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Apostolic Convents
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching
them to observe all that I have commanded you
(Mt.
28:19-20).
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Pennsylvania
Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe Community
St. Katharine Drexel is the co-patroness
of the Community
PO BOX 1019
Avondale, PA 19311
(610) 268-0675
c.nsguadalupe@servidoras.org
Saint Katharine Drexel (1858-1955)
 Katharine
Drexel, a wealthy and educated Philadelphia socialite of the late
19th century, could have made of life whatever she chose. That
choice in the end came from her strong Catholic faith and deep
compassion for the poor and oppressed among Native and African
Americans. She founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, who are dedicated
to sharing the message of the Gospel and the life of the Eucharist.
She established many missions throughout the South and South-Western
United States. She led a life devoted to uplifting the mind and
spirits of Native and African American men, women and children. She
was canonized by Pope John Paul II on
October 1, 2000.
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Photo Gallery
Apostolate
Our main works of evangelization are the following:
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Catechism: There are 33 catechism classes
each with a catechist and an assistant. For the Sacramental classes, the sisters organize different activities such as Mass,
Spiritual Retreats, Works of Mercy for service hours and much more. Last year 146 students received First
Communion and 56 students received Confirmation. The Catechism program also includes RCIA classes for young adults.
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Youth Group: There are about 50 girls (ages 12 to 17) who
gather at the Convent from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Fridays. Every
Friday the girls have a small talk on a spiritual or moral topic;
following the talk the girls have some time for questions and/or to
discuss issues they are experiencing. After the talk, there is time
for sports and then for prayer. The time for
prayer is either a visit
to Blessed Sacrament or praying the Rosary. The
following are special activities of the group:
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During the month of May, the girls pray the Holy Rosary at home.
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During the month of October, there are competitions in drawing, poems, language, cultural
studies, and a talent show. These activities help the girls to discover new and hidden
talents.
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Some young adults participate in the Youth Festival organized by the
Religious Family.
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During the month of January, some girls attend the Spiritual
Exercises (according to Saint Ignatius of Loyola).
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During Lent, we pray the Way of the Cross and each girl makes a commitment
to recite the
Rosary once a day during the week.
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Home Visits: The sisters visit homes so that they can help those who
are separated from
the Church and to register new families. Between the months of June and July, the sisters visit
up to 200 families.
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Visits to the Sick: One sister is assigned to visit the sick
during the year. The sister goes to the homes of the sick and to hospitals
to bring them Holy Communion.
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Parenting Classes:
The purpose of this group is to teach practical skills in raising
children and to teach sound moral behaviors in the family and in
their community.
These meetings are held twice a month for parents with children in
different grade levels: 2nd, 3rd, 5th, and 6th.
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Pre-Cana Group: The group began this year to give the necessary formation to the couples
preparing to receive the Sacrament of Marriage. This formation is very important for our immigrant families.
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Mission Office Work: A sister works at the Mission office everyday and the other
sisters are assigned other days to assist at the office. While the sisters are in the office they attend to the needs of
those that come in for assistance, organize the activities for each day, and prepare for up-coming
retreats.
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Activities During Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter
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Advent: During the nine days before Christmas Eve, the sisters organize the "Posadas
Novena." It is a Mexican Tradition that consists of going to
different houses
to pray the Rosary and sing before the manger awaiting the birth of the Child Jesus.
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Our Lady of Guadalupe: The people and the sisters participate in the "Mañanitas."
It is a traditional custom among the Mexicans: they pray and sing special songs in honor
of Mary. In the afternoon, they participate in two Holy Masses, honoring Our Lady.
Approximately 3,000 participated the past year.
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Christmas: The play of the Nativity of Jesus is organized
by the sisters along with the children and the youth group.
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Lent: Every Friday the sisters pray with the people the
Way of the Cross at the Convent.
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Easter Triduum: The sisters assist to prepare the Liturgy of Holy Thursday,
Good Friday, and Holy Saturday. In addition, the sisters organize the live
Way of the Cross, which is performed by the youth of the
community.
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Other Activities During the Year
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Masses: Every weekend all the sisters assist in the
preparation of
the five Masses, which include sacristy duties and
assisting Monsignor Frank Depman in various tasks. Preceding the Mass, the
sisters sometimes lead the Rosary.
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Liturgy: In order to improve the Liturgy, the sisters
have organized a group of altar servers and hold lector workshops.
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Oratory for Children: During the year, the sisters organize days of formation,
prayers and games for children from the different areas.
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New York
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Community
749 Linwood St.
Brooklyn, NY 11208
(718) 649-4960
c.elizabethseton@servidoras.org
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton (1774-1821)
 Elizabeth Ann Seton was born on August 28, 1774,
of a wealthy and distinguished Episcopalian family.
She was baptized and was a
faithful adherent of the Episcopalian Church until her
conversion to Catholicism. She married William Seton and they
had five children amid suffering and sickness. Elizabeth and
her sick husband traveled to Leghorn, Italy, where William died.
While in Italy, Elizabeth became acquainted with Catholicism and in
1805 she made her profession of faith in the Catholic Church. She
established her first Catholic school in Baltimore in 1808; in 1809,
she established the religious community of the American Sisters of
Charity in Emmitsburg, Maryland. She died on January 4, 1821, and was
declared a saint by Pope Paul VI on September 14, 1975. She is the first
American-born saint.
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Photo Gallery
 St.
Elizabeth Ann Seton Community
was the first foundation for Our Religious Family in 1994. Our
apostolate is to work at St. Gabriel Catholic Church, IVE parish, in
Brooklyn, New York.
Apostolate
Our main works of evangelization are the following:
- Catechism: The sisters are in charge of the school of
religion, which is a bi-lingual program that has 170 children
enrolled
this year. The program includes Adoration once a month,
recitation of a decade of the Rosary and reading of the Bible in
each class.
- Youth Group: The sisters are in the process of forming a
program for the youth group. Currently, the youth assist the
sisters to teach catechism and aid in other office work.
- Parish Work: The sisters work in the sacristy of the
parish. This includes setting up for Mass, preparing the
church bulletin, and music for Mass. Additionally, the sisters
teach Pre-Jordan classes for parents that are getting ready to
baptize their babies.
- Nursing Home Visits: One sister visits the elderly twice
a week. This includes talking with the elderly and bringing
them Holy Communion.
- Home Visits: The sisters visit the
homes of the children attending catechism. This is so that the
sisters get to know the
families and to find out if any other family members need to receive the
sacraments.
- Third Order: A sister works with our priests to organize
the Third Order meetings and activities. The meetings include
talks on social doctrine and the activities include charity dinner,
Christmas party, and monthly retreat.
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Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini Community
88 S. Second St.
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(718) 384-2021
c.francescabrini@servidoras.org
Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini (1850-1917)
Saint Francis Xavier Cabrini was born in Lombardy,
Italy in 1850. She founded the Missionary Sisters of
the Sacred Heart in 1880 in Codogno, Italy. Under the encouragement
of Pope Leo XIII, she set out for the United States in 1889, where,
for the next twenty-years, she established many schools, hospitals and orphanages. Her missionary zeal also led her to South America where she founded schools in Argentina, Brazil and Nicaragua and elsewhere. Mother Cabrini died in Chicago on December 22, 1917, and on July 7, 1946 she became the first United States citizen to be canonized. Buried in Upper Manhattan upon her own request, she is the Universal Patroness of Immigrants.
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 Our community was founded on September 8, 1995. Our mission includes pastoral work in
the Parish of "Sts. Peter and Paul" in Brooklyn, New York. Our apostolate is in conjunction
with the diocesan priests Monsignor Ruiz, Pastor Emeritus, and Rev. Richard Beuther,
the current Pastor.
Apostolate
Our main works of evangelization are the following:
- Catechism: The sisters are in charge of the school of
Religion, which includes 200 children this year.
- Youth Groups: During the weekends, we coordinate
different groups, including:
- "Fatima Children" for young
girls between seven and eleven years of age, which meets weekly
- Youth Group: "Duc in Altum"
- Adult programs: We have monthly formation meetings for married couples who also participate in parish
apostolate
as volunteers.
- Other Apostolate: We also assist with the following
duties:
- The Liturgy
- The Sacristy
- Training of altar servers
- Visits to the sick
- General parish activities.
The children and youth with whom we work give life and joy to our parish where we carry out
our apostolate with enthusiasm in a warm, family environment.
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Sister Mary Walsh Community
149 E 117th St.
New York, NY 10035
(917) 492-3668
c.marywalsh@servidoras.org
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Mother Mary Walsh (1850-1922)
 Mary Walsh, a young Irish immigrant living in New York,
was dismissed from her job for helping a family in distress.
She and a helper began an apostolate to the sick poor. They
supported themselves and their work by taking in laundry. On August
4, 1910, Sister Mary received word that a dream she had cherished
for many years was finally a reality. The little group was
officially affiliated with the Dominican order
known as the Dominican Congregation of the Immaculate Conception. Mother
Mary's work took her into all sorts of situations, but she never
considered a single soul beneath her or undeserving of her help. At the age of seventy-two Mother Mary
suffered an attack of angina pectoris, and died two days later
after receiving the Last Sacraments (Modern Saints, 260-271).
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 Mother Mary Walsh Community started in December 2002. Our mission
includes the pastoral work at St. Paul's Church in Harlem, New York, Religious Education
and administrative work at Saint Paul’s Catholic School.
Apostolate
The main works of evangelization for this community are the following:
Catechism: The sisters are in charge of the school of Religion,
which includes 315 children this year, both English and Spanish speaking.
They also
assist in the formation of young adults for a more active Christian life.
St. Paul's Catholic School:
Sisters direct the Religious Education in the school, serve
as teachers, and hold positions in the administration, including the
duty of Vice-Principle.
Youth Groups:
"Maria Goretti" - a weekly group for girls
between seven and eleven years old; Teenagers Youth Group on Saturdays.
Visit the Sick:
the sisters
visit the sick and the elderly in their homes. They pray with them, bring them Holy Communion, and assist
them in their last days.
Support Group:
the sisters
give spiritual support and advice to the different
cultural groups that belong to the parish.
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Connecticut
Saint Damaris Community
153 Linden Ave.
Bridgeport, CT 06604
(203) 330-8409
c.damaris@servidoras.org
Saint Damaris
Saint Damaris
Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but others said, 'We will hear you again about this.' So Paul went out from among them. But some men joined them and believed, among them Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them This passage from Acts is about St. Paul's preaching to the Athenians about Jesus' resurrection in which some people converted.
"Among the few converts in Athens, St. Luke mentions Damaris.
She is one of the many women who appear in Acts." -- Fr. Carlos Miguel Buela,
from a homily that appears in the book Servidoras II.
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We collaborate with parish work at Saint George Catholic Church, under direction of the Priests of the Institute of the Incarnate Word, between the Hispanic, American and Lithuanian Communities.
Apostolate
Our main works of evangelization are the following:
giving spiritual assistance and teaching catechism
to children, youth and adults with strong ties to their cultural roots.
Apostolate
Our main works of evangelization are the following:
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Catechism: We help with ‘Saint Cyril of Jerusalem’, a plan of Formation for Adult and Catechists throughout the Diocese of Bridgeport, in order to continue the formation with the Hispanic Community. And also we help with the Religious School at Saint George Catholic Church.
- Catholic Center of the
University of Bridgeport: Our work with the youth includes:
- A Holy Hour once a week
- Sunday Mass in our Our Lady of Peace Chapel
- Volunteer work in the missions
- Open Chapel for Prayer
- Parish and Sacramental Life at St. Georges
- Visit the Sick: We assist
the sick and the elderly at the Astoria Park Rehabilitation Center.
- Youth ministry: We help with our teenagers and youth adult,
giving them the opportunity to grow in the knowledge of God and to
learn a good and ‘healthy’ diversion. We also participate during the
Vocational fairs, organized by the Diocese of Bridgeport, helping
our youth to recognize their vocation in the heart of our Church.
- Parish duties: we also are in charge of the liturgy and
sacristy of our Parish.
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California
Community Servant of God Mother Maria Luisa Josefa del Santísimo Sacramento
2800 Mission College Blvd.
Santa Clara, CA 95054
c.ourladyofpeace@servidoras.org
Venerable Mother Maria Luisa Joséfa of the Most Blessed Sacrament (1866-1937)
Maria Luisa de la Peña was born on June 21, 1866,
the third child of fourteen in Atotonilco el Alto, Jalisco, Mexico.
After a marriage of 14 years, Maria Luisa was widowed at age 29 and
immediately made a vow of chastity and began to search for a convent
to enter. She had formed a group of young women who dedicated
themselves to Christ in the service of the sick and poor. Upon
recommendation of the Archbishop on February 2, 1921 the group was
called The Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart. On June 24, 1927,
Mother Luisa and two other sisters sought refuge in Los Angeles from
the fierce religious persecutions in Mexico at that time.
This arrival led to the establishment of twelve Carmels in the United
States with a novitiate and eventually to the establishment of The
Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles, a
sister-congregation to the foundation in Mexico. After two years
in the United States, Mother Maria Luisa Josefa returned to Guadalajara.
On February 11, 1937, she entered into eternal life.
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 Our foundation began on August 28, 2004. Our community assists the IVE priests with the
Parish ministry at Our Lady of Peace Parish, in Santa Clara,
Diocese of San Jose, California.
Apostolate
 Our apostolate includes the following:
Catechism: the entire
community is involved in the Catechesis program of our Parish
which has almost 700 students. All the sisters teach Catechism
classes to children, youth, and adults, one sister works full time in
the Catechism office. The whole community cooperates in all special
events such as Christmas and Lenten plays, days of recollection, etc.
Sacristy work: two of the sisters work
in the Sacristy of the Parish. The sisters are also working with
the ladies of the Altar Society, to help repair altar cloths, vestments, etc.
Summer Oratory: all the sisters,
together with the sisters from the Juniorate, work every
year at the Summer Oratory which takes place during the month of July.
Perpetual Adoration: The sisters
coordinate the adorers’ schedule, organize the
perpetual adoration annual celebration, and are now working
to start a group of young adorers who will get together every fifteen
days at the convent. They will have a talk, play some games, and share some pizza with the sisters.
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Canada
 Notre Dame du Cap Community
80 Shoreham Dr.
North York, ON M3M 1S9
Canada
(416) 665-6968
c.ndducap@servidoras.org
(Miraculous Images of Our Lady ,56-61)
Mary of Notre Dame Du Cap
"When
French Jesuit priests began to evangelize the eastern parts of
Canada, their great devotion to Our Lady was manifested by the many
shrines and chapels they erected in her honor...the first chapel of
1662 became, 32 years later, the home of one of the earliest
Confraternities of the Holy Rosary in Canada...Lacking a priest in
residence, devotion waned...It was not until 1845 that the Bishop
appointed Fr. Leandre Tourigny to be the settlement's resident
priest. It was during his pastorate that a generous donor presented
the Confraternity Altar with a large statue of Our Lady, in honor of
the definition of the Dogma of the Immaculate Conception...The
statue represents Our Lady standing in an attitude reminiscent of
that on the Miraculous Medal. Her bare feet crush the serpent coiled
on the top of a star-studded globe. Her head is covered with a white
veil and adorned with a golden crown; her garments are gilded,
ornamented and bordered with artistic figures. Perhaps the
most outstanding feature of the statue is an oversized heart,
encircled with roses and topped with a spray of flames. This is
supported by a chain encircling the neck of the Madonna. The
expression of Our Lady's face is pleasant; her eyes are modestly
downcast. In 1904, Pope St. Pius X ordered the crowning of Notre
Dame du Cap. Once again
the statue was crowned when Pope Pius XII
sent his delegate, Cardinal Valeri, to act in his stead. To this day
Notre Dame du Cap is the only Madonna to be crowned in Canada
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Guyana
MAILING ADDRESS:
Saint Francis Xavier Parish
Charity-Essequibo, Guyana (South America)
(592) 771-5272
(592) 643-4757
m.rosamistica@servidoras.org
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Our new mission in Guyana began on January 23, 2007.
Mother Maria Rosa Mistica, Superior of the community, and Sr. Maria del Santo Nino are our first missionary sisters assigned here.
They were joined in August of 2007 by Srs. Maria Gloria Dei and Maria
Espejo de Paciencia. The sisters are located in the city of Charity and help organize Catechetical programs for the 10 established chapels along the Pomeroon and Essequibo rivers. They work
to train lay
catechists to prepare the young and old of the parishes for the Sacraments and help the priests in
a dorm for boys who study in the city.
We ask your prayers for the fruits of our new mission and for the zeal and
perseverance
of our missionary sisters. Photo Gallery
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