If you believe God may be calling you to the consecrated life and would like to know more about it, come and visit us!

If you would like to visit, attend an event, receive our quarterly newsletter, or would like more information on religious communities, please contact Sister M. Mediatrix Bexten, the Director of Mater Redemptoris Convent and House of Formation.

We hope to see you soon!!!

You remain in our prayers each day.

May God bless you!

Advent Come and See Days 2010: God Is with Us!

WHO: Girls in Grades 4-6

WHEN: Saturday, December 4
WHAT: A day of Advent-themed talks and activities to promote communion with Our Lord in prayer and community with fellow participants
WHERE: Mater Redemptoris Convent, La Crosse, Wisconsin
COST: Free (donations accepted)
WHAT TO BRING: A Bible, clothes for activities (in and outdoor) and an open heart for Our Lord!

Please contact Sr. M. Mediatrix for further inquiries, registration, and permission forms:

Public_announcement.pdf

Youth_Permission_Forms.pdf

     It was a joyful time, it was a sorrowful time.  For most people, driving in a van for eight hours is torture, but we enjoyed ourselves immensely, for it was our last time with Sister Chiara before she returned to Alton to prepare for First Vows.  In   addition, for our February Formation weekend, we took the opportunity to visit a few religious communities – (a.k.a. mini nun run).  Sister Chiara joined us in visiting most of the other religious.

     The first religious community we visited was the Missionaries of Charity.  Elizabeth says they were “sweet!” We all really enjoyed them.  We were greeted by Sister Celine Rose and a volunteer.  Sister Dominga gave us a tour and answered our many questions. Sister Dominga was from England and  pointed out that the life of a Missionary of Charity “is not hard, but impossible.”  By this she meant that without God’s grace their work is meaningless, that no human being could do it by themselves. They serve the Lord in many ways, sheltering and feeding the homeless, and teaching the children about the life of Jesus.  After telling us a story about the Divine Providence of God in their daily needs, Sister Dominga  said, “It gives Jesus joy to  provide for them.” As Mother Teresa put it, “Go now and give the love and joy of Jesus to all you meet.”  To be a Missionary of Charity, one has to have “the heart to love and the hands to serve.” We are blessed to have visited these consecrated women who have given their lives to serve Jesus in His distressed disguise in the poorest of the poor.

     We then briefly visited the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters, also known as “the Pink Sisters”, and there we prayed at their   beautiful Chapel, witnessing the “Changing of the Guards” for adoration at the noon bells.

     After lunch we went to visit the St. Francis of the Martyr St. George nursing home, where Sister M. Juliana gave us the grand tour of the Mother of Good Council Home. Sister Juliana gave an uplifting tub tour to Celine, demonstrating the careful procedure they give to the residents.  We saw quite a difference in the care for the residents from a more secular nursing home.  The Sisters care for not only their temporal needs but also their spiritual needs.  They emphasize the dignity of the whole person.

     From there we traveled to the other side of St. Louis and visited the Passionist Nuns in Ellisville, Missouri.  They began by explaining their habit, which was all black, representing the mourning of Jesus with Mary.  Their emblem was a white heart, representing Mary’s heart in the Passion, with the words “The  Passion of Christ” written in Greek and Latin “JESU XPI PASSIO.” The white is for purity. Amy says she really likes their fifth vow, which is spreading devotion of the Passion of Christ.

     The night before, Bishop Herman from the Archdiocese of St. Louis gave a spiritual conference to the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr of St. George. His emphasis was on the three aspects of the Passion: the Agony in the Garden, the Scourging at the pillar, and Christ on the Cross. Hearing the Bishop’s talk and visiting the Passionists were very       appropriate for the season of Lent. We were grateful to have this connection in our Formation weekend.

     On Sunday we joined the FSGMs for Holy Mass and after breakfast visited our last religious community, the Poor Clares in Belleville, Ill.  When we arrived, we met Jesus in their very beautiful chapel. We prayed Terce (mid-morning prayer) with the Sisters and then walked to the convent and were greeted by Mother M. Giovanna (the Mother Abbess), Sr. M. John Paul (Mistress Director), and Sr. Regina (Porter). We found simple beauty in the Sisters, in their prayer, and in the chapel.  We experienced the kind of beauty that brings you closer to Christ and wanting to have that same spiritual bond.  The Sisters  explained their order of the day, the history of their foundation and we learned that there are 8oo Poor Clares throughout the world interceding for souls to come to know the love of Christ. The Sisters see silence as not a    penance but a joy and a means of binding your Sisters to the Lord. Their foundress, Holy Mother Clare, (St. Clare of Assisi) emphasized living in community with poverty and prayer. We left remembering the JOY that they found in simplicity.  As we conclude our formation weekend we recommend those discerning to take the time and opportunity to visit and learn more about the religious life. There’s so much more joy and peace in living the life of Christ than what the world perceives it to be.

More pictures from this trip!   NunRun_2-2010_5.jpg ;  NunRun_2-2010_13.jpg ;  NunRun_2-2010_12.jpg ;  NunRun_2-2010_3.jpg

Heavenly Father, send Your blessing upon Your priests. Fill them with the fire of Your love, that their ministry may reveal Your presence in the Church. May Your power shine out through their weakness, since they are earthen vessels. In their affliction, let them never be crushed; in their doubts, never despair; in temptation, never be destroyed; in persecution, never abandoned.  In times of weakness, send them Your Spirit, and help them always to praise You now and forever.  Amen.

Aspirants for 2009

Bishop Listecki, Amy, Sarah, Celine, and Sr. M. Stephania, FSGM