Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “News”
We share a fast glance instruction sticker for the portable reel to reel magnetic tape recorder, the Wollensak, that was used to record conferences and homilies over the years in our community. Our community wanted to record for posterity the spirituality of our Founder but did much of that by hand in the early days. It wasn’t until the 1950s …
We share an early color photo from 1962 of three Handmaids adoring our Lord in Saint Anne’s Chapel in Jemez Springs, NM. Pews were not installed until later and the seating consisted of chairs and prie-dieus arranged in rows in the small chapel.
Our Founder, Father Gerald, was prepared for his role by living several types of priesthood. First, he was a diocesan priest for 12 years. Then he joined the Congregation of Holy Cross for 12 years. In World War II he served as an Army Chaplain and following the war, asked permission from his congregation to explore the foundation of communities …
Mother Dolorosa and Sister Bernadette (who would become the next Mother) greet Pope Paul VI during a visit to Rome. They were delighted to meet the successor to Peter and the Vicar of Christ on Earth but might not have guessed how soon he would be canonized.
We read in the prophet Hosea of God seeking to re-establish his relationship with Israel using the imagery of alluring her into the desert to speak tenderly to her again. (cf Hosea 2) We are off to the desert to wait in silence and solitude before our Lord in our annual retreat. Half the Sisters work as Marthas while half …
Continuing on with our Diamond Jubilee, we made a small Lady of Sorrows display in our Cor Jesu Refectory of various cards, programs, and tableau photos depicting how the Handmaids marked this beautiful feast of our Blessed Mother.
Sometimes when photos are taken, gathered, and placed in an album people might wonder, “Why did you take a photo of THAT?” This is true particularly when it seems like an everyday, ordinary thing or task. But, with the passage of time, even the plain-old stuff becomes vastly more interesting. When these ‘secretarial’ photos were taken they didn’t seem like …
Family, friends, and benefactors who have been in contact with our community over the decades know that we have moved our Motherhouse twice in the last ten years. First, in 2013 when we moved from Jemez Springs, New Mexico to Benton, Tennessee and then again in 2015 from Benton to New Market Tennessee. With 75 years of archives moving with …
Shortly after we prayed Lauds and Terce, some Sisters out for exercise enjoyed an unexpected treat watching a hot air balloon near the monastery. The burners could be heard as it descended for a landing nearby. These largely silent aircraft move quietly with the air currents, a beauty that doesn’t disturb the peace around the pastures and hills. We hope …
We were recently blessed that our Aspirant Chrissy was able to make an extended visit. This allowed her to spend time with our formation group and participate in the life of the community and experience the Handmaid charism, especially our lives of sacrifice and eucharistic adoration for the sanctification of priests. She has now returned home to Illinois where she …
We were blessed to be able to participate in prayer with the recent Vocations Day for Young Women hosted at Saint Joseph’s School in Knoxville. As we have done in similar venues (Steubenville Vocations Day, FOCUS, or Knights of Columbus conventions) a table was set up so that even the absent cloistered nuns would have some physical presence. We joined …
While the Mary, Mother of Priests Garden isn’t on a mountain summit, it commands a beautiful view from its location on the hilltop, even in the hazy days of summer. Even on clear days of summer.