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Saint Bernadette’s apparitions of the Blessed Virgin Mary occurred in 1858 in Lourdes, France. Just over three years before Mary spoke these words to Bernadette, Pope Pius IX had put the long-standing belief of the Immaculate Conception into precise language and declared it a dogma of the Church:
“. . . The most Blessed Virgin Mary, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege from Almighty God and in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, was kept free of every stain of original sin.” (Ineffabilis Deus, December 8, 1854)

Sin had no hold on Mary! This special grace prepared Mary for the moment when God would send His angel asking her to be the mother of Jesus. She opened her heart to Him and her immaculate body, by the power of the Holy Spirit, became the maternal vessel of our divine Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

God came to dwell in her womb! But first He came to dwell in her heart. This precious gift, His spiritual indwelling, is also offered to you. Initially given at Baptism, it deepens with every act of faith, hope, and love that you make – He desires to dwell ever more richly in your heart.

Such a Presence necessitates your preparation, your readiness, your love. As Our Lady was prepared in advance for her distinctive vocation to be the mother of Christ, your heart too must be made ready for the deepening of His indwelling. The season of Advent is set aside each year for you to foster holy desire and active watchfulness. Use it to the utmost by intensifying your prayer and openness to Him!

Come, Lord, Jesus, and do not delay!

When you make a donation to our community in honor of or in memory of a special loved one, you can request a special greeting be sent by mail or email letting them know of the Sisters’ prayers! Beautiful cards and e-cards, produced by our Sisters, are available for a variety of occasions, each containing a message of prayer and uplifting scriptural passages.

He encouraged every Catholic and baptized Christian to fearlessly proclaim the truth of the Gospel through every appropriate path:

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“Never tire of firmly speaking out in defense of life from its conception and do not be deterred from the commitment to defend the dignity of every human person with courageous determination. Christ is with you: be not afraid!“

The darkness in the world threatens to overwhelm you but if you stay close to Christ, it cannot. Clinging to Christ, two things are vital to remember: who the true enemy is, and that the war has already been won.

Who is the enemy? Our enemy is not the person who thinks differently, it is not the angry confronter, it is not the scandalous one doing the wrong thing. That is what the enemy wants you to think. He busily instigates rejection and division at all levels. Why? Because we are the Body of Christ and to separate us from one another is to separate us from Christ.

But the devil, our true enemy, has already lost definitively, knows it, and is frantically at work to separate us from God and others while he can.

As you engage in the struggle, remember the big picture: Christ has already won the victory! He asks only our faithfulness –with His help!– and He will take care of the rest.

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“I plead with you – never, ever give up on hope, never doubt, never tire, and never become discouraged. Be not afraid.“ ~Pope Saint John Paul II

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The battle has been won for us, the enemy has been defeated, and we are marching confidently toward the Victorious One. Trust Him and do not be afraid!!

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Pope Saint John Paul II, we love you! Pray for us!

In 1997, our four foundresses took John Paul II’s New Evangelization initiative personally to heart! His wisdom became their support and spurred their decision to step out in faith at the call of the Holy Spirit to begin this new community. Today, 25 years later, the Community proves to be a remarkable instrument of the New Evangelization through its presence of consecrated religious Sisters in classrooms across the country, the Education in Virtue^® program, and multi-media platform OpenLightMedia.com.