by Parish Visitor Editor | 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 Parish Visitor Editor | 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
by Parish Visitor Editor | May 25, 2021 | Newsletter
May is the month of Our Lady, a time of honoring her with special prayer, May crownings, and so on. Here at Marycrest, our motherhouse, the Sisters had a May crowning of Mary, and on another day a group of girls crowned Our Lady at our grotto.
These young girls have been meeting with our novices monthly for further growth in their faith, and over the past year this could only be done by zoom. How great to be able finally to be with them in person!
First Communions are always special times, especially Communions of children, teens or adults whom we have instructed. To prepare someone to receive Jesus is a very special privilege!
Here is Sr. Alina Marie with one of the First Communicants in her parish.
In other parishes we have often helped poor children prepare for the big day with dresses, shoes, ties, and so on. Of course the interior preparation is the most important, but the children also remember gratefully the attention we give to these external things.
Springtime is a time of planting and of new growth, and I’d like to share with you a reflection on Jesus’ parable of the sower and the seed (Mt. 13:4-23).
Some seed fell on the path and the birds ate it. Some fell on rocky ground. Some was choked by thorns and thistles. And some fell on good soil and yielded a very good harvest.
How beautiful when the seed, which is the Word of God, produces a bountiful harvest!
In our visitation of families, we are spreading God’s word. (Of course we’ve been hampered by COVID this past year, but hopefully before long we’ll get back to normal.)
In some people the thorns and rocks prevent the seed from flourishing, but other people actually tell us, “Wow, I never imagined that a Sister from the Church would come to visit me.” Or, “God must still be interested in me, He sent you to my door.” And good things happen!
And there are times when the results come later and we don’t see them. A priest once told one of our Sisters, “Sister, you don’t know how much good you’re doing. I can’t give you any details, but I see it in confession.”
However, what if no one answers the call to sow the seeds, that is, to go out to the people to tell them about Jesus and His Church? How then can the seed grow to harvest?
The people need someone to remind them of Jesus, to encourage them, to invite them to return. Are you the one they’re waiting for?
We can also apply this same story of the sower and the seed to discerning a vocation.
When Jesus calls, sometimes rocky ground–noise and distraction–blocks it out.
Sometimes the thorns–my fears and anxieties–choke it.
Sometimes the pleasures of the world drown it out.
And sometimes the answer is “yes!”
Which one applies to you? What kind of soil are you for His call?
May God bless you and guide you in your discernment!
Sister Dolores Marie
by Parish Visitor Editor | Apr 19, 2021 | Newsletter
Just what is a Parish Visitor? What is she like?
She may be short or tall, young or not so young.
She may have light hair or dark, light skin or darker skin.
She may be slender or not so slender; she may be exuberant or quiet.
She may come from the East, the Midwest, the West, or overseas.
She might enjoy singing, or the beauties of nature, or a good book. She likes a good laugh and a good game at recreation.
She might live at our convent in the Bronx, in Pennsylvania or Arizona, at our motherhouse in New York, or in the Philippines, or in Nigeria.
The important thing is, she is a woman of God.
A prayerful woman, who has given herself totally to Him.
A woman who feels for God’s people—especially those who have strayed from Him.
And who feels for His children—especially the spiritually neglected ones who never learned about Him, who are starved for Him and don’t know it.
She feels for them, goes out to help them, prays and sacrifices for them.
She loves her vows of chastity, poverty, obedience; she loves her Sisters in community wherever they may be.
She is inspired by our foundress, Servant of God Mother Mary Teresa Tallon.
She loves the Church, the Eucharist, the Sacred Heart of the Good Shepherd, Our Blessed Mother, and Saint Joseph.
This is a Parish Visitor!
Many blessings from Our Risen Lord to all of you!
Holy Week and Easter at Marycrest, our motherhouse, were especially beautiful this year. We had all the Holy Week and Easter ceremonies! What a comparison to last year when we only had livestreaming.
Above shows a Sister in adoration at our repository on Holy Thursday.
At the Easter Vigil, our Pascal Candle, surrounded
by Easter flowers, proclaimed Our Risen Savior!
We had some fun, too. During the Easter octave, our novices gave an ice cream party to the Sisters, complete with an Easter bunny!
Preparing to serve the ice cream.
Yum!
The novices also planned a game evening and a “carnival” event.
As our foundress told us, “God expects us to pray well, to work faithfully, and to play cheerfully.”
May God’s guidance be with you as you as you continue to discern His will for your life. Feel free to email me. If you’d like to plan a phone chat to get better acquainted, just let me know. Our prayers are with you all!
In Jesus Our Risen Lord,
Sister Dolores Marie
by Sr. Mary Emmadoña Lee | Feb 19, 2021 | Newsletter
Besides the pandemic, we also have a famine!
“There is a famine in the land—not for bread, not for water, but for the Word of the Lord.” (see Amos 8:11)
We are now in the holy season of Lent, a special time of grace. Jesus died for everyone, but so many people don’t know this!
So many souls are famished, are starving. They need to turn to Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life, but many don’t know how, or don’t care.
To give some examples, Mike stopped going to church years ago. Now he says God would never take him back after so long and after so much sinful behavior.
Jen goes to get ashes as a custom, as something she’s always done, but then she goes on living her immoral lifestyle.
Anna is old enough for First Communion, but never even heard of Jesus, except hearing His name taken in vain.
Meg can’t be bothered getting her children to Mass and religious instructions. She doesn’t see the point of it and has other priorities, anyway.
Dave says his mom tells him Lent is important, but he says, “I don’t believe in God now, so why bother with Church?”
This list could go on and on.
All this must hurt the loving heart of Jesus.
These are the ones Parish Visitors were founded to help! We have been helping starving souls since we began, and this charism which our foundress, Mother Mary Teresa Tallon, handed down to us is more needed than ever!
“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.”
Yes, “There is a famine in the land….” Pope Francis has said, “Evangelization is the most important work of charity.” Combining evangelization with contemplative prayer, according to our charism, gives it its power! And, the more technology there is these days, the more powerful and needed our person-to person contact is!
Evangelization, of course, involves religious instructions–on the spot instructions as well as classroom instruction–as so many people know so little about God! Youth ministry, too, is a part of this apostolate.
Parish Visitors strive to instill in the children a deeper love of Jesus, to inspire the youth to love Him, to encourage the careless Catholics to come back to the heart of Jesus.
Those who are spiritually starving need Parish Visitors. Maybe they need YOU! Is the Good Shepherd calling you to help people like this, along with us?
Pray that everywhere we serve, our apostolate will be very fruitful for the Lord, in this Lenten time of grace and always.
We pray, too, that all of us will live this Lent the best we can for Our Lord, Who has done so much for us and loves us so much! God bless you all!
In Jesus,
Sister Dolores Marie
by Parish Visitor Editor | Jan 10, 2021 | Newsletter
A happy and blessed new year 2021—all 365 days of it!
Advent and Christmas this year have been quite unusual for everyone, and here at Marycrest, our motherhouse, it was very unusual. COVID hit us! From the youngest to the oldest, most of the Sisters caught it, as well as most of our employees. In fact, our oldest Sister, Sr. Mary Elise, celebrated her 100th birthday while in quarantine! Everybody had ice cream in her honor, even the ones quarantined in their rooms. Three Sisters had to be hospitalized for COVID, some had it very mild (as I did), and some were in between.
The few Sisters who tested negative did much extra work, as well as decorating the Christmas tree and putting up other decorations. We were without Mass for two weeks; we didn’t want the priests to catch it. The Sisters who were up and around participated in the Mass by livestream, and the ones in quarantine were brought Holy Communion to their rooms.
Many friends brought us food, hand sanitizer, etc. One of our Bronx Sisters as well as our Pennsylvania Sisters were able to come to Marycrest to help out, and the Sisters of Life cared for night duty in our infirmary until our aides could return. (We helped the Sisters of Life in the beginning of their foundation, and now they were glad to return the favor.)
Those who had the virus ended their quarantine on Christmas morning, though a few Sisters still are a bit weak.
Our apostolate has, of course, been limited by the pandemic, but the Sisters are doing all they can by zoom, phone calls, and so on. Some religion classes are still being held in person, with masks and social distancing. Here is Sr. Alina Marie, of our Bronx convent, teaching Bible history through the Advent Jesse tree.
On January 4 our postulant became a novice. She received her habit and while veil, as well as our Constitutions and the Spiritual Directory of our foundress, and is now called Sister Debra Marie.
Recently the novitiate hosted a belated Epiphany party for all the Sisters, complete with the Three Kings and a marshmallow roast! It was great to have a fun evening together after so much sickness!
In the world, the pandemic continues. In this pandemic, people still need God. In fact, they need Him more than ever! And, God is still calling young men and women to give themselves to Him, to love and serve Him and His people.
The pandemic shouldn’t stop discernment. Discernment is not just making a decision, choosing what seems best for me, and so on; it’s trying to know what God wants for me.
This is not always easy. Many other things vie for our attention. We need prayer and silence to know what He is telling us. Before the Blessed Sacrament is the ideal place to pray, but you can pray anywhere where you can be quiet and undisturbed.
God will not fail you if you are sincerely trying to know His will. A prayer I found helpful in my own discernment was, “God give me the grace to know Your will, and the courage to do it!” These are two steps. Once we discern what God is showing us, we need courage to go ahead! And, who is the source of courage but God!
May God’s guidance and graces be with you! If you’d like to know more about the Parish Visitors, just contact me by email or phone. God bless you!
In Jesus,
Sister Dolores Marie
May is the month of Our Lady, a time of honoring her with special prayer, May crownings, and so on. Here at Marycrest, our motherhouse, the Sisters had a May crowning of Mary, and on another day a group of girls crowned Our Lady at our grotto.
First Communions are always special times, especially Communions of children, teens or adults whom we have instructed. To prepare someone to receive Jesus is a very special privilege!
She might live at our convent in the Bronx, in Pennsylvania or Arizona, at our motherhouse in New York, or in the Philippines, or in Nigeria.
She loves her vows of chastity, poverty, obedience; she loves her Sisters in community wherever they may be.
Above shows a Sister in adoration at our repository on Holy Thursday.
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.
A happy and blessed new year 2021—all 365 days of it!
On January 4 our postulant became a novice. She received her habit and while veil, as well as our Constitutions and the Spiritual Directory of our foundress, and is now called Sister Debra Marie.
