Any idea what community this is?

[truthfinder]

Hi Pham,

since some of you have such good research skills, I was hoping that it might be possible to find out what this community is.

I saw this picture over at the NewLiturgicalMovement blog and was apparently taken at St Michael's church in Memphis, Tennessee

[Totally Franciscan]

http://pddm.us/p.whoweare.php   My guess is that these are Sister Disciples of the Divine Master.  They wear habits of white, blue, and black.  They also wear a long over veil during Mass.  They used to be in San Jose, CA, when I lived there, and I had been to their convent and had them over to my children's school for a vocation day.  At that time, they made liturgical vestments and had a gift shop with liturgical appointments for the diocese.  At any rate, that is my guess.

[TheresaThoma]

Possible.

I checked the Diocese of Memphis' website and there are no communities on there that have any habit resembling this one. Quite the mystery.

[truthfinder]

A commentor over at NLM said they're actually school girls. I'll wait and see if there's any more details. 

[Feankie]

If you look very closely, you can just barely see long dark hair under the veils.  More mystery

[AveMariaPurissima]

13 hours ago, truthfinder said:

A commentor over at NLM said they're actually school girls. I'll wait and see if there's any more details. 

That may explain why the one on the far right is so short...

[TheresaThoma]

Yes and upon closer inspection I noticed they don't appear to be wearing scapulars. I think the school girl explanation is correct.

[truthfinder]

Someone over at NLM was able to answer: it's a girls' sodality. 

Being short myself, I didn't realize they looked a little short compared to the altar rail. 

I guess in vocation related matters - it will be interesting to see how the sodality affects vocations. They used to be so large and prevalent. I don't know of any around my diocese. 

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, truthfinder said:

Someone over at NLM was able to answer: it's a girls' sodality. 

 

Does the "girls' sodality" wear a religious type habit (all the time, or at Mass only).  I've never heard of them certainly not in Australia to my knowledge.  Is there a website please?

[truthfinder]

Just now, BarbaraTherese said:

Does the "girls' sodality" wear a religious type habit (all the time, or at Mass only).  I've never heard of them certainly not in Australia to my knowledge.  Is there a website please?

I'm assuming only at Mass, or even special Masses. Some groups in the past might have a special medal they'd wear all the time. 

[Guest]

3 hours ago, truthfinder said:

I'm assuming only at Mass, or even special Masses. Some groups in the past might have a special medal they'd wear all the time. 

Thank you

A bit of research shows that the Children of Mary are seemingly titled Solidarity of The Children of Mary.  They used to wear veils and blue capes with medal to Mass (either that or the Legion of Mary - can't remember which). 

Of interest to me is that the Legion of Mary have/had a connection to St Vincent de Paul - and have a branch located in Adelaide.  I will be researching that more.  I am a member of St. Vincent de Paul Society.

[vyvy07]

1 hour ago, BarbaraTherese said:

Thank you

A bit of research shows that the Children of Mary are seemingly titled Solidarity of The Children of Mary.  They used to wear veils and blue capes with medal to Mass (either that or the Legion of Mary - can't remember which). 

Of interest to me is that the Legion of Mary have/had a connection to St Vincent de Paul - and have a branch located in Adelaide.  I will be researching that more.  I am a member of St. Vincent de Paul Society.

I don't think it is the Legion of Mary because I'm an auxiliary member, and I don't recall ever having to wear anything for it...

I never knew these sodalities existed! 

[truthfinder]

The Legion of Mary is a different entity than the Sodality of Mary - and possibly separate again from the Children of Mary. The Sodality of Mary was one of the largest and had its own prayer books (you can still find copies in used bookstore or online and digitally as well.)

[NadaTeTurbe]

2 hours ago, truthfinder said:

The Legion of Mary is a different entity than the Sodality of Mary - and possibly separate again from the Children of Mary. The Sodality of Mary was one of the largest and had its own prayer books (you can still find copies in used bookstore or online and digitally as well.)

The Sodality of Mary was used to separated good girls coming from catholic family, who were pious, and the "bad girls". Basically, all the girls followed religion lessons together, but when it cames to activities like retreats, charity, procession... They were separated. Members watched for each other, and you could be expelled. It happened to an old lady of my parish. She was a very pious girl, but her father was alcoholic, so she had many difficulties to enter the Sodality. She was expelled because she danced a waltz with her fiancé. Seventy years later, she still speaks about it. 
I have various books from marian groups who date back to the 1850. I've got books from the Sodality of Mary and from the Children of Mary. Both of them still exist : there's an association of the Children of Mary, who is linked to the Sanctuary of Lourdes, and the Sodality of Mary became the Vincentian Marian Youth. 

[Guest]

5 hours ago, vyvy07 said:

I don't think it is the Legion of Mary because I'm an auxiliary member, and I don't recall ever having to wear anything for it...

I never knew these sodalities existed! 

Thank you.

 

[TIWW]

I was in both the Sodality and Legion of Mary.  The Sodality of Mary is for young girls, through high school, I believe and is available in the Catholic schools. They say prayers to Mary and the Rosary. In the "olden" days, we had a prayer book. The Legion of Mary is a Parish group of adults, who meet, and have prayers again, dedicated to Mary. 

[littlesister]

  Could this ever have been a Vocation Day for a school, with the girls dressed up as religious as an encouragement?

We haven't seen that in a long time, but anything is possible.

[truthfinder]

16 hours ago, littlesister said:

  Could this ever have been a Vocation Day for a school, with the girls dressed up as religious as an encouragement?

We haven't seen that in a long time, but anything is possible.

This is the sodality which I mentioned above which seems to be specific to this parish according to a poster over at the original website. I'm sure they might use this as a vocation day thing as well - but this was definitely Christmas Mass. 

I know a lot of traditional parishes (both EF and OF) will do All Saints day and many girls love to dress up in habits. 

[Guest]

I am 71 years now and so have many memories well before Vatican 2.  I used to see in processions and at Mass at times with a banner, a group of young ladies in blue capes and white veils: Children of Mary -
 

Quote

 

"The Sodality had their own Sunday each month, so on the Children of Mary's Sunday, we would attend as a group wearing our blue capes and white veils with Children of Mary Sodality Medal"

(The Making of Modern Australia - author: William McInnes) HERE