Happy Nunday! We are well into the summer now here in the midwest. It’s been hot and humid with the occasionally cool breeze wafting through. I thought this would be a perfect summer’s day nun photo — Niagara Falls! Courtesy of Patricia, this photo shows Sisters from the congregation The Servants of the Sacred Cross. The photo of the Sisters’ visit to Niagara Falls is from September 2007.
I am delighted to have this photo because it gave me an opportunity to learn more about these Sisters. And I realized that I had already bumped into one of the Sisters earlier on the A Nun’s Life page “Nun or Sister?” — Mother Wendy James, SSC, the foundress of the community.
The Sisters are “an international, ecumenical religious sisterhood of laywomen, married and single, living and working in their own homes and communities” who serve “within a traditional, conservative, Religious Community, committed to the historic Catholic Faith.”
On their website they describe their life further:
The Servants of the Sacred Cross are called to take up their cross and follow Christ in a life of prayer and service. Sisters are both married and single, living and working in their own homes and communities under Vows of Simplicity, Purity, and Obedience.
Some Sisters carry out a variety of active ministries in their parishes and local communities. Other Sisters are called to a more contemplative expression of service in a life of solitude and prayerful intercession. The prayer of each Sister must be, “Lord Jesus, as it would please you, bring me someone today whom I can serve.”
I don’t know any more about the community other than their website, but I am impressed with and curious about their exploration of and actual living of a new AND historic form of consecrated life. By new I mean that it is recently founded and has multiple forms of consecrated life (married, lay, contemplative, active) under the same roof (so to speak). It is also an ecumenical community — Anglican, Catholicm and Eastern Orthodox. By historic I mean that they profess a commitment to the “historic Catholic Faith”. Now to be honest, I’m not sure exactly what that phrase means, and hopefully someone with a better understanding of this will offer comments below. I think that it has to do more with the common tradition shared by Anglican, Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox Christians but again, I’m not really sure.
Would love to hear your impressions and welcome the Sisters to offer their comments to help us get to know this community.
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{ 10 comments… read them below or add one }
What a beautiful picture! I do hope one day all religious, both women and men, rediscover the importance of the religious habit and the profound effect it has on people. It speaks so beautifully to the commitment that goes along with a religious vocation, and without words it automatically directs the observing soul to the reality that people do indeed radically commit themselves to Christ. The habit is such a beautiful tradition in our Church, and I believe the movement away from it has been a terrible mistake among religious in the Catholic Church.
Nice picture of the sisters-our parishes order-Holy Family of Nazereth wore black and white. I think sisters look better in blue. The color blue will always call Mary to mind for me and so will all female religious. I think the sister in the skirt and blouse looks just as good as the others.
Dear Sister Julie,
Thank you for your kind remarks and for featuring a picture of some of our Sisters. Incidentally, the “Sister” in blouse and skirt is actually a Postulant of our Community. She is now a Novice. You see here, three Professed Sisters, two Novices and one Postulant of The Servants of the Sacred Cross.
The hour is late so I will make this brief, but would like to write more in a day or two in order to answer questions.
We do wear blue in honour of Our Lady who is first among our Patrons standing, as she did, at the foot of the Cross to which we are dedicated.
In Christ’s Love,
The Rev. Mother Wendy James, SSC
Mother Superior, The Servants of the Sacred Cross
very interesting group. their daily prayer reminds me of one a bishop taught me years ago, which i pray daily:” lord, today bring me the person no one else wants.”
it is a very effective prayer. i have had countless opportunities to serve.
Marla– That’s an amazing prayer! I love it.
Cool, Marla!
Mother Wendy, Thank you for visiting! Look forward to learning more.
Dear Sr. Julie,
As a postulant and soon to be novice with this amazing community I am so pleased to see us on-line.
I consider myself very blessed to have been led by Christ to the charism of this group and I pray that Mother Wendy will continue to respond generously to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and that many women will find a fuller expression of their Baptismal call with The Servants of the Sacred Cross! We are surely part of the “new springtime” in the Church.
Sincerely,
Kasandra
I love how the habits of the professed sisters have already bleached a bit, or that there was different fabric available
With the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matara (SSVM sisters), you can tell which of them have recently spent time in the Studium in Italy, because the back of their veil would be bleached by the sun! And I saw a Poor Clare community on the telly who don’t keep a stock of habit fabric, but beg for it every time it’s time to clothe a postulant, so they’re a rainbow in shades of beige and brown.
It’s another proof that religious aren’t made of cardboard
What a lovely picture and a fascinating community!
There are actually several similar communities in existence. In addition to my own community (www.aihmfriars.org), I know of two others: Mercy of God (www.mgc.org) and the Ecumenical Franciscan Order (www.franciscans.com). All are ecumenical and allow married, lay, contemplative, and active expressions. The main difference seems to be in the degree to which each community expresses their charism in a traditional format—for example, wearing of the habit/veil or more traditional prayer forms, etc.
I was curious about the canonical status of The Servants of the Sacred Cross in relation to the Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Eastern Orthodox Churches. I understand that Sisters may belong to any of those traditions, but is the Order itself under the jurisdiction of one of those Churches since there were several pictures with clergy on their website?
by historical could you possibly mean traditional as in the motu proprio Latin Mass? this just excites me so much. I have looked forever for someplace that would accept me as a convert …. oh there is much more…