Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Contemplative Nuns Begin Novena







Novena for the Feast
of Mother of Perpetual Help
Begins Today

Today we announce the beginning of our annual novena to Mother of Perpetual Help. For those who have not received it, I post the 2012 edition of our annual novena letter written by our Prioress Sr. Moira Quinn which was sent out a few weeks ago via surface mail. Please do join us in offering the daily prayer given at the end of the letter. We are united in prayer for a myriad of personal intentions we are receiving. We are also united in prayer for peace in our world, our Church, our communities and our families. 

Although we are not having our usual Tridiuum Masses in the evening prior to the feast we do invite you to join us at 8:00am Mass daily during all the days of the Novena (Sunday at 11:00am). We are located at Cabrini West Park, Route 9W, West Park.

Dear Friends,

In our Advent letter we came to you in the posture of Naomi and Ruth, Mary and Joseph: standing together at the crossroads journeying to a new home.  This Easter season we are now traveling on the Road to Emmaus: bewildered by what has happened, yet walking with Jesus. We beg Him to “Stay with us,” along the journey.  We have “…recognized Him in the breaking of the bread,” and say to one another, “Were not our hearts burning within us while He was talking to us on the road!” 
As we write this letter we we still find ourselves "on the road." We have been on the road since spring 2011. After a long search we thought we had found a new home in New Jersey but it was not meant to be. So we continue our search.
Eleanor Roosevelt once said, “Women are like tea bags; you never know how strong they are until they’re put in hot water.”  Our strength, over the last year since we began our search, has come from the Lord, Mary, our Mother of Perpetual Help and so many wonderful people, like you, who have supported us with your prayer, love and friendship.  

Because of this development, we are going to move temporarily into the lower level of Cabrini on the Hudson in West Park.  It is only about five miles south of our Esopus monastery on 9W.  We will have access to their chapel upstairs for our daily Mass.  We will keep the same schedule of 8:00 a.m. Mass Monday through Saturday and 11:00 a.m. on Sundays.  Thankfully, we will still be close to the Redemptorists, our friends, associates and doctors and will be able to keep our post office box in Esopus.  After we settle in, we will renew our search of where the Lord is leading us.

As we do at this time every year, we invite you to participate in our Annual Novena in Honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, June 19-27th.    As Jesus turned to his mother Mary when he was frightened, so we also confidently turn to our Mother of Perpetual Help and invoke her powerful intercession for all our needs and of those of the world.

Because of circumstances beyond our control, we are saddened to inform you that we will not be holding a public Triduum in honor of our Mother of Perpetual Help this year. 

Please keep us in your prayers, and send us your intentions to be placed before the icon of our Mother of Perpetual Help in our chapel as you join us from home throughout the novena, June 19-27:

                               NOVENA PRAYER

All:    Holy Mary, help all in distress,
encourage the fainthearted, console the sorrowful,
be the advocate of all clergy and religious,
strengthen family life,  bring peace to our  world,
intercede for all God’s holy people,
let all feel your aid who implore your Perpetual Help.

       Our Mother of Perpetual Help, pray for us.
      That we may be made worthy of the promises
  of Christ.

   O Lord Jesus Christ,
who has given us your Mother Mary
whose miraculous image we venerate,
to be our Mother, ever ready to help us,
grant we pray, that we who earnestly implore her aid
may deserve to enjoy perpetually
the fruit of your Redemption.
You who live and reign for ever and ever.  Amen.
 Pleace and blessings be yours
and may our Mother of Perpetual Help
be your strength in all your needs.

Your Redemptoristine Sisters

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