“… the lily of my heart”
The date was the eighth of December, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Dressed in white uniforms, white stockings, white gloves, and a light blue chiffon shoulder sash, the whole student body processed with lilies which were placed before the altar of Mary in the Sacred Heart Convent Chapel. “Oh Mary, I give thee the lily of my heart. Be thou its guardian forever.” Each year for all my twelve years at the Convent of the Sacred Heart, I, along with my three sisters and all of our classmates knelt to place our lilies, symbols of our dedication and innocence, to Mary. Later as a student at IHM Marygrove College in Detroit, Michigan, vested now in academic cap and gown but still with lily in hand, I once again placed a flower at Mary’s altar.
On July 1, 1945 I entered the Congregation of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Sisters in Monroe Michigan. Once again I knelt before Mary’s altar as a postulant – but alas! with no lily in hand..
The Congregation of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary took root in 1845. It was co-founded by Louis Florent Gillet, a Redemptorist missionary, and Theresa Maxis Duchemin a former Oblate Sister of Providence. On May 12, 1846, the bishops of the United States formally decreed the Blessed Virgin Mary, conceived without sin, as Patroness of the United States. A year later, on December 8th, 1847, the title of the IHM Community was changed from Sisters of Providence to Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the original habit from black to “sky blue.”
Each year on this Feast of Mary, IHM Sisters, now having grown into three religious congregations, solemnly renew their vows. For many years best habits and veils were worn (the scent of the cedar closets mingled with that of the lilies!). Today, while the blue habit for the most part has disappeared, the dedication to Mary as model and type of the Church remains strong and vibrant. Commitment to the meaning and message of her liberating song on behalf of the poor and oppressed fuels a dynamic integration of prayer and commitment.
O Mary, I give you the lily of my heart. Be thou its guardian forever.
Sister Margaret Brennan, IHM, is a theologian and travels the country giving talks and retreats on a variety of topics and persons in Catholic theology and spirituality.
Archived Comments
- December 8, 2008 at 8:21 am
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Great entry Sister Margaret! Excellent idea of a guest blogger Sister Julie.
- December 8, 2008 at 8:17 pm
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How beautiful! In my congregation, we present wax hearts before Mary on the feast of the Immaculate Heart.
I love the lily idea, but I hope they weren’t calla lilies! The sap from the stems turn your clothes brown, and there’s no getting it out, I found. I ruined habits, skirts. blouses. You’d think I ‘d learn…
- December 9, 2008 at 6:08 am
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Driving home from the gym last night at 7:25 p.m., I passed my church and noticed the parking lot had only about fifty cars. We have three weekend masses, and parking places are tough to find at each service. How sad that I and many other Catholics did not celebrate this feast day. I thought about popping in wearing my gym clothes, but decided against it. Sitting by my Advent wreath later in the evening, I did give thanks for the Blessed Mother.
- December 8, 2009 at 5:30 pm
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I also could not get to Mass today as I am a student teacher and wasn’t free during the day. After school I gave a flute lesson and played Ave Maria by Schubert in Mary’s honour. This is also my Mom’s 50th birthday today so it is always a double celebration every year in my family.
