Vocation Awareness Week

This is Vocation Awareness Week — one of my favorite weeks of the year, because (as regular readers know) I get to bring out the Nun News Network banner (designed by reader Brian J.) and discuss all things nunny (and priestly, friarly, monkish and so forth)

Let’s begin here, with the Solemn Profession of a Poor Clare Nun as covered by the St. Louis Review:

The sign of a woman’s true strength is not a measure of independence or success, but rather her persevering love.

Just ask Sister Mary Christiana of Our Eucharistic King, who recently made her final solemn profession as a member of the Poor Clare nuns.

A native of Ste. Genevieve, the 25-year-old made her final profession at a Mass Jan. 1, the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, after six years of formation with the cloistered, contemplative Franciscan community of women religious located in South County, off Telegraph Road.

At that moment, Sister Mary Christiana left behind everything she had — including a culture that encourages women to be independent, successful individuals — and professed for the rest of her life the four vows of poverty, chastity, obedience and enclosure, so that she might live the Gospel in entire poverty, just as Christ did. It was exactly as St Clare did when she founded the community almost 800 years ago in Assisi, Italy.

In Kansas City, a Benedictine of Mt. Saint Scholastica also makes her solemn profession.

Passionist Nuns: A Postulant and a Novice on Why they love being Passionists

St. Walburga Abbey: Two nuns are solemnly professed.

Handmaids of the Precious Blood: they’ve changed their veils! And they’ve had a solemn profession!

Poor Clares of Perpetual Adoration, the group recently relocated from Ohio to North Carolina, have recently celebrated a solemn profession and a simple profession; meanwhile the Arizona community has completed the building of their chapel and a small residence that will one day become a guesthouse. The Texas Community, which is–interestingly–attached to an Anglican-Rite Catholic parish, the beautiful Our Lady of Atonement, is still getting settled.

The Alabama Community has begun a new blog; they’ve recently received two new postulants and one sister to simple vows, with another sister soon to trade her white veil for a black one.

The Dominican Sisters of Summit (makers of the glorious soaps and hand cremes) have been visited by an owl. Their novitiate is growing and bustling.

Come into Communion with Rome: Sisters of Our Mother of Divine Grace following the example of the Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Church

Franciscan Sisters of the Martyr St. George: A nice feature article and an update on four simple professions

Christmas celebrated at including the Franciscan TOR’s who had their first Christmas in their new convent and Chapel.

Midwest Vocations: St. Paul’s Seminary in Minnesota is bursting at the seams with new vocations for the priesthood.

Life at Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary

Dominican Friars; they’re popping up all over and seeing large entrant classes in several provinces

Benedictines of Mary, of Gower, MO have moved into their priory, which is the first step in creating an expansive foundation. It will eventually become a guest house for retreatants.

Carmelite Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus have begun a blog; they have one of the longest “formation” periods of any community I’ve ever seen, and have welcomed six new postulants.

Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest: growing priests and sisters

Dominican Nuns in Menlo Park: a Solemn Profession

Sister Servants of the Eternal Word: celebrated two first professions and a solemn profession.

Poor Clare Nuns of Santa Barbara have produced a video of their life.

Salesians Rapping the Rosary

Franciscan Sisters in Peoria: celebrate professions, and have a new novice.

Religious Sisters of Mercy of Alma, MI: A solemn profession and a growing novitiate

As good a time as any to once again talk about the habit

A Most Beautiful Carmel

Also, let’s not forget, marriage is a vocation, too

Deliver us from Sullen Saints!

Related:
For Your Vocation (for men and women)
Mater Ecclesiae Fund for Vocations
Laboure Society for Vocations (News here)