Last week, Casa Maria was happily overrun with fifty middle school girls from a parochial school in south Alabama! Their chaplain, a friend of the community, wanted the young ladies to have a day focused on the importance of discerning their vocations, whether that be to marriage, the single life, or religious life.

When the group arrived, Sister Mary Faustina explained our apostolate and the religious habit. They had a tour of the retreat center and grounds and were able to visit with the Sisters. They then heard the vocation stories of three Sisters, and were able to ask a lot of questions.

The day continued with Mass together, lunch, and a trip to the bookstore, where many began their Christmas shopping. Before they left, Father blessed any rosaries and medals the girls had bought.

God bless you girls, and we hope to see you again!

A collection of the work of artist Mandy Hain (+2023), longtime friend of our Community and sister of Sister Benedicta Marie, is now available online to view (or purchase in book form).

Best known for her sacred art and classes for children, this book is a compilation of Mandy’s work over the years, including sacred art, chapel work, decorative work, portraits, sketches, studies in oil, and her classes with children. Featuring many of her finished works, this collection also includes many of her studies, giving an idea of her artistic process. Quotations for her websites and interviews are also included, communicating Mandy’s approach to art and beauty in her own words.

Mandy explained her philosophy of a child’s capacity for beauty, “I believe that beauty is not an accessory to our lives, but a necessity through which we are exposed to the truth, and without it we cannot live fully in the image of the First Artist and Creator, or enjoy life in a fully human way. It is my joy to participate in exposing my students to images of light so that they may continue to recognize true beauty as they grow. I want to share with them the experience of creating beautiful images so that they know that they are able to create beautiful environments wherever they may be. I am always in amazement to see how well they understand what they see, and how creatively they are able to apply what they learn in class to make wonderful works of art. I believe that every child is an artist, because I think that art is a gift with which every person is endowed through their human nature, though it may be expressed in different ways!” 

After suffering with cancer for several years, Mandy entered eternal life on February 7, 2023. Her last big project was the new Christendom College Chapel of Christ the King in Front Royal, Virginia, dedicated two months after her death. Below is a short ‘Artisan Highlights’ video about this project.

photo on left: Mandy shows Sister Benedicta Marie her progress during the chapel’s construction (November 2020)

Sample pages from the book of Mandy’s artwork:

Our Sisters recently participated in a Spanish catechesis day for the Diocese of Birmingham, with about four-hundred attendees. We have been working to expand the Spanish materials we sell in our bookstore, and were thrilled with this opportunity to share them with more people! Many Spanish catechists have been working with very poor resources, and are so grateful for the materials we offered. Sister Madeleine Marie was able to introduce them to Come Follow Me children’s program as well, which we are helping to make more readily available.

The event was very well attended, and enthusiastically received – may it’s good work continue to bear fruit in parishes!

Below, see some photos of a few special events that kept us busy throughout the summer:

And now, we’re back into full gear with the fall schedule of retreats and catechesis – please keep us in your prayers and know you are in ours!

Last First Saturday, September 7th, anticipating the feast of our Blessed Mother’s Birth, we had the joy of witnessing Sister Mary Michael’s Perpetual Profession! It was a great and joyous celebration, in which we were joined by many family and friends.

Sister Mary Michael of the Incarnate Word reflected on her profession in light of Jesus’ presence among us in the Incarnation, “Perpetual vows are amazing, but it is not easy. Jesus never promised easy. He did promise the hundred fold in this life though. What is easy is to miss the fact that the greatest part of the hundred fold is simply that God became Emmanuel, meaning God-with-us. God is always with us. He is with us in the Eucharist, in the Scriptures, wherever two or three are gathered, just to name a few. And in an extraordinarily profound way that goes beyond words, God is always with me as a perpetually professed member of this religious community.”

Four days before final vows, a friend of mine very matter of factly asked me, “Why are you doing this?” As I lay prostrate on the chapel floor that Saturday, on the eve of the Nativity of Our Lady, I realized my full answer to her is, “Because Jesus is worth it, and I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”

In the nine days leading up to final profession, I prayed for all of your intentions, whether you were here physically or spiritually. And for myself, I prayed that God will continue to increase and I decrease, so that I may one day say, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

Bishop Raica gave a very inspiring homily, and we include a small portion here:

The first reading from the Song of Songs notes the burning ardor of love. It is strong, it is powerful; it cannot be quenched. It does not dissipate easily. It is something which cannot be purchased but discovered as a gift already within. It reveals itself in subtle ways. Yet, it is described as “stern as death”, “relentless”, and a “blazing fire”. How amazing is this gift that, once we stumble upon it, we don’t want it to leave. Rather we become more fascinated, more curious, more attracted, more taken by love because it does not seem to have a beginning or end, but finds its source and summit, its fountain of expression in Jesus, who is love incarnate. So, this first word is “love” – not a tawdry or romanticized or maudlin version of it – but one whose power warms and purifies and is often beyond our intellectual conceptualizations.

The second reading from St Paul’s letter from his letter to the Philippians reminds us that this love can only be realized when it is confirmed with faith and conformed to the heart of Christ Himself. Your mind and heart must vibrate in unison with Jesus to make a symphonic, harmonic sound. Often times, our imperfections mar the pristine tone that we were meant to create in the Lord. This short but magnificent letter suggests that we should look after the other as more important than ourselves with compassion and mercy. Only then will the note we play have the right timbre, a sweet quality and authenticity. It brings our love to life.

Today, you present yourself, Sr Mary Michael – before God, before Mother Louise Marie and before the sisters of this convent – and all of us – to make your final profession. Be bold. Be strong. Rely on God’s grace and the tender encouragement of our Blessed Mother.

Please join us in celebrating with great joy and gratitude, Sister Mary Thomas’ First Profession of Religious Vows! Sister was blessed to take this new step in Religious Life on August 15th, the Feast of the Assumption. Many friends and family were able to be with us for the beautiful day.

As she herself summarized her vocation story:

My name is Sister Mary Thomas Mattingly, and I am from Kentucky. I am number 3 of 5 children. I grew up learning to love the Faith that was taught by my father, to be generous with others as exemplified by my mother, and to enjoy family time with all its craziness. I went to a Catholic school most of my life and worked in the kitchen at a Catholic nursing home that was run by Carmelite sisters all throughout high school. It was there that my vocation to the religious life became clear due to the perpetual adoration they had, daily Mass and confessions, and good priests. Their chaplain convinced me to visit Casa Maria by telling me I could skip school, and when I arrived I felt very much at home. I entered a little over a year later in January 2021. After a few years of formation, I am ready and determined to continue to give my life to Christ and see what His will has in store for me.

A Sister’s First Profession is a significant step in her vocational journey, as she commits herself to the vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, as well as the Rule and Constitutions of the Community, for a limited time while her formation continues. It is with this profession of vows that the veil is changed from white to brown.

Mother Mary Gabriel always spoke of our families as our “greatest benefactors”, because Christian families are the “seedbed of vocations” (Pope St John Paul II). We daily pray with gratitude for our families, that the Lord reward their sacrifices; and we welcome them into their now extended family of the Sister Servants!