Dear Karen,

At Villa Maria House of Studies, we pray the Prayer of St. Alphonsus Liguori for Chapter at the end of Morning Prayer. I am intrigued by this prayer and was curious about where in the writings of St. Alphonsus it could be found. After some searching, I found it in a Kindle format under Pious Exercise to Obtain the Seven Gifts of the Holy Ghost by St Alphonsus Liguori. 

This Pious Exercise is a series of seven prayers invoking the Holy Spirit to obtain the gifts that we know so well: Fear of the Lord, Piety, Knowledge, Fortitude, Counsel, Understanding, and Wisdom. Tucked at the very end of these prayers is a section called, "Humble Supplication." It is there that I found the prayer that we pray each day. 

Truly, it is a humble supplication for me personally and for us as a Congregation. The more I pray it, the more I internalize what I am actually praying. 

Vivify us by your grace presumes the desire to be enlivened or animated by the unmerited gift of God's life within us. Sanctify us by your charity indicates that the desire to be set apart for a sacred purpose is obtained by the highest form of Divine love. Govern us by your infinite wisdom assumes that all our actions are performed with an innate ability to see beyond the surface and to discern the inner realities contained in all relationships and circumstances. 

As we prepare for Chapter, can we imagine our transformed selves and our transformed Congregation that is 

Vivified by grace

Sanctified by Divine charity 

Governed by God's infinite wisdom

We have been adopted by our God's bounty and we profess that we have been redeemed by God's infinite mercy. Isn't that what Chapter is all about? Our innate desire to never cease to bless, to praise, and to love our God now and in the life to come. 

As we immerse ourselves in the coming holy days of the Paschal Triduum and continue our Chapter preparations, may we intensify our humble supplication to truly understand for ourselves, for the Congregation, and for the world the fullness of the Plenteous Redemption in which we are vivified, sanctified, and governed. Isn't that the hope we want to communicate to all God's people that our Redeemer lives? 

Celebrating the blessings of this Easter Season with you, 

 Sister Mary Ellen IHM

April 1, 2023 

Saturday of the Fifth Week in Lent

All Chapter materials are available in the

Sisters' Section of the IHM Website

Sister Regina Karen McNeill IHM

Our apostolate at the OSP-IHM Border Mission “Mary, Comfort of Migrants” includes  receiving sisters and associates of the four congregations who would like to volunteer for brief periods.

For those who are planning to volunteer, please call Sister Rose Patrice Kuhn (215-313-7753) or Sister Mary Elaine Anderson (570-575-2325) about reserving space for your preferred dates of service. Our home can accommodate 1-4 volunteers at a given time. These are the dates that are available:

April 1-15    April 29 – May 13      June 10 – 24     June 24 – July 8

 July 8-22   July 22 – August 5   August 5 – 19   August 19 – Sept. 2 

Any sister who is interested in volunteering should contact her congregational leader to talk about financing her trip:

• Airfare (McAllen, Texas Airport – MFE)
• Food Stipend ($10 per day)

The OSP-IHM Border Community also has a commitment to accompany high school and university students that would like to participate in the mission. Students and their chaperones stay at the Basilica Hotel which is on the grounds of the National Shrine of Our Lady of San Juan del Valle. Student service groups often choose to participate in a Border Witness Program provided by ARISE (sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Mercy) as well as volunteer at the Humanitarian Respite Center (HRC) which is under the direction of Catholic Charities. Group leaders are responsible for contacting both organizations and setting up their schedule of activities. The sisters in the OSP-IHM Border Mission are available to meet with the students and their leaders. They volunteer side by side with them in McAllen, Texas, and in Reynosa, Mexico (if the group opts to cross the border). They also share prayer and one or more meals with them in their convent “Mary, Comfort of Migrants.”

During the past five weeks, we had the privilege of accompanying the following groups:

• Twelve students and two teachers from Holy Name Academy, Tampa, Florida (where Sister Lisa Perkowski ministers)

• Four students and two group leaders (including Sister Donna Korba) from Marywood University, Scranton, PA

We look forward to meeting more students from the schools and universities where our OSP and IHM sisters minister!

Marywood University volunteers at the Humanitarian Respite Center (Sister Donna Korba third from the left)

Sisters ministering to migrants in Texas' Rio Grande Valley gather with guests for Thanksgiving. Clockwise from left: SMH Sr. Beatrice Alaku; Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word Marilu Yanes; Holy Cross Sr. Catherine Before; Immaculate Heart of Mary Sr. Mary Elaine Anderson; IHM Sr. Camille Brouillard; Mercy Sr. Theresa Saetta; Ruth Tiguila; IHM Sr. Rose Patrice Kuhn; and Mercy Sr. Patricia Mulderick. (Courtesy of IHM Sr. Elvia Mata)

Sisters ministering to migrants in Texas' Rio Grande Valley gather with guests for Thanksgiving. Clockwise from left: SMH Sr. Beatrice Alaku; Sister of Charity of the Incarnate Word Marilu Yanes; Holy Cross Sr. Catherine Before; Immaculate Heart of Mary Sr. Mary Elaine Anderson; IHM Sr. Camille Brouillard; Mercy Sr. Theresa Saetta; Ruth Tiguila; IHM Sr. Rose Patrice Kuhn; and Mercy Sr. Patricia Mulderick. (Courtesy of IHM Sr. Elvia Mata)

After volunteering at US-Mexico border,

sisters move permanently

When Mercy Srs. Patricia Mulderick and Theresa Saetta responded in early 2021 to the call for volunteers to help serve migrants and asylum-seekers at the U.S. border with Mexico, they were overwhelmed by the need they found waiting for them.

"Most of us have been in areas where we've experienced a lot of poverty," Mulderick said. "But to be honest, I don't think I ever saw anything like when we first went over to Reynosa."



The need was so great, in fact, that after they went back home, the thought wouldn't leave them that they needed to do more. So, by September of that year, they both moved to the McAllen, Texas, area to minister permanently.

In July 2022, Mulderick and Saetta were joined by three Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, who bought a house nearby. Sr. Mary Elaine Anderson, Sr. Rose Patrice Kuhn and Sr. Elvia Mata have since been joined by IHM Sr. Carmen Armenta.

Both groups of sisters deliberately bought houses larger than they need so they can accommodate volunteers or even groups wanting to come minister.

"It's four bedrooms and an office, and the office becomes a bedroom when needed," Mulderick said. "We wanted our house to be a place where people could come and become more aware of what's going on, on both sides of the border." Read More

Sisters from several congregations who have moved to the Rio Grande Valley in Texas to minister to migrants in the area gathered to celebrate Thanksgiving together. (Courtesy of Immaculate Heart of Mary Sr. Rose Kuhn)

IHM Nun Run

Saturday, June 3, 2023—8:30 a.m. start time! 

We are so excited to welcome everyone back for the 2023 edition of the IHM Nun Run on Saturday, June 3, 2023! Our 5K run/3K walk will start and end at Camilla Hall and we look forward to another exciting day of family, friends, and fellowship!

For more information and to register,

please visit www.ihmnunrun.org.

Online and paper registration options

are available on the website. 



Register by May 13, 2023,

to be assured a t-shirt!

SIXTH EDITION OF THE IHM PICTORIAL DIRECTORY

Sisters, thank you for your splendid IHM cooperation during the recent picture taking for the Sixth edition of the IHM Pictorial Directory! The Congregation is giving each local community a complimentary copy and it will be available at the September 9, 2023, Local Leadership Meeting.  If any sister wishes to purchase her own Directory, the cost is $25 and it will be distributed at the meeting. 

Next week, we will send out a survey via Constant Contact to ascertain how many wish to purchase a book in order to give the printer an accurate count. No payment is necessary at this time. Thank you and God bless you!

Did You Know?

Many wonderful accounts and treasures in the Archives continue to tell the ongoing story of our IHM Congregation’s charism of Love, Creative Hope, and Fidelity! Click Here to see just a few of the inspiring examples.

Recently a group of Juniors and Seniors from Bishop Shanahan spent a retreat day visiting local Philadelphia Shrines. Their first stop was the IHM Motherhouse. The students were asked to write a reflection on the experience. Here are some of their observations:

I really didn't have to even consider this much. The chapel and the history of the IHM motherhouse was the best part of the Pilgrimage. I loved learning about the sisters, from the sisters. It is one thing learning the history of a shrines and attractions from guides, but learning about something from people who have experienced it makes it so much better for the learning aspect. The chapel was easily the most beautiful part of the entire Pilgrimage and I felt a real connection with God while I was there.

I thought that it was very interesting to see how the IHM sisters started as such a small community and have grown so much since then. I also specifically loved the section about their expansion into South America, I thought that it was very interesting and informative.

I really enjoyed the Heritage Room because it was nice to see all of the history that is built into the IHM Sisters. I didn't know most of the information that was in the room, so all of it was very interesting. It was also really cool to see what the sisters have participated in other than the regular duties that they have. The Chapel and hallway display were also very interesting, sharing aspects of the history and legacy of the IHM Sisters, but the Heritage Room brought it all together and elaborated each point.

I liked the IHM chapel because of all the meaning and little details that went into building it. My favorite part was the heart shaped skylight.

I liked the Chapel part of the tour the best purely because of how amazing it was. The Heritage Room and the Hallway Display were interesting to see the history of the IHM Sisters, especially the history of where the Motherhouse has been, but the Chapel was so beautifully built and fascinating to learn about all the different parts of its design.

Thank you to Father Donia, Sisters Marianne Lallone, and Sister Christina Roberts for planning this retreat experience. Gratitude is also extended to the Sisters at the Motherhouse Sister Helene Thomas Connelly and Sister Regina Plunkett for their gracious hospitality and informative tours.