St. Joseph’s Monastery in Whitesville, KY, is by no means the only Passionist Nuns’ monastery in the world! Our monastery is a member of the Monastic Congregation of the Nuns of the Passion of Jesus Christ, and other member monasteries can be found scattered over the globe. Read on to find out more about our international sisters! Or click on one of the “Passion Signs” on the interactive map to find information on each individual monastery.
“I desire the standard of the holy faith to be erected everywhere so that there will be an increase of devotion and reverence, homage and love, with frequent acts of adoration for the Blessed Sacrament, the ineffable mystery of God’s most holy love, and so that his Holy Name may be glorified in a very special way.”
Our Mother President and General Council elected by the General Chapter of January 2019: (left to right) Sister Luzia Daniela Almeida (Brasil), Mother Catherine Marie Schuhmann (USA), Mother Ana Maria Cabañas (Mexico), Mother Gertrude Poggio (France), Mother Maria Martina Naiman (Indonesia)
THE EXPANSION OF THE PASSIONISTS
Although the long life of St. Paul of the Cross came to an end on October 18, 1775, his life's mission continued on and grew steadily. With the passing of years, new foundations were made all over the world. Today there are Retreats of Passionist men established on six continents and in Oceania, preaching the love of Jesus Crucified and drawing many souls to Him.
God's blessing descended also upon the daughters of the Passion. When Mother Mary Crucified died in 1787, she had done her work well, imbuing her nuns with her own spirit of poverty, solitude, and prayer, passing on to them the precious legacy she herself had received from St. Paul of the Cross.
For a hundred years, the only monastery of Passionist Nuns was at Corneto, Italy (now Tarquinia, Italy). Then, in 1872 a new monastery was established in Mamers, France, and more foundations followed in Europe, the Americas, and Asia. Our monasteries around the world, with all the beautiful diversity of our cultures and locations, are united by our common vocation and charism.
Starting in 2015, the Holy See helped us establish a juridic structure of communion among our various monasteries, the Monastic Congregation of the Nuns of the Passion of Jesus Christ, and in 2018 its statutes were officially approved. We held our first General Chapter in Rome in January 2019 and elected our Mother President and General Council to guide and assist our monasteries throughout the world. We look forward to this new opportunity to build stronger bonds of charity among us, and to strengthen and support each other in living out our Passionist charism.
We are also delighted to give our love and support to our new Mother President, who happens to be our monastery’s very own Mother Catherine Marie Schuhmann!
Superiors and Delegates gathered for the First General Chapter of the Monastic Congregation, with Fr. Joachim Rego, CP, Father General of the male Passionist Congregation.