Guided By The Spirit: A Handmaid Goes Home On Pentecost

A Handmaid News

Much to our surprise, the Holy Spirit orchestrated a beautiful gift for our Handmaid family by calling his Bride, Sister Mary Magdalen of the Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, to his side at last on Pentecost Sunday. With two Sisters praying by her side, “Eucharistic Heart of Jesus, I love you!” in her hearing, she peacefully breathed her last.   We thank …

Happy Foundation Day!

A Handmaid Diamond Jubilee, News

We celebrate our Foundation Day every year on May 25th. That was the date of Pentecost Sunday in 1947 when Father Gerald Fitzgerald began the Handmaids of the Precious Blood. He was guided by the Holy Spirit to help priests and his spiritual daughters were to become spiritual mothers of priests and aid in their sanctification through lives of prayer, …

Archive Treasures: Poverty In The Archives

A Handmaid Diamond Jubilee, News

As we continue preserving our archives we are again indebted to so many who have helped us acquire the boxes, binders, garment bags, photo sleeves etc. In transferring items from old cardboard boxes to solid plastic we’ve have the misfortune to find a few casualties be it fabric mildew, moth damage, or mice nests (sans mice) which we are working …

Easter in the Kitchen

A Handmaid HPB Vocations, News

Our formation group spends a lot of time helping to keep their sisters fed and the kitchen humming along. But that doesn’t mean it’s only work-work-work. As with all duties any of us undertake, it begins and ends with prayer but there is also room for some light-hearted fun. It didn’t seem right, especially during the Easter festivities, to serve …

Archive Treasures: Easter Eggs

A Handmaid Diamond Jubilee, News

Now that Easter has arrived, it seems a good time to think about eggs, including in the archives. We share just one photo of the many hand crafted eggs that graced the refectory over the decades. Using a small styrofoam egg, Sister Mary Patricia, created ornate miniature roses and designs out of icing, lace, sequins and anything she could find. …

Placing the names of priests in the Mary Mother of Priests tribute garden

Who is in the Priests Garden: Raymond Cardinal Burke

A Handmaid News, Priests Garden

It shouldn’t be too surprising that among the names of priests in the Mary, Mother of Priests Garden are some Popes and Cardinals as well as Bishops. As we dug into the red soil of East Tennessee to plant the first post, we knew we would be including the name of the prelate who helped begin our journey to Tennessee …

Archive Treasures: Relic of the True Cross

A Handmaid Diamond Jubilee, News

The subtitle for this post could be, “Not all archive treasures stay in the archives.” This is about one relic we keep in the Sacristy and use for the Stations of the Cross. But it is also an archive item as it once hung on the wall of our Founder’s office. This small framed and fading photo shows its location. …

Hail Mary, Full of Grace! – the Annunciation

A Handmaid News

This year we celebrate the Annunciation on Saturday, which is fitting to have the weekday ordinarily devoted to the Blessed Mother also be the date when we mark the visit by Gabriel to her in Nazareth to announce that she had been chosen to be the Mother of God. Years ago, Father John A. Hardon, S.J. explained that “Hail Mary” …

Archive Treasures: Mother Dolorosa at 100

A Handmaid Diamond Jubilee, News

We share a photo of Mother Dolorosa, one of the pioneering Handmaids from the early years, on the occasion of her 100th birthday. Mother John Paul is presenting her with a large card during a very festive birthday party. She resoundingly answered, with gratitude, whenever asked how it felt to be 100, “WONDERFUL!” Her age and health may have taken …