. As Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate, we combine contemplation and missionary activity. Yes, both at the same time, not one or the other. To be a contemplative means to be a person of deep prayer. Some people think of cloistered nuns as the only contemplatives, but that is not accurate. Cloistered contemplative life is a very special way to serve the Lord. However, contemplation is not reserved for those who are cloistered.
Jesus was a contemplative, someone of deep prayer, as I’m sure all would agree, yet at the same time He was the Good Shepherd concerned for the lost sheep. He combined the two perfectly, and that is what we strive to do.
Mary was another contemplative-missionary. Right after receiving the wonderful news that she was to be the Mother of God, she went out to visit her cousin in need, all the while pondering in her heart the wonderful things God had done.
Contemplation is a loving union with God, which of course includes Mass, our daily Hour of Adoration, and all our prayer time, but this loving union continues while we’re doing our apostolate.
Along with this we are missionaries. The word “missionary” is often thought to mean only foreign missionaries, but it actually means “one who is sent” to go out to people in the name of the Lord. The ones we are sent to could be right in our own town or city, or anywhere in the U.S., or in one of the foreign countries in which we have missions. The Good Shepherd has wandering sheep everywhere, in need of someone to help them return to Him, as well as children and youth needing to know and love Jesus!
Of course, those Sisters who are elderly, or who care for the administration of the community, etc. are serving the missionary apostolate by their prayer and by their service. All Parish Visitors are contemplative-missionaries!
Q. What is your community life like?
Community life is an aid to our contemplative-missionary vocation, living with other women who share the same ideals and who are striving to love God and each other better.
We pray together and laugh together and share together. Community life is a joyful life. No community is perfect, and as with any family perhaps sometimes there could be misunderstandings, but we know we love each other and are here for the same reason, to follow the Lord. It has been said that only in a convent can a group of women be in the kitchen at the same time and not “kill” each other!
Our Ohio Sisters watching the recent solar eclipse
We are happy to always wear our habit. We come from various states and countries, and together form one family. Our love of the Church, our simple and friendly approach to people, and our simple community life are other traits of the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate.
Q. Are you faithful to the Church? Are you Eucharistic and Marian?
Yes, yes, and yes! We are a pontifical community and are lovingly faithful to the Church. And devotion to the Blessed Sacrament has always been a part of our community. We have a Holy Hour of Adoration daily. Also, Mary Immaculate is our community patroness and our model.
If you would like to know more about the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate, or would like to have a phone chat or a visit, just email us at pvmi@frontiernet.net. May all of you have a grace-filled Easter season, and may the Lord guide you and help you with your vocational discernment.
In the Easter peace of Jesus,
The Parish Visitor Sisters
by Sr. Mary Emmadoña Lee | Feb 2, 2024 | Newsletter
“A miracle! I’ve had so many troubles, and I’ve been praying for someone to help me, and here you are, at my door!” Meg quickly invited me in and proceeded to pour out her heart to me. Mostly she just needed someone to listen to her and to let her know that God still loved her.
We have so many beautiful stories of parish visitation. Not everything happens like the incident above, but every story, every soul, is special. “Make every soul count!” was an often-repeated motto of our Foundress.
Jesus knocks on the doors of hearts (Rev 3:20). He seeks out the straying sheep. He makes the first move; He doesn’t just sit back and wait for them to come to His door.
That’s what Parish Visitors do. We visit families, seeking out the straying, helping to bring them home to Jesus. We never know who will be behind the next door, and what their story will be. This is the new evangelization, not really new but dating from the Good Shepherd.
Children are the heartbreakers. So often the children are spiritually, emotionally and sometimes even physically neglected. They need us! They need to learn about God’s love for them and to love Him in return.We find so many of these children. Religious instruction of children and youth is also an important part of our apostolate. (More about this was in previous newsletters.)
What might people say when they open the door? 
Sure, some will say, “I’m not interested,” and quickly close the door, but others will say things like:
“I guess God hasn’t forgotten me, after all. You’re here.”
“Sister, I haven’t prayed for so long. I think I’ve forgotten how.”
“I said I’d never darken the door of the church again, but if God is so interested in me to send someone to my door, maybe I’d better think about it.”
“Come in, Sister. I’m new in the area, and I was wondering how to have my children instructed for First Communion.
“I’m Catholic and I’m not very religious myself, but I want my children to grow up the right way and to learn about God.”
“I don’t know if I can still call myself a Catholic. I haven’t been to Church in so many years.”
“Do you really think God still loves me, after all I’ve done?”
It’s exciting to visit families, for Jesus and with Jesus! Here are some excerpts from an article by one of our Sisters in first profession, Sister Debra Marie:
“Sister, I don’t think I can knock on a stranger’s door and enter into a conversation about our faith….” But, by two months after that statement, I had knocked on nearly 200 doors and entered into many meaningful conversations, and I joyfully shared with my Sisters how eager I was to go out again. What changed my perspective? The power of the Holy Spirit! By nature I’m rather shy. At first I accompanied an experienced Sister on visitation, and I began to see more clearly the need for this ministry; I began to want to go out to do this. I quickly learned that the Holy Spirit would lead me to those He wanted me to visit and that He would give me the words to say.”
Of course we’re trained for this apostolate and don’t begin until we’ve observed experienced Sisters and are ready. Our life of prayer gives power to our words, and our life of community strengthens us.
This applies, too, to our catechetical apostolate and youth ministry. Without the power of prayer, our words would be “noisygongs and clangingcymbals,” as St. Paul says. Mass and our daily Hour of Adoration are especially powerful!
SOME FAQs ABOUT VISITATION
Aren’t you afraid? Parish Visitors have been doing this for over 100 years in all kinds of neighborhoods, without incident. We are taught how to be prudent and careful, but being prudent is different from being afraid of visitation. We take the first step and go forth!
People know where the Church is. Is it really important to seek them out? We’ve heard of Jesus and the lost sheep. What if you lost something important to you? What if you lost your cell phone, for example? You wouldn’t say, “It’s OK, somebody will find it and bring it back to me.” That’s rather chancy, isn’t it! You’d retrace your steps, thinking where you last used it, search your pockets, your purse, the shrubbery along the sidewalk, every place you can think of. A soul is so much more important than that, isn’t it?
Aren’t you invading people’s privacy? No, we are gentle and non-threatening, never pushy. If people don’t want to open the door, that’s up to them. When they open it, they are choosing to speak with us.
Remember, Jesus is with us; we are His instruments in speaking with the people. Is God touching your heart to do this with us?
God’s blessings on your discernment!
Your Parish Visitor Sisters
by Sr. Mary Emmadona Lee | Dec 19, 2023 | Newsletter
God so loved the world – and you! – that He sent His only Son.
Let us turn to Him in praise and thanks as we remember His coming on the first Christmas.
The angels announced His birth with joyful song
And the shepherds went in haste to greet the newborn Savior.
The star guided the wise men, and they knelt to adore.
He has come! The long-awaited Savior! O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord!
As the song goes, “Go, tell it on the mountain, that Jesus Christ is born!” Is God nudging you to spread the good news with us as a Parish Visitor of Mary Immaculate, to help many others to know and love Jesus?
God’s peace and joy be with you and your loved ones at Christmas and always!
Your Parish Visitor Sisters
by Sr. Mary Emmadona Lee | Nov 11, 2023 | Newsletter
There are many children beyond the normal age for receiving the sacraments, and Parish Visitors are often blessed to help them. Not long ago Sr. Jhoan Marie witnessed the Baptism and First Communion of a group of these children whom she had prepared.
Of course these overaged children preparing for First Communion were to have their First Penance ahead of time, and Jack was really nervous about this. Sister tried to help him with his nervousness as he was waiting for Father, telling him it would be like speaking to Jesus.
He came out of the confessional smiling! “Sister, it’s hard to explain what I’m feeling now! I feel life! It was really Jesus there! I feel so new! I’m forgiven!”
Sister tells us how beautiful it was to see the transformation on his face from nervousness to happiness, and his excitement to share his experience in confession. He even told his brother, who also was to go to confession for the first time, “It’s useless to feel nervous, because it’s really Jesus who is there!”
Let’s pray for Jack and all these children, and for so many other children who need to meet Jesus!
With Thanksgiving approaching, we can thank God that we ourselves have met Jesus in the sacraments. We have so much to be grateful for!
Yes, let’s stop and thank God for our baptism! For the Holy Eucharist and all the sacraments! For our Catholic faith!
We thank God for our family, too. No family is perfect except the Holy Family, but to have grown up in a decent family that cared about me is a great gift from God, which many people don’t have.
Let’s thank God for the food we have every day, for shelter, for clothing.
Thank God, too, for living in a free country, with the freedom to openly practice the faith.
There’s so much more, too, to thank God for–my friends, my health, my education–and the list could go on and on.
How about thanking God, too, that you are discerning your vocation, trying to see what His will is for your life? The fact that you’re even considering giving yourself totally to God is a gift from Him, and He is certainly pleased with that!
A vocation is a precious gift from God and a cause for great thanksgiving. It’s a great privilege to be called to be the Spouse of Christ. Do take it seriously, and act on it as soon as you know what He wants and as soon as you are able to follow. Be generous to Him! God will never be outdone in generosity, and your list of what to be thankful for will grow and grow!
Have you seen our recent video, featuring Sr. Alina Marie, Sr. Theresa Marie and Sr. Mary Emmadona? Here’s the link for it: Behind the Veil #4 – Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate in Monroe, NY – YouTube. Enjoy!
We Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate are so grateful to God for our contemplative-missionary charism. Our combination of contemplation with missionary outreach to those who are straying from the faith, and giving instructions in the faith to children, youth, and adults, is such a gift from God. Contact us to learn more!
God bless you as you continue to discern His will! We’re praying for you! Happy Thanksgiving!
The Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate
by Sr. Mary Emmadona Lee | Sep 10, 2023 | Newsletter
The days of summer are behind us, and you may have wondered, what do Sisters do in the summer? Here’s a little glimpse for you of what we Parish Visitors have done this summer.
Our annual eight-day retreat was in June and our jubilees in early July, as was mentioned in our last newsletter. Much else has happened since then.
Apostolates continued, sometimes in a different form, such as Vacation Bible Schools in various parishes, Camp Wildfire for middle schoolers, and so on. Three Sisters went on a temporary mission to Northern Ireland for two months. There are so many ways to reach out to God’s people, all year round!
Our Arizona Sisters sent us this Vacation Bible School photo; below is from Ireland.
Our World Youth Day Not A World Away was another outreach. This one-day event for high school teens was held at Marycrest at the same time as the big World Youth Day in Portugal, with Mass, Adoration, confessions, a rosary walk, talks, food and fun! The World Youth Day theme for this year was “Mary Arose and Went in Haste” (to visit her cousin Elizabeth), which was expressed on the T-shirts.
In the tent in front of our Chapel
Rosary Procession; listening to a talk by our local Bishop
Fun at World Youth Day, Marycrest
Our Ohio convent, in conjunction with their diocese, directed a World Youth Day weekend there for young adults. Let us pray that all the young people at all these events continue faithfully in their walk with the Lord.
Ohio World Youth Day, with Sr. Debra Marie and novice Sr. Marie Michelle in the above photo
World Youth Day, Ohio
We also had time to have some extra relaxation, of course. Games and picnics are always favorites with us. We even had a marshmallow roast right in front of our Chapel for the sake of the Sisters who aren’t well enough to travel to a picnic!
Our Sisters may visit their families once a year for two weeks (every other year for four weeks for those whose families are in faraway countries). Summer is usually the time for these visits.
Of course our contemplative prayer life continues, in all of our convents. Here is a photo of the Chapel in our Bronx convent.
Some of you may have been wondering what is happening with the cause of our foundress, Servant of God Mother Mary Teresa Tallon. Her cause is still in Rome, awaiting the next step. Meanwhile we have a number of reports of answered prayers through her intercession. Pray to her for your needs, and about your vocational discernment!
May God’s continued blessings and guidance be with you. We’re praying for all of you!
In Jesus,
Your Parish Visitor Sisters
by Sr. Dolores Marie | Jul 31, 2023 | Newsletter
What is discernment? What is a call to Religious Life? How can I discern whether God is calling me to religious life?
Discernment isn’t just choosing what I think would be best. It’s not about what I want, what would make me most fulfilled in life, etc., but what would please God best. What does God hope for, for me and from me? How can I love Him and best help others to love Him, with my unique self?
Discerning this can be difficult at times. By a call we don’t mean an actual voice, like Jesus calling the Apostles, or the angel coming to Mary, or a voice like that heard by St. Paul. Don’t expect a special revelation, or something dramatic to happen, to let you know what you should do. Of course, it would be a lot easier that way! Then we’d know for sure, right away, what to do, and we would just have to be concerned about responding! However, it doesn’t usually happen that way.
Rather, a call is a growing awareness, a realization, a conviction within you, that this is what God wants you to do with your life. This sometimes grows in you for years, and sometimes it comes more quickly, but it is God’s grace within you helping you realize what He wants of you.
Struggle and tears and fear are normal—fear of the unknown, or what it will be like, or “whether I’ll be able to do it,” the temptation to put it off for a vague “sometime in the future,” or resisting God’s call and wishing He would call someone else instead!
Sometimes even family problems or other problems appear and make things difficult. God frequently allows these struggles and difficulties, perhaps to strengthen our vocation: Are we a “fair weather friend” with Jesus, or are we willing to follow Him even when the going is rough?
“But maybe I’m too unworthy for religious life?” You are unworthy. NO ONE is worthy of the gift of a vocation to religious life. If God chose only those who were perfect and saintly, He would have very few to choose from! But, He chooses ordinary people, ordinary people who love Him and want to serve Him and His people.
Some find it helpful, in trying to discern whether God wants them to enter religious life, to use some of these ideas from St. Ignatius:
List the pros and cons; and think and pray about them.
Imagine yourself on your deathbed and ask what you would then wish you had chosen.
Imagine some other person coming to you to ask your advice on the very same dilemma you have. What would you suggest?
Imagine yourself ten years from now, both in religious life and not in religious life. Which seems to fit you better?
But, the most important thing to do, the absolutely essential thing, is to pray, and pray much! Listen in silence to how God may be guiding you. Daily Mass, if at all possible, as well as reflective reading of Scripture, confession regularly, and frequent prayer to Mary should be part of your prayer. Pray for God’s guidance and for His courage to respond generously to whatever He wants of you.
THINK OF all the people there are, all over the world, who do not know Jesus, or who know about Him but don’t care. Is Jesus asking you to spread His word to them? Is God asking you to love Him so much that you will dedicate your whole life to Him as His spouse? Whatever God has in mind for you, remember: You will be happiest and most at peace if you respond “yes” to whatever God wants. He made each of us and knows us thoroughly. His call is in harmony with our deepest selves. The way of life that God wants for us is the best one for us. He knows how you can best serve Him and His people with YOUR uniqueness. You will be happiest in life, and most fulfilled, in the place where God wants you!
“How sure of my call, and of a particular community, must I be before actually applying and then entering?” While 100% certainty at this point need not be present, one should have at least a reasonable certainty that this is where God wants you. This can exist with “cold feet” and feeling a bit nervous and scared, but if there are serious doubts as to whether you should do this, it would be better to wait a while, pray even more, and, if possible, discuss it with some competent spiritual person.
One can compare entering religious life with getting engaged. An engagement is not something to be entered into lightly. The same with religious life. When a young woman gets engaged, she really feels that this is the man she loves and wants to marry and with whom she wishes to spend the rest of her life. However, everyone knows that an engagement is not a final commitment and can be broken if either party sees that it’s not the best thing. But, the hopes are, upon engagement, that the relationship will lead to marriage for life, just as a woman entering religious life as a postulant is hoping that this will lead to vows for life.
Once you realize that God is calling you to religious life, do not delay any longer than necessary. Courage is necessary, and only God can give that! Ask God’s help and keep trusting in Him, and He will answer! He will also give you all the strength and graces you need, now and for the future!
Recent happenings in the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate
We participated in the Eucharistic revival called for by our bishops. In June we had a Corpus Christi procession at Marycrest and a week specially dedicated to the Eucharist, with films of Eucharistic miracles as well as the display put together by Blessed Carlo Acutis. The week included the renewal of our community consecration to the Sacred Heart and the litany of the Sacred Heart.
Three of our Sisters are on a temporary mission in Ireland. They are involved in family visitation, youth events, and much more! Here’s a photo of a youth retreat in Ireland.
In June we had our annual eight-day retreat, which is a privilege and is always a time of many blessings and graces.
In early July Sr. Carmen celebrated her 60th anniversary since entering religious life and Sr. Eileen Marie her 75th anniversary. Imagine the crowns that will be waiting for them in heaven someday!
Our prayers are with you as you continue your own discernment. May God guide, strengthen, and bless you as you seek to know His will!
In Jesus,
the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate