Could you steer me in the right direction to some teaching sisters that you would like to read their vocation stories? I am looking for possibly three young women that have entered three different teaching orders and that their journey to entering would make a good read. I am asking this for our magazine, Saint Maria's Messenger. I know of many wonderful teaching orders that I have discerned a little with . . . But I would like more than just my opinion. If that makes sense. . .

Thank ya all!

Bernadette

Have you thought about contacting some communities with your request?They might have some sisters willing to tell their stories,and it would be a big boost to their orders possibly in the way of vocations.
My late great aunt was a School Sister of Notre Dame in Milwaukee. In her affects they sent us when she had passed on, was her autobiography which she had to write for them when she joined.
She decided she wanted to become a nun one day when she and her aunt,Tanta Tina came across a funeral procession one day when walking in Brooklyn.She asked who the ladies were,and Tanta Tina told her that it was a funeral for a nun they were seeing.Sister Generose was about 9 or 10,and told my great great aunt Tina she wanted to be a nun.I thought that was rather odd,but people were different in the 1900s.Can't imagine a modern girl saying that.

Dear Friend,

The Sister Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary are AMAZING sisters!!! They are a teaching order too. If you go to www.ihmimmmaculata.org and click on the vocations link, there you will find different sisters that tell their stories.

I hope this helps. This is the order that I am looking into.

God Love You,
Carolyn

I second that
God Bless

The Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist have a lot of vocation stories on their website--look under Vocations. You could ask permission to use some in your magazine.

And there's the Nashville Dominicans! Here's a link to some of the "Sister Profiles": link

5 suggestions (not mentioned above):

The Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart in California

The Apostles of the Sacred Heart in New York

Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Wichita, KS

School Sisters of Christ the King in Nebraska

The School Sisters of St. Francis in Panhandle, TX (our community)

Thank you all! This will help!

Bernadette

I'm waiting for word back from the "former superior"--I put that in quotes and you're about to find out why--on this order I'm about to tell you about.

If anyone has heard of the Sister Auxiliaries of the Apostolate in West Virginia, you'll know that they might be in danger of extinction. Their convent was suppressed for lack of vocations and the sisters were getting up in age. They had been teaching at a parish school in WV.

It's possible that if the "former superior" felt the prompting of the Holy Ghost, she could resurrect the community. They wore a beautiful habit. I think after VII, they did away with the extra white underveil.

At any rate, they were a teaching order in the obscurity of the West Virginia mountains, which might be another reason why they didn't flourish. I had seen ads for them in some of the catholic newspapers when I was in college in the 1980s, and at that time I saw a black novice with the three sisters.

In the age of the internet, and vocation hubs like Phatmass, I see no reason why they couldn't bounce back.

Please pray for this.

Blessings,
Gemma

Thanks for the info. . . I think I will look up more about these. And yes prayers are sent their way . . .

Bernadette

Gemma, i have heard of these sisters.They are mentioned in the book,Convent Life By
Joan Lesaux(hope I have the author's name right.) They were founded in Canada and later moved to the US.And yes what you say about them is true.I think they do have an address,but can't recall it right now.
Too bad someone couldn't set up a website for them or do something else.That's like the Congregation Of Our Lady,Help of the Clergy,also called Maryvale Sisters another small order
in your neck of the woods who have been around along time.No website,but they may be doing better than the Sisters Auxiliaries of the Apostolate.

Amother small group is the Sister Servants of Christ the King in Wisconsin.They run a nursing home.
A goup that once was in Danville,Virginia,the Society of Christ the King,also mentioned in Convent Life are no more.

Another order of sisters were the Daughters of St.Rita of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.They used to advertise in Catholic Digest and were in Versailles,Kentucky and I think also Walton,Ky.
Anyhow,I don't know what happend to them,unless they changed their name to the Sisters of St.Joseph the Worker,who has locations in both towns.They teach and do other things.

There is also the Sisters of Charity of St.Charles Borromeo,an international order.They had been in the US,but in the 1890s the sisters were recalled back to Poland.The Franciscan Sisters of Chicago
or another group was founded from nuns of the order who remained here.
The Sisters of Charity of St.Charles Borromeo teach in a school or two here in your area,but i forget what diocese.Apparently they came back to the US for some reason.

The book Convent Life was printed in 1964.There are some of the smaller orders still around,but don't know their vocation status.
Sisters,Home Visitors of Mary,Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate, Sisters of the Lamb of God,
Congregation of Reparation of Mary in New York, Franciscan Handmaids of the Most Pure Virgin Mary,a black community

Sisters of Bethany,Consolers of the Virgin of Dolors( spanish)
Bethlemite Sisters in Dallas(Spanish speaking)
Sisters of the Love of God(los Angeles diocese0spanish origen)
Congregation of the Divine Spirit
Catholic Mission Sisters of St.Francis Xavier(Archdiocese of Detroit)
Sisters of St.Joan of Arc
Oblate Sisters of Jesus the Priest(mexican)

Some that aren't here anymore are the Catechist Missionary Sisters of St.John(Austin,Tx)
Sisters of St.Elizabeth,Brookfield Wisconsin(they amalgamted to a franciscan sisterhood in Milwaukee)
Two italian orders that were in the Dallas -Fort Worth diocese.They were
the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Side and Wounds of Jesus
Oblate Sisters of the Church.
There was an english order commonly known as the Vocationist Sisters that were in the Carolinas or some place, but i don't know if they are here in the US anymore.

I swear years ago when we were moving up to Alaska(my dad was in the Air Force)
I saw in the Milwaukee phone book an order named the Sisters of St.Thomas More.
We drove there to visit my dad's relatives.

Forgot the Sisters of the Holy Spirit in Garfield Heights,Ohio.
there is also in Michigan the mission Sisters of the Holy Spirit.
They and the Sisters ,Home Visitors of Mary,and the Society of Christ the King were founded to be a new witness to the Church and wore more like suits that a traditional nuns habit.

Another group formed in the spirit of Vatican 2 was the Society of our Lady of Providence
in providence Rhode Island. They wore a black veil,grey jumper and white blouse.
Unfortunately there were problems later on in the community,and they disbanded.
The website for the Providence Diocese under diocese history has info on it.
I even recall in Convent Life a group a lady was trying to start up in Pittsfield,Vermont,called the Oblate Sisters of St.Joseph. They were helping the elderly and other works.Don't know if it ever got off the ground.

Gemma,Do you know anything about the Community of Divine Providence in I believe Cottage
Hill or Cottage Lane,NY?
Also whatever happend to the Daughters of Mary,Health of the Sick?
I know the priests,Sons of Mary,Health of the Sick are still here,but what happend to their sister branch?

Let's start another thread.

Blessings,
Gemma