On the advice of OLAM Dad, I've decided to post my fabulous news:

I've been accepted as a postulant for the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara and will be entering on September 8th!!

For anyone discerning religious vocation, especially to a Marian missionary order, I would highly recommend checking them out!

The Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara are the female branch of the Religious Family of the Incarnate Word -- so, for any males interested in the male branch (The Institute of the Incarnate Word), click HERE. Both branches share the same charism -- "evangelization of the culture" -- and both branches also take the Fourth Vow of consecration to Mary via St. Louis de Montfort's method.

It's time for a happy dance!

I am sooooo excited for you! I love this order- I did volunteer work for them at their convent in Brooklyn, NY last summer. God bless you wherever country you end up serving Our Lord and others.

A very happy dance. Congratulations!!!!!


Love and prayers,

Dare

An of course

Sadora, Congratulations and how wonderful you are entering on our Blessed Mother Birthday!! Boy, Blessings will be pouring down on you dear sister on this day.

At one time, I was looking at this community and so could you tell us a bit more about them?

Boy I love this party!!!

Thats wonderful!!! What sort of work do they do, are they missonaries?
God Bless you in your Heavenly Calling!!!!

I visited them when I was in New York in March. They were great. I really enjoyed talking with Mother Mercy, she is an amazing women. Congrats, they are a great order and I love them very much. I know I am not called there but am excited for anyone who is they are a great community. May the Lord bless you.

Thank you so much!!



Thank you for the congrats!! And I must say, I love these dancing foods!! Haha!!

It's all one big dance party here!!

The community is thoroughly Marian -- I find it difficult to express exactly what this means, but honestly, the fourth vow they take of consecration to Mary via St. Louis de Montfort's True Devotion is so beautifully apparent to me. All things for God through Mary!

They are an international missionary community, serving all through the "Evangelization of the Culture" through catechesis, children's oratories, parish work, popular missions, St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises, teaching, assisting in spiritual and philosophical publications, youth ministry, pro-life work, and works of mercy. Their apostolate is quite wide, really.

They have a strong prayer life -- Litugy of the Hours, Eucharistic Adoration, daily Mass, Angelus, etc. every day.

Hmmm... I don't really know what else to say... do you have any specific questions I might be able to answer?




Yes, they are missionaries. They serve through the world in various missions -- catechesis, children's oratories, parish work, popular missions, St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises, teaching, assisting in spiritual and philosophical publications, youth ministry, pro-life work, and works of mercy.

Thank you so much!




The dancing taco just might be my favorite dancer...haha!



It's almost hypnotizing...

:lol grin:




AWESOME, AWESOME NEWS!! Congratulations and God bless you!!

Whew!! Boy am I hot from all this dancing Thanks for the information
I do believe they have a branch in Toronto but I was curious where is the cloister part of the order located? Do they have a specific mission to a certain group such as teenagers, young people...

OK break is over now back to the dancing...........

PRAISE BE TO OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST! <---- not as hypnotizing as the tacos

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Praised be God as you enter to continue your discernment! I studied with some of your future sisters (I know there are many now) at the Angelicum in Rome just in 2004/5. They were always smiling and laughing, and appeared very young and very beautiful. Clothed in blue, they always reminded me of Our Lady. In fact, in their consecration, they vow to become "slaves" of Mary. In it's accurate sense -how beautiful!

Here are a couple pictures I took in Roma at the Ang of the Sisters (secretly;):


Hmmm.... Is it really not possible to include photo's unless they are online?


GOD, please bless Sadora in a special way, today, in these next few weeks as she prepares, and as she enters!

Congratulations to you! May God Bless you as you prepare to enter!

I have sooo many questions! How did you meet them? What drew you to them (anything other than the total Marian consecration)? Did you discern any where else? Do you have a particular name in mind? How did your parents take the news? Are there home/family visits? Are you planning to enter the apostolic branch or the contemplative branch?

um... Those are all I can think of right now. I've been looking at these Sisters for a while, and have wanted to visit them, but I've never met anyone who was discerning with them/ planning to enter with them.
God bless you and your discernment!

Congrats, and may God continue to pour His grace on you through your vocation.

God bless-
LGLG

Wow, they look great!! I love the hobits, they're very unique, I dont think I've ever seen ones like that. What sort of work will you sp. be doing when you enter?
God Bless you in your Heavenly Calling

So what drew you to this community?

Yep, they do have a branch in Toronto -- to my knowledge, I think that one was started in 2004.

The cloistered/contemplative branch of their order is located in New York -- it's the St. Edith Stein convent in Brooklyn.

They really mission to the entire culture all around the world through various apostolates -- children's oratories, catechesis, pro-life work, works of mercy, popular missions, Ignatian retreats, liturgy, etc.



Here's their site: Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara



Taco, taco! Daaance!!








I love exactly what you've already said about their habits and their consecration to become "slaves" of Mary -- YES! I also think it's wonderful that you were able to study with them in Rome!! I would love to be able to see those pictures, and I love that you took them secrety -- haha!

Thank you so much for your blessings.

Sadora,

Do these sisters have a site specifically for vocations? I have a friend who has been searching for orders and she is an "older" vocation. Do you happen to know what their age limit is?


Many, many blessings for you in your journey!

Good questions!!!

- To be honest, I had never met them "officially" before! I had only met one sister at a Steubenville conference I went to a few months ago, and other than that, I had spoken with Mother Sacred Heart (vocations director and Novice Mistress) on the telephone and practically memorized their website.

- Other than the total Marian consecration, I was drawn to them because of their formation, wide apostolate, and because they are an international missionary order. However, it really was the total consecration via St. Louis de Montfort that had my heart.

- I had been to several "Come & See"s and visited other communities (Ferdinand Benedictines, Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist, the Franciscan Sisters of the Renewal, and the Sisters of the Life). I had also been in contact via telephone with a few other communities.

- Oooh religious name!! I used to have a few in mind; however, through much prayer I honestly don't want to pick my name. I can be indecisive and petty at times and I know if I chose my own name...wow, there'd be problems! A few days, a week, etc. later... I'd probably regret the name I chose. So, I don't want to choose it at all. That way, I know God chose my name and not me. Also, this is something I find profoundly beautiful: Fr. Buela (the founder of this Religous Family) had wanted all the sisters' names to be a Litany of Mary -- SO, each sister has the name "Mary" (or "Maria"/"Marie") plus an invocation of hers (Mother of the Eucharist, Ark of the Covenant, Theotokos, Mother of Sorrows, etc.) I was just floored by that. I can't even begin to express how beautiful that is to me.

- My parents... well, neither of my parents are Catholic. However, my dad just wants me to be happy. He sees that this makes me happy, so he's happy. My mother, I think is still getting used to the idea. She always had "big plans" for me -- before I ever began discerning religious life, I had always planned on being an orchestral flutist and university flute professor. My parents never really knew the spiritual/religious side of my life, as I had converted to Roman Catholicism during my Sophomore year in university (nearly five years ago). So.... basically, they are supportive, but I don't think they really understand what's going on. It's hard when your parents don't really speak the "Catholic language" so to say.

- I think there are home/family visits, but I don't really know much about that yet... heheh... that's something I'll ask about!! I just know that during your Novitiate you can't leave the convent.

- I plan on entering the apostolic branch. Their contemplative branch really grew as a "vocation within a vocation" -- meaning that all who enter, enter the apostolic branch, through this discern the contemplative branch.

I hope you'll be able to visit them!! They are such a beautiful order and for me at least, so real -- women I can truly connect with and grow with. I feel so blessed!

I shall pray for your discernment, too!




They don't have a specifica site for vocations, at least not to my knowledge. However, I do know that they do NOT have an age limit for entrance!!



I can't help but smile everytime I see their habits... wow.. God willing, whenever I receive mine, I just might be a glowing ray of sunshine!

When I first enter, I'm not sure what kind of work I'll be doing since as a postulant, your time is spent really just "learning the ropes". However, I do know that they have a wide apostolate, so I could be doing just about anytying involving atechesis, children's oratories, parish work, popular missions, St. Ignatius' Spiritual Exercises, teaching, assisting in spiritual and philosophical publications, youth ministry, pro-life work, and works of mercy. Exciting!!! God will take me wherever He wants me.

Initially, I was drawn to their community by their Fourth Vow of consecration to Mary via St. Louis de Montfort's True Devotion. I had already consecrated myself though his method a year ago and had absolutely fallen in love with this devotion. And I do believe that Our Blessed Mother led me to this community as I had given my vocation to her so long ago.

Also, their formation was quite intriguing:

We want to form the members of our Institute in great human and Christian maturity so that they reach the extent of the full stature of Christ (Const., 195).
We can group this work into four sections:

1. Human formation
2. Spiritual formation
3. Intellectual formation
4. Apostolic and pastoral formation

Basically, when I would ponder on the things I would want "if I were to start my own order"... I found it all here!! God knew my heart when He brought me to them, and I am both amazed and grateful.

It seems to me a good congregation, I know them from a trip Argentina and collaborate economically with them.
Congratulations.

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Following-up on all the questions, I've heard that the sisters take postulants all through the year, not just once a year (usually in late Summer), like many of the other orders we all admire. Is this true? I really like that!

Blessings!

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Following-up on all the questions: I've heard that the sisters take postulants all through the year, not just once a year (usually in late Summer), like many of the other orders we all admire. Is this true? I really like that!

Blessings!

Yes, this is true!!

They actively believe in taking you when God calls you. I was so surprised by that, too! It was just one of those... "you know, that really makes sense" moments. Some people aren't always called at this one specific date/time and God always works in mysterious ways.

The postulants start classes in September, so if you entered after that, you'd just have a prolonged postulancy and wouldn't become a novice (God-willing) until the next year.

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I don't think I've seen the postulant outfits -what will you wear? Will you bring it with you, or make it once you're there?

Pax!

The postulants wear a long floor-length darker grey skirt, a white button-up shirt, and the Cross of Matara. They give you the skirt, but I think we bring our shirts, and there's a special ceremony for the reception of the Cross of Matara. I have yet to receive information about this...

Mother Sacred Heart is supposed to e-mail me the information, but currently she's in upstate NY with the novices on the 30-day Spiritual Exercises. (Which ends on the 31st -- St. Ignatius' feast day!)

Congrats on your acceptance! How exciting! God's blessings be with you in these final months before your postulancy!

Grazie!!!

Congratulations!!!!!

Taco! They're so cute!

Thank you muchly!!!






The tacos are definitely my favorite dancing food!