In spite of all the problems, it is still the Church full of greatness and glory September 9, 2014
Posted by Tantumblogo in awesomeness, Basics, General Catholic, Glory, Grace, Latin Mass, religious, sanctity, Tradition, true leadership, Virtue.trackback
The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Still River, MA shared a blessed event yesterday in the form of one of their novices making her first profession of vows. Sister Mary Imelda traded in the white veil of a novice for the black one of a professed sister.
I asked a while back why it seems this order gets disrespect at times from some traditional Catholics, and never really got an answer. I think it has to do with an assumption that because there was a problem, once, there must still be one. That’s a really unfair appreciation, to my mind. In my experience, and from all available evidence, this order (both male and female) is solidly orthodox, committed to Tradition, and doing great work. They have never offered anything other than the TLM, even in the darkest days of the 70s and 80s. That’s a testament right there.
Anyways, some photos of the blessed event. I was also so pleased to read that the Slaves received a new novice on Aug 22 of this year. I pray this order continues to grow, because they do such good work! Maybe we’ll get to have a camp with them again locally this year, God willing!
Look at them grow. God be praised! There are so few traditional women’s religious orders, each new professed soul represents a tremendous gift to the Church.
I really like this order on several levels. As much as I greatly appreciate and value cloistered contemplative orders like the Carmelites in Valparaiso and the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, their very cloistered nature puts a limit on their presence in the lives of others. The Slaves run a school, a camp, and have traveled around the country giving other camps for children. That is a glorious experience for children to receive, especially in this age when habited religious are so rare many may go their entire childhood without ever meeting a discernible religious. The Church needs both Martha and Mary, and the Slaves practice much of the lives of both.
God bless Sister Mary Imelda and Sister Gabriel Marie, along with new brother postulant Michael Duffy. The Duffy family now has three children among the Slaves. What. A. Blessing!
Oh, while I’m at it singing the praises of the Slaves and the Saint Benedict Center, I should mention their gift shop, which has a whole lot of very cool Catholic items. I really like the many bumper stickers and decals for your car I really haven’t seen anywhere else! You can really Catholic your car up! My man TE has this one:
There are a wide variety of other items at the gift shop, from books to crucifixes to artwork and even tapestries, which I remember correctly the nuns make themselves! There is quite a bit of great stuff, it’s worthwhile checking out.
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Aren’t there two groups- one rehabilitated, as it were, and the other not? And they may get mixed up…
I was wondering the same thing?
If you follow the links I provided, you’re solid. That order is fully regular. The order in NH that runs catholicism.org claims to be as well, but I have not seen the kind of local ecclesiastical confirmation of that which is so plain with the nuns I blogged about in this post. In that latter case, the local bishop participates in the life of the community regularly and gives open support to them. They are involved in all manner of diocesan activity. Sadly, and to confuse things more, there is another group of MICM also in Still River that I do not believe is regularized, though I am not absolutely certain on their status. There are other MICMs in California and perhaps other places, too. But as far as the post is concerned, so long as you follow the links and stay with the “original” Saint Benedict Center/Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, you’re in great shape.
Both, the one in Still River and the one in Richardson, NH, are in union with the Church. I’ll look for a link confirming that…
Both groups believe, as we all should, in EENS (outside of the Church there is no salvation). They do not believe that Baptism of Desire nor Baptism of Blood is common and so they push the need for evangelization. Radical, eh?
The 2 groups separated many years ago. I’m not sure why. They both seem to hold the same views.
Here’s the link…
http://catholicism.org/our-status-in-the-church.html
We have to be a bit careful. There are actually two groups of MICM in Still River, one in full communion, the other, perhaps not. It is confusing! The Saint Benedict Center website I linked is from the group in full communion. Their bishop regularly offers/presides at Mass, he has been present for some of the clothing or other ceremonies in religious life, and in general has given his full approbation for the order. As for the NH group, and there are others as well, sadly, those who took up the mantle of the great effort of Fr. Feeney wound up squabbling among themselves and broke in to several groups. There are some in California, too, I believe.
Yes, the nuns certainly do support EENS, and do feel that Baptism by Desire and Blood are not the universal panaceas for being outside communion with the Church they are often presented as. I do not think that position at all unreasonable – in fact, I share it.
Yes, it is great to see the habits. Other religious and some former religious left certain orders due to the watering down, among other things.
Some women have started things like Nun Runs, because it has become rare today to see a religious sister. I do know a former religious who left an order and is now in consecrated single life. She dresses decently, has a secular job, and is involved in Catholic life. She lives in community with another consecrated female single.
It is also sad today that many children will rarely talk to a priest. I knew a priest who would make the time to visit CCD classes, in part because so many kids in CCD have parents who do not take them to Sunday Mass. CCD is NOT a substitute for Mass. It is sad that some parents look at it that way.
I will have to remember the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and recommend it. I am also impressed with what I have read and heard about the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa.
These nuns wear the same habit the nuns who taught me in Catholic school. However, I remember that when I was in either 6th or 7th grade some of the new nuns started wearing a shorter skirt and a small veil. It must have been when Vatican II came about. Thanks for the info. I will have to check out their gift shop.
I went to their website. They seem very orthodox.
They are wonderful. I have a daughter that admires them very much and is attracted to their vocation.
Please pray for J! Massachusetts is very far away but I pray she considers them.
Slightly off topic but 11th century Anglo Saxon Our Father is very cool:
In regard to Father Feeney, there is a fascinating book written in 2006 A.D. by The Right Reverend Gabriel Gibbs (O.S.B.), who was associated with Saint Benedict Center (Still River, Massachusetts) from the 1940s until 2010 A.D., when he fell asleep in the Lord.
Harvard To Harvard: The Story of Saint Benedict Center’s Becoming Saint Benedict Abbey.
Email: Abbey@Abbey.org for information to order said book.
Parts of the book are akin to a spy novel. That is true in particular when we read of then-Archbishop Medeiros’ holy and hush-hush initiative to end the persecution of Father Leonard Feeney.
Incredible inside information about Father Feeney, Saint Benedict Center, and the manner in which Father Feeney was persecuted systematically abounds in Harvard To Harvard.
Canonically, the group that you speak of here has the same exact status as the group in New Hampshire (of which I am the Prior). Both are essentially private associations of the faithful.
The other group in Still River is Saint Ann’s House — http://sistersofstbenedictcenter.org/ — a house of Sisters only (affiliated with male house of MICM — the Benedictines next-door are no longer MICMs.). The Sisters of Saint Ann’s House actually have a higher canonical status than any of the other MICM houses, as they are an episcopally approved private association of the faithful. (In Canon Law, there is a distinction between a de facto private association of the faithful and one that has episcopal approval.)
All of us keep alive the memory and work of Father Leonard Feeney, and we all believe that there is absolutely no salvation outside the Catholic Church, into which we strive to help people enter.
I hope this helps.
You are correct: The profession of Sister Mary Imelda is a good a beautiful thing for the Church!
Thank you so much for the clarification. There is so much confusion out there. I really do appreciate this, and I apologize for contributing to the confusion.
I think I will turn this comment into a post in order to give the correction a greater level of emphasis.
You’re welcome Tantumblogo! Thank you for being kind enough to clarify things. God bless you and your work.