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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On Friday, October 30, 2009, St. Paul School in Harlem held the Annual All Saints Exposition. Each class of the school's 280 students from Pre-K to 8th grade was assigned a patron Saint.
The day included various workshops given by catechists and sisters for both children and adults, which included a talk and an activity. The topics of the workshops were: “Sacred Vessels and Ornaments,” “The Virgin Mary,” and “Priests of God.” At midday, everyone gathered together for Lunch and to watch “Fishers of Men,” a short yet beautiful movie about the Priesthood. All together, there were 150 people who attended the Family Day. We give thanks to God for the many graces He bestowed upon the families of St. Paul’s and pray for the fruits of the Family Day! |
All Saints Day at the Little Flower Oratory
After the children were able to play the various carnival games that the novices and postulants had prepared, we processed toward the chapel, singing "When the Saints Go Marching In," for a short talk about what it means to be a saint, followed by the Litany of the Saints and a song of thanksgiving to Our Lady. We give thanks to all the saints for their example and continual intercession. Mary, Cause of our Joy, Pray for us! |
Our sisters in the Philippines would like to share with you the progress of some of their recent apostolic work. They began the Birhen Ng Lujan Quasi Parish Prolife Ministry in September 2009. The sisters also tell us about their work with the victims of the recent typhoon in the Philippines. These works have been greatly aided by the help of our benefactors in this Province of the Immaculate Conception. May our Lady continue to intercede for all Her children here in the US, in the Philippines, and around the world. |
 Our New Mission in Habarovsk (Хабаровск), Russia True to the missionary mandate to "go to the ends of the earth," three of our sisters founded a new mission on July 24, 2009 in Habarovsk (alternately rendered "Khabarovsk" or "Chabarovsk"), on the far eastern edge of Russia beyond Mongolia. Read what they shared with us about the city, their apostolates and the special needs of this new foundation. Please pray for our missionaries and for the Catholic faithful in distant and isolated parts of the world, and consider sending them a donation to support them by using our on-line PayPal service. |
On August 31, 2009, we opened our thirteenth foundation in the Province of the Immaculate Conception. More than 65 sisters from our province gathered at St. Veronica Parish in Philadelphia, PA for the opening Mass in thanksgiving for this new foundation. The main celebrant for the Mass was Fr. Joseph Logrip, the Vicar of North Philadelphia, with concelebrants: IVE Fathers Eduardo Coll, Alexis Moronta, Marcelo Lopresti, and Monsignor Frank Depman of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia.
May our Blessed Mother obtain many graces for this mission at St. Veronica. |
CMSWR Eucharistic Congress
We were honored by the presence of His Eminence Justin Cardinal Rigali, Archbishop of Philadelphia and Episcopal Liaison for the CMSWR; Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States; His Eminence Sean Patrick Cardinal O'Malley, Archbishop of Boston; His Eminence Marc Cardinal Oullet, Archbishop of Quebec and the Primate of Canada; Archbishop Edwin O'Brien, Archbishop of Baltimore, and Archbishop Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington. The Knights of Columbus also collaborated in numerous ways to make the event possible, including a talk by the Supreme Knight Carl Anderson. The presence of a large number of religious sisters from many different congregrations reminded all the participants - religious and laity alike - of the Our Lady of Guadalupe:
On Saturday, Archbishop Pietro Sambi, Apostolic Nuncio to the United States, presided over the closing Holy Mass and led an outdoor Eucharistic Procession We pray for the continued fruits of this Eucharistic Congress, that those who attended the events from throughout our country may continually grow in the love of Christ truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. To download the talks visit Eucharist 2009. |
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“And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (Jn 12:32)
We have been congregated under the name Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara in honor of the Lord and the Virgin carved on the Cross of Matara. The Triumph of the Cross, September 14, has thus become our main feast day. Throughout the world, our sisters gathered on Monday to honor the mystery of the Crucified Lord who has redeemed the world by His Holy Cross. Here in our Province of the Immaculate Conception, Fr. Gustavo Nieto, IVE, presided over the Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC. At the Holy Mass in Guyana, many people from the different communities which the IVE priests and our sisters serve participated in the celebration of the Holy Cross.
The formula for the profession of vows begins with the words that indicate the purpose of religious consecration: “For love.” The religious enters the convent not only “to pray and fast, to be obedient and to live in poverty for Jesus Christ” but also, and more importantly, “to fall in love with [her] Spouse Jesus Christ.” (Fr. Buela, “Spouses of Christ”) Religious consecration benefits not only the one making the consecrating but also the Universal Church. “The consecrated life is not something isolated and marginal, but a reality which affects the whole Church… The consecrated life is at the very heart of the Church as a decisive element for her mission, since it ‘manifests the inner nature of the Christian calling’ and the striving of the Church as Bride toward union with her one Spouse.” (Servant of God Pope John Paul II, Vita Consecrata, 3)
Please pray that these newly professed sisters remain faithful to their vows so that the Lord can make them into great missionaries for the Church according to the spirit of their religious profession: "I commit all my strength so as not to be evasive to the missionary adventure, in order to inculturate the Gospel in the diversity of all cultures, in order to prolong the Incarnation of the Word...” (Const., 254) |
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“As the Father has sent me, even so I send you.” (Jn 20: 21) The Priests and Sisters of the Religious Family of the Incarnate Word working in Moruca and the Essequibo Coast in Guyana were so happy to welcome the group of 11 missionaries to their parishes during August to help spread the Good News of Salvation. The missionaries included the main preacher, Fr. Jose Signorelli, 4 IVE Seminarians, 3 SSVM Sisters, and 3 lay missionaries. One of the young adult lay missionaries came all the way from Egypt to participate in this popular mission. The mission in Guyana is an annual event that the people look forward to at the end of the summer. This year the missions were in Santa Rosa, Moruca from August 2nd through August 9th and in St. Joseph’s Church Already fruits can be seen as many people returned to the Church during this time, especially through the Sacrament of Confession. We pray for the continued fruits of these missions and for a renewed sense of God’s love in our world. |
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Eucharistic Congress
The Eucharistic Congress is sponsored by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (CMSWR), and will include Mass, times of Adoration, and talks given by invited bishops and cardinals, religious sisters, and Catholic lay leaders. The speakers will develop the theme "Sacrifice of Enduring Love" exploring the three vocations in depth — Priesthood, Religious Life, and Marriage. In addition to displays by various religious congregations, a relic of the actual tilma of St. Juan Diego will be exhibited. There is no charge for admission to the scheduled events of this bilingual weekend celebration of the Most Holy Eucharist. We ask all those who cannot attend to join in praying for the fruits of this Eucharistic Congress. |
Year for Priests
In a special way the Congregation of the Clergy is promoting and developing this pastoral initiative of the Holy Father. The Year for Priests is not for priests alone - it is also an opportunity for consecrated and lay faithful to deepen their own spiritual lives through a renewed appreciation for the ministerial priesthood and a dedication to pray for the priests who bring them the salvific sacraments. Learn about ways to actively respond to the Holy Father's intentions:
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More Summer Apostolate:
The Fiat Days were centered on the call to imitate the generous response of Mary at the Annunciation, particularly in following the vocation to religious or consecrated life. In one of the talks, Sr. Joy of Martyrs explained how the vocation of a woman religious is to become truly a Spouse of Christ, drawing from Fr. Buela's homily “Spouse of Christ.” May God inspire many generous young women to give themselves entirely to Him for the glory of God and the salvation of many souls. |
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We are so thankful to Mother Lumen Christi who came from the United States to help during this week of apostolate. Also, we thank Father Humberto Villa and Father Javier Correa Llano, IVE who came each day to celebrate Holy Mass. The whole week was filled with a spirit of true Christian joy and we give thanks to God for the many blessings and graces received during this week of camp. |
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 English Language Exchange Students from Argentina
After the three-week intensive English course in Santa Clara, CA, seven students came to the East Coast to visit New York, Philadelphia and Washington, DC. Here we have been able to host them and share our culture — as well as practice speaking in English! May God bless them as they return to their studies in Argentina. |
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The children, divided into six teams and separated by age, competed for points by playing sports, answering catechetical questions, and working together. The daily schedule included: talks, games, Holy Mass, silent Bible reading (based on the talk in the morning), Rosary procession around the Shrine, songs. The purpose of these activities is to teach the children to practice the virtues of patience, fortitude, and joy while drawing ever closer to Our Lord and His Blessed Mother. We thank God for the success of the Summer Oratory, and ask Our Lady to continue to lead her little ones to the Heart of her Son. |
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New Ways to Help our Missions
If you are able to help us monetarily, you can now make a donation online using PayPal. Please also continue to pray for the fruits of our missions and for all the missions of the Church, asking our Blessed Mother to bring many souls to Christ for the glory of God. Visit our Foreign Missions section to read an update about our sisters in Lithuania and new information about the work in Siberia. |
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Summer Apostolate:
From June 10-21, 2009, sisters from the Juniorate and Novitiate Houses of Formation joined seminarians and apostolic sisters for Popular Missions in Avondale, PA; Phoenix, AZ; and Toronto, ON. The Popular Missions are periods of intensive parish evangelization according to the method of St. Alphonsus Liguori. The Feast of Corpus Christi occurred during the Popular Missions this year, so each of the three missions held a Eucharist Procession on Sunday, June 14 in honor of Our Lord truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. Avondale, PA
Phoenix, AZ
In preparation for the Feast of Corpus Christi, parishioners spent nearly a week building a monument for the Eucharistic Procession on an 18-wheel flatbed truck. The monument included a canopy for the Blessed Sacrament, statues, flowers, an audio system and an area prepared for the children who received their First Holy Communion this year and the newly instituted Eucharistic Ministers.
Totus Tuus South Dakota
IVE Girls’ Summer Camp 2009
May God continue to guide and protect all the children and youth who have been a part of our many summer apostolates. |
St. Paul’s Church and School in East Harlem, NY:
The commemoration began with all the children gathered in the morning assembly to sing the Litany to the Saints. At mid-day the children paraded outside around the East 117th and 118th block of Lexington Avenue dressed as different saints, singing and cheering for the Saint of their teams. Later on in the afternoon the children gathered for the grand finale in the school auditorium: presentations and short skits about their saints. It was a beautiful celebration to honor All the Saints in Heaven. We pray that these children too may all become saints. 
On Saturday, October 31st, the Eve of All Saints, the Catechism Program of St. Paul Church hosted the Second Annual Family Day. The theme for the day was “The Year for Priests.” 
November 1, 2009 was anything but a typical Saturday at the Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha Novitiate in Upper Marlboro, Maryland. Children from local parishes dressed as our favorite holy men and women and joined us to celebrate All Saints Day. Miniature versions of Saints Maximilian Kolbe, Rita, Patrick, Cecilia, Juan Diego, Monica and many 
others came marching in one by one. From the laughter at musical chairs to the antics of the donut eating contest, one could certainly say that the festivities were comparable to the continual jubilee in Heaven.
News from the Philippines
A New Foundation in Philadelphia, PA
Three sisters have been assigned to this mission under the patronage of St. Katharine Drexel, one of Philadelphia's own saints. Their apostolate will be
teaching catechism for children, youth, and adults;
visiting the sick and the homebound;
leading groups for girls and youth;
and organizing other activities which will help form and strength the spiritual life of the parish.
Women religious from around the country gathered for a Eucharistic
Congress on September 11-12 in Washington, DC at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. This 2-day Congress was sponsored by the Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious (
countless women who have consecrated their lives to Jesus Christ, their Spouse, through the service to His Church. Today, as much as in the past, the Lord is calling forth women to be uniquely His own through the profession of the evangelical counsels.
Mother Maria del Cenaculo, currently local superior of the community in Avondale, PA, presented a talk in Spanish on Saturday morning about the importance that fraternal life in common plays in religious life. Adoration in community and daily Mass together allow Our Eucharistic Lord to shape and strengthen religious communities with His grace. She directed her points
especially to the particular experience of Hispanic women religious working in apostolates in the United States and to the essential role of community prayer.
which followed immediately after the Mass. Knights of Columbus, many religious sisters, groups in ethnic dress representing the universality of the Church, and the lay faithful processed behind the Blessed Sacrament around the perimeter of the Basilica, pausing for Benediction outside, at the front of the Basilica, and at the main altar at the end of the procession.
Feast of the 
During the ceremony in Washington, DC, some of our novices professed their first vows of poverty, chastity, obedience, and Marian slavery. Many sisters also renewed their temporal vows, and the perpetually professed sisters made a spiritual renewal of their total gift of self.
“The profession of the evangelical counsels indisputably belongs to the life and holiness of the Church.” (VC, 29) 
Guyana Summer Mission
in the community of Henrietta from August 10th through August 16th. Throughout the intense two weeks of activity, the missionaries visited houses, brought the Sacraments to the sick, and held daily oratories for children and youth. The culminating moment of each night was the Missionary Talk in which Father Jose preached about a particular mystery of our Salvation and the other missionaries gave smaller topics of great interest. Each night ended with songs and skits around a big camp fire, in an atmosphere of great joy and enthusiasm.
A 
The Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI has declared this year the 
Diocese of Harrisburg 2009 “Fiat Days”
IVE Youth from Iceland and Holland
The itinerary for the combined group of 43 teenagers and young adults included sight-seeing, cultural events, and daily Mass and Rosary. 
For many of these young Catholics from highly secularized countries the fellowship and example of so many young religious and lay faithful in the United States was very encouraging. May God strengthen our missionaries and all the young visitors to be His faithful witnesses in the contemporary culture of Northern Europe.
Guyana Girls’ Summer Camp
The beautiful camping spot of Hot and Cold Lake made possible frequent swimming and water games.
Our sisters in Argentina staff and administer this all-girls high school as well as a co-ed elementary and middle school.
California Summer Oratory 2009
Our sisters working in the foreign missions as well as those here in the Province of the Immaculate Conception (USA, Canada, Guyana) depend upon Divine Providence working through the material and spiritual support of the faithful. Your continued generosity allows us to promote Christ's work of evangelization of the culture.
The sisters and seminarians, along with lay missionaries, visit the homes in the neighborhood and lead activities for children, youth, and adults with a special call to conversion, spiritual renewal and the sacramental life.
and West Grove. Hundreds of children attended the daily oratories in these towns. In the evenings, adults gathered at a central parish for the mission talk. Unique to this Popular Mission, the sisters and seminarians not only visited homes, but were also invited to visit employees in many of the area's numerous mushroom farms.
Toronto, ON
On Saturday, June 20, more than 130 teens and young adults participated in a Youth Festival. Many generous volunteers and Third Order members helped set up tables, erect tents, and cook meals. Bishop Nicola De Angelis of Peterborough was the main celebrant for Holy Mass in honor of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Throughout the day, the youth attended talks on issues such as chastity, addictions, physical and spiritual maturity, lay mission opportunities, vocations and the four pillars of Catholic doctrine. Nearly constant rain did not dampen anyone’s spirits! God provided the only hour of dry weather during the scheduled sports time, so the youth were able to play volleyball, soccer, and Frisbee in the afternoon. The festival closed after 
a Holy Hour with the Rosary and opportunities for Confession.
