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Just returned from a two week stay with the Sisters in Jesus the Lord. They are, of course, a new missionary community. Their "foundress" was a Maryknoll, but one of what seems like the last orthodox ones. She felt the call from God to begin this new community, which is now a private association. They are completely loyal to the Holy Father, wear the habit, keep cloister, live in community, pray the hours, the chaplet, the rosary, take a eucharistic holy hour -all every day. And they are SO HAPPY!

They have one temporary professed sister and one sister who will be receiving the habit on Corpus Christi (She actually was in OLAM for three years) and at least one new postulant entering in August.

Small communities are really beautiful because they will allow one to do something like come and stay for two weeks and for free! That is one "problem" I have had with DSMME. In addition, their mother house is in St. Agnes convent next to St. Agnes parish, which is just so, so, so solid (it's Fr. Altier's parish).

Sr. Julia Maria (the "foundress") spent 15 or so years in Africa and she has all of these crazy stories about almost being eaten by lions and such! She also grew-up on an organic farm and so the sisters eat all-organic food and are really nutrition and health conscious -but they eat fun foods too (chips and salsa and rhubarb cake and the like), just all organic!

Yesterday, the feast of the Visitation, they had their community feast day, which is a beautiful day for any missionary community especially! Yay for communities that let women come and share in their life!!!

That sounds awsome! What kind of stuff did you do with them? Are they going to move to Russia eventually or ave a motherhouse in the US with missions in Russia?

I'm always in favor of extended live-ins because it really lets you know if you can live the life. When I was with the Dominican nuns in Summit, it was an amazing experience for me. I can understand that large communities would have trouble housing girls for long periods, but a live-in is a really special thing.

That sounds awesome! I'm glad you had such a good visit.

Educate me please, what is a 'private association'?

The house of formation will remain in the US and then sisters will be sent to Russia. It is very neat though, the plan is to always keep convents to about 20 sisters so that they will really know one another and have deep community. This works too, because the sisters will always live at parishes. This is a part of their charism -praying with the people, and they balance it very well with their life of prayer as a sororal community.

The days were like most communities:

office of readings and morning prayer at the parish at 5:00a.m.
holy mass at the parish at 6:00a.m.
breakfast at 7:00a.m. (silent, usually watching Archbishop Fulton Sheen tapes)
rosary at 7:30a.m. at the parish
work until 11:30 then lunch
followed by more "work"
then divine mercy chaplet at the convent chapel at 3:15p.m.
holy hour at the convent chapel from 3:30-4:30
free time from 4:30-5:30
5:30-6:00p.m. exercise -walk around the neighborhood
6:00p.m. evening prayer in the chapel
6:20 dinner
7:00 recreation
7:45 night prayer and then grande silence

The schedule varies for weekends and feast days of course.

For my "work" I helped sister make her new habit! and ran errands, but they also gave me extra time for sleep, to watch spiritual videos, and to read spiritual books. It was very nice.

The sisters are very involved with pro-life work, too, helping with Rachel's vineyard and to educate the parish and provide pro-life resources. They also participate in parish activities like novenas and sing in the choir!

Thanks OLAM Dad. My understanding is that a 'private association' is the first canonical step in the formation of a new religious community. What this means practically, is that the community is in a bit of a time of 'testing'. One question is, will vocations flourish? If so, this is seen as a sign of the Holy Spirit's movement. What it also means is that the sisters (excluding those, who transferred from other communities, who have already taken vows), must receive permission, to wear their habits outside the convent as well as to be called sister outside the convent, from the bishop. The next stage, is a 'public association' and then there are several others. All new communities (SMME, SoL, e.g.) go through these stages. How quickly, depends on their "success" in vocations, but in other areas as well. For more information, consider consulting the code of canon law.

Yeah isnt Sister Julia great? Its so awesome, I met her at the Eucharistic Congress in October last year in Saint Paul, my brother lives there so it was real easy to get around to the Saint Paul communities there.

Nice to hear about this community. I met with Sister one of the IRL conferences. It is exciting to be with a new community and judging from what you have said I believe they are well on their way.

Their website said they're permitted to wear the habit inside the convent now.

Being an aspiring foundress myself, I would like to know why that is.

I'd also like to know why the habits are such radically different colors.

TIA.

Blessings,
Gemma

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Yes, correct. The postulant, novice and I believe temporary professessed are only permitted to wear the habit inside the convent per their "private association" status at this time according to the norms of canon law.

Regarding the different colors, it is again because of their inability to wear the habit outside of the convent. The rules are so "strict" that their skirts being the same color could be considered wearing the same habit outside the convent (a new brother community got into trouble from the bishop for wearing the same t-shirt, before they finally received permission -the Franciscan Brothers of Peace).

So, the elder sister and foundress, Sister Julia does wear the blue habit, because it had been "her color" as a sister previously, and as a final professed, she may wear it outside the convent. However, the final color of all the habits will be the burgundy color (a combination of the blue of Mary and the red of Christ) as currently worn by Sister Maria Stella. The postulant outfit worn by Sister Nicole, included the black skirt, blue shirt, and grey veil. I do not know if that will be the permanent color -I imagine once they receive permission, it will be burgundy as well.

Thus, for the sake of not needing to change their skirts everytime they travel outside of the convent (for prayer with the parish or for recreation, school, etc.), and since they must already remove their scapular and veils etc., the sisters have different colored habits at this time. I will say, however, that Sister Nicole will receive a burgundy habit identical to Sister Maria Stella's -the permanent habit of the community- at her investiture on Corpus Christi, so I am not sure how they will handle it from that point...

Great questions!
Blessings+

I met one of the Sisters at the IRL, she was older....and very nice.

I think I posted a thread on them b4 because I thought they were pretty cool!

So Veritas....are you discerning with this community now? That is so great!

Lauren