“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 …
Post Corpus Christi Blessings: Aspirant Renae Arrives!
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 Laboure Society and Rescuing Vocations
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 …
Special Welcome on the Day of Mary’s Fiat
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 …
A Perfect Day To Say “Fiat!”
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 …
White Christmas! Not So Typical!
We recently shared a post on what a typical monastery Christmas is like. But what was it really like this year? It was a WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!!!! That’s a shout-able event. Why? Because it was a rare event experienced maybe only once every 10-15 years or more…a White Christmas of 5 to 7 inches of snow that meant no Midnight Mass, …
A Typical Monastery Christmas
COVID-19 can’t kill Christmas 2020 COVID-19 may have radically changed 2020 but it can’t really touch what we celebrate at Christmas, or rather WHO we celebrate at Christmas. Certainly the “how” has been modified for many. So let’s remember Jesus as we share what it’s like as a typical monastery Christmas approaches. We have told you some of these customs …
COVID COME AND SEES
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 …
Religious Symbols: Side Rosary
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 …
RELIGIOUS SYMBOLS: WHITE VEIL
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 …
Religious Symbols: HPB Emblem
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 …
Religious Symbols: Crown of Thorns
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 …