by Sr. Dolores Marie | Apr 1, 2022 | Newsletter
On the feast of the Annunciation we joined in the consecration of Russia, the Ukraine, and the whole world to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Here at Marycrest we all prayed the prayer of consecration together at the same time the Holy Father and so many others did. Our Sisters in our other convents were united in spirit with our prayer. If you weren’t able to read the whole text of the beautiful prayer, you can see it here: https://dphx.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Act-of-Consecration-to-the-Immaculate-Heart-of-Mary-English-03252022.pdf
Mary Immaculate is, of course, the patroness of the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate. As our Constitutions states,
“Mary is the model for their contemplative-missionary vocation. They are to walk in spirit with her, contemplating the greatness of the Lord and imitating her example of charity and zeal.”
May Our Mother of Peace intercede for peace for our world!
We also had our annual public novena to Saint Joseph, who is another special patron saint of the Parish Visitors. He is the “man of the house” for us. He has helped us over the years in so many ways and continues to do so.
May God be praised for our beautiful apostolate!
Our Sisters in our various convents have been busy reaching out to God’s people, and at this time of the year instructions for reception of the sacraments at Easter, First Communions, and Confirmations are in full swing.
Children are open to learning about Lent and about Jesus’ death and resurrection. So many, though, are interested only in Easter candy, new clothes, and what they will get at Easter. But, oh, the greater joy of knowing Jesus and His love for us!
This is also a time of grace to help people return to confession, often after many years of staying away from the sacrament. Jesus wants no one to be lost. Helping a wandering sheep to return is always a joy to the Parish Visitor, and the Sacred Heart of the Good Shepherd rejoices at each one who returns!
Some special community joys are our two new novices in Nigeria, and upcoming first vows here in New York. God is so good!
We will soon be singing Hosannas on Palm Sunday. On another Palm Sunday, it seemed that a little girl really got into the Hosannas. Afterward, though, when her mother mentioned the Hosannas, she said, “Is that what they were saying? I thought they were saying “Lasagna!”
As we draw nearer to Easter, we offer to God these remaining days of Lent. Let us make the best use of them! May your Holy Week and Easter be very blessed by Our Savior and bring you even closer to knowing His will for your life and knowing how much He loves you!
In Jesus,
Sister Dolores Marie
by Sr. Dolores Marie | Feb 10, 2022 | Newsletter
Looking up at Sister, the little girl asked, “Sister, what happened when you were born, and your Mommy and Daddy found out that they had a baby nun!”
Well, we know it doesn’t happen quite that way, but just what is a call to religious life?
Every Sister has her own story. The common thread is that God somehow made His will known, and the Sister—perhaps after much indecision and inner struggle—finally took the next step and followed His call!
A call is a mystery! Why does He call some and not some others? Is He calling you?
God knows us through and through, better than we know ourselves, and He loves us deeply. He knows what would make us the happiest. Yes, we might be more or less happy in another vocation, but if we do what God is asking, we’ll experience peace and happiness in much greater abundance.
That doesn’t mean all will always be “peaches and cream.” All walks of life have some difficulties at times. In religious life, though, the joys as well as the peace of knowing we are serving God and His people, far surpass any difficulties!
Some Sisters knew from a young age that God wanted them to be a religious Sister. To others the call came later, maybe by surprise. “Who, me?”
Here’s the story of Sr. Alina Marie, who. grew up in Georgia and worked in Michigan before entering the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate (Some other stories are on our website.)
From my childhood, God poured His love into my heart and taught me how much He loves me through prayer and the regular reception of the sacraments. I came to a point where I knew without a doubt that God wanted me to belong to Him alone. I cannot describe how that realization had filled my soul with awe at God’s goodness.
When I went on a retreat in the 7th grade called Vocatio Deo, I saw religious sisters for the first time and realized that I deeply desired the radiant beauty of their lives. I wanted to be a sister!
I remember that when I spoke to one of them I said, ‘This is like heaven!’ Indeed, that retreat was heavenly. It was my first experience of communion with other girls my age singing and praying in a shared love for our Lord in the Eucharist – the taste of a rich communion that is the heart of religious life and that will spring into eternity.”
After that retreat and into high school and college, I continued to pray, and the knowledge that I was to belong to God alone never went away. I felt our Lord show me the yearnings of His Heart more and more.
In prayer, He helped me to see that He is always thinking of His lost little ones who do not come to Him and how He is always longing for them! I knew strongly that He was calling me to ‘go out and get them…go out to those who will not come to Me on their own.’ At one point, the words Christ spoke to Peter came to my heart as though He were speaking directly to me. ‘Do you love Me?’ He asked. ‘Feed my sheep.’
I knew I could not wait any longer. I looked for a community that went out in the way the Lord had impressed upon my heart and, through St. Joseph’s powerful intercession, I came to find the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate! Above and beyond what I had hoped for, God fulfilled all the desires of my heart! In this beautiful community, He feeds me in the deep contemplative life of prayer throughout the day and then He leads me to go out to bring others home to Him! What a gift to be a Parish Visitor of Mary Immaculate!”
APOSTOLATE IN OHIO
Our novitiate Sisters spent three months in Ohio recently, thoroughly enjoying the apostolate to souls! You saw in our last newsletter some photos of a Christmas pageant they organized; here are a few more photos:
Spending time with youth was
important,
as well as being fun!
Keep praying that God will give you the grace to know what He desires for you, and that you’ll have the courage to do it! Jesus says to those He calls, “You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, to go forth and bear fruit.” (John 15:16)
We are praying that those God is
calling will answer YES!
Is He calling you?
God bless you!
In Jesus,
Sister Dolores Marie
by Sr. Dolores Marie | Dec 12, 2021 | Newsletter
God so loved the world that He gave us His only Son.
Jesus came into our world out of love for us.
To save us, to redeem us, to show us the way to live.
He came and He still is with us. Not as He was then,
But in the Eucharist,
In love.
In sending us the Holy Spirit.
In giving us His graces.
He came and he never went away!
Let us spread the word! He came into our world, for us! How He loves us!
Let us thank Him with all our hearts!
Forever!
A blessed and grace-filled Christmas to you and your loved ones, from all of us!
In Jesus our newborn Savior,
Sr. Dolores Marie
by Sr. Dolores Marie | Nov 12, 2021 | Newsletter
Can you imagine if you were never taught about God as a child. Never taught to pray before going to bed. Never brought to Mass. Never had the opportunity to be instructed in your faith, to receive Jesus in First Communion….
Children like this are deprived, without knowing it! Deprived of knowing God’s love and grace! Deprived of so much!
Some of these children are from otherwise decent families, and some may be from immoral or dysfunctional families. Whatever their family background, they are deprived, nevertheless, of knowing and loving Jesus!
We meet these children so often. There are so many children like this. How this must sadden the Heart of Jesus. Does this touch your heart, too?
These are the children our community was founded for, they and their families. They need to be found and to be taught about Jesus, and their families helped to live the faith. This is the work of the Good Shepherd, who came “for the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”
Children are part of the flock of lost sheep! How they must tug at His heart! Children growing up without God, perhaps being taught all kinds of wrongdoing. Children who should be pure and loving, prayerful and kind.
Then there are the families and children who “just go through the motions” of being Catholic. They need to be helped to a faith that is living and loving and active!
Parish Visitors have been seeking the lost, instructing them in the faith, and guiding youth since our foundation, and the need is greater and greater, as you can imagine. Our contemplative prayer life–a life of deep prayer and recollection centered on the Eucharist–gives us the grace to be instruments of the Good Shepherd. A joyful community life further sustains us as we go out in His name.
Wouldn’t you like to come and do this with us?
Jesus calls, “Come follow me.” He looks with love and calls, hoping for a “yes.” He longs for a “yes” to His call—a loving, generous “yes,” or even a hesitant, scared, but sincere “yes.”
He calls ordinary people. If He only called saintly people, there would be very few to call! The apostles were very ordinary, and they became saints after a life of following Jesus.
Pray, pray much and sincerely, to know what God is asking of you! God bless you!
In Jesus,
Sister Dolores Marie
by Sr. Dolores Marie | Sep 21, 2021 | Newsletter
We hope you had a pleasant summer. Our summer has gone by quickly; so much has happened!
Our annual eight-day retreat was in July, conducted by Fr. John Paul, CFR. Retreat is always a time of many special graces for all of us. May God help us all to grow closer and closer to Him each day of our lives!
You read in our last vocation newsletter about the two final professions on June 24. Both Sisters are now in their apostolates, Sr. Jhoan Marie in Pennsylvania and Sr. Mary Imelda in the Philippines.
Shortly after the final professions we had several days of helpful community workshops (which we call “conventions”). Then Sr. Carole Marie had her 60th jubilee on July 2. Imagine that– 60 years of dedication to Jesus as a Parish Visitor! Sr. Celine Marie celebrated her 25th jubilee in early September, a year late as she was unable to travel from Nigeria last year. This photo shows some of the Sisters doing a Nigerian dance for her!
In July the juniorate and the novitiate Sisters made pilgrimages to the Waterville, NY area, the place where our foundress, Mother Mary Teresa, lived before entering the convent. The first photo shows the baptism font in Clinton, NY, where our foundress was baptized; the second photo shows the church of the parish she attended. One of her living relatives is pictured with the Sisters.
Despite the continuation of the pandemic, we continued to reach out to God’s people. To give just a few examples, children enjoyed Vacation Bible School, and the novitiate participated in a young adult virtual Bible study. The Novitiate also presented a number of prayer evenings at various parishes, giving hope in the pandemic. After one of these evenings, the priest told us of the numerous confessions that took place, and some of these people had been away from the church for many, many years. Praise God for their return!
On one of our community days the juniorate Sisters surprised us by turning our van into an ice cream truck! Yes, we all love ice cream!
We closed our l00th anniversary year on August 15, beginning our community’s 101st year! On August 14 we had a special Mass at Marycrest, followed by dinner for a small group of guests. The celebration had to be kept low key because of the pandemic, despite the original plans we made in 2020 and again this year.
On August 15 we went by bus to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York, the archdiocese of our foundation, where Cardinal Dolan commemorated our 100 years. Two of our Sisters did the readings for the Mass and Mother Maria Catherine spoke briefly at the end of Mass.
As we go into the future, we know the Sacred Heart of Jesus will care for us, as He promised our foundress many years ago and as He has done all these years!
May God continue to guide your discernment of His will for your own future!
In Jesus,
Sister Dolores Marie
by Sr. Dolores Marie | Jul 9, 2021 | Newsletter
Sr. Jhoan Marie and Sr. Mary Imelda professed their perpetual vows on June 24. What a beautiful occasion! Before family, friends and Parish Visitor Sisters, they vowed chastity, poverty and obedience and promised to observe these vows faithfully. The white crowns signify the crown of eternal life promised for faithfulness to their vows
They also received a crucifix ring, signifying their betrothal to Jesus, as well as a mission crucifix. The mission crucifix is given with these words: Accept this crucifix, as a sign of your perpetual dedication to Jesus Crucified, that united to Him you may become a willing holocaust for the redemption of the most abandoned souls.
Let us take a little journey over the years with them. Their first step in religious life was the postulancy, a time of transition into religious life.
The novitiate followed. There was much to learn about religious life, about the Parish Visitors, about Jesus, and so much more. They prayed, studied, shared in duties, and there was fun as well!
As time went on, they made first profession of vows, took a greater part in our apostolate, and deepened their love of God and of His people.
This is part of the prayer of consecration over the newly final professed Sisters:
Lord, may the glory of baptism and holiness of life shine in their hearts.
Strengthened by the vows of their consecration, may they be always one with You, in loving fidelity to Christ, their only Bridegroom.
May they cherish the Church as their mother, and love the whole world as God’s creation,
Teaching all people to look forward in joy and hope to the good things of heaven.
When they come at last to the throne of Christ the King, may they…hear the voice of their Bridegroom lovingly inviting them to the wedding feast of heaven.
Wouldn’t you like to be one with us in our beautiful vocation as contemplative-missionary Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate?
With blessings for your discernment,
Sister Dolores Marie