French Convent accepts sisters with Down syndrome

The following is a rough translation of a beautiful article on a French Benedictine community which embraces vocations from women with Down syndrome. The quote from the Mother Superior is something that I have often thought; our children cannot sin, no wonder they have such an amazing connection with God. Why shouldn't they be religious?
We have a lot to learn from them.

"The possibility that a person with disabilities can join of a community depends on the requirements of each: “The important thing is that this incapacity does not constitute an obstacle or insurmountable difficulty to be able to live the mission of the congregation, order or institute. It is not a type of discrimination, but rather of an act of charity towards these people, because it can be very frustrating them not to be able to realise their vocation, they explain from the Web http://www.vocación.org/.

But for the Disciples of the Lamb, this impediment does not exist. Founded in 1985, its vocation is especially contemplative, born in the Rule of San Benedict and the way of the Spiritual Childhood of Saint Therese of the Infant Jesus, and offers to the young people with Down syndrome the possibility of realizing her religious vocation, accompanied by other “valid” Sisters of the community.
For God there are no obstacles
“Although in the scope of the spiritual, the terms of “validity” and “incapacity” must be relativized”, affirms Sister Line, superior of the community. “The most serious incapacity perhaps is not the one produced by sin, that prevents the life of God in the soul? ”, she asks. “A person who welcomes the grace of God totally builds and opens her humanity”, she asserts.
The daily life consists of “prayer and labor” under the Benedictine Rule: they participate in the Mass, they pray and they do tasks of sewing, embroidery, confectioner's, etc. The community is assisted by the Fontgombault Benedictine monastery. Today, the community consists of ten sisters under the same under the same roof, all equally happy. "



Translated from the Spanish website Religion y Libertad.com
The image is a madonna and child where Jesus is depicted as having Down syndrome by Andrea Mantenga an Italian artist with a son who had Ds for a patron whose son had Ds as well.

The Domestic Church is the Seedbed of Vocations

In this piece in Catholic Exchange, Fr. Kyle Schnippel emphasizes the importance of living the Catholic faith as a family to foster vocations,
"rebuilding a Catholic culture is being willing to overtly share your faith with others, especially your own family! "

This is something I have always said, and the reason Fr. Joseph Fessio said to a gathering of Long Islanders who supported EWTN programming in 1994 that "Homeschooling will bring about the renewal of the Catholic Church".
One feast day at time, we are living the glory of Catholicism in our homes.

A new priest in the diocese of Rockville Centre

This is Father Joseph Fitzgerald. He was ordained on June 9th in my diocese. He's considered a 'late vocation' which means he led a full life before answering the call to priesthood. He spoke at the Proud 2B Catholic Fest I attended, and here is his story.

Joe was raised on Long Island and was a handball player on the US team in the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta. This led to a career touring the world as a champion handball player. He lived in Atlanta, and was enjoying the fruits of his fame, he was even going to be appearing on MTV on a show based upon his life, when he felt called back to Long Island, to work in a parish as a Youth Minister. On a vocations retreat, he brought his youth group to at Immaculate Conception Seminary, he was asked by a priest, "Joe, you've dated half the girls on Long Island, and in Atlanta, have you ever considered dating the Catholic priesthood?" "What a strange question", Joe thought, but soon the grace of God was at work, and now Father Joe says he's never been happier!

It's important to tell these types of stories to our children, so they can see that a vocations to the priesthood is important, exciting, challenging, and a call from God. So a priest isn't a sad person thinking of what he's sacrificed, but a fulfilled man grateful for the gift of his vocation.

What Blessed Mother Teresa can teach a suburban housewife

Theresa Thomas wrote this article on one of the best known and loved women in the world, and what a homeschooling mother of nine has learned from her. I have read every book I could get my hands on about her, and seen all of her films, as well as her tapes. Her talks are simple, yet profound and bear repeating. She has applied the 'little way' of St. Therese of Lisieux to the horrible twentieth century, for those of us who deal with the 'poorest of the poor' in our own homes. This is no small challenge in my domestic church, and I'm sure it is rough where you live as well. But we must do it.
She once said that the spiritual poverty of the USA was greater and caused more suffering than the unbelievable poverty in India. I spent a day in one of her convents in the Bronx, after receiving a typed letter from her, signed in her own hand, sending me there. (I am STILL praying to St. Anthony to find it, as now it's actually a relic). I had no sense of a vocation, I had simply offered my help for the summer in one of her houses in Guatemala, since I was learning Spanish at the time. No one says no to Mother Teresa, however.
Mother wrote, "you must help the poor in the Bronx, here is the number to my convent there. I will be looking for you when I come." I called the number on the letter, and the sister who answered seemed to be expecting my call. I made a date to visit the convent on a Saturday.

In the morning, as I parked up in the Fort Apache area of the Bronx, two policemen came to me, and said, "what's a nice girl like you doing here?!" I answered that I was going to the convent of the Missionaries of Charity, and they immediately understood.
I attended Mass kneeling on the carpeted floor of the simple chapel, adorned by a life-size crucifix under which were the words, "I thirst". Mother has this in all her chapels as a reminder to the sisters of Jesus' thirst for souls. The chapel was packed, yet silent after mass.
The sisters greeted me warmly, gave me a quick tour of the convent. They all sleep on simple cots in a single bedroom. I counted 40 beds. They share a single, mirrorless bathroom, it was true Evangelical poverty, and I was wordlessly impressed. The sisters then led me to the soup kitchen next door, where I met two other volunteers there, we shared breakfast, and began to chop a bushel of donated vegetables into the biggest soup pot I have ever seen. We were making vegetable soup for the poor's lunch. Three hours later, we were still chopping, and the sisters who had been washing windows while praying the rosary, told me they were going to a wedding of one of their volunteers, and that we were invited as well to help with the elderly.
A young doctor who had been volunteering with them for years, now rented two tour buses to transport the poorest of the poor from the South Bronx, to his wedding. Another example of the Gospel. "Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy. Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage. So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests."
I was to drive the sisters, two by two, to the projects to collect little old ladies, shut-ins, for a big party. As they left my car to bring the ladies, they prayed over me for my safety. I could see dangerous types prowling around these buildings, yet when they saw the sisters, they broke into wide grins, and waved. A thief had thrown a stolen wallet, sans cash, over the fence into the garden of the contemplative sisters, knowing the photos, license and credit cards would be returned. Even hardened criminals know love when they see it.
The ladies excitedly discussed the wedding in my car, none of them, as Baptists had ever been in a Catholic Church, and they were very curious. As we helped them walk to the buses, a tiny Indian sister walked into six busy lanes of Bronx traffic, and help up her hand so they could cross. Traffic stopped instantly. THIS is the power of love!
This memory has stayed with me this clearly for 16 years. Although I didn't have this vocation, I will always remember the joy of those sisters, many of whom I had seen on the Petrie sister's documentary video, Mother Teresa. Although it was a chill 20 degrees, and the sisters were wearing sandals, cotton saris, and cardigans, they joy was warm and infectious. I felt at home, and well-loved. Here is there secret: Mother had sent me a little yellow card with her letter saying,
"The fruit of silence is prayer,
the fruit of prayer is service,
the fruit of service is love,
the fruit of love is peace"
Mother Teresa