The Visitation

Biography of St. Margaret Mary

2010-08-13T16:45:00.000-07:00

St. Margaret Mary was a Visitation nun and the first person to begin the Catholic devotion to the Sacred Heart.

The fifth-born child of a French family, Margaret discovered a gift for mystical prayer, which led her to enter the Visitation monastery.

From the time she was 20, Margaret experienced visions of Christ. In a series of revelations, Christ mourned the world’s indifference and charged her to spread devotion to the Sacred Heart.

Margaret responded with alacrity. She instituted the Feast of the Sacred Heart as well as a devotion known as the Nine Fridays. Devotion to the Sacred Heart flourished under her example, infusing Visitation convents far and wide.

Her emphasis on the Sacred Heart made her a natural for Visitation, along with her simple, grounded philosophy. “Accept with a good heart what Our Lord shows you to be applicable to yourself and do not bother about the rest,” she said.

Pope John Paul II has commended her extraordinary attentiveness. “Let us give thanks for the mystical experience of St. Margaret Mary,” he once said. “She had been given a remarkable calling, but in a hidden life, to know the power and beauty of the love of Christ.”

Tour of St. Margaret Mary's relics

2010-08-13T16:26:00.000-07:00

St. Margaret Mary's relics will be on display in the New York area from Aug. 16-24. Come venerate the relics and grow in your devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Here is the pilgrimage schedule. All times are from 1-8 p.m.

Monday, August 16
St. Agnes Cathedral
29 Quealy Place
Rockville Centre, New York 11570-4036
www.stagnescathedral.org
516-766-0205

Tuesday, August 17
Sacred Heart Parish
282 Long Beach Road
Island Park, New York 11558
516-432-0655

Wednesday, August 18
St. Aidan's Church
505 Willis Avenue
Williston Park, New York 11596-1727
www.staidanparish.org
516-74- 6585

Thursday, August 19
St. Ignatius Jesuit Retreat House
251 Searingtown Road
Manhasset, New York 11030
WWW.INISFADA.NET
516-621-8300

Friday, August 20
SS. Philip and James Church
1 Carrow Place
St. James, New York 11780
www.sspj.org
631-584-5454

Saturday, August 21
Cure of Ars Church
2323 Merrick Avenue
Merrick, New York 11566
www.cureofarschurch.net
516-623-1400

Sunday, August 22
Shrine of Our Lady of the Island
258 Eastport Manor Road
Manorville, New York 11949
www.ourladyoftheisland.org
631-325-0661

Monday, August 23
St. Rosalie's Parish
31 East Montauk Highway
Hampton Bays, New York 11946-1896
www.saintrosalie.com
631-728-9461

Tuesday, August 24
Visitation Monastery
8902 Ridge Boulevard
Brooklyn, New York 11209-5716
Sister Susan email: Srsusanvhm@aol.com
718-745-5151

Media coverage

2010-06-05T11:48:00.000-07:00

Source: U.S. Catholic
Publication date: June 5, 2010

"We're in a season of celebrations - weddings and anniversaries, birthdays and graduations - and we are following along, cutting cake, blowing balloons, sealing cards. But I'm thinking of a different celebration, a spiritual landmark of broad proportions and muted fanfare. This Sunday, June 6, the Visitation Sisters of Holy Mary celebrate their 400th anniversary. If this sounds like just another Order and just another jubilee, don't be mistaken: It's not."

Read full story.

Media coverage

2010-06-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

Source: The Georgia Bulletin
Publication date: Dec. 10, 2009

"Following in the pattern created by St. Jane Frances de Chantal, nuns who belong to the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary are preparing to celebrate their 400th jubilee. Founded by St. Jane, a widow who sought a life of charity and holiness, and St. Francis de Sales in Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France, in 1610, the order spread throughout Europe and across the Atlantic to North America."

Read full story.

Media coverage

2010-06-05T11:39:00.000-07:00

Source: The Catholic Standard
Publication date: Jan. 28, 2010

"The Sisters of the Visitation in Georgetown celebrated the 400th anniversary of their order's founding on Jan. 24 with a Mass celebrated by Archbishop Donald Wuerl at Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School. In his homily, Archbishop Wuerl called the Visitation Sisters' presence 'a gift.' "

Read full story.

The big day

2010-06-03T11:48:00.000-07:00

This Sunday, June 6, marks the 400th anniversary of the Visitation Sisters of Holy Mary. Wherever you are, join prayerfully and joyfully in the celebration!

Feast of the Visitation

2010-05-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

This Monday, May 31, is the Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary -- the perfect conclusion to Mary's month. In anticipation, enjoy the feast day's beautiful readings. Luke's Gospel account gives us powerful, poetic praise: first, part of the Hail Mary, as uttered by Elizabeth to her cousin Mary ("blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb"), then Mary's Magnificat ("my soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Savior").

'A happy life'

2010-04-07T10:09:00.001-07:00

Diana von Glahn, the host of EWTN's new travel show, "The Faithful Traveler," recently tweeted:

Feeling great joy for no particular reason. I love it when that happens. Wishing you all the same!!

Joyful optimism is a virtue St. Francis de Sales identified and lauded. In his bestselling book "Introduction To The Devout Life," he wrote that the world slanders devotion, "representing devout persons with a gloomy, sad, and irritable countenance and pretending that religion creates melancholy and unsocial men."

That is not the case, St. Francis asserts. "Even as Josue and Caleb declare that the Land of Promise was good and fair...so the Holy Spirit, speaking by all the saints, and our blessed Lord Himself assure us that a devout life is a lovely, a pleasant, and a happy life."

So go ahead and relish your faith-filled, happy life.

Easter joy 'again and again'

2010-04-06T07:39:00.000-07:00

Here's wishing you the joy and the peace of the risen Lord! On Sunday we paused to celebrate this great miracle, but we quickly slide back into our busy lives. So let us heed St. Francis de Sales' advice every day this Easter season:

"When you are physically or mentally occupied, while fulfilling the duties of your state in life, renew as far as possible, again and again, your 'yes' to the will of God."

Indeed, it is a season of renewal, and there is nothing like the Resurrection to compel a bold "yes" to God!

Photo excerpt

2010-03-28T16:50:00.000-07:00

Meet Sr. Mary-Cecilia, a Brooklyn sister featured in The Visitation: A monastic way of life in the Church.

More Lenten wisdom from St. Francis

2010-03-17T14:11:00.000-07:00

This one is brought to you by a talented Catholic writer in Fargo. Check it out.

Roxane has been sharing a host of Lenten wisdom on her blog, Peace Garden Mama. It's challenging and inspirational. Enjoy!

Prayers and well wishes to all those in North Dakota, sand bagging and watching the Red River's rise.

Lenten wisdom from St. Francis

2010-03-13T11:48:00.000-08:00

St. Francis de Sales wrote about confession in his wildly-popular book An Introduction to the Devout Life. Here's an excerpt:

"If we are truly humble, we shall grieve bitterly over our sin because it offends God, but we shall find sweetness in accusing ourselves, because in so doing we honor Him; and we shall find relief in fully revealing our complaints to our physician.

...Speak simply and ingenuously, and thoroughly lighten your conscience. After this, give head to the warnings and the directions of God's minister, and say in your heart: Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth. It is God Himself who speaks to you, my daughter, inasmuch as He has said, 'He that heareth you heareth Me' (St. Luke x. 16). Then take the following protestation as a conclusion of your contrition, and having previously studied it carefully, read it with attention and as much feeling as you can."

Media coverage

2010-01-31T12:49:00.000-08:00

Source: The Arlington Catholic Herald
Publication date: Jan. 27, 2010

"Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School students are receiving a layered lesson in history and spirituality this year, as they celebrate the 400th anniversary of the religious order whose spiritual heritage permeates every dimension of their school."

Read full story.

Excerpt

2010-01-17T11:08:00.000-08:00

From chapter seven of The Visitation, "The Visitation Order in the United States"

In 1799, on a hill overlooking the Potamic River, three "Pious Ladies" -- Alice Lalor, Maria McDermott and Maria Sharpe -- settled in a small house on a plot adjacent to Georgetown College. Father (later Archbishop) Leonard Neale, the college president, was their spiritual father. United in their desire to consecrate their lives to God, they also dedicated themselves to educating young women.

...Alice Lalor and her companions were attracted to the words of St. Francis de Sales. In his Introduction to the Devout Life, they founs the spirit they could identify as their own: a spirit of liberty, flexibility, optimism, simplicity and a common-sense approach to life. Salesian spirituality suited a fledgling group of pioneer sisters carving out a new life as religious in a young nation.

Ring in the new year with joyful optimism

2009-12-31T10:01:00.001-08:00

St. Francis de Sales believed in possessing a cheery confidence in God. He identified it as a virtue and gave it a wonderful name: joyful optimism. (Christina Capecchi, a 2000 graduate of the Convent of Visitation in Mendota Heights, Minn., wrote a column about this concept. It's available here.)

May we ring in 2010 with joyful optimism, heeding the words St. Francis once wrote to St. Jane de Chantal: "Keep your heart wide open before God."

Now available on PayPal

2009-12-31T09:37:00.000-08:00

Good news! Our anniversary keepsake, The Visitation: A monastic way of life in the Church, is now available on PayPal!

The perfect Christmas gift

2009-12-14T10:04:00.000-08:00

Stuck on someone's Christmas gift? Give The Visitation: A monastic way of life in the Church. This attractive keepsake book is the perfect gift for any history buff, teacher, Sister, Catholic or student of the Catholic Church. It spans four centuries with grace, weaving rich historical details and vivid pictures.

Order it today for $24 (including shipping) by emailing visitationbooks@yahoo.com or calling 703-451-7786.

Keep Advent with St. Jane & St. Francis

2009-12-03T13:21:00.000-08:00

It can be difficult to observe Advent admit the cacophony of the commercial Christmas season. But St. Jane and St. Francis can help you find a way. St. Francis once wrote:

First thing in the morning, prepare your heart to be at peace; then take great care throughout the day to call it back to that peace frequently, and, as it were, to again take your heart in your hand.

When you are inwardly peaceful, don't miss the opportunity to perform as many acts of gentleness as you can -- and as frequently as you can -- no matter how small these acts may seem; for our Lord says: "To the person who is faithful in little things, greater ones will be given."

Photo excerpt

2009-10-12T09:31:00.000-07:00

From chapter seven of The Visitation, "The Visitation Order in the United States"

These students and sisters are from The Convent of the Visitation in Mendota Heights, Minn., which, today, is blanketed in snow.

Book club

2009-09-22T17:14:00.000-07:00

What are your impressions of The Visitation: A monastic way of life in the Church? We'd love to hear from you. Leave your feedback in a comment. We might even feature you in a future post.

More Mickey

2009-09-03T15:17:00.000-07:00

And while we're on the subject, here's another illustration by award-winning artist Brother Mickey McGrath, an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales. He captures the vibrancy of Salesian spirituality so well!We also love this illustration, commissioned by the Visitation monastery in Minneapolis.

Patron saint of writers

2009-09-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

St. Francis de Sales was a passionate, prolific writer, so it's fitting he has been named the patron saint of writers. He is a source of inspiration for writers, poets, playwrights and bloggers, who would appreciate this modern rendition of the 17th-century saint drawn by Brother Mickey McGrath, an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales.

Salesian counsel

2009-09-03T08:19:00.000-07:00

Everyday life

Drones make more noise and work more hurriedly than bees, but they make only wax, not honey. So also, persons who hurry about with anxious concern and bustle never accomplish much nor do they do anything well. ... Accept peacefully whatever you have to do and try to get things done in order, one after the other. If you attempt to do everything all at once or without order, your mind will be frustrated and grow weary and you are likely to be overwhelmed by the pressure and accomplish nothing. Soon we shall be in eternity and then we shall see how insignificant our worldly preoccupations were and how little it mattered whether some things got done or not."

- St. Francis de Sales

Podcast

2009-09-01T20:33:00.000-07:00

In this podcast Sr. Susan Marie, president of the Second Federation of the Visitation, talks about her pilgrimage to Annecy, France, and the order's 400th anniversary.

Salesian counsel

2009-07-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

Perseverance

"In order to journey steadily, we must apply ourselves to doing well the stretch of road immediately before us on the first day of the journey and not waste time wanting to do the last lap of the way while we still have to make it through the first."

- St. Francis de Sales

Excerpt

2009-07-15T17:08:00.000-07:00

From chapter two of The Visitation, "Spirituality"

Francis urged Visitation Sisters to "ask for nothing and refuse nothing." Thus they are to accept whatever happens to them as the "will of God's good plesaure."

He expressed the special spirit of the Visitation as one "of deep humility before God and of great gentleness toward one's neighbor." The sisters are further called to simplicity, seeking "God and God alone, independent of everything else."

... They are called to be Daughters of Prayer, simply attentive to the things of God. Virtues and practices are to be embraced with liberty of spirit, "all through love and nothing through constraint."

Salesian counsel

2009-07-15T17:04:00.000-07:00

God's will

"Do not think that God is further away from you when you are in the midst of the busyness to which your vocation calls you then he would be if you were enjoying a tranquil life. No, it is not tranquility which brings him close to our hearts; it is rather the fidelity of our love. It is not the feeling we have of his sweetness, but the consent we give to his holy will."

- St. Francis de Sales

Pilgrimage

2009-07-15T16:50:00.001-07:00

In honor of the 400th anniversary of the Visitation order, 33 pilgrimages experienced its origin firsthand on a two-week pilgrimage through France.

Sr. Mary Grace from St. Louis and Sr. Mary Paula from St. Paul guided the pilgrimage through a host of beautiful cities, including Annecy, Caen, Paris, Taize, Troyes, Moulins and Bourbilly.

"It's wonderful that they went back and put flesh and bones on the experiences they've heard about," said Anne Williams, director of Salesian Studies in St. Paul.

Sister Susan Marie, president of the 2nd Federation of Visitation, raved about the experience. "We reconnected with our roots and our founders. We made it a true pilgrimage, absorbing the grace that was there. We found real inspiration and came to understand more clearly our role today."

Excerpt

2009-07-15T16:34:00.000-07:00

From chapter two of The Visitation, "Birth Of The Order"

An unexpected delay in obtaining a dwelling place for the venture resulted in the establishment of the convent on Trinity Sunday, June 6, 1610.

That evening, Francis gave Jane and her companions a summary of the Constitutions written in his own hand and blessed the neophytes. They set off toward La Galerie, so named because of a second-story porch or gallery along the side of the house.

Many townsfolk joined them, creating a significant procession through the streets. They were welcomed at the house by Anne-Jacqueline Coste, a simple, devout woman whom Francis had met years before. She would become their "Out-Sister." In the chapel, Jane cried out, "This is the place of our delight and rest."

The founder

2009-07-15T16:19:00.000-07:00

St. Francis de Sales
Francis de Sales was a master of the heart. He understood people and how they work. He grasped the depths of love and the width of sorrow. His timeless wisdom is more timely than ever in busy modern life.

As a boy Francis was well-educated, well-connected and naturally smart. His dad envisioned a prestigious law career, securing for his son several important positions and a wealthy heiress to be his bride. But the French boy yearned to serve the church as a priest. Once he was ordained, he quickly developed a following of nobles and peasants alike. They were drawn to his gentle nature and revolutionary message: all Christians, he insisted -- not just priests, monks and nuns -- are called to holiness. He rendered that path accessible to lay people, providing spiritual direction for ordinary lives. It is possible, Francis suggested, to experience the divine and the mundane.

In lieu of Latin, Francis used the vernacular language in his letters. They had a profound impact, and his correspondents grew in number, but he never let a heap of unanswered letters unhinge him. "I have more than 50 letters to answer," Francis noted one day. "If I tried to hurry over it, I would be lost. So I intend neither to hurry nor to worry. This evening I shall answer as many as I can. Tomorrow I shall do the same and so I shall go on until I have finished."

He encouraged others to take a similar approach, to "deal gently and lovingly with your heart, raising it up when it falls and longing ardently for its perfection."

The power and influence Francis experienced as Bishop of Geneva never altered his vision of a diverse communion of saints. Francis broadened religious life, founding the groundbreaking Visitation order with his dear friend Jane. It prohibited the conventional, restrictive monastic practices of sleeping on boards, vigil keeping and lengthy fasts, shifting the focus instead to interiority. In doing so, it created a home for many older and weaker women yearning for religious life.

"Be who you are," he once said, "and be that well."

The foundress

2009-07-15T16:06:00.000-07:00

St. Jane de Chantal

Jane Frances Fremyot experienced more sorrow and stress than most lifetimes hold, yet she found impervious peace in her service to God and neighbor.

The young woman's arranged marriage evolved into real love, thanks to an abundance of graciousness and patience. Her husband, a baron, brought Jane great wealth, but she remained humble, dressing like the tenants who waited on her. After fathering four children, Jane's husband was mortally wounded by a cousin in a hunting accident. She found it very hard to forgive him.

The brokenhearted young widow was forced to move into her father-in-law's house in order to protect her children's inheritance. There, she and her children were treated with utter disrespect, enduring what she called "a seven and a half year purgatory." It never compromised her devotion to God. "Happy the soul that loves prayer and perseveres in it despite every difficulty," Jane said.

Finally she encountered a beacon of hope, St. Francis de Sales, who became her spiritual director and kindred spirit. Together, they founded the Visitation order, which welcomed widows like herself. She infused community life with a tenderness that attracted members and an organization that allowed it to thrive.

Over the centuries, Jane's dynamic life and continued acceptance of God's will have inspired many. Wives, mothers, widows and nuns relate to her. She understands their full plates and heavy hearts and knowingly instructs them, "If you cast all anxious thoughts and cares on the Lord, He will take care of you."

What is the Visitation?

2009-07-15T15:08:00.000-07:00

The Visitation is a beautiful, often overlooked mystery of the Rosary and anecdote from the Gospel of Luke. It celebrates the joyful embrace of two spirit-filled women: Mary, who just learned she would carry the son of God, and her older cousin, Elizabeth, who was also pregnant, having long been considered barren.

When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Most blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."

And Mary said: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness. Behold, from now on will all ages call me blessed. The Mighty One has done great things for me, and holy is his name."

-Luke 1:41-49