Kansas Catholic has beautiful photos of the investiture of some novices for what is rapidly becoming one of my favorite communities of women religious.
On Tuesday, January 6, 2009, the Feast of the Epiphany, the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles, a traditional community in the Diocese of Kansas City-Saint Joseph (MO), had a novice make her first profession of vows and also had the investiture in the Benedictine Habit of four postulants. This happened at the Oratory of Old Saint Patrick in Kansas City, MO.
Here are photographs of the Holy Mass, celebrated by His Excellency Robert W. Finn, as well as the profession of Sister Grace of the Merciful Face of Jesus and the investiture of the four postulants. Congratulations to the Benedictines of Mary for their phenomenal growth. Their website is here, and details, among other things, their making of traditional vestments.
Here are a few. Go to Kansas Catholic for more!
And the great Bp. Finn!
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The pictures of the novice are breath-takingly beautiful.
(Save the Liturgy, save the World)
Thank you so much for sharing these with us, Fr. Z.
This is truly a wonderful fruit of Summorum Pontificum!
St. Benedict, pray for us!
What beautiful photos of such beautiful young women. Wow.
How absolutely wonderful :) Thank you for sharing these, Father.
Was the ICRSS involved at all? Present? This is their oratory, correct?
A Suscipe! Hurrah!!
Fr. Z.
RN’s, Real nuns, thank God.
JMJ
Tom Lanter
The ICRSS and members of the diocesan clergy worked together to organize and provide for the ceremonies of the mass and investiture. St Patrick Oratory is directed and staffed by priests of the Institute.
These pictures fill me with tremendous gratitude for these beautiful souls who give their lives completely to God…a reminder that we’re all called to union with God. We need religious people in their beautiful habits, and their vows of poverty and obedience to fight this world’s allurements.
On the Old St. Patrick Oratory community blog, there is a post about some of the wonderful practical success these sisters are having in Kansas City with their good works. – http://ourparishtoo.blogspot.com/2009/01/high-schoolers-working-withand-learning.html
There’s always so much for traditionalists to complain about; thank you, Father, for letting us know about something wonderful and beautiful we can celebrate! It’s important to notice all the Good News even more than the failures!
Absolutely stunning. God bless these young women, so in love with the Faith and Our Savior, that they are willing to devote their lives to His service.
Absolutely wonderful. I wonder how many women are being invested this year in the branch of Benedictines to which “Sister” Chittester belongs. Just curious. Tom
Let the record show that, when we pray for bishops, Bp. Finn is pretty much the “flavor” of bishop for which we need to pray…just imagine a USCCB filled with Finns and Burkes and the like.
(And yes, this is a glorious fruit of SP)
AMDG,
-J.
I have their new CD, Echoes of Ephesus. It’s beautiful. If you are looking for quality Catholic music and a way to help the nuns, then look into this CD. Thank you for the post Father, it is always nice to hear about growth in contemplative orders.
Tom: I wonder how many women are being invested this year in the branch of Benedictines to which “Sister” Chittester belongs.
If this were a poll question with the winner’s prize being the famous sister’s presumably long-discarded Latin-English traditional breviary, I’d go for it in a serious way with an answer of … ZERO.
That third photo down is the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. I made it my computer wallpaper. These are nuns, the only kind I have ever known and the world has forgotten. I cherish every bit of news about such holy women.
And to think I was afraid to look at them for fear I’d see some she-male in a pantsuit and man’s haircut wearing a white alb with a pentagram. Different Benedictines!
Henry Edwards, but “Sister” Chittester’s branch will continue to rave about the “glories of renewal” as they look about their near empty convents. Tom
Actually I believe one of the priests is Fr. Wolfe with the Fraternity and rector of Blessed Sacrament in Kansas City, KS.
I’m confused: I don’t see any gaudy makeup or polyester pantsuits — are you SURE these are nuns? They look so young, too, and happy! Geez, what’s the world coming to?
Looks sorta charismatic. (heh heh).
I bought their CD at the Cathedral Gift Shop (KCMO) and it is beautiful. We are so lucky in the KC-StJo Diocese to have these women and Bishop Finn. We went to Midnight Mass at the Cathedral where he was the Presider. Very beautiful and a wonderful way to celebrate my first Christmas back home (Cradle Catholic Revert since April 08). I have come home to the Church at an exciting time!
Absolutely beautiful in so many ways! Deo gratias!
May the Lord who began this good work in her bring it to fulfilment.
FSSP priests were also involed, I saw at least 2 of them have place in the ceremnony.
Why do people call this a fruit of Summorum Pontificum?
The Benedictines of Mary have existed since 1995, in fact I remember seeing a video of the 10-years-of-ecclesia-dei-festivities in Rome that included them.
Anyways, really great pictures and a truly joyous occassion.
B.,
I believe they call it a fruit of SP due to the fact this is a Diocesan church, the event was celebrated by a young American Bishop. Though, Bishop Finn had established Old St. Patrick’s before SP, he has been a loyal supporter of the MP within the Diocese.
By happy coincidence, I’m going to be visiting this convent tomorrow!
I hope everyone here has read Rumer Godden’s excellent novel “In This House of Brede,” set in a British Benedictine Abbey of nuns before, during, and just after Vatican II. It contains several descriptions of the investiture ceremonies. The fictional Brede Abbey is partly based on Stanlake Abbey in England, now for sale as the diminished number of nuns plans to move to a smaller complex.
There’s a TV version with Diana Rigg– not bad but not very faithful to the book.
of course these are beautiful and edifying pictures. They give one hope. That having been said, I have always thought that Religious Profession, unlike Ordination, was a private matter, not private as in individual but private as in in-house. I know this is supposed to be the case with the Society of Jesus, regarding both First and Final Vows. Unfortunately it tends to become a big production, but that is not its intent.
I don’t know what Institute’s priests were present at the Investiture (I would guess that there were both ICRSP and FSSP priests present among others). But I do know that this order was founded originally under the guidance and wings of the FSSP up in Scranton, PA prior to them moving to Kansas City.
And yes beautiful pictures, and I agree that their recent CD is beautiful and of good quality. I will be saying many prayers for these faithful nuns!