Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “HPB Vocations”
“Behold, I come, O Lord, that I may do your will. I have vowed it, and your law lies deep within me.” – Entrance Antiphon for the Mass of Religious Profession Several Handmaids of the Precious Blood mark the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel as their vow day, but this year it was very special for Sister Mary Theresa as …
In addition to Jesus’ Real Presence in the Blessed Sacrament, the week of the Solemnity of Corpus Christi brought us many other blessings as well, large and small, from resuming the use of holy water fonts in Chapel, to beautiful flower blossoms, and last, but not least, to the joyful arrival of our Aspirant Renae. The Lord never ceases his …
The Labouré Society, faith, finances, and following Christ It’s common knowledge that many young people graduating college are saddled with large debts and are hampered in their job search and getting a good start in life. But did you know it also has an impact on vocations? A discerning candidate to the seminary or religious life can face years of delay …
On the Solemnity of the Annunciation, in the Year of Saint Joseph and the Amoris Laetitia Family, we welcome Postulant Maria as she joined our religious family in residence, giving her own, “Fiat!” on this beautiful Feast. After persevering through a COVID-challenged Aspirancy, she came on March 25th to begin wearing the wine red colors of one dedicating her life …
March 2021 is full of wonderful Feasts and Solemnities during Lent that orient us best to this liturgical season while pointing ahead to the Resurrection Joys of Easter. On March 17th we recall the Saint of the Emerald Isle, Saint Patrick, and the bloodless conversion of the Irish that followed in his wake. Just two days later, the Solemnity of …
Vocations News: Coping with COVID-19 and Come and Sees Yes, 2020 has been quite a year. We managed to get in a couple visits with inquiring women before COVID became a byword and seeming harbinger of all that could go wrong with the year 2020. By lockdown in March it was hoped a few weeks would be sufficient to dispel the …
Many religious, male and female, wear a side Rosary with their habit. Some can be rather large, others small. While Handmaids have had some minor variations in the wear of our side Rosary, we have always had them as a necessary part of the habit, not just as an accessory but as an essential to our spiritual life. Our Founder …
If you are a lifelong Catholic and encountered religious sisters over the years, you may have noticed that in some communities that the color of the veil can signify whether the sister has been professed or not. Not infrequently over the years, Handmaids have been asked about our white veils by others assuming they are speaking to a novice or …
The scapular of a professed Handmaid of the Precious Blood bears a Trinitarian emblem worn over the heart and features a white dove (the Holy Spirit) hovering over a golden chalice (a living chalice of the Precious Blood: a priest) on a field of red outlined in blue to honor Our Lady. It’s a visual hint of our mission in …
When we take our final vows, part of the ceremony is receiving and wearing a crown of thorns. A real one. We use pyracantha (otherwise called, very appropriately, firethorn) to fashion the crown. Since our veils are white, symbolizing the Eucharist, the Mother Prioress tries not to draw any blood either through the thorns or when pinning the crown to …
Did you know our profession rings, while simple, were designed by our Founder to incorporate two hearts and a chalice and that we all have the same words inscribed inside them? The hearts pay tribute to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary while the chalice reminds us of our mission in the Church to offer …
Occasionally you may hear of someone “counting up years” in a cemetery. There is a story of one priest visiting a convent graveyard in which the sisters date of profession of vows was included on the tombstones so he added them all together as he walked the graves praying for their souls, thanking God for their steady perseverance and he was …