Mother Jackie and Sr. Berchmans award the Mini Cooper!

The Sisters truly were stars at Visitation's Esprit de Noel bazaar last weekend. Mother Jacqueline was not only terrific as a raffle ticket sales woman, but when the time came she also drew the winning ticket. Sr. Berchmans then had the honor of calling the lucky family who won the car.

The annual car raffle at Esprit is an important fund raiser for the school and generates income that directly benefits the school and its programs.

A Devotion from Sr. Mary Roberta: Living in the Present Moment

Our Holy Founder, St. Francis de Sales, during the 17th-century urged his daughters to live in the present moment, and now EWTN's 21st-century Mother Angelica is putting a new "spin" on his words by urging us to live Scripture in the Present Moment. Here's what she says in her "Private and Pithy Lessons From the Scriptures" (pub. 2008):

"There's always a grave temptation, very subtle at times, to say: 'I've heard it all. What's next?' Well, if you say that, it means you don't know a thing...You see, when you become a what's-nexter, then pride - and that's what it is - pride will destroy you because you close your mind to grace, to the grace and the power of the Spirit to give you more light, especially on Scripture. Nobody can plumb the depths of one passage of Scripture - not if you spent your whole life...If we don't let the Spirit open up new vistas and new light and new grace, what a great gift we are missing. You wouldn't shave to learn a darn thing more if you were to meditate on God's Word and just allow it to come into your soul. We're talking about grace; we're not talking about knowledge. If you want knowledge, go get a degree. You can learn a lot. You can learn Scripture, but you may never know it!...Pride says,, "I've already heard that,' and shuts out His Word in the Present Moment - in this new reality. I'm here to experience God. I'm here to have the kind of faith that brings Him into my life every day, every moment. I'm here to know God. I'm here to love God. You've got to get your mind out of the knowledge stage and into the experience stage."

Sr. Mary Roberta Viano, VHM

Photos from Sr. Raphael's 102nd Birthday on October 31

Sr. Mary Raphael Speer turned 102 on October 31, and we're celebrate by posting photos of her for the rest of the week!

 

Still more photos from Sr. Mary Raphael Speer's 102nd birthday

Photos from Sr. Raphael's 102nd Birthday on October 31

Sr. Mary Raphael Speer turned 102 on October 31, and we're celebrate by posting photos of her for the rest of the week!

 

Still more photos from Sr. Mary Raphael Speer's 102nd birthday

Photos from Sr. Raphael's 102nd Birthday on October 31

Sr. Mary Raphael Speer turned 102 on October 31, and we're celebrating by posting photos of her for the rest of the week!

Happy 102nd birthday, Sr. Raphael!

Sr. Mary Raphael Speer turns 102 today, and we're celebrating by posting photos of her for the rest of the week!

 

Godly liberty from St. Francis de Sales

From "Treatise on the Love of God" by our Holy Founder, St. Francis de Sales:

We have the liberty to do good or evil, but to choose evil is not to use but to abuse liberty. Let us renounce such misguided liberty and subject our free will forever to the rule of heavenly love. If our souls should ever will to use their liberty against our resolutions to serve God eternally and without reserve, let us generously sacrifice this free will and make it die to itself so that it may live in God!

A Visitation Sister

From Sr. Joanne, re a member of the Don Bosco Salesians

After introducing Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga of Tegucigalpa, a member of the Don Bosco Salesians yesterday, I am offering another quotation from the article about him in the Fall 2012 issue of The Holy Land Review.

When asked about his expectations for World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro in 2013, the cardinal replied: 

These are brilliant, formidable initiatives!  There are many who criticize these because they only see the surface, the spectacular aspect, and they don't see the deep effects stimulated by these great catechetical events.  In Spain, for example, there were 400,000 youths who after the event became apostles.  And this for me is an authentic catholicity.  It is a universal dimension which caused these youths, who had little idea of the Gospel, to become inspired and united by Christian ideals, open to other cultures , other nations, desirous of living in the faith.

Sr. Joanne Gonter, VHM

From Sr. Joanne, about the Don Bosco Salesians

A few days ago, I was reading the Fall Review of The Holy Land Review and discovered an article about a very interesting person, Cardinal Oscar Andres Rodriguez Maradiaga, archbishop of Tegucigalpa, Honduras.  I recently met a native of Honduras, and I copied the article to send to him.

Cardinal Rodriguez Maradiaga is a member of the Don Bosco Salesians, the religious congregation which staffs schools throughout the world, including the Don Bosco Cristo Rey school in Takoma Park, Maryland. The original name of the Don Bosco Salesians, founded in Italy in 1873, was the Society of Saint Francis de Sales, whose gentleness and humility and concern for others was chosen as an inspiration by Don Bosco and his followers.

Manuela Borraccino, author of the article I read, wrote about the Cardinal:  He has been a teacher of mathematics, physics and chemistry in middle schools, plays the saxophone and taught sacred music for 13 years.  He had entered the Salesians at 19 and was ordained a priest in 1970 and a bishop in 1978.  He was named a cardinal in 2001 and has been president of Caritas International since 2007.

In this blog post,  I will offer two quotations from the cardinal and a few more in succeeding posts.

In all the Middle East countries, Caritas is present with programs for social development, micro credit, housing and employment directed at the neediest persons, independent of religious, ethnic or community affiliations.  In Morocco, for example, the director is Christian but all the employees and collaborators are Muslims and they work in a climate of authentic fraternity.

Caritas, with its 165 national organizations, is a sign of the 'globalization of love' and it is a motive of great joy and hope for me to see how it represents a concrete model and response going beyond national barriers when faced with suffering.

Sr. Joanne Gonter, VHM

From Sr. Mada-anne: A propos of super storm

Traditionally, we observe every Friday as especially dedicated to the Sacred Heart, with the day culminating in an Hour of Silent Adoration and Exposition before Vespers. And the Salesian thought for today is particularly telling, especially as many of us are apprehensive because of the predicted super storm.

Again, we quote St. Francis de Sales:

Remain resolute
and very close to the foot of the Sacred Cross of Our Savior.

The tears which fall there are like the rain: they calm the wind,
no matter how strong it may be.

Many of us are praying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for any of those in the storm's path. Please join with us to beg that the storm may take a course out to sea without injuring any more of our brothers and sisters.

Mada-anne Gell, VHM
Archivist
Georgetown Visitation Monastery

Note on stress from St. Francis de Sales, via Sr. Mada-anne

Most of the sisters have homerooms, where we meet, share prayer intentions and pray together, celebrate an occasional birthday (or half-birthday when a girl's birthday does not occur during school months). Part of the routine is reading the Homeroom Bulletin. It always begins with some Salesian thought for the day. Francis de Sales offered today's tidbit:

Accept peacefully whatever tasks you have to do, and try to get them done in order, one after the other. If you try to do everything all at once, or haphazardly, you soon will be frustrated, and grow weary, and in no time you will be overwhelmed by the pressure, and accomplish nothing.

Good advice from the 1600s. Bear patiently with interruptions, forget the multitasking, and remember, no matter what's going on, you are a beloved and cherished child of God. May God be praised.


Mada-anne Gell, VHM
Archivist
Georgetown Visitation Monastery

Monday post-conference details from Sr. Mada-anne

Last weekend a number of "Salesian Scholars" held a seminar on St Francis de Sales and the spirituality that has developed over the centuries in response to his message. We met where we usually do, at Stella Niagara, a bit up the river from Niagara Falls. Here God provides a spectacular display almost every morning; a living sunrise: orange and salmon colored mostly, a little pink, shifting patterns and shapes and tones, then swaths of smoky shades,lavender and gray. Inside the Womb of God and so very beautiful. To think of waking up each morning to that view.

To wake to the beauty of the Lord. Hundreds of thousands of young people, children, the ancient, the sick, the refugees, the victims of war and oppression all wake to a similar dawning. If you look only at the sky, it's the same firmament. In the Mid East, Africa, Haiti, all the many places on the earth--the colors are the same. The difference lies in the fact that natural beauty can hold different meaning to those whose experience is different. The oranges and salmons, the color of fire, the red is the red of real blood, and drifting across at the day's full dawning, the gray of smoke, the black of violence, the absence of light.

Francis de Sales and his friends lived in tumultuous times. Warfare was constant; cities and regions changed hands frequently. Let us pray together, as he taught us, binding our souls to those who are suffering, and remembering always that our bond is the bond of love.

Sr. Mada-anne Gell, VHM

Saturday With Sr. Mary Berchmans

As we conclude this week honoring our Saint’s abiding and unfaltering love of the Heart of Jesus, we pray for the grace to learn from her the mystery of God’s infinite love. It is so helpful for us to understand that when life sends us some unexpected blows we can find refuge, strengthening love and courage in the Heart of our loving God. We pray in the words of the Mass for St. Margaret Mary:

Prayer

Lord, pour out on us the riches of

Your Holy Spirit

which you bestowed on Saint Margaret Mary.

May we come to know the love of Christ,

which surpasses all human understanding,

and be filled with the fullness of God. 

Amen.

May God Be Praised!

Sr. Mary Berchmans Hannan, VHM

Friday With Sr. Mary Berchmans

Some favorite references to the Sacred Heart in the Litany of the Sacred Heart can be a source of quiet meditation as we strive to learn more about the Sacred Heart of Jesus through prayer.

Heart of Jesus:    

Burning furnace of charity

          Vessel of justice and love

          Full of goodness and love

          King and center of all hearts

          In whom are all treasures of wisdom and knowledge

          Of whose fullness we have all received

          Patient and abounding in mercy

Fountain of life and holiness

Source of all consolation

Our peace and reconciliation

Salvation of those who hope in You

Hope of those who die in you

“Patient and abounding in mercy “ is one I like to pray over. I remember a beloved Sister in our community, whose name, incidentally, was Margaret Mary, who had the patience of a saint. I asked her once how she could be so patient and she very quietly said

:

“When I begin to experience feelings of impatience I pray, “Patience of the Heart of Jesus, fill my heart.”

Perhaps you would like to select one of these invocations that speaks to your heart and use it for prayer. 

Sr. Mary Berchmans Hannan, VHM

Thursday With Sr. Mary Berchmans

Today I would like to share with you a few of the Prayers of Intercession found in our Divine Office on the feast of our Saint Margaret Mary. They seem to describe beautifully all the important aspects of a faithful Christian life.

Lord, you chose the image of your Heart to make known through St. Margaret Mary your love for humankind. Trusting in that Heart we pray,

Enkindle the flame of your love in our hearts.

O Sacred Heart, abyss of all goodness into which St. Margaret Mary plunged her every desire,

Encourage the impoverished to bring their emptiness to you so that you may fill them with your riches.

O Sacred Heart whom St. Margaret Mary knew as source of all joy,

Embrace the sorrowful and turn their mourning into dancing!

O Sacred Heart, you taught St. Margaret Mary that you desire obedience rather than sacrifice,

Grace us to find your will through faithfulness to our calling and to our life’s situations.

O Sacred Heart, you willed that St. Margaret Mary’s revelations be proclaimed to the world,

Continue to bless the many men and women inspired by these revelations and encourage them in their mission of love;

O Sacred Heart, you gave a message of warmth through St. Margaret Mary to a world grown cold,

In today’s world, so often permeated with self-indulgence, may you be known, honored and loved.

 O Sacred Heart, your love consumed St. Margaret Mary;

Set our hearts on fire with your love.

Sr. Mary Berchmans Hannan, VHM

Wednesday With Sr. Mary Berchmans

As we move forward in this week, let us listen to St. Margaret Mary’s words of wisdom so she can show us how we may grow in our love for the Heart of Jesus.

“Love, glory and praise be forever to the Heart of our adorable Savior. He is all love, all loving and all lovable!”

“I experience suffering on all sides, yet I will not fear, because I keep myself strongly entrenched in my secure fortress – the Sacred Heart of my divine Master. Like a wise leader, he deals out to me just enough strength for each occasion.”

“Take up your abode in this adorable Heart; bring to it your little vexations and annoyances, and your heart will then be calmed. You will find in this divine Heart the remedy for your ills, strength in your weakness and a refuge in all your needs.”

“To work or to suffer is all one to a heart that loves. Let us, then, leave the future to the loving Providence of this divine Heart which only asks of us fidelity to the present moment.”

“Refer all events to God so you may receive from his hand sweetness as well as bitterness, vexations as well as consolations. Bless his holy will in all that causes you suffering.”

“The Sacred Heart wishes for humble and submissive hearts that will have no other interest but to accomplish his good pleasure.”

I hope one or more of these thoughts might inspire us all to live a life immersed in the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He has shown us the way to live a holy life in the Gospels where St. Margaret Mary also found her inspiration and direction.

Sr. Mary Berchmans Hannan, VHM

From Sr. Mary Berchmans, FEAST OF SAINT MARGARET MARY ALACOQUE

Our Saint Margaret Mary has left us a beautiful legacy in devotion to the loving Heart of Jesus.

In a special visitation to our saint, Jesus said to her:

“Behold this heart which has so loved all God’s people

and receives so little love in return.”

One of our most blessed missions in life is to share the abundance of God’s love – a love so great that he sent his Son to show us how to live – how to “LIVE JESUS, the motto of the Visitation order.

Her advice for us today:

“Take as your model and inspiration in every event and frame of mind, these words of our Lord: “Thy will be done!” adding: “My God, I abandon myself to Your loving heart.”

Jesus, gentle and humble of heart:

Make my heart like unto yours.

Still another inspiring thought from Wendy Wright, a true Salesian scholar:

Let us strive to make our hearts beat in rhythm with the Heart of Jesus as we seek to embrace his Good Pleasure in the events of our lives.

May the blessings of this feast day fill your hearts, dear readers, and may they bring you to an ever clearer understanding of God’s tremendous love for you individually.

Sr. Mary Berchmans Hannan, VHM

Blog for St. Margaret Mary

Tomorrow, October 16, we celebrate the feast of another one of our saints: Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, known for her intense love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Saint Margaret Mary was born just about the time that St. Jane de Chantal completed her earthly sojourn.

What did these two saints have in common? Both were graced with a deep knowledge of God’s love for each and every one of us as manifested in the life, death and resurrection of his beloved Son, Jesus.

As a Visitation Sister, following in the tradition of these two saints, I believe that my life has been blessed by their example, especially by their response to Our Lord’s invitation: “Learn from me who am gentle and humble of heart.” This is a goal worth striving for each day of our lives.

One thought that frequently comes to mind as I receive the Lord in Holy Communion is found in our Spiritual Directory. Our Founders advise us to receive our Lord into the very essence of our hearts and bring before him our senses and the offerings of the day, asking his blessing on each of them. As the Litany of the Sacred Heart depicts Christ as the King and Center of all hearts, I find it both strengthening and stabilizing to greet our Lord in the center of my being.

St. Margaret Mary offers us this advice:

To work or to suffer is all one to a heart that loves. Let us then, leave the future to the loving Providence of this divine Heart which only asks of us fidelity to the present moment.

It is reflective of St. Francis de Sales encouragement to

Leave the past to God’s merciful love, the future to his Divine Providence and embrace the present willingly and lovingly.

How blessed we are with the down-to-earth approach to sanctity encouraged by our Visitation Saints!

Sr. Mary Berchmans Hannan, VHM