Traddy Tuesday

+LDM

Happy Tuesday! We are almost to Lent!  Awesome.
Today seems like a good day to start something.  Like posting traddy religious communities.  As someone discerning the religious life (and a hardcore traddy), I thought it was SO hard to find good solid communities. It turns out once you get into the circle a little bit, you find a ton.  So, I want to share them.

The first community I want to share is the Handmaids of the Heart of Jesus.
These women are SO beautiful.

The Handmaids are a baby community in the Diocese of New Ulm.  Can I get an Amen for awesome religious communities in Minnesota? They were formed in the heart of Mother Mary Clare in response to Bl John Paul II's call for the new evangelization.  Their apostolate consists of serving and praying for priests in whatever way they can.  Some of the sisters teach CCD, help out in the Catholic school, sing in the church choir, and do sacristan work.  Hold on, I just want to mention these women can SING!  They sing the most beautiful Litany to the Sacred Heart of Jesus I've ever heard in my entire life.  Anyway, their life is centered around the Eucharist. They pray two holy hours a day (on the wooden floor, no kneelers!) and have a prayer day once a week.  My friend from a different community fondly calls the Handmaids the "Oreo sisters" because they wear a black habit with white scapular and white veil.  Mother Mary Clare said that their habits are a reflection of the priesthood.  No, they don't want to be priests. At all.  But, they desire to serve the priesthood, and their habits reflect that.

So, why do I love these sisters?
-They are absolutely faithful to Holy Mother Church.
-They love the Eucharist.
-They love Mary.
-They have a hardcore prayer life. Hardcore.
-They are so incredibly joyful. Not just happy, but joyful.
-They're a smaller community (8 Sisters + 1 Postulant)
-They have a great love for tradition.  They don't attend the TLM, but they are incredibly focused on bringing out and educating the truth of Vatican II, not the fluffy junk.

These sisters have had an incredible year!  In August they moved into a new convent right in New Ulm next to the Cathedral.  Bishop Levoir gave them his middle school.  Oh yeah, something I forgot to say...the Handmaids live off Divine Providence. Awesome.  They turned an old school into a beautiful convent for practically nothing, the Lord provided tons of super generous people.  It's still a work in progress, but it is gorgeous.

So, I'm sure all of the women want to join now. Haha.  Okay, maybe some of the women want to visit them and check them out.  You want the website. Well, they don't have one.  Ha!  I think that makes them even traddier! But....they do e-mail people. And...it just so happens they have a Come and See in the near future.

Wow. Isn't that nice?
I'm not sure you can read that.
Don't worry, I'll tell you.

March 23-25, 2012
3:30 pm Friday to 1:00 pm Sunday
Young women 18-30

Dying to go?
Email Sr. Regina Marie, ACJ at handmaids1@gmail.com
You won't regret going.
If nothing else they are just a super beautiful community.

Oh yeah, my bragging right to the Handmaids.  My best friend is their postulant!

So...get out there are be Traddy!  Have a great week!


Update:
The Handmaids now have a website!  If the front page picture doesn't depict religious life, I'm not sure what does.  Check it out here