V.J.E.

Praised be Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament!

We pray that you are having a blessed last few days of Advent. Each year from December 17- 23, as part of Evening Prayer in the Liturgy of the Hours, we sing the O Antiphons. These ancient Antiphons use themes from the Old Testament to show the foreshadowing of Jesus’ coming as Christmas nears.

This year, we would like to share with you videos of our Sisters chanting these antiphons as a way to be drawn into the ancient tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. To view the videos, please click on the dates below to listen to our Sisters chant each antiphon. We pray you may be drawn deeper into the tradition of the Church and pray, ‘Come Lord Jesus into my heart!’

December 17

O Wisdom of our God Most High,
guiding creation with power and love:
come to teach us the path of knowledge!

December 18

O Leader of the House of Israel,
giver of the Law to Moses on Sinai:
come to rescue us with your mighty power!

December 19

O Root of Jesse’s stem,
sign of God’s love for all his people:
come to save us without delay!

December 20

O Key of David,
opening the gates of God’s eternal Kingdom:
come and free the prisoners of darkness!

December 21

O Radiant Dawn,
splendor of eternal light, sun of justice:
come and shine on those who dwell in darkness and in the
shadow of death.

December 22

O King of all nations and keystone of the Church:
come and save man, whom you formed from the dust!

December 23

O Emmanuel, our King and Giver of Law:
come to save us, Lord our God!

V.J.E.

This reflection was written by Sr. Katherine Joseph Marie Allensworth, HMSS

There are only 3 days until Christmas! In this second part of the reflections about Las Posadas, I want to share with you about the fellowship part of the celebration each night. For each of the nine days we celebrate the tradition of Las Posadas, we come together as a community in prayer and fellowship. 

Las Posadas are nine days of celebrations, from December 16 through December 24, that represent Mary and Joseph journeying to find a place in Bethlehem for Jesus to be born. Each day of the nine days, we pray particular prayers, re-enact going from door to door as pilgrims with Mary and Joseph, sing carols along the way, and finally find a place for Mary and Joseph to stay at the last of the three doors, where we finish by celebrating with a meal and fellowship together. This tradition draws out the joy and gift of Jesus becoming man and dwelling among us. 

The Fellowship

After we pray Vespers (Evening Prayer) and sing the Litany of Loreto, we begin our journey with St. Joseph and Mary to find a place for Jesus to be born. We go to three doors in our convents, knocking to find a place where Mary and St. Joseph can be welcomed. Below is the song we sing as we carry “the pilgrims” with us as we go from door to door.

First Door
Side 1: In the name of Heaven
I am asking for shelter,
For my beloved wife
Cannot go any farther.

Side 2: There is no inn around here
Go about your way,
I will not open up
You might be a rouge.

Side 1: We are weary travelers
All the way from Nazareth
Carpentry is my trade
And my name is Joseph.

Side 2: I don’t care who you are
Let me sleep in peace.
I’ll tell you once again
We’re not going to open.

Second Door
Side 1: I ask you for lodging
dear man of the house
Just for one night
For the Queen of Heaven.

Side 2: Well, if she’s a queen
Why are you asking us?
Why does she travel alone
And in the night?

Third Door
Side 1: My dear wife is Mary
She’s the Queen of Heaven
Who’s going to be the mother
Of the Divine Word.

Side 2: Are you truly Joseph? 
And your wife truly Mary?
Enter, dearest pilgrims
I did not recognize you.

Side 1: May God always reward you,
For your kindness and charity, 
And may heaven heap
Happiness upon you. 

Side 2: Blessed is the house
That today humbly shelters
The pure and holy Virgin, 
The beautiful Mary. 

As the procession enters the house:
Come right in you, holy pilgrims,
holy pilgrims,
And receive this little gift.
Though we know that it is simple,
It comes from our hearts with love.

Let us sing with joy and gladness,
Let us sing with joy and gladness,
At the honor that is ours.
Jesus, Joseph and Maria, and Maria,
Come to visit us today.

It is with great joy that we sing these verses and find a place for Mary and St. Joseph to stay. In re-enacting the journey of St. Joseph and Mary, it makes the story of the birth of Jesus present to our minds and hearts. Once we are welcomed into the last door, the celebration begins! We then enjoy a meal together and some type of game or movie. 

This tradition and the joy that imbues it was a highlight in the life of our Mother Foundress, Venerable Maria del Refugio Aguilar y Torres. In the midst of founding our Institute and the religious persecution in Mexico, she always found great joy in this novena each year. Xavier Pikaza writes of Ven. Maria del Refugio’s experience during Las Posadas, “It was the eucharistic presence of God, the certainty of Christ’s salvation, which made her able to relax and celebrate the joy of Life.” We share in this experience of our Mother Foundress each year as we celebrate Las Posadas. 

It is a busy season; the Sisters still in school are finishing their school work, the Sisters serving in classrooms are in the final weeks of the semester, and the days are full of preparations for the coming of Jesus.  In the midst of all the things we are doing, we come together each night and simply enjoy each other’s company as we celebrate the coming of Jesus. 

As we continue to wait these final days for the coming of Jesus, I invite you to find ways to simply be together with family and friends and celebrate the joy of the coming of Jesus. Maybe that is making cookies together, or playing a board game, or just sitting together and sharing memories. While this season can often feel busy and hurried, Jesus is inviting us to simply just be present. He is inviting us to find Him in those He has placed in our lives and have joy at all the blessings He has given us. May the Holy Family guide you and accompany you always!

Praised be Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament!

This reflection was written by Sr. Katherine Joseph Marie Allensworth, HMSS

There are nine days until Christmas. How quickly Advent is going by! Really though, how quickly nine months have passed since March 25, when we celebrated the Annunciation; when the angel came to Mary announcing she would bring Jesus into the world! As we enter the final nine days before Christmas, I want to share with you about our tradition of Las Posadas. Being from Mexico, our Mother Foundress Ven. Maria del Refugio Aguilar y Torres had a great devotion to celebrating Las Posadas.

Las Posadas are nine days of celebrations, from December 16 through December 24, that represent Mary and Joseph journeying to find a place in Bethlehem for Jesus to be born. Each day of the nine days, we pray particular prayers, re-enact going from door to door as pilgrims with Mary and Joseph, sing carols along the way, and finally find a place for Mary and Joseph to stay at the last of the three doors, where we finish by celebrating with a meal and fellowship together. This tradition draws out the joy and gift of Jesus becoming man and dwelling among us. 

 We continue to carry on this tradition as a way to preserve the spiritual traditions of our Institute. During these days of Las Posadas, I will share three reflections about the different parts of the celebration: the prayers, the fellowship, and spirituality. 

The Prayers

In our communities, we begin each night of Las Posadas with prayer. It is our custom to first recite Evening Prayer, or Vespers, which is part of the Liturgy of the Hours. After we pray Vespers, we chant the Litany of Loreto in Latin. We chant this Litany to call to mind the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary as she is soon giving birth to her Son. I have included the English version of the Litany for you to pray with all the beautiful titles of Mary that we honor her under. It is from our prayer that we begin to prepare our hearts to walk as pilgrims with Mary and St. Joseph in welcoming their Son. 

The rest of the evening’s activities are imbued with a spirit of prayer. The meaning behind all we do during the Las Posadas celebration is to make present the reality of Jesus coming into the world and enter into the experience of Mary and St. Joseph. As we become pilgrims with the Holy Family each night, we hold in our hearts the stories recounted in Scripture with joy. In this way, we seek to be greater conformed to the example of the Holy Family, that we may prepare our hearts to receive Baby Jesus. 

As we begin this novena to Christmas today, I invite you to spend time in prayer, intentionally asking Mary and St. Joseph to prepare your heart to welcome Baby Jesus in a few days. This could be by praying the Litany of Loreto, praying the Rosary with your family, or setting aside time to visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. May the Holy Family guide you and accompany you always.

The Litany of Loreto
Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy on us.
Christ hear us.
Christ graciously hear us.

God, the Father of heaven, Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world, Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit, Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God, Have mercy on us.

Holy Mary, Pray for us.
Holy Mother of God, Pray for us.
Holy Virgin of virgins, Pray for us.
Mother of Christ, Pray for us.
Mother of the Church, Pray for us.
Mother of Mercy, Pray for us.
Mother of Divine Grace, Pray for us.
Mother of Hope, Pray for us.
Mother most pure, Pray for us.
Mother most chaste, Pray for us.
Mother inviolate, Pray for us.
Mother undefiled, Pray for us.
Mother most amiable, Pray for us.
Mother admirable, Pray for us.
Mother of good counsel, Pray for us.
Mother of our Creator, Pray for us.
Mother of our Savior, Pray for us.
Virgin most prudent, Pray for us.
Virgin most venerable, Pray for us.
Virgin most renowned, Pray for us.
Virgin most powerful, Pray for us.
Virgin most merciful, Pray for us.
Virgin most faithful, Pray for us.
Mirror of justice, Pray for us.
Seat of wisdom, Pray for us.
Cause of our joy, Pray for us.
Spiritual vessel, Pray for us.
Vessel of honour, Pray for us.
Singular vessel of devotion, Pray for us.
Mystical rose, Pray for us.
Tower of David, Pray for us.
Tower of ivory, Pray for us.
House of gold, Pray for us.
Ark of the covenant, Pray for us.
Gate of heaven, Pray for us.
Morning star, Pray for us.
Health of the sick, Pray for us.
Refuge of sinners, Pray for us.
Solace of migrants, Pray for us.
Comfort of the afflicted, Pray for us.
Help of Christians, Pray for us.
Queen of Angels, Pray for us.
Queen of Patriarchs, Pray for us.
Queen of Prophets, Pray for us.
Queen of Apostles, Pray for us.
Queen of Martyrs, Pray for us.
Queen of Confessors, Pray for us.
Queen of Virgins, Pray for us.
Queen of all Saints, Pray for us.
Queen conceived without original sin, Pray for us.
Queen assumed into Heaven, Pray for us.
Queen of the most Holy Rosary, Pray for us.
Queen of families, Pray for us.
Queen of peace. Pray for us.

Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world Spare us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Graciously hear us, O Lord.
Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, Have mercy on us.

Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Let us pray.

Grant, we beseech thee, O Lord God, that we, your servants,
may enjoy perpetual health of mind and body;
and by the glorious intercession of the Blessed Mary, ever Virgin,
may be delivered from present sorrow,
and obtain eternal joy. Through Christ our Lord.
Amen.

V.J.E.

Praised be Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament! Sr. Yvelyne Marie Bernard, HMSS was recently featured in Sacred Heart of Jesus Parish, Parish Neighbors Magazine, sharing her vocation story. Our Sisters currently serve at Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School in Baton Rouge, LA.

Read about Sr. Yve Marie’s vocation story below.