sistersintigo Posted April 6, 2011 Posted April 6, 2011 This religious institute of women is so new that it doesn't have a website yet....we are discussing it on another thread about beautiful blue habits (and habits that are beautiful in other colors too...) but they deserve their very own Phatmass thread so here goes. Maria Elisabetta Patrizi , also known in the very traditional way of "M. Elisabetta Patrizi" (try Googling it, it makes a difference), is the foundress of more than one institute. This new one emerged from the earlier Sisters Minor which she founded; the new foundation, according to Italian sources, has Suor M. Elisabetta Patrizi's blessing. Talking of Italian....it is hard to find information about these Franciscan Sisters, Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus and Mary Immaculate, which is NOT in Italian. Not one of my languages either....are there any Italian speakers out there?
organwerke Posted April 6, 2011 Posted April 6, 2011 [quote name='sistersintigo' timestamp='1302124493' post='2226481'] Not one of my languages either....are there any Italian speakers out there? [/quote] Me!
Cherie Posted April 6, 2011 Posted April 6, 2011 Pardon my post in the other thread, I was hurried and it is not quite accurate. Mother Petrizi founded the SMMI in the diocese of Rome. She later had to step down as Superior of that international community due to health reasons, and there was later a serious divide within the community. Some Sisters approached Mother in order to establish a [i]new[/i] community, the SFm (Franciscan Sisters, Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus and Mary Immaculate) in the diocese of Lisieux. As far as I understand, Mother [i]is[/i] a member of the SFm.
sistersintigo Posted April 6, 2011 Author Posted April 6, 2011 Here's a name to ask about: sister Cristina Demezzi followed Suor Maria Elisabetta Patrizi into the Sisters Minor, the earlier institute, which has been established for some time. When M. Elisabetta Patrizi, for health reasons, stepped down as the superior general of those Sisters, Cristina Demezzi succeeded her. Then suor Cristina left the Sisters Minor. Is she now one of the NEW Sorelle Francescane Missionarie del Cuore di Gesu e Maria Immacolata foundresses? I'm not as sure of this....this MIGHT be true. It appears that suor Cristina, at least, is still very active in the Militia of the Immaculate (MIKolbe charism) in her part of Italy. As for M. Elisabetta Patrizi, I'm a little confused here too. Years ago, as a young woman, she entered a Carmel. With a religious indult, she left within ten years. She founded the Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate with their blue habits. Not very long ago, she was given permission to profess eremetical vows, in Italy. So: is she an SMMI, a hermitess, an SFm, or...?
sistersintigo Posted April 6, 2011 Author Posted April 6, 2011 [quote name='CherieMadame' timestamp='1302125565' post='2226490'] Pardon my post in the other thread, I was hurried and it is not quite accurate. Mother Petrizi founded the SMMI in the diocese of Rome. She later had to step down as Superior of that international community due to health reasons, and there was later a serious divide within the community. Some Sisters approached Mother in order to establish a [i]new[/i] community, the SFm (Franciscan Sisters, Missionaries of the Heart of Jesus and Mary Immaculate) in the diocese of Lisieux. As far as I understand, Mother [i]is[/i] a member of the SFm. [/quote] Whoops! Our posts crossed in the post....
organwerke Posted April 6, 2011 Posted April 6, 2011 [quote name='sistersintigo' timestamp='1302125748' post='2226491'] Not very long ago, she was given permission to profess eremetical vows, in Italy. So: is she an SMMI, a hermitess, an SFm, or...? [/quote] From what I read from this article: http://www.arcidiocesidispoletonorcia.it/component/content/article/8-brevi/403-roccaporena-arriva-una-nuova-comunita-religiosa.html Mother Elisabetta Patrizi is the foundress of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters... She was also the foundress of the Minor Sisters of Mary immaculate, but becuase of serious difficulties, from what I understand, that Congregation was put under the government of a commissioner (I don't know if the Congregation is still alive or was suppressed) After this, Mother Patrizi made hermitical vows, but, since some of her previous companions of the previous Congregation asked her to found a new religious Family, she founded the New Institue of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters.
FutureSister2009 Posted April 6, 2011 Posted April 6, 2011 Thank you guys so much for starting this thread! Mother Maria Elisabetta is the Foundress and I hope I get to meet her someday! I'll be posting in here a lot more as time goes on. And I don't exactly know how new it is since my friend Sr. Theresa has been a member for 22 years. But nonetheless, I'm happy other people have been researching on the Order!
Cherie Posted April 6, 2011 Posted April 6, 2011 [quote name='FutureSister2009' timestamp='1302126920' post='2226496'] Thank you guys so much for starting this thread! Mother Maria Elisabetta is the Foundress and I hope I get to meet her someday! I'll be posting in here a lot more as time goes on. And I don't exactly know how new it is since my friend Sr. Theresa has been a member for 22 years. But nonetheless, I'm happy other people have been researching on the Order! [/quote] Are you sure she was not an SMMI Sister first, then transferred to the SFm's? That would certainly be perfectly ok if she did do so; I was only asking since, from my understanding, the SFm's were only founded in 2009, but the SMMI's just celebrated their 25th Anniversary on Aug 14, 2008.
FutureSister2009 Posted April 7, 2011 Posted April 7, 2011 I don't know. She never said anything about that.
Lwangaman Posted April 15, 2011 Posted April 15, 2011 I was in the Brothers Minor of Mary Immaculate community for 12 years, which was the male branch associated with the Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate. I came across this thread because one of the Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate that I know somehow came across it (maybe with google) and posted it on facebook. I'll try to just keep the thread generic but I'm available for any clarifications. Mother Maria Elisabetta Patrizi was a carmelite nun for 8 years. Then she was a wandering missionary in France for a while. Then she was a hermit in the Turin area for a while. Then she was in Rome for a few years helping Mons. Giulio Ricci with catechetics on the Shroud of Turin and founding a small publishing house in honor of the Sacred Heart called "Centro Cuore di Cristo" abbreviated CdC. She founded the Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate in Rome in 1983. It was erected as a religious Institute of the Diocese of Rome in 1993. The charism is inspired to St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Therese of Lisieux. In the past three years the difficulties have come from the fact that the Diocesan Offices in Rome sent an external nun by the name of Sr. Maria Cristina to visit the communities and look better into the formation. Although Mother Maria Elisabetta stepped down as Mother General and Sr. Cristina Demezzi took her place, Mother Maria Elisabetta was still very commanding. She did not accept the nun sent by the Diocesan Offices to visit the communities, and so she broke off from her own foundation and could no longer stay in the diocese of Rome. She went and founded another community (I suppose what you are all now calling Franciscan Sisters of the Immaculate), and half of the Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate followed her in the new community whereas the other half decided to stay with the diocese of Rome as "Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate". She has been living in Loreto for the past few years. Sr. Cristina Demezzi asked for an indult and is no longer an SMMI. I left the community of the Brothers (who are no longer in the diocese of Rome either and are no longer called "Brothers Minor of Mary Immaculate") about three years ago, just when all this breaking out.
Guest JessicaMattiace Posted April 15, 2011 Posted April 15, 2011 I would just like to cite a correction. From the above mentioned link, you will read that they are "un’associazione pubblica di fedeli, eretta l’8 maggio 2009 da mons. Pierre Pica, vescovo di Bayeux-Lisieux (Francia)" a Public Association of the Faithful, erected May 8, 2009 by mons. Pierre Pica, bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux (France). So they aren't actually a [b]religious institute. [/b]Even though they may wear a habit and be perhaps on the path to approvation as such. The Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate [url="http://sistersminormi.org/history-and-spirituality.html"]http://sistersminormi.org/history-and-spirituality.html[/url] have retained their approvation as a religious institute of diocesean rite in the diocese of Rome.
HopefulBride Posted April 15, 2011 Posted April 15, 2011 [quote name='JessicaMattiace' timestamp='1302880709' post='2228915'] I would just like to cite a correction. From the above mentioned link, you will read that they are "un'associazione pubblica di fedeli, eretta l'8 maggio 2009 da mons. Pierre Pica, vescovo di Bayeux-Lisieux (Francia)" a Public Association of the Faithful, erected May 8, 2009 by mons. Pierre Pica, bishop of Bayeux-Lisieux (France). So they aren't actually a [b]religious institute. [/b]Even though they may wear a habit and be perhaps on the path to approvation as such. The Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate [url="http://sistersminormi.org/history-and-spirituality.html"]http://sistersminorm...irituality.html[/url] have retained their approvation as a religious institute of diocesean rite in the diocese of Rome. [/quote] A question on the vow renewal pictures with the above link... Why is there what I guess to be a laywoman receiving her vows? shouldn't it be the superior? or the Bishop of their diocese?
Guest JessicaMattiace Posted April 15, 2011 Posted April 15, 2011 [quote name='HopefulBride' timestamp='1302894525' post='2228958'] A question on the vow renewal pictures with the above link... Why is there what I guess to be a laywoman receiving her vows? shouldn't it be the superior? or the Bishop of their diocese? [/quote] The woman receiving the vows is the General Commissioner... see above post by Lwangaman, an external superior appointed by the Church. She is a Sister by the way, but not a SMMI.
Lwangaman Posted April 15, 2011 Posted April 15, 2011 And by the way yes Cristina Demezzi is still very active in the Militia of the Immaculata in Italy, she is now president of the regional counsel of the M.I. for the Lazio Region.
FutureSister2009 Posted April 16, 2011 Posted April 16, 2011 I wish I understood what everyone was talking about. are you insulting my future Order or what????
sistersintigo Posted April 16, 2011 Author Posted April 16, 2011 [quote name='FutureSister2009' timestamp='1302969579' post='2229238'] I wish I understood what everyone was talking about. are you insulting my future Order or what???? [/quote] Maybe Sister Theresa could be helpful here, as she is a long-time sister. Surely she understands what is being discussed in the preceding posts.
Lwangaman Posted April 18, 2011 Posted April 18, 2011 I don't think any insults have been thrown nor are they intended. It seemed like there was a little confusion about the history of the Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate, and about who's who, so I just made some clarifications as to the history of Mother Elisabetta Patrizi, the Sisters Minor (and Brothers Minor), who is Sr. Cristina DeMezzi, what's the current situation... I also know Sr. Theresa very well, and I do admire her. I made my first retreat with Mother Maria Elisabetta and Sr. Theresa Kovacs right around this time 15 years ago, it was Holy Week 1996. It didn't take me much time to decide what I was going to do and I was in Rome by August 1996. I have been near Mother Maria Elisabetta since 1996 and I know her very well. I admire many aspects of her, I fell in love with the charism that she was proposing in the Church. I still think it's a great charism, in fact the Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate are still around, and are still a Religious Institute in the Diocese of Rome. They are in the heart of the Church and are under the direct supervision and direction of the Diocesan Offices in Rome. Mother Maria Elisabetta always taught us to be docile to the Church. It's the Church that decides if an Institute should exist or not. Every Religious Institute exists if it is approved by the Church. The diocese in which an Institute is founded has to look over an Institute's Constitutions, and make any necessary revisions before approving them. Being a religous (sister or brother) means being in the Church for the Church. Well, Mother Maria Elisabetta had a hard time accepting some recent interventions of the Diocese of Rome, and she is no longer in the Diocese of Rome nor is she a member of the Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate which she herself founded. She has now started a new foundation in the diocese of Loreto. It will be up to the local Bishop to follow up on this foundation and see to its approval, but it is still in its beginning stage and is not yet a religious institute. The Sisters Minor of Mary Immaculate are currently undergoing a transition, they have an external nun appointed by the Diocese of Rome (who belongs to a community that does not wear a veil) who is guiding them at the moment, they are under the direct supervision of the Diocese of Rome for any future development (as is every community founded in the Diocese of Rome).
Lwangaman Posted April 18, 2011 Posted April 18, 2011 Just so there's no confusion about who I am, my name is Fr. John D'Orazio, I am a priest incardinated in the Diocese of Rome and I am pastoral assistant in a parish here in Rome. I work with the Diocesan Offices for the youth ministry, for the university ministry, and a few other things. If I am in Rome, it is thanks to the Brothers / Sisters Minor of M.I. that brought me here. I went through the roman seminary for 6 years together with the other three first brothers, since we were just at the beginning of the foundation and we didn't have our own seminary. We were under the direct supervision of Cardinal Camillo Ruini who was the Vicar General in the diocese of Rome at the time. Cardinal Ruini approved the Sisters Minor of M.I. as a religious Institute of Diocesan Right in 1993.
FutureSister2009 Posted April 18, 2011 Posted April 18, 2011 But if it's not technically official yet, is it okay that they still wear the habit and say they are a part of the Institute?
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