When we are “anchored” in Him, though He may not always take away the storm, we are able to maintain peace of heart even as the wind and waves rage. Saint after Saint testifies to the fact that the Lord wishes to bring us to this deep peace, which paradoxically becomes more obvious when we are undergoing external or even emotional/spiritual distress. God Himself is our “harbor,” and by dwelling in Him we can weather any storm.
Read MoreIt is actually an act of God’s infinite mercy to humble us when we begin to rely too much on ourselves. He does not cast us from our self-made thrones simply to leave us in misery; rather, He does this so that we can become one of the lowly whom He raises high. The Lord wants our happiness and glory with all His Heart, but He knows that we as creatures can only achieve this fulfillment on His terms.
Read MoreOne of the special graces of our 8-day retreats is the chance to be more attentive to the little things, to the small and ordinary, yet beautiful and amazing, ways that God shows His love for us. One of the Sisters on our first retreat tried to capture this “retreat-vision” by taking a camera with her on one of her Sunday afternoon walks and snapping photos of the details that caught her attention.
Read MoreLast week, our Cherish the Flame fundraising campaign reached an exciting milestone … thanks to the generosity of so many friends and benefactors, we have officially reached the 50% mark! We are all filled with gratitude to God and Good St. Joseph for bringing us this far — and with hope for the future!
Read MoreThey are men and women, young and old, religious and laity. They lived in different centuries, spoke different languages, were called to different forms of service and sacrifice in Christ’s Kingdom. One thing, however, binds together this diverse group: in their unique ways, these holy men and women shared in the precious gift of the Passionist Charism.
Read MorePassionists deeply treasure our holy habit, a gift to our Congregation from the Mother of Sorrows herself. Our Lady appeared to St. Paul of the Cross clothed in a black robe, and she pleaded with him to found a congregation that would wear the same “garb of mourning and penance,” keeping her company on Calvary.
Read MoreWe recently began a much-anticipated portion of our roof replacement: the chapel! The unique design of our worship space has given our dedicated roofers quite a challenge: there are no fewer than nine roofs of different shapes and sizes atop our chapel! However, Helming Brothers Co. has been up to the challenge, making it look almost easy.
Read MoreWe no longer live a merely earthly existence, since Christ has claimed our souls for His Kingdom through the Sacrament of Baptism, but we still await the fulfillment of this reality in the world to come. So while we do not yet experience the Beatific Vision, we nonetheless are connected to Heaven in an amazingly intimate way.
Read MoreThe readings for this Sunday are all focused on the mystery of love – God’s love for us, and our love for Him and for our neighbor. Such a seemingly basic topic is actually the profoundest mystery of our Christian religion. After all, as our Second Reading reminds us, “God is love”!
Read More250 years ago, Venerable Mother Mary Crucified of Jesus, along with ten other women personally chosen by St. Paul of the Cross, took possession of the Monastery of the Presentation in Corneto (now Tarquinia) Italy, thus officially establishing the Nuns of the Passion of Jesus Christ. We thank God for their “yes,” as well as for that of all the “Doves of the Crucified” who have followed in their footsteps throughout the centuries.
Read MoreThe Paschal Mystery in us is both a preparation for and a foretaste of the Trinitarian life of Heaven: we live the Passion by giving of ourselves, and the Resurrection by receiving the grace that God pours out in return.
Read MoreAs we celebrate the 250th anniversary of the establishment of the first monastery of Passionist Nuns today, we want to share with you some of the inspiring and encouraging messages sent to our Congregation from the leaders of the worldwide Passionist family.
Read MoreThe curious observer might notice that our community room has been strangely empty during evening recreation for the past two weeks. Instead, the lights have been on in the cloth room, where the sounds of conversation and laughter mingle with the hum of sewing machines and the snip of scissors. What could be happening that requires so many nuns to assemble here every night?
Read MoreOne Sister was particularly struck by the emphasis which Jesus lays on the sheep being His “own.” In a sense, this must be our primary identity; we must first and foremost remember that we are His, and that as such we are infinitely precious to Him.
Read MoreWhat does it mean to be a part of the Passionist Congregation? What is the significance of community life in our day? In this latest bulletin in the Jubilee Formation and Catechesis series, Fr. Giovanni Cipriani, C.P. offers some beautiful reflections on the joy and challenges that come with community and the communal life, as well as on the special “family spirit” of the Passionists.
Read MoreWhen we approach the Word of God, do we recognize that it is truly a grace to understand it as God intends us to? Biblical exegesis and research can do much for us, and they certainly have an important place in Scripture study, but ultimately the ability to penetrate the deeper meaning of the sacred texts is a gift from the One Whose Word they are.
Read MoreAfter lots of hard work, the first section of our new roof is finally complete! The retreat house now boasts a shiny new layer of Ludowici clay tiles. This week, the crew will be turning their attention (and their scaffolding) to the chapel roof replacement.
Read MoreThe Sisters were very ready to break out into alleluias and celebration after a long forty days of fasting, prayer, and waiting, so on Easter Sunday the novitiate led us in a unique Easter egg scavenger hunt.
Read MoreSister Cecilia Maria takes us to the scene of Our Lady’s seventh Sorrow: the Burial of Jesus. Though Holy Saturday is often forgotten in the rush to prepare for Easter, this is the Marian day par excellence; let us live it in a close spiritual union with her, even if our external lives are busy. Then, on the long-awaited third day, we can rejoice with the Church and with all of creation in the Resurrection of Christ!
Read MoreWhat could be better than celebrating the Solemnity of St. Joseph, in the Monastery of St. Joseph, during the Year of St. Joseph? The foster-father of Christ is also our beloved spiritual father, and he has provided for us in so many ways. We wanted to share with you some of the special “gifts” he gave us on and around his feast this year …
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