This Laetare Sunday, as we mark the halfway point of Lent, Sister Frances Marie leads our meditation on the fourth Sorrow of Our Lady: the meeting with Jesus as He carried His Cross to Calvary. In the Jubilaeum reflection for this week, the Passionist Fathers delve into this Sunday’s Gospel — including the famous and often-quoted verse, John 3:16.
Read MoreVisitors to St. Joseph Monastery these days are greeted with trucks, cranes, scaffolding, and piles of tiles! “What is afoot?” they might ask, and the answer might come as a surprise: Cherish the Flame!
Read MoreThis Saturday, we continue our journey through the Sorrows of Mary as Sr. Cecilia Maria’s speaks on the Third Sorrow: the three days’ loss of the Child Jesus in Jerusalem. We also share with you a Jubilaeum reflection by Fr. Gwen Barde, CP, on the Passionist Mission and Evangelization— an appropriate theme for this Lenten season of ongoing conversion!
Read MoreThe Passionist Fathers recently released the newest issue of their publication, the Passionist International Bulletin (PIB), and we thought you might be interested in a couple of articles in particular … reflections written by our Sisters Frances Marie and Miriam Esther!
Read MoreIn our next video on the Seven Sorrows of Mary, Sr. Frances Marie leads us in considering the Second Sorrow: the flight of the Holy Family into Egypt. We also continue our series of Jubilaeum Lenten reflections this week with a meditation on the Gospel for this Sunday. What lessons does the Transfiguration of Jesus hold for our lives today?
Read MoreMid-February saw our monastery (and most of our region!) receiving a heavy coating of ice and several unusually heavy snows. So what’s a group of nuns to do? Why, make the most of it, of course! For several days, various Sisters could regularly be seen trudging up our hill with our faithful old wooden sled, or perfecting a work of snow sculpture in the courtyard.
Read MoreOn this first Saturday of Lent, we share a video reflection on the First Sorrow of Mary, the Prophecy of Simeon, and the next Jubilaeum prayer guide for the First Sunday of Lent, in which we focus on solitude and temptation, as we accompany Jesus into the desert and consider the truth about ourselves.
Read MoreLent summons us deeper into the paschal mystery of Jesus. The Lord invites us to come with Him into the desert, where He longs to speak to our hearts, where He desires to enkindle, nurture, and strengthen our love for Him in this age-old trysting place of solitude, silence, and discipline.
Read MoreGod’s Word is infinitely rich, and even though we hear the same Scriptures over and over again during the 3-year Lectionary cycle, we will never exhaust their treasures. Sometimes, for instance, familiar passages suddenly come alive with new meaning when we are facing a particular challenge. This was certainly the case for us as we pondered this Sunday’s readings in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Read MoreHoly Mother Church has gifted the Passionist Congregation with special opportunities to earn a plenary indulgence during our Tricentennial Jubilee Year! Read on to find out how you can tap into this special channel of grace!
Read MoreWe recently had our annual “Gaudeamus” (free day) in honor of Mother John Mary’s feast day, and it was certainly a day to remember! From a breakfast featuring pineapple-upside-down pancakes, to a skit based on a speech by Flannery O’Connor, to a long woods walk, we fit in as much “nun fun” as we possibly could.
Read MoreSt. Paul’s words to the Corinthians are the earliest record of Christian men and women voluntarily foregoing marriage “for the sake of the Kingdom of Heaven,” as Our Lord Himself suggested. Nearly two thousand years later, God is still calling people to this special state of life, one that is focused on becoming “holy in body and in spirit.”
Read MoreYou showed me that day how to love selflessly, sacrificially, to give out of a poverty that nevertheless must give, because it loves. You reached deep into your heart and found something to give your daughter on her journey into an unknown world, something you knew would be of value to her, no matter how small it seemed at the time.
Read MorePope Francis has declared this the “Sunday of the Word of God” – a special time to study the Scriptures and grow in our love for them. This theme inspired the first part of our sharing for this week, as we pondered how each of the readings emphasizes the power of God’s Word in our lives and in salvation history.
Read MoreFinding that their arsenal of chalky pigments had dwindled to mostly pinks and oranges, our monastery vandals turned to Dante’s celestial rose for their inspiration in the waning daylight of 2020.
Read MoreThe defining characteristics of the Passionist Congregation is our special vow “to promote devotion to and a grateful remembrance of the Passion of Jesus Christ.” Traditionally, this has been listed as our fourth vow. However, after the Second Vatican Council, which called on religious to embrace their founding charisms in a renewed way, the Passionists moved this distinctive vow to the first place in our profession formula.
Read More“Jesus looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon …’” What was this “look” of Jesus like? What did the future head of the Apostles see in the eyes of the Incarnate Word on that fateful day? What love, what eagerness was in Jesus’ Heart as He saw the glorious future in store for the simple fisherman before Him!
Read MoreWhat is a spirituality? Is Passionist spirituality distinct from spirituality of the Passion? In this Jubilee Bulletin, Fr. Bernard Mayele Muntwene tackles these questions and more, leading us to a deeper understanding of our beautiful and unique spiritual patrimony received from St. Paul of the Cross.
Read MoreAn Anglican clergyman turned Passionist missionary, this remarkable man gave up enormous wealth and prestige (he was related to the Royal Family!) to follow the call of God. His tireless work in building churches, preaching missions, and promoting Christian unity has left an indelible mark on the Church in England. We hope you enjoy this interview as much as we did!
Read MoreSt. Paul of the Cross often spoke sorrowfully of the world’s forgetfulness of the Passion of Christ, and so he asked his religious to make a special vow “to promote devotion to and grateful remembrance of the Passion of Jesus Christ.”
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