Little Hands Divine

This beautiful song was composed by the renowned Irish musician and composer, Gerard Fahy, as a gift for the Sisters MICM, who put original lyrics to it. A simple but profound meditation, the song focuses on Our Lord’s hands at Bethlehem, at Calvary, and at the hour of our death. The hands of Jesus are always outstretched to receive you! Little in the Crib, bleeding on the Cross, ready to be held, kissed, and adored, for They are Divine!

We are very grateful to Gerard for this very special gift and hope that many souls are touched by it.

Little Hands Divine

Close by His cradle, gazing in awe,
See our God lying in the straw
His gentle Mother calls to me to come
To hold His little Hand in mine.

I now embrace the One I adore;
He Whom angels bow down before,
What hidden strength, and power lie within
These little sacred Hands Divine.

As choirs of angels sing to their Infant King
Gloria in excelsis, the Heavens ring,
Dear little Hands that made this wondrous sight
I now kiss and hold in mine.

Through the years I can see these Hands nailed for me,
That same love soon will lead Him to Calvary.

In tears I tremble looking at those nails
That will pierce these little Hands Divine.

Soon I will hear Thy calling to me,
Soon will come death, my own Calvary,
But sweet the thought that then Thy Hands will hold
My own dying hands in Thine.

And what joy, it will once more be Christmas again,
I will see Thy sweet Face from Bethlehem,
I’ll be spending all eternity
With Thy little Sacred Hands in mine.

Let me hold Thy little Hands Divine.

Saint Patrick’s Day 2024

We love Saint Patrick’s Day here at the monastery, and we love our Irish Apostle! This year, our annual Talent Night took place on the eve of the feast and was such a great show! The Sisters performed two songs. The first song was a re-write of a country tune we had debuted last year at Morning Star Camp called “God’s Soldier.” (Watch the video below.) The song tells the story of the great mission of Saint Joan of Arc, and reminds us that “everything is possible with God”! The second song is a brand new song that we hope to share on video soon! The next day, St. Patrick’s Day, was also a Sunday, and we celebrated with a feast of corned beef, cabbage, Irish soda bread, and green water! It’s the small things that make the memories!

Corned Beef and Cabbage on Saint Patrick's Day!
Sister Marie -Therese's traditional Soda Bread!
Monastery Tradition of green water on Saint Patrick's Day!

Monastery Christmas

Here at the monastery, we love decorating for Christmas. From our monastery’s Alpine-decorated Immaculate Heart of Mary Chapel to our little “Gate of Heaven” Chapel at the convent, everything is festive looking and ready to welcome the Little Infant Jesus! Take a look and see the preparations in action!

May 13th First Profession

Sister Mary Anne came from Singapore to Still River almost three years ago and entered as a Postulant. While attending the Traditional Mass in her native country, she met a family from Chicago who were parishioners of the same church. One day she mentioned to them that she was discerning a vocation to the religious life and they directed her to the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. She soon visited and then decided to join. Having spent the two required years in the Novitiate, Sister Mary Anne made her First Profession as a Spouse of Christ on the glorious feast of Our Lady of Fatima, vowing Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience to Jesus through Mary.

We are happy to share the moving ceremony of First Profession in a short video below and a gallery of photos from this important day. Please pray for Sister Mary Anne, MICM, the new Bride of Christ.

Our Lady of Fatima

Sister Maria Faustina, MICM, speaks about devotion to Our Lady as our Mother, Our Lady of Fatima and the Rosary. A sweet and simple meditation for the month of May! Ave Maria!

Mass of All Time (Song)

One of our Sisters wrote the words of song to promote and defend the Latin Mass to the tune of “The Town I Love So Well.” Saint Louis Marie de Montfort, was famous for using the popular melodies of his times with the lyrics of his poems to catechize. In ths spirit of Saint Louis Marie, it is our objective to spread the Faith in the same way.

We were happy to record it here at the monastery recently to make these beautiful thoughts available to others. Please watch the video below (read the lyrics below the video) and then like, share, and spread the message of this beautiful song to everyone you know! Keep the Faith! Defend the Mass!

Mass of All Time

In my memory, I will always see
The ancient Mass I have loved so well
Unchanged through time, a mystery sublime
Bringing God to the altar to dwell.
How reverently is the Lamb of God received
How grand its beauty and its splendor
Filled with love untold, like the Cross of old
Is the true Holy Mass of all time.

Heaven comes to earth, not a sound can be heard
For the silence tells that God is near
Every solemn face, in that most sacred place
Bending low with reverence and fear.
At the sound of the bell, every heart starts to swell
To see God the Son raised o’er the altar,
And we gaze in awe at our Lord and our God
At the true Holy Mass of all time.

In the ages past, it was always the Mass
Giving martyrs the strength to endure any pain
They laid down their lives,
they would rather have died
Than deny their God and their Faith.
Though the storms did rage,
persecution went and came
They kept safe that great and precious treasure
In fields and in farms, and in all faithful hearts
Was preserved the true Mass of all time.

Now in our own day, they would try to take away
What our fathers in Faith did fight to defend
The Mass which survived,
for which Saints gave their lives
They dare try to change and to end.
But a gift so sublime, a treasure so Divine
Can never be destroyed or ended
It will always remain, eternally the same
As the true Holy Mass of all time.

From Calvary, unto eternity
Ever blessed be God on the altar
His Most Precious Blood, His infinite love
For us will remain forever.
Let us kneel and adore, let us love forevermore
This Sacred Mass of all the ages
And our hearts will defend until the very end
The Tridentine Rite for all time.

 

Lyrics by Sisters, Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Saint Benedict Center, Harvard, MA.

Sisters Make Maple Syrup

Every year we tap over 100 sugar maple trees here on the monastery grounds, and make our own monastery maple syrup! A few years ago the Brothers MICM built a quaint little sugar shack in our backyard where Sister Brigid Mary, MICM, makes the maple syrup magic happen! Here’s a quick video to show you how it’s done!

Morning Star Camps 2022

A priest friend once told us that in religious life there is no vacation – only a change of occupation! How true it is! Come June, the school doors close and the doors of our Morning Star Summer Camps open! Once again, we had a full schedule of four weeks, with a turnover of about 100 campers each week.

The Morning Star Camps opened with our Leadership program for teenage girls 14-18. The weather was cooler than “summer camp” expectations, but along with a great group of campers, the activities, leadership presentations, guest speakers, and various events, all added in to make a truly memorable week! The most challenging part of the week was transporting our 21 out-of-state campers to and from the airport! Thankfully, our IHM marching band bus answered the call.

The second week of camps was the regular Morning Star program hosting 100 girls ages 10-14 in the bright pink camp t-shirts of the year! It was a colorful week with a fun and fun-loving group that enjoyed the 41-year-old program that never grows old! A highlight of the week was the day every fisher in our little fishing boat caught a good size fish! There were plenty of bass for Sister to filet that evening!

After a week’s reprieve back at the monastery while the Montfort Boys’ Camp took place, we were ready to start our second session! Morning Star Teen Week was a full house once again, and an enjoyable experience for all! It is the perfect bridge program between our regular camp programs and our leadership program. There were so many talented young ladies! Campfires were spirited, to say the least – those living on the other side of the lake attested to that!

The final week was another week of regular Morning Star with more girls trekking into the camp from all over the country! Six short days of Mass, prayer, religious instruction, music, arts & crafts, sailing, swimming, etc., left everyone wanting more! Soon it was time to pack up and leave the little cabin homes until next year! But there were plenty of memories made to hold everyone over until MSC 2023!

Morning Star Leadership Camp 2022.
The first week of Morning Star Camp for Catholic Girls 2022.
Morning Star Teen Week 2022.
The second week of Morning Star Camp for Catholic Girls 2022.

Special thanks to all who helped and supported our Morning Star Camps this year! Thanks to you, and the help of our 45 counselors – MSC was shining once again! May Our Lady bless and guide you all! Follow Mary, the Morning Star!

St Patrick’s Talent Night

The Sisters perform at our annual Saint Patrick’s Day Talent Night every year! It is always an enjoyable show of varied talent and good ol’ time Irish spirit! This year, the Sisters sang the songs “The Green Fields of France,” and “The Rambles of Spring.” Enjoy the performance in the videos below.

The Talent Night was held on the feast of Saint Joseph this year! Read more about the festive evening we had for both Saints on the Saint Benedict Center site here.

Build Your Spiritual Christmas Crib!

Build a Spriritual Christmas Crib in your heart to prepare for the birth of Christ!

Written by Fr. Frederic Nelson, the “Spiritual Christmas Crib” gives a practice and prayer for each day of December until Christmas. Each day is a part of the stable that you prepare by practicing the suggested exercise and reciting the prayer as often as you can throughout the day.

The Sisters love this devotion so much that we make a version you can buy for your home… but we also wanted to share each day in a video form as found below! These videos were made for Advent of 2020, and were posted originally on our facebook page.

Enjoy this perfect Advent activity with your whole family … and the Sisters too! Come Lord Jesus!

Saint Patrick’s Day Songs

Every year the Sisters perform at the Saint Patrick’s Day Talent Night here at the monastery! This year we sang two pieces that were popular tunes with new lyrics written by the Sisters.

The first song, written to the tune of the traditional Irish song, “Maggie,” was re-written as “Saint Joseph’s Memorare.” The words are written to be as if Saint Joseph is speaking to the Blessed Mother, remembering the childhood of Christ and the years of the Hidden Life in Nazareth.

Saint Joseph’s Memorare

Remember that night long ago, Mary,
A poor stable bare and cold;
When God came from Heaven to us, Mary,
You gave Him to me to hold.
The beauty, the love of that moment, Mary,
My poor hands trembling all the while;
No time on this earth can compare, Mary,
To when I first saw God smile.

 Remember watching Him grow, Mary,
His first little steps to my arms;
The first time He called out my name, Mary,
With infinite sweetness and charm.

And as He would work by my side, Mary,
Holding His little Hand in mine;
I wondered in awe that I taught, Mary,
Our little Creator Divine.

‘Twas Heaven on earth that we spent, Mary,
Those days back in Galilee;
Having and holding the one, Mary,
Whom prophets and kings longed to see.
The years have gone by, time has flown, Mary,
To think that God became our Son…
Ah, ‘tis sweet to remember with you, Mary,

The second song was written to an upbeat country song which was ironically named “It’s America.” The rewritten version was entitled “The Immaculate” and is a musical reminder that America is consecrated to the Immaculate Conception, and she will always be our confidence and strong defense!

The Immaculate

Immaculate she was conceived,
God’s perfect masterpiece
She leads the armies of our God against the evil foe.
In the end she’ll crush his head
And he lies and waits in dread
The pure and humble woman who was promised long ago
The Immaculate

Chorus
She’s the glorious one
She’s as bright as the sun
Like an army in array
She’s our strong defense
She’s our confidence
For she is so full of grace
She shields from harm with open arms
Her children and her slaves
The Immaculate 

Through the years the battles raged
Fierce wars the Church has waged.
In her dangers, in her needs, she calls for help on high.
Mary always hastens there
Close to hear the fervent prayers
All the enemies of God, our Queen has put to flight
The Immaculate

Now when this war is at its height
The name of Mary is our battle cry!

For she’s our queen in command
She will lead the advance
And our hearts we consecrate
To the conquering woman whose loving hand will defend our Catholic Faith!

 

Lyrics written by the Sisters MICM

 

Giving Tuesday & School Expansion

It’s almost Giving Tuesday and our IHM School Expansion Project is well underway!
Sister Magdalene Marie, Sister Maria Faustina, and Sister Mary Jacinta are excited to give you an update of what has taken place on the school construction since the Sisters’ initial video, one year ago.
Watch the video below…, and then read all about the Expansion Project by visiting the school website! Be sure to share, donate and keep this important project in your prayers!