And the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us (Jn 1:14).
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Our Religious Family Events
And the word was made flesh and dwelt amongst us (Jn 1:14). |
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Feast of Our Lady of Luján
Our Lady of Luján, Mother of our Vocations
Our Lady of Luján is a small terracotta statue of the Immaculate Conception covered in an ornate blue and white dress and crowned as Queen. Her Shrine is by the banks of the Luján River in Argentina where in 1630 during a transport of religious images, she manifested her desire through miraculous indications to remain and to be honored in that place. The flag of Argentina reflects the colors of her mantle and she has always been invoked as the patroness of that country.
While Fr. Buela was still a seminarian he made a pilgrimage to the Basilica of Our Lady of Luján and prayed to her for an abundance of priestly and religious vocations to the Church. From the beginning of our Religious Family, we have always considered that the gift of our vocations comes from God through her hands. At the close of 1988 the first group of sisters traveled to the province of Buenos Aires and made a pilgrimage to Our Lady of Luján, where they also made vows of Marian slavery and consecrated our new institute to the Blessed Virgin. Around the world, our sisters continue to honor her on May 8, her feast day, and her image can be found in chapels, parishes, and convents wherever we go. To Jesus through Mary! Totus Tuus, Maria!
Welcome Pope Benedict XVI!
During his Apostolic Visit to the United States of America from April 15th to the 20th, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI visited the faithful in Washington D.C. and New York. Our Religious Family took absolutely every opportunity to see him, to listen to his words, and to participate in the Mass with him. Our sisters were present in Washington on the South Lawn of the White House, lining Pennsylvania Avenue, on the grounds of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (and some sisters were inside as well), and at the Mass at Nationals' Stadium; and in New York we were singing outside the Nunciature, at the Mass for religious at St. Patrick Cathedral, at the Seminarian and Youth Rally at Dunwoodie Seminary, at the Mass at Yankee Stadium, and at the airport when he left.
It has been a great privilege to be able to see the Vicar of Christ in our own land and we pray for the fruits of his visit.
Viva el Papa! Ubi Petrus, Ibi Ecclesia!
Solemnity of the Annunciation
Harlem,
New York
March
31st, 2008 marked the Solemnity of the Annunciation and the
24th anniversary of the founding of the Institute of the
Incarnate Word (IVE). Members of the Religious Family
and parishioners from Washington DC, Pennsylvania, New York,
Massachusetts, and Connecticut celebrated this great feast
at St. Paul's Parish in Harlem, NY. His Excellency
Thomas Daily, Bishop Emeritus of Brooklyn, who first invited
the Incarnate
Word priests to the United States, presided at
the Mass, joined by more than 25 priests. A reception
was held afterwards and members of the Religious Family put on a show including a
group of parishioners from St. Paul's who presented a series
of traditional Mexican dances.
We ask our Blessed Mother to continue to shower her graces upon the priests of the Incarnate Word so that as she first brought forth the Word of God on earth, they too might bring Him to us in word and sacrament.
Santa Clara, California
To honor the solemnity of the
Annunciation and the anniversary of the founding of the
Institute of the Incarnate Word, we at Our Lady of Peace
Parish had a special Mass in
the evening of March 31st. The main celebrant was Father Walter Mallo
with Fr. Jeff Obniski, Fr. Marcelo
Navarro, Fr. Hugo Cardenas, and Fr. Jean Marie Baudry
concelebrating. During the Mass, twelve people
become official members of the Third Order, and they as well
as some others made their consecration to the Blessed Virgin
Mary. After Holy Mass, we had a feast with the Religious
Family. We give thanks to God
for these 24 years of foundation and ask the Blessed Virgin
Mary to enkindle in our hearts a great love for the
Incarnate Word.
Holy Week in Guyana
Holy
Week celebrations in Henrietta, Guyana began with a
procession through the streets on Palm Sunday morning. It
was followed by the Holy Mass presided by Fr. Mariano Varela,
IVE. More
than 200 faithful from nine communities gathered together in
St. Joseph’s Parish for a combined celebration of Palm
Sunday and the Feast of St. Joseph. After Holy Mass, there
was a reception in which representatives of each
community presented a song for entertainment. The atmosphere
was one of great joy.
All participated in the Chrism Mass on Tuesday evening at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Georgetown. The main celebrant was Bishop Francis Alleyne, who was accompanied by many priests of the diocese.
On Wednesday, the community of sisters welcomed Mother Mercy, the Provincial Superior, who had come to visit the sisters during the Sacred Triduum and Easter week. On Holy Thursday, the Mass of the Lord’s Supper took place at St. Francis Xavier Parish in Charity. There was a procession with the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose, where the faithful were invited to adore the Lord until midnight. The service of Good Friday took place in four communities, two on the river and two on the coast. The chapels were filled with the faithful who were awaiting the chance to receive Communion and venerate the cross. In the afternoon, all were invited to watch the movie, The Passion of the Christ, which was showing in the parish in Charity.
On Holy Saturday the sisters and laity worked hard to
clean and prepare the Church for the Easter Vigil that
night. Fr. Mariano celebrated the liturgy in Charity and
Fr. Oscar in Henrietta. Joined with all those entering the Catholic Church that night, the
community of Henrietta welcomed one more member into her family through the Sacraments of Initiation.
On Tuesday of Easter week the sisters went to Bartica to visit a Benedictine Monastery. The three monks who live there received them with great hospitality for Mass and lunch. After this the sisters went to Georgetown to spend the rest of the Easter holiday. Among the places they were able to visit were a zoo and an art museum.
Please pray that the mission in Guyana will continue to bear many fruits and that the missionaries there might lead many souls to God and to eternal life. DUC IN ALTUM!
A New
Local Superior
On Wednesday of Holy Week, Mother Mary of the Immaculate Conception Ambrogio arrived in Charity, Guyana along with Mother Mercy. Originally from Southern Maryland, she had served as the Vicar at the Juniorate House of Studies in Washington, D.C. for three years before receiving her new mission. Congratulations, Mother Immaculate!
20th Anniversary Celebration
Saturday, March 15, 2008, the Feast of St. Joseph, marked
the 20th Anniversary of the founding of the Institute
Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará.
Our Institute was founded by Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela in San
Rafael, Argentina in 1988 as the sisters of the
Religious Family of the Incarnate Word, which also includes
missionary priests and the Third Order. Since then we
have grown to number over 800 sisters in 24 countries. Celebrations were held
throughout the Province.
Washington, D.C.
Our sisters of the Novitiate House (Upper Marlboro, MD),
Juniorate House (Washington, DC), and Misión
Santa Maria (Avondale, PA) began the feast with a Holy Mass in honor of St. Joseph celebrated
by Fr. Pablo Bonello, IVE at the Basilica of the National
Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. He was assisted
by priests of the Institute of the Incarnate Word as well as
diocesan priests. We continued the celebration with a
reception provided by the generosity of the Knights of Columbus
in Sarto Hall in Forestville, MD. About 300 people
were in attendance including many friends and family. We give thanks to God for our Institute and all the
blessings He has bestowed upon us these last 20 years, as
well as to all the benefactors who made this feast possible.
New York
Sisters from the Provincial House (East Harlem, NY), St.
Paul's Convent (East Harlem, NY), Sts. Peter and Paul
Convent (Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY), St. Gabriel's (East
New York, Brooklyn, NY), and St. Damaris Convent
(Bridgeport, CT) joined the cloistered contemplative sisters
at the St. Edith Stein Monastery for Mass at the adjoining
parish, St. Thomas Aquinas Church (Flatlands, Brooklyn, NY). During the Mass
presided by Fr. Gustavo Nieto, IVE, Sr. Divino Amore, a
missionary in
Bridgeport, renewed her vows. The reception was
attended by parishioners, benefactors, and members of the
Third Order at St. Gabriel's Parish, the first mission of the
sisters in the United States founded in
1994.
Toronto, Canada
On the Vigil of the Solemnity of Saint Joseph we celebrated
the 20th Anniversary with
friends and parishioners. The Holy Mass was presided by Most Rev. Bishop Peter Hundt,
Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto and Vicar for Religious. We
in Toronto also give thanks to God for all the graces we have received over the course of these 20 years, and pray for His continued blessings upon our
Religious Family. We pray, too—through the intercession of St. Joseph—that we will always remain faithful to our vocation.
Santa Clara, California
We began our celebration of our 20th Anniversary praying
Morning Prayer with some of our Third Order members and
faithful parishioners. Following Morning Prayer, Fr. Walter
Mallo presided at Holy Mass, with Fr. Jeff Obniski, Fr. Hugo
Cardenas, and Fr. Marcelo Navarro concelebrating.
Following Holy Mass, we had brunch in the Family Learning Center. Later in that night, our Third Order members treated us to a potluck dinner in the rectory. Many people from Our Lady of Peace and Saint Leo the Great were present to celebrate our 20th anniversary with us and we are truly grateful for their support and generosity!
PROVINCIAL CHAPTER 2008
This February, the 3rd Provincial Chapter of the Province of the Immaculate Conception was held in Brooklyn, NY. The Superiors of all the houses of our province (United States, Canada, and Guyana) were present. Mother Consolata, the Vicar General of the Institute, came from Rome to attend, and Fr. Gustavo Nieto, Provincial of the Institute of the Incarnate Word in this province, also joined us for some of the sessions. We pray for the continued fruits of the Chapter and give thanks to God for the many blessings He has showered upon us since we first arrived in the United States 14 years ago.
Congratulations to Our Sisters in Toronto:
Four Years of the Mission in Canada!
Since February of 2004 our sisters have worked alongside
the IVE priests at St. Augustine of Canterbury Church in the
North
York area of Toronto. In this large tri-lingual parish
(English-Spanish-Italian) the sisters direct the catechism
program, teach classes, serve as sacristans, visit the
home-bound elderly and organize youth events. On
Sunday, February 3rd, they celebrated the Day of Religious along
with the 4th Anniversary of their foundation. Parishioners and
members of the Third Order joined them in the celebration as they gave
thanks to God for the graces that He has poured out upon the
Church in Canada and commend to Him anew the fruits of all
their apostolic work. Notre Dame du Cap, Patroness of
Canada, pray for us!
Nativity
Play
This
Christmas, the children of the First Communion class of St.
Augustine of Canterbury parish in Toronto put on a nativity
play on a grand scale. The production outlined the entire history of salvation,
beginning with the creation of the world, Adam and Eve, Original
Sin, and the promise of the Savior. Next the students
acted the scenes of the marriage of the Virgin Mary and St.
Joseph, the Annunciation, and the Birth of Jesus. Both parents and children gave their full participation
to make this beautiful event possible. Over 200
parishioners attended from all
three language communities (English, Spanish, and
Italian)--reflecting the very international body of the
faithful, many of whom have come to Canada from Ghana, Sri
Lanka, Iraq, Columbia, Philippines, Italy, Peru and Ecuador.
The 35th Annual
March for Life
What came to be through Him was life (John 1:4)
The 22nd of January was the National March for Life. Every year tens of thousands of hope-filled marchers flood in from all parts of the U.S. in order to show their support for life and protest the 1973 Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court ruling which made abortion legal in our country.  We who live in D.C. were blessed to accommodate 350 marchers from our parishes in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, California, Maryland, and even Canada. We began our festivities the night before the March with a Mass followed by Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and confessions at St. James in Mt. Rainier, MD. The Youth Rally and Mass at the Verizon Center began the next morning and the March itself followed directly at midday. We pray that many fruits will come from the March for Life, especially the overturn of Roe vs. Wade. Please join your prayers to ours for the protection of all life, from conception to natural death.
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and information about the National Pro-Life March in Washington, DC. |
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The catechism students and members of the Regina Pacis Homeschooling group performed the Christmas play, “God is Born in my Home,” on December 22, 2007. Written by Sister Maria de las Virtudes, the play tells of how a poor boy goes to the market to buy food for his family, encounters Mary and Joseph there, and invites them to his home, where the baby Jesus is born. Thanks to the hard work of director Sister Maria Madre de la Inmaculada and the other sisters and dedicated parents, the Christmas play was a great success. After the play, the actors gathered on stage and led the audience in the singing of Christmas carols. May the Infant Jesus continue to bless our children and lead them into his Sacred Heart. |
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Christmas Play at Saint Leo the Great,
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Christmas
Play at Our Lady of Peace in Santa Clara, California 
The first annual Christmas play took place at Saint Leo the Great parish, also on December 22, 2007. One of the IVE priests wrote the bilingual traditional script and some of the catechism parents used their talents to provide a beautiful set for the play. The older participants served as the narrators, while the younger children dressed in costume and acted out the play.
After
the play, some of the classes performed the Christmas carols
they had been practicing for several weeks. We then had
raffle drawings followed by the Holy Mass. Thanks to the hard work of the catechists and dedicated parent volunteers, the Christmas play was a great success. We ask the Newborn Jesus to continue to bless our children and teach them true love of humility and poverty. 
Harlem Christmas Plays 
d out presents. Secondly, we also had a Nativity Play with the homebound
parishioners, the elderly and sick whom we visit. We had about 30 elderly
parishioners come for the celebration of Holy Mass by Fr. Jean Marie Baudry. Sr. Regina was in charge of organizing the Nativity play. At the end everyone brought an offering of flowers and laid them at the feet of the baby Jesus. Then all sang Christmas carols and had a wonderful dinner provided by the people of the parish.
Our Lady of Guadalupe in Harlem
Nuevo Amanacer performed traditional Mexican dances for
her. The next day we had the Guadalupe
Marathon, a procession ending at our Church with the band from Nuevo Amanacer. Then we celebrated the Holy Mass with music from the Zipoli Insititute. They played music from the original Mass of Our Lady of Guadalupe, written in the 1500s. They obtained the music from the Basilica of Guadalupe especially for our feast. It was a beautiful tribute to Our Lady in thanksgiving for all she has done for her children on earth, especially in Mexico and in the Americas.
ARGENTINA BOUND!
The celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe
in California lasted several days, beginning with two talks given about the Mexican martyrs and the apparitions of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Friday,
December 7. On Sunday night, after the Holy Mass in honor of Our Lady, we gathered in the gym for dinner and traditional Mexican dances. On Wednesday, the
Mañanitas (early morning songs to Our Lady) began at 5:30 AM in front of the Shrine
followed by a Holy Mass at 6:30AM. Father Walter Mallo presided Holy Mass and preached about the beauty and particular power of the Blessed Virgin Mary, as taught by Saint Marceline Champagnat. After Mass, we gathered in the gym for a Mexican breakfast, complete with
more songs to Our Lady of Guadalupe.
At Saint Leo the Great, Father Marcelo Navarro celebrated the Guadalupana Mass
on Sunday December 9 which concluded with a rosary procession of a beautifully
decorated statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe through the streets surrounding the parish. After the procession, there was also a feast in the gym, completed with a small performance by
parishoners about the apparitions. May Our Lady of Guadalupe continue to look down upon us as we remember her words to Saint Juan Diego, “Am I not here who am your Mother?”
our Provincial Superior who was visiting us at the time, showed a documentary about the life of Sister Maria
Fix (1912-2005), a German-descent sister in Russia who spent years of her youth
in a Siberian work-camp and was responsible for teaching the faith and
preparing hundreds of children for the sacraments during the Soviet Communist
era. Many of the people commented about her fortitude and courage, and agreed that she is a true example of a missionary spirit. Mother Mercy and Sister Maria de Jesus presented the talks about the Incarnation and birth of the Incarnate Word, while the children and youth enjoyed their own
special activities. Following our newly instituted tradition of family games after the talks, many families stayed for several rounds of Pictionary, Bible Charades, and Catholic Trivia. We ask Our Lady to continue to bless our Third Order meetings and
and to draw all souls searching for the truth.
Saturday December 8th 2007 Sr. Maria del Santo Niño professed her final vows with great joy
at the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception!
Sr. Santo Niño is currently on mission in Charity, Guyana
and was able to come to the US for this solemn ceremony in
order to be joined by many in the Religious Family, her mother who
traveled from the Philippines, as well
as those coming from her last mission in Brooklyn NY.
WORLD YOUTH DAY 2008