Even though the discerners on our recent vocation retreat hailed from different parts of the country and brought different life experiences to the weekend, they quickly bonded through a shared love of Jesus Christ and desire to discover His Will for their lives.
Read MoreContinuing the series on various communities of active Sisters affiliated with the Passionists, we now come to an English Congregation: the Sisters of the Cross and Passion.
Read MoreOn February 1st, we had our traditional Gaudeamus (Latin for “let us rejoice”) in honor of the Superior’s feast day — transferred from Mother John Mary’s actual feast on Dec 27, so that it’s not in the middle of the Christmas Octave! It was a day full of sisterly joy, with special meals, gifts, and just plain fun.
Read MoreThis year, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops will be launching a Eucharistic Revival — a multi-year grassroots movement, designed to increase faith in and love for Our Lord in the Most Blessed Sacrament.
Read MoreOur Lord’s first sermon at Nazareth is vehemently rejected and almost leads to His death. Why, a Sister asked, does God send His messengers (and even His Son!) when He knows they will not be accepted? And how could a person with such an apparently “fruitless” mission find strength to persevere?
Read MoreIn the centuries since our Holy Founder’s death, his special charism has served as the inspiration for many other religious congregations. One such “sister congregation” to the Passionists is the Daughters of the Passion of Jesus Christ and of the Sorrowful Virgin Mary.
Read MoreWe nuns hear many of the same misconceptions time and time again. More often than not, such “nun myths” are simply due to lack of knowledge; after all, for most people the world within the monastic enclosure seems just about as familiar and accessible as the surface of Mars!
Read MoreThe Christmas Season may have officially ended with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, but the joy of Our Lord’s birth never passes away. We wanted to share with you some photos of our community Christmas celebrations — as well as some community news!
Read MoreAs always, Holy Mother Church uses the first Sunday of this season to call our attention to the Baptism of Jesus, the beginning of His public ministry which we will be exploring throughout the coming weeks.
Read MoreOur generous friend, Gail Pitt of Dovehouse Ministries, wanted to help us with our Cherish the Flame fundraising. Her idea? A cookbook with favorite recipes from the monastery and retreat house!
Read MoreAmong the numerous religious communities affiliated with the Passionist Congregation, a special place belongs to the Passionist Sisters of St. Paul of the Cross — commonly known as the “Signa Sisters,” after the town in Italy where they were founded.
Read MoreAs the Christmas Octave draws to a close, we wanted to offer you all a little “gift” — a beautiful poem written by one of our long-time retreatants.
Read MoreIt is our heartfelt desire that you experience the love of our Savior in a new and deeper way during this holy season. The Word was made flesh — for YOU!
Read MoreThe Visitation is the sudden manifestation of the Spirit’s hidden work in the lives of Mary and Elizabeth, and the vibrant joy of this moment echoes down even to our own day.
Read MoreThe final day of the Year of St. Joseph brought a larger-than-usual band of chalk-wielding hooligans descending upon our patio for their annual sidewalk inscriptions. Inspired by a series of talks from Dr. Brant Pitre on St. Joseph, the monastic rogues were determined to depict St. Joseph, Chaste Spouse of Mary and Terror of Demons!
Read MoreAs most of you probably already know, Western Kentucky was ravaged by severe tornadoes last Friday night/Saturday morning. Thanks be to God, our monastery was spared and all the nuns are safe — however, for many others in this part of the country, the damage was catastrophic and even deadly.
Read MoreWe here at St. Joseph Monastery have spent the past year and a half in “Jubilee mode,” celebrating several important anniversaries for our Passionist Congregation and our own community. The last of these, the 75th anniversary of our monastery’s foundation in Western Kentucky, was a particularly joyful occasion.
Read MoreAs we celebrate Our Lady today on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, we also — and fittingly — remember her beloved spouse, St. Joseph, as his Jubilee Year closes. Our community has even more reason for rejoicing today, as our Sr. Maria Faustina makes her renewal of temporary vows.
Read MorePassionists often refer to our unique religious habit as the “garment of mourning and penance,” so what are we to make of Our Lord’s command to “take off the garb of mourning?” Isn’t it He Who called us to wear this garb in the first place? The answer lies in the deeper mystery of what it means to be a Passionist.
Read MoreOn Thanksgiving weekend, three wonderful young women joined us for our final vocation retreat of the year. Clare, Ashlyn, and Mary spent a packed 48 hours learning about discernment, contemplative life, and the Passionist charism — along with sharing prayer and recreation with the Sisters.
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