The Charism of the Sisters is centered around the will of God and the needs of the world.  They live a strong community life, and their apostolate includes education, pastoral work, and missions.  The Sisters wear a brown habit with a black veil (although they have some pictures showing gray habits and white habits).

The Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate

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Friday Community Highlight: Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate

The Benedictine Sisters of St. Gertrude Monastery have been in Ridgely, Maryland since 1887.  Originally teaching in parish schools, they now only teach in the elementary and high school in Wilmington, Delaware.  After closing their girl’s accademy at their motherhouse, they started a school for mentally challenged children and young adults.  In addition, they work with St. Martin’s Ministry to help the rural poor.  Like many Benedictine Sisters, they are devoted to peace and justice issues.

Click on “Meet our Sisters” and you can read a bit about each of the Sisters at St. Gertrude’s Monastery.

Take some time and visit their website today and get to know St. Gertrude’s Monastery.

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Friday Community Highlight: St. Gertrude Monastery

The Eudist Servants Of The Eleventh Hour is an association of the faithful whose members are sisters who are mature women who love Jesus and want to follow Him by serving the poor and the needy. The Eleventh Hour refers to the scripture where Jesus calls the last, and signifies that the community is for older women, generally between the ages of forty five and sixty five. (from the website)

The Eudist of the 11th Hour were founded by Mother Antonia Brenner.  Mother Antonia, though raised in Beverly Hills, lived under private vows for years, providing care for prisoners in La Mesa penitentiary in Tijuana, Mexico.  In 1997 Mother Antonia received permission to extend her ministry to other women.

The Eudists of the 11th Hour is a community for older women, generally 45-65, and age range where many communities will not accept them.  Each woman must be self-supporting and provide for her own healthcare.  Women who are discerning with the Eudists may spend 6-12 months with the community in Tijuana.  Vows are made for one year and renewed annually.  Members may continue to live in their home community, or they may live with the community in Tijuana.  However, they must still be self-supporting.

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Friday Community Highlight: The Eudists of the Eleventh Hour

The Sisters of St. Clare in Saginaw, Michigan, are Poor Clare Nuns.  Founded in 1991, this is a relatively new foundation of Poor Clare Nuns.

While the nuns produce and sell blessing oils and cards to help support themselves, like all Poor Clare’s they primarily rely upon alms for their upkeep.  They ouline the reasons for this reliance on alms very beautifully.

As Poor Clare Nuns, their life, of course, revolves primarily around the Liturgy of the Hours.  Five times a day, the nuns come together in prayer, first for the nighttime vigil, then morning, midday, evening, and then night prayer before bed.  They also spend time in the ancient art of Lectio Devina.

Of course, being a Poor Clare means a life of community.

Community life for a Poor Clare means sisterhood. We strive to create a home where charity can flourish by throwing in our lot with other sisters. Each sister must be a team player; her life is not her own. She is called to move away gradually from self-absorption, and learn to love the common good of all

If you think you might have a contemplative vocation, or if you would just like to learn more about being a Poor Clare, visit the Sisters of St. Clare.

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Friday Community Highlight: Sisters of St. Clare

This week we turn our eye to The Servants of the Blessed Sacrament in Waterville, Maine.  Founded in 1858 in France, the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament are devoted to the Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

We make each of our houses a Eucharistic Center, Where many people can share in our life of prayer and find helps for their spiritual development and Eucharistic formation (Rule of Life #1)

These sisters are a comtemplative community, but they are not cloistered.

Besides maintaining continuous Adoration, we also do various works that help to make the Eucharist known and loved. We make our houses Centers of Adoration which draw others closer to the Lord and help them to grow spiritually.
(Rule of Life #37)

Working within a parish, the sisters provide services depending on the needs of the parish community and the talents of the sisters.  Preference is given to activities that promote the Eucharistic Mystery.

Take some time and visit the website of The Servants of the Blessed Sacrament.

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Friday Community Highlight: Servants of the Blessed Sacrament

Don’t be fooled by the minimalist look of the nun’s website.  This Cistercian community has a wealth of information about their life and about their prayer.  Be sure to click on every link, because there are links on sub-pages that you won’t see otherwise, and those sub-sites have the best information.

Some highlights include:

• The link, Spiritual Craft, has some wonderful information on Lectio as practiced by the nuns.  There are four pages under Spiritual Craft, so be sure to check all of them.
• Under Monastic Life, the nuns talk about the Gifts of their day to day life.  In talking about the Gift of Community, they say, “We have come to seek God. In that shared belief and longing we are deeply bonded. But we are not clones of one another. God has picked our sisters for us. Each is an instrument of the Spirit, the Spirit who is drawing each individually and all as a community into the baffling mystery of God.”  Is there a more perfect way to describe the life of community?
• Under Vocations, I liked that they include as one of the requirements for their life “A well-developed sense of humor”.  Many people seem to have this view of nuns a dour, overly serious women.  I know from experience that nothing could be further than the truth.  Most nuns I’ve met are joyous women who take each day as it comes with love and humor.
• Finally, if you are interested in a Retreat, the nuns have accommodations.

Visit the website of the Cistercian Nuns of Santa Rita Abbey.

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Friday Community Highlight: Santa Rita Abbey

A Carmelite community reformed in the spirit of Vatican II, the Carmel of Reno was begun in 1954 as a foundation from the Indianapolis Carmel. “This stage of our journey was well in place when four years later, the Second Vatican Council opened, calling the whole Church to renewal. Over the next years, and even now, we continue to pray, study and work to incorporate these teachings into our lived experience.”

As Carmelites, of course, their life centers around prayer.  The sisters spend two hours a day in solitary prayer as well as having time for spiritual reading and study.  They have two retreat days each month (for which I believe they have a hermitage set aside), and a week of retreat each year in addition to the community retreat.

The Divine Office is also a centerpiece of the sister’s daily life.  Their chapel is open, and they often have members of the surrounding community join them for Morning and Evening prayers.  They also sponsor contemplative prayer groups for the community, which the sisters facilitate.

Initially supporting themselves with a small printshop, the work of the Carmel has broadened over the years into the sell of their own line of greeting cards designed by the sisters.  Creativity seems to flow within this Carmel, with artists and musicians among the sisters helping to support their life of prayer and contemplation.

The Carmel of Reno’s website is extensive, and you can learn a quite a bit about their life and about each sister individually.  I encourage all of you who feel called to a contemplative vocation to give them a look.  Even if you aren’t called to their lifestyle, check out the webpage anyway.  I’ve looked at and read many, many community websites, and very few really make you feel like you’ve come away with a real knowledge of their life.  This one does.

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Friday Community Highlight: Carmel of Reno

The Sisters of St. Joseph  were founded in the early 1600’s and then refounded in 1807 after the French Revolution, during which convents in France were suppressed.  The first sisters came to the United States in 1836, to a small town near St. Louis, called Carondelet.  They now have provinces established in Missouri, New York, Minnesota and California.  Today, the sister’s ministries include teaching, parish work, health care, retreat work and spiritual direction; they also conduct outreach centers.

Click on the logo above to visit their website.  Be sure to read the many Sister stories on their site.

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Friday Community Highlight – Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet

The Daughters of St. Mary of Providence were founded by Blessed Louis Guanella and came to the United States in 1913.  They work with the elderly, with the homeless, with the developmentally disabled, and in parish ministry.  The sisters wear a modified habit and live in community.

Take a few minutes and visit their website!

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Friday Community Highlight – Daughters of St Mary of Providence

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Friday Community Highlight – Sisters of St. Chretienne