Tag: Following God’s Will

Holy Simplicity

Holy Simplicity

Simplicity in life and in our spiritual life is what our loving God desires for us. God, Who is holiness and simplicity itself, and Who made us in His Own image, urges us by His grace in our souls, to become like Him. The lesson of simplicity is really all about detachment and trustful abandonment to God and His Providence – all for love’s sake and for the life that we must share with God. It’s about love!

In WEBSITE NEWS we give the history and describe the beautiful symbolism behind devotion to the Infant of Prague, as well as spiritual reading suggestions and suggestions for Advent.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we share pictures of our projects from the last few months, especially new gowns we made for the renovation of our own Infant of Prague statue. Read More….

Trust in Divine Providence

Trust in Divine Providence

In these days when so much of our lives seems outside our control, let us always remind ourselves that just because it is outside of our control does not mean that it is outside God’s control. Let us trust God to be God….that is, let us depend on the fact that He is as almighty, all loving, all knowing, as we say He is - and that nothing can happen to us, the bad as well as the good, that is outside His loving Providence. How does one practice abandonment to Divine Providence, and thereby find great peace of soul in times of affliction.

In WEBSITE NEWS we introduce our new 100% beeswax candles and talk about the candle as both a symbol and Sacramental. Candles have a long tradition in the Church and are given to us directly through the Liturgy.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we review some of the recent Carmelite Feast Days and share pictures from our recent vestment projects as well as our gardens. Read More….

Independence Through Submission

Independence Through Submission

In recent newsletters, we have offered for your interest and devotion a discussion of the Vows of Religious Profession. We have spoken about Poverty and Chastity, both as virtue and vow; and we have tried to relate the important aspect of virtue to the Christian life of every one of us who belong to Christ – the vocation all Christians have to holiness, those who are not professed religious, as well as to Religious.

In this newsletter we consider the last vow of Obedience, the one that people find most difficult! The trouble is that it is hard to renounce what we all cling to most closely, what practically makes up the core of our personality: the independent use of our liberty. But in this is the gift that loving obedience is. Yes, the whole perfection of spiritual life – and the whole of true freedom – consists in the renouncement of self-will, as St. Bonaventure tells us.

We discuss the vow of Obedience as lived in religious life, the virtue as it leads to Faith, and how Obedience heals the very root of sin, and is therefore a good Lenten Penance.

In WEBSITE NEWS we give suggestions for Lenten reading and introduce several new children’s books and Missals.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we are working on sewing projects, including new habits for an upcoming clothing ceremony. We are keeping in our prayers all of those who have effected by the corona virus. Read more…

The Divine Sculptor

The Divine Sculptor

Time passes and here we are at the beginning of the sacred season of Lent! Often we receive emails asking about Lent: "Dear Sisters, what should I do for Lent? But outside of the Penances we do, there is God’s plan for our souls: His Providential arrangement for each soul, in all that He sends in the way of pain, inconvenience, annoyance, misunderstanding, disappointment, frustration, regret - troubles and problems of all kinds. Rather than active suffering, these afflictions require more passive suffering. We discuss one of St. John’s lesser known writing “The Precautions,” and the detachment that he recommends.

In WEBSITE NEWS we give the history behind the St. Benedict Crucifix which has become known as the Happy Death Crucifix. We also give suggestions for good Lenten reading and an update on our new website.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we give an update on our new building project and share with you some stories and pictures. We hope to move in soon! Read more…

The Shortness of Time and the Length of Eternity

The Shortness of Time and the Length of Eternity

"Time." What is it? And what is its worth? Understanding time, and its value, is perhaps done best by realizing what time is not: time is not eternity. How often is it that we do not realize the value of the time that we have, time that will not always be available to us. “The present moment is ever filled with infinite treasures; it contains more than you have capacity to hold. “ – Father Pere de Caussade There will come a time for judgment and for eternity. "If men knew what eternity is, they would do everything to change their lives." - Our Lady of Fatima

In WEBSITE NEWS we are excited to introduce a new foundry, Vexilla Regis, which will be manufacturing wood laid crucifixes by hand in the same style (and in fact taught by) the famous Bancel company in France which has since closed. The story behind this undertaking is an interesting one! Also see our new selection of children’s books.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we describe our recent days of retreat and have finally finished the sewing/embroidery project that has occupied us the last two years. The Immaculate Conception vestment was based off one worn by Pope Pius XII, and is the most ambitious embroidery project we have yet undertaken. Read More….

Our Lady of Fatima and Our Daily Duty

Our Lady of Fatima and Our Daily Duty

Concluding this year marking the 100th anniversary of the apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, we look more closely at Her message, especially that of our daily duty, and what it means for our day to day life. Our Lady was not the first to recommend this practice; it has been the age old practice of the Saints and their road to such sanctity. "To live the Christian life is to live by Christ, to see all things through Him by the light of His grace, to love through His adorable Heart, to pray through His own divine prayer, to work through Him and for Him in order to bring the whole world back to Him, to suffer with Him, and to make up what is wanting to His redemptive Passion. . . . This is not the work of a single day; it requires sustained effort and constant and ever-renewed generosity in the face of our inevitable tendency to backslide... These perspectives should illumine our souls as we perform our daily tasks.” - Fr. Ernest Mura

WEBSITE NEWS introduces the relic badge that we designed to commemorate the centenary. We share with you an excerpt from a sermon given to our community on how to pray the Rosary, and we explore the history behind the green scapular. Read some extensive reviews about a few of our favorite books about St. Therese.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we detail our attempts to complete some new wood inlaid crucifixes, introduce our new puppy, and remember the recent solar eclipse in light of the Miracle of the Sun. Read More….

The Sacred Hearts and Fatima

The Sacred Hearts and Fatima

This year we are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the apparitions at Fatima. In the June apparition, Our Lady showed us Her Immaculate Heart and asked for reparation. We look at a side by side comparison between the apparitions and requests of the Sacred Heart to Saint Margaret Mary, and those made by Our Blessed Mother at Fatima. We also bring to mind the miracle at Hiroshima, that community that miraculously survived the nuclear bombing because of their faithfulness to Our Lady’s message.

In WEBSITE NEWS we look at the history of Sacred Images such as pictures, their importance as sacramentals, their meaning, and the aid that they can be to our spiritual life.

In COMMUNITY NEWS we concentrate on the beautiful procession we were able to have in honor of Our Lady, as well as the many other projects that are keeping us busy. Read More….

Septuagesima

Septuagesima

Septuagesima, though not well known, is an important preparatory Liturgical season for Lent, the season of the examination of conscience. Knowing ourselves better, our sins and where they come from, we are more equipped to do battle and conquer our faults during Lent.

In WEBSITE NEWS we review once again the important of good spiritual reading during this time of penance and share some book reviews from our other customers. We have a new relic badge dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and briefly discuss the history behind this image and devotion.

In WEBSITE NEWS we review once again the important of good spiritual reading during this time of penance and share some book reviews from our other customers. We have a new relic badge dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, and briefly discuss the history behind this image and devotion. Read More….

Freedom and the Martyrs of Compiegne

Freedom and the Martyrs of Compiegne

The day after the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, is the feast day of the Martyrs of Compiegne, sixteen Carmelite Sisters who were put to death during the French revolution for remaining faithful to their religious life. We briefly visit their story, which is not well known, and discuss the irony – that though these woman were imprisoned and put to death for their Faith, not many experience the true freedom that they had. What exactly is freedom? To do whatever we want? “Liberty in the eyes of the world, is freedom to disobey as well as to obey, freedom to do evil as well as to do good. True liberty, according to the saints, is not freedom to disobey but only to obey, it is not freedom to do evil, but only to do good... It is the power to say with Satan: "I will not obey." ... If liberty is thus understood, clearly it is impossible to see how Jesus was free, He who never rebelled against divine authority or the commandments of His Father, and who could not rebel against them.” - Fr. Reginald Garrigous-Lagrange

In WEBSITE NEWS we have re-designed our Sacred Heart relic badge and describe the history of this devotion, beginning with Saint Margaret Mary herself. We also give suggestions for good spiritual reading.

All-night Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the highlight of our COMMUNITY NEWS. We also finished a vestment dedicated to St. Therese, the first face we have attempted with embroidery! Read More….