Sr. Marie-Celine receives her habit at her profession as a novice, Aug. 15, 2013. Credit: Community of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Posted on 08/22/2013 2:04:09 PM PDT by NYer
.- On the recent feast of the Assumption, a young U.S. woman became a novice with a traditional religious order after she saw their devotion to Mary and counter-cultural witness to Christ.
Taking the name Sister Marie-Celine, Erin Kelly joined the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, an order in Massachusetts that focuses on Marian devotion according to Saint Louis de Montfort.
“The sisters and brothers were the ones, by their teaching and example, with the help of God’s grace, who inspired me to try the religious life,” Sr. Marie-Celine told CNA Aug. 17.
“Seeing religious in full habits, living a life so contrary to today’s world – a life of dedication to God and His work, of selfless love – is such a beautiful and refreshing thing unknown to most. I wanted to be a part of that.”
The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart are a community of religious brothers and sisters for whom the writings of St. Louis de Montfort, especially “True Devotion to Mary,” make “up the essence of life,” Sr. Marie-Bernard, a leader in the community, told CNA.
“We renew the consecration daily, and the 33 days of readings for Total Consecration yearly,” she explained.
“Everything about ourselves and our work is given to Jesus through Mary – in all we do, our life is a prayer.”
Sr. Marie-Celine reflected on God's call in her life, saying that while she had “considered the possibility of dedicating my life to God” throughout high school, she “quickly became involved in the world after graduating” and slowly started to “drown out the idea of religious life.”
She “greatly enjoyed work and travel,” “the power of independence,” and “the fun I was having.”
Yet, she explained, “in the midst of my worldly experience, a solitary thought constantly pricked my mind which I could not evade – 'what am I doing with my life?'”
“Aside from learning life lessons, I was wasting time. I wasn’t satisfied with the superficial happiness and unrest the world gave me, and the idea of a vocation started to resurface.”
Sr. Marie-Celine started to look into different convents across the country, but realized that “what I was looking for had been right in front of me – a community living a life of total consecration to Jesus through Mary.”
She had attended first through twelfth grade at the the order's Immaculate Heart of Mary School, and said that “I firmly believe that it was divine providence which placed me in their care.”
Reflecting on her formation by the community, Sr. Marie-Celine said that “in their daily actions ... I saw their work was not merely routine – it was supernaturalized. They were doing things for God alone.”
“That is what I lacked in the world, a supernatural motive, a striving for eternal life with God.”
Sr. Marie-Celine's profession as a novice on Aug. 15 followed her completion of a six-month postulancy. She will be a novice for two years before taking temporary vows, which last three years. At that time, she will be able to make final profession with the community.
During the Mass of Profession, the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart also received a new postulant, Clair Sonnier, who was “drawn to the Slaves because of their traditional religious life,” and their devotion to the Traditional Latin Mass.
Sonnier became familiar with the community through one of their apostolates, a summer camp for girls. The profession was received on the feast of the Assumption because of the community's Marian focus.
Sr. Marie-Bernard explained that it was selected “because it was the fulfillment of the Blessed Virgin Mary's life,” being re-united with Christ body and soul in heaven – “something we all desire, especially as consecrated religious (and) Brides of Christ.”
Along with Marian devotion in the tradition of St. Louis de Montfort's consecration, the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart are devoted to the extraordinary form of the Roman Rite – the Mass as it was celebrated in 1962, prior to the Second Vatican Council.
The extraordinary form Mass is the “pulse” of the community's life and apostolates, “with its beautiful richness in tradition and liturgy,” Sr. Marie-Bernard explained. She cited the “reverence and sacredness” of its prayer and rites as something that “draws souls to Christ,” which is “what our world needs now, more than ever.”
The spirituality of the Traditional Latin Mass forms the community's charism for evangelization. Sr. Marie-Bernard said “the Slaves' main purpose and goal is to bring souls to Jesus through Mary, evangelizing through their publications, school, catechism classes and summer youth programs.”
The community of sisters includes 14 professed, two novices, and one postulant. There are four professed brothers, and one novice. Members add a fourth vow, to promote the doctrine of the Church, to the traditional religious vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.
The community is a re-founding of an order originally founded by Fr. Leonard Feeney. In 1976 Brother Hugh MacIsaac re-founded the community, located in the Diocese of Worcester.
In 2002, Bishop Daniel P. Reilly, then the Bishop of Worcester, “regularized” the community in his diocese, and his successor, Bishop Robert J. McManus, has on three occasions celebrated confirmations at the chapel of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart.
Sr. Marie-Celine recounted that since having joined the community six months ago, she has experienced the the peace that Christ promised his disciples during his farewell discourse in the Gospel of John.
“Leaving the world was like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. Having the privilege of daily (Traditional) Latin Mass, availability of the Sacraments, and the companionship of the community as a religious, has been the greatest grace of my life.”
While saying she “wouldn't do it justice” were she to try to relate her interior feelings about her vocation, she said the following quote from St. Augustine's “Confessions” “beautifully gathers the sentiments I find hard to express.”
“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”
Ping!
“The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart are a community of religious brothers and sisters....”
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Why slaves? Could it not have been “Servants” instead?
I do not remember Christ ever wanting His followers to be His slaves. He even went so far as to urge us to address His Father with the title: “Our Father”.
Most ancient languages don’t make the distinction that exists in English. Slaves is actually a racial slur of sorts, derived from Slav—the Slavic people were the bulk of the “servus” etc. in the Ottoman empire, which treated that class of people badly.
She is so sincere!
**“Leaving the world was like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. Having the privilege of daily (Traditional) Latin Mass, availability of the Sacraments, and the companionship of the community as a religious, has been the greatest grace of my life.”**
In MA no less!
Diocese of Worcester
49 Elm Street
Worcester, MA 01609
worcesterdiocese.org/. . . Bishop Robert J. McManus
Bishop of Worcester
Bishop Daniel P. Reilly
Bishop Emeritus of Worcester
Bishop George E. Rueger
Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Worcester
Funny that you should mention it.
I lived and worked in Bavaria in 1968 and I noticed that the word “servus” was often used by the Austrians instead of “Bitte sehr” as a response to “Thank you” or “Danke shon”. (Sorry about the absence of an umlaut}
You would never hear “Servus” in Northern Germany.
New International Version
For the one who was a slave when called to faith in the Lord is the Lord's freed person; similarly, the one who was free when called is Christ's slave.
New Living Translation
And remember, if you were a slave when the Lord called you, you are now free in the Lord. And if you were free when the Lord called you, you are now a slave of Christ.
English Standard Version
For he who was called in the Lord as a slave is a freedman of the Lord. Likewise he who was free when called is a slave of Christ.
New American Standard Bible
For he who was called in the Lord while a slave, is the Lord's freedman; likewise he who was called while free, is Christ's slave.
King James Bible
For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
Holman Christian Standard Bible
For he who is called by the Lord as a slave is the Lord's freedman. Likewise he who is called as a free man is Christ's slave.
International Standard Version
For the slave who has been called to belong to the Lord is the Lord's free person. In the same way, the free person who has been called is the Messiah's slave.
NET Bible
For the one who was called in the Lord as a slave is the Lord's freedman. In the same way, the one who was called as a free person is Christ's slave.
Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For whoever is called as a Servant is God's Freeman in Our Lord. So also whoever is called as a Freeman is a Servant of The Messiah.
GOD'S WORD® Translation
If the Lord called you when you were a slave, you are the Lord's free person. In the same way, if you were free when you were called, you are Christ's slave.
King James 2000 Bible
For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
American King James Version
For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's freeman: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
American Standard Version
For he that was called in the Lord being a bondservant, is the Lord's freedman: likewise he that was called being free, is Christ's bondservant.
Douay-Rheims Bible
For he that is called in the Lord, being a bondman, is the freeman of the Lord. Likewise he that is called, being free, is the bondman of Christ.
Darby Bible Translation
For the bondman that is called in the Lord is the Lord's freedman; in like manner also the freeman being called is Christ's bondman.
English Revised Version
For he that was called in the Lord, being a bondservant, is the Lord's freedman: likewise he that was called, being free, is Christ's bondservant.
Webster's Bible Translation
For he that is called in the Lord, being a servant, is the Lord's free-man: likewise also he that is called, being free, is Christ's servant.
Weymouth New Testament
For a Christian, if he was a slave when called, is the Lord's freed man, and in the same way a free man, if called, becomes the slave of Christ.
World English Bible
For he who was called in the Lord being a bondservant is the Lord's free man. Likewise he who was called being free is Christ's bondservant.
Young's Literal Translation
for he who is in the Lord -- having been called a servant -- is the Lord's freedman: in like manner also he the freeman, having been called, is servant of Christ:
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