Wordpress 2012 in review for “A secular priest”

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

4,329 films were submitted to the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. This blog had 34,000 views in 2012. If each view were a film, this blog would power 8 Film Festivals

Click here to see the complete report.

It was nice to see that A secular priest helped a number of visitors find out more about the newly founded Queenship of Mary Community in Ottawa!  God bless Mother Mary Bernadette and the other Sisters.

Giving thanks

American Thanksgiving was the occasion for a “last supper” with the Queenship of Mary Community here in Ottawa last night.

The Sisters have been good friends during my time in Ottawa.  It’s a joy to see them settling into a routine of life in their new convent in Metcalfe.

I told Mother Mary Bernadette that when we arrived last night I immediately felt “peace,” and on entering the quiet and calm of the convent I looked forward to the day when they have their retreat house.  Please pray that this will come about before too long, and please also pray for the women whom the Lord is calling to join the QMC as postulants next August.

Sorry for blurry shot, but here is Fr Matthew Wertin with the Sisters, enjoying the feast prepared for us!

 

Celebrating the Feast of Saint Matthew

The new home of the Queenship of Mary Community in Metcalfe

This morning I had the blessing to be able to visit the Queenship of Mary Community at their new convent in Metcalfe, not far from Ottawa.  The Queenship of Mary Community were established as a Private Association of the Christian Faithful by decree of the Archbishop of Ottawa, Terrence Prendergast SJ, on March 26, 2012.  This is one of the stages along the way to their being – God willing – established as a Religious Institute at some stage down the track.

With the Sisters at breakfast

This morning’s visit began with a concelebrated Mass in the Sisters’ Chapel.  This was followed by a festive breakfast on account of the feast day of Saint Matthew.

At prayer before Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament

Following breakfast we made a holy hour before the Blessed Sacrament exposed, concluding with Benediction, most appropriately given by Fr Matthew, on his feast day.

It is always a blessing to spend time with these joy-filled and Spirit-led women who are pursuing holiness in union with Christ and the Blessed Virgin, for the sake of the Church and especially for her priests.

Please pray for the Queenship of Mary Community in these exciting and important foundation years of their Institute.

Father Matthew Wertin and Father Adrian Sharp with the Sisters of the Queenship of Mary Community

Some more photos of this morning’s visit can be viewed here.

My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour! Reception of habit and temporary profession, Queenship of Mary Community

On the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord, the Church throughout the world takes up the words of the Blessed Virgin Mary in praise of God.

Here in Ottawa we had an extra reason to sing for joy as we celebrated this great feast.  Today a group of five women said their own “yes” to the Lord as they received the habit of the newly established Queenship of Mary Community.  At 11am in the Archbishop’s Chapel underneath Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica, Ottawa, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, SJ, blessed the habits of the new community.

Immediately following this ceremony, Mass was celebrated, during which the Archbishop read his decree establishing the Queenship of Mary Community as a private association of the Christian faithful.  The journey to becoming a religious institute in the Church is one that passes through many phases of testing and discernment, and today is yet another important milestone for the Queenship of Mary Community.

The archbishop then received the temporary profession of vows of four of the newly established community, and also assigned them religious names.  The fifth member will remain a novice for the moment, and make profession in the not-too-distant future.

A few photos follow, and more can be found on Flickr.

UPDATE 27 MARCH 2012:  See Archbishop Prendergast’s blog for his post on the occasion and more photos.

Queenship of Mary Community Profession of Temporary Vows and Reception of the Habit – important change to details

On Monday 26 March 2012, members of the Queenship of Mary Community will be receiving their religious habits and religious names, and several will be making temporary profession of vows.

I received a message from Sr Jen advising that a change has been made to tomorrow’s schedule:

* the Sisters will receive their habits at 11am in Chapel below Notre Dame Cathedral.

* Mass will follow in the Cathedral at 12.15pm, during which those making temporary profession will do so.

Sr Jen’s message said that all are welcome to both ceremonies.

All are also welcome to the reception that will follow Mass, in the hall under the Cathedral.

Please pray for the Sisters on this important and special day for the Queenship of Mary Community.

+

Another milestone for the Queenship of Mary Community in Ottawa

On Monday, 26 March 2012, at Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica, Ottawa, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast SJ will celebrate Mass at 12.15pm.  During this Mass, Alice Fougère, Jennifer MacDonald, Teresa Kargul, and Madeleine Thomson will be professing temporary vows, and receiving habits and religious names, and Genevieve Moncrieff will be receiving her habit.  His Grace will also erect the Queenship of Mary as a Private Association of the Christian Faithful, another important step of the Queenship of Mary Community on the way to becoming, formally, a religious institute in the Church.

All are invited and welcome to join with the Archbishop and the Sisters for this special Mass.  A reception will follow in the Cathedral hall following Mass.

[Update 30 March 2012: Post about the clothing ceremony and temporary profession, with photos, here.]

Milestone for the Queenship of Mary Community

The Queenship of Mary Community completed their novitiate with a moving Mass celebrated by Fr Daniel Berniquez, French Vicar of Archbishop Prendergast, last Saturday, 11 February 2012, the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

Because the Queenship of Mary Community is not yet established as a religious institute, and in order to fulfil the requirement of a canonical novitiate prior to first Profession, the Archbishop asked the community to undertake a novitiate with the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary in Ottawa.  The FMMs were most gracious in accepting the Archbishop’s request, and welcomed the Queenship of Mary Community into their Presland Convent for the past year.  Both groups of Sisters would testify to what a great blessing the year has been for both communities, and there were plenty of tears shed as the Queenship of Mary Community moved out of the FMM convent on Saturday, having completed the novitiate year.

The Queenship of Mary Community is now preparing for Temporary Profession of vows on March 26 this year.  At this time they will also receive their religious habits and religious names.  Archbishop Prendergast will also establish the Community as an Association of the Faithful – another step along the path to their full establishment as a religious institute in the Church.  Please keep the Sisters in your prayers at this time.

The convent of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary, Ottawa

Queenship of Mary Sisters with some of the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary; Fr Matthew Wertin (left) and Fr Adrian Sharp (right)

Just before the Queenship of Mary Sisters departed, a prayer was sung that the FMMs traditionally sang as they sent a Sister on mission

More photos on Flickr.

Mass for Life and news on the Queenship of Mary Community

St John the Apostle Church, Ottawa

This morning I went with some of my confreres to celebrate the monthly pro-life Mass here in Ottawa.  The celebration moves “as a pilgrimage” through different parishes in the Archdiocese of Ottawa, and today’s Mass was at St John the Apostle Parish.

Following Mass there was a reception prepared by the Sisters of the Queenship of Mary Community.

Mother Alice Fougere announcing the good news at the reception following Mass

During the reception, Mother Alice Fougere announced the wonderful news that Archbishop Prendergast will erect the Queenship of Mary as a private association of Christ’s faithful on March 26 (this year, the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord).  During this celebration, all of the sisters will receive their religious habit and religious names, and four of the community will make temporary profession of vows.  This is great news, and an important step for the community on their way to formally becoming a religious institute.

Queenship of Mary Sisters are presented with an image of the Divine Mercy

This morning, the Sisters were also presented with an image of the Divine Mercy for their convent.

More photos from today can be found here.

The Sisters’ latest newsletter follows …

Queenship of Mary v.5 n.2 p.1

and

Queenship of Mary v.5 n.2 p.2

 

Stephanie Gray @ Saint Paul University

Last night, the Saint Paul Students for Life hosted its first public event.  It was a great success with approximately 75 people filling one of our classrooms here at Saint Paul University, Ottawa.  Stephanie Gray spoke with great conviction on the topic of Abortion and Intellectual Honesty.  She had many important things to say to those involved in the pro-life movement about how we can take the pro-life message into the marketplace.  You can read more about Stephanie’s work here (N.B. graphic images).

Queenship of Mary Sisters

Our gathering last night was very peaceful, and I suspect that most in the room would not have been pro-choice.  Stephanie’s other engagement in Ottawa may be a little different:

Date: Friday, November 11, 2011
Time: Doors open at 7pm; Welcoming remarks begin at 7:30pm
Theme: Debate
Speaker: Stephanie Gray vs. Jovan Morales
Location:  University of Ottawa, SITE A0150 (Engineering Building across from the Sports complex at the main campus) 800 King Edward Avenue, Ottawa, ON

We hear that protests have been organised, which I find slightly amusing.  Why would you protest a debate unless you’re scared that you’re going to loose it?!  Anyway, let’s pray for Stephanie and tonight’s debate, and that if there are protestors, that things will remain peaceful.

 

A new Religious Institute coming to birth

It is easy to be disheartened these days about the state of Religious Life in the church.  Vocations dwindle, convents are sold, religious men and women have all but vanished from our schools and hospitals.  If you do see a Religious, you are probably unlikely to recognise them as such, so few wear the common dress of their Institute, if they have one.  Its hard to see how some of the Institutes we’ve grown up with will be able to survive into the future.  Most, it seems, will practically vanish with so few members, unless some miracle occurs to turn things around.

But all is not doom and gloom!  We are, perhaps, in a time of changing of the guard.  Some Institutes will go, and others will come.  Some Religious Institutes are actually flourishing and attracting many vocations.  There are some common features of these Institutes, which you can probably guess!  I don’t need to rehearse the list at this time!

Here in Ottawa we are currently witnessing the birth of a new Religious Institute for women: The Queenship of Mary.  (I have written about the Queenship here.)  Getting established is an arduous business, as the sisters will joyfully testify!  It really is a time of relentless testing, in all sorts of ways, to see if the inspiration for the Institute is of God or not.  The sisters of the Queenship of Mary are approaching the next phase of formal recognition of their group, and Archbishop Prendergast SJ of Ottawa has given them approval to acquire land for their first convent.

The sisters need our help!  First of all, and above all, they need our PRAYERS!  Their desire is to love only Jesus, and his Blessed Mother, and they only want to do God’s will.  Please pray for them.

Trusting in the providence of God, they also need our practical support.  Land acquisition is a very practical matter.  Please pray that they will find the right person(s) who can help them at this time.

And, perhaps you, dear reader, can help?  Or you might know someone who can.

Please pass this message on!

Our Lady, Queen and Mother, pray for us!

St Joseph, pray for us!