Events
February 4-7, 2021 FOCUS Conference
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!
Final Vows in Nigeria
We rejoice with Sr. Mary Anthonia Okpikuma, who made her final vows on this day. To give oneself to God forever–what a beautiful offering! Besides the crown of roses and the crucifix ring, the mission crucifix received at final vows is a sign of our perpetual dedication, that we will be a “willing holocaust for the redemption of the most abandoned souls.” May God’s grace and strength be with Sr. Mary Anthonia forever!
Anniversary of Inspiration
On January 25th we remember with gratitude the fullness of the inspiration to found the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate given to Mother Mary Teresa Tallon, then Sister Mary Berchmans, a Sister of the Holy Cross, on this day in 1908:
“God revealed to me clearly, at Holy Mass, in the chapel at 143 W. 61st Street, New York City, on January 25, 1908, the feast of the conversion of St. Paul, what it was He wanted. I must establish an Institute where women would be trained to greater spiritual perfection and, being formed in the contemplative spirit, go out in search of the lost lambs and bring them back to the fold by means of Christian instruction. I saw God’s will clearly and received strong assurances of His powerful protection. Jesus offered Himself as security for the work, and promised to supply by His infinite perfection, the lack on my part.”
This year we were privileged to have Cardinal Timothy Dolan celebrate Mass with us on that day, with Bishop Gerardo Colacicco and Rev. Stephen Ries as concelebrants.
New Novice
Postulant Debra Comins, from Cleveland, New York, today began her novitiate, and is now called Sister Debra Marie. Please pray with us for her and for all our Sisters, as well as for many more good, holy vocations to the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate.
New Novice and New Postulant
Today postulant Sally Yu, from California, began her novitiate. Sally is now Sister Sylvia Marie (using her baptism name of Sylvia, as is our custom). Today we also welcomed a new postulant, Debra Comins, from upstate New York, Here is a photo of Sister Sylvia Marie and one of her with Debbie, Sr. Mary Beata, the novice director, and Mother Maria Catherine.
Please join us in this prayer from the ceremony of reception into the novitiate: “Let us pray for all Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate, that we remain faithful to the original vocation of Mother Mary Teresa in our contemplative communion with Jesus, our thirst for holiness of life, sisterly charity, and missionary zeal for the most rejected and neglected.”
100th Anniversary Mass
The 100th anniversary of our community was celebrated on the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, with a beautiful Mass at which Cardinal Timothy Dolan was the main celebrant. (The original plan was to have a big Mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City, but the Cardinal felt it was not prudent during this pandemic.)
Priests joining the Cardinal at Mass were Fr. Stephen Reis, the cardinal’s secretary, Fr. David Rider, Fr. Thomas Byrnes, Fr. Chris Argano, Fr. Paul Sullivan, Fr. Jack Arlotta, and Fr. John Wilson.
Before Mass the Cardinal prayed briefly at the sarcophagus of Servant of God Mother Mary Teresa Tallon. During His homily he spoke of how closely our foundress patterned her life after the Blessed Virgin, her total obedience in following God’s will to found our community, and her emphasis on combining contemplative prayer with missionary outreach and catechetics.
We look forward to the future years with confidence in God, and we praise Him for all the blessings of the past 100 years.
Centenary Celebration Cancellations
August 15-16, 2020
Because of the pandemic, our 100th anniversary celebration Mass, which was to be at St. Patrick’s Cathedral on August 15, is cancelled. The August 16 celebration also will not be held this year. Hopefully next year the pandemic will be over and we can celebrate this milestone properly! Despite the cancellations, please join with us in praising and thanking God for our foundress, Servant of God Mother Mary Teresa Tallon, and for our community’s foundation on August 15, 1920. Let us also continue to pray for the speedy end of the pandemic.
Jubilees
July 2 used to be the feast of the Visitation and the day when all the Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate were received into the novitiate or made their first or perpetual profession of vows. Today we would have been celebrating with Sister Celine Marie Chinasa, for her Silver Jubilee, but she was unable to come from Nigeria because of the pandemic. We prayed for her at Morning Prayer and remembered her at Mass.
This picture was taken when she was at Marycrest previously.
We also celebrated the jubilees of all who had their first or final vows on July 2 in past years. May God bless all of them, Sr. Celine Marie, and all Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate!
March-April 2020 Coronavirus Pandemic
Act of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that You are in the Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things, and I long for You in my soul. Since I cannot receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart.
As though You have already come, I embrace You and unite myself entirely to You; never permit me to be separated from You.
Spiritual Communion in Times of Trial
Come, my crucified Jesus, my Beloved, teach me to suffer with You; teach me to suffer for You.
Blessed be God; blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the altar! I thank You, abide with me.
An Act of Spiritual Communion, under any pious formula, is enriched with a partial indulgence.
These have been most unusual and difficult days. God has allowed all this to happen to our world. Let’s make the most of this opportunity to love God and neighbor more!
Recall that many people in the world don’t have frequent access to the Mass, perhaps not more than a few times a year.
Others don’t even know, or don’t care, about the Mass or about Easter, or about Jesus. Pray much for them!
Pray, too, for the sick, their families, the nurses and doctors, the ambulance drivers, the police, the delivery persons, and so on.
Families need our prayers, too, that this time of enforced togetherness will be a blessing for them rather than a trial.
Those who are elderly and alone need our prayers and concern; even a friendly phone call will help their loneliness.
Pray that those whose First Communions, confirmations, ordinations, weddings, or reception into the Church, are delayed, will not lose heart but will use this time well.
You can think of many other things, too, to pray about and reflect on at this time.
Thank God, too, for all the good things:
Food every day, when many have so little.
The internet and television, to help us spiritually.
Families and loved ones who care about us.
Our health and strength.
And most of all, that we know Jesus, and that He died and rose for us! For me! He lives forever! Alleluia!
Pilgrimage
Several Sisters went on a pilgrimage to the NYC sites of Mother Mary Teresa Tallon, our foundress (when it was still safe to travel in NYC). We saw the convent on West 71st Street where we were founded in 1920, went to Mass at Blessed Sacrament Church on West 71st Street where the early Sisters went daily, walked to the area where our foundress received, in 1908, the fullness of the inspiration to begin our community, and went to St. Paul the Apostle Church, where she would have gone many times before we were founded.