Who's Who With The Slaves Of The Immaculate Heart Of Mary

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

Since I have know the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (their initials are MICM) for 37 years I thought I could help you all get unconfused and clear up some misunderstandings!

The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were originally a lay group founded by Fr. Leonard Feeney SJ in Boston in the 1940's. Due to a controversy (that was also alot of politics!) centered on a strict interpretation of the doctrine of the Church, Outside the Church there is no salvation, Fr. Feeney was excommunicated for disobedience for failing to come to Rome when called. There have always been doubts as to the validity of this excommunication because of the canonical procedure but that is a whole other story.

Saint Benedict Center (the Slaves) were placed under interdict by the Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Cushing. This does not mean excommunication.

Eventually, they moved in 1958 to Still River, MA. So, the interdict no longer held force as this is out of the Boston Archdiocese.

In 1972 Fr. Feeney was reconciled to the Church in a simple ceremony that was really more of form than anything else. All Fr. Feeney was required to do was recited the Creed. He was not required to recant anything.

By the early 70's there was differences of opinion on the government of the female and male communities at St. Benedict Center.

Eventually, and very sadly there were 5 factions. One group is now St. Benedict Abbey.www.abbey.org and another is St. Scholastica Priory. www.stscholasticapriory.org These are full Benedictine houses.

The MICM of St. Ann's House (the original group) were regularized by Bishop Harrington in 1988 under the personal guidance of the head of the CDF....C. Ratzinger! They are now a Society of Apostolic Life.

The MICM "down the street" www.saintbenedict.com are a society of apostolic life or a public association of the faithful. I'm not sure which at this point. This made of brothers and sisters who all entered in the 70's onward. None are members of the original groups. They, like the older members, enjoy the full approval and regard of the local ordinary and work very closely with the diocese.

The MICM in NH www.catholicism.org are a private association of the faithful and I believe on their way of becoming a public association. Just recently the Bishop appointed their chaplain. Their status as a religious community was irregular although they have never been out of communion with the Catholic Church.

While one may not agree with their interpretation of this doctrine of the Church the Church has in fact said that it is totally in line with the Church and what the Church has taught for centuries. People say that the MICM say that non Catholics go to hell. I never heard that once. What they say is that God, through Jesus has revealed the way of salvation and this is GOOD NEWS and the most wonderful gift of God! All their neighbors eventually became Catholic because of their witness!

They have a strong devotion to the Holy Eucharist and the Blessed Mother and live De Monfort Consecration. St. Benedict Center is a very joyful place and while they have the Extraordinary Form of the Mass and are traditional they do not call themselves that and prefer to be considered simply Catholic.

If you have questions about a particular branch just contact them. They are always happy to answer questions. For many years all the different groups have been in harmony and consider that they have 1 founder but express the charisms in slightly different ways, much like the Franciscans do! While the older sisters at St. Ann's House are like my aunts I would recommend any young woman to contact the sisters at www.saintbenedict.com if they are interested in them. They are 15 sisters and have a postulant right now.

I hope this clears up the confusion!

God bless you!
Sr. Mary Catharine

[Mary's Margaret]

Thank-you, Sr. Mary Catharine. Your posting certainly unties some very confusing knots for me. From their website, the St. Benedict Centre Sisters do seem to have the joy of the Lord. Wish I were closer and could attend a Mass with them.

[HopefulBride]

So all five factions are now in line with Rome?

[sistersintigo]

[quote name='Sr. Mary Catharine' timestamp='1318703029' post='2321651']
The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were originally a lay group founded by Fr. Leonard Feeney SJ in Boston in the 1940's.

Saint Benedict Center (the Slaves) were placed under interdict by the Cardinal Archbishop of Boston, Cardinal Cushing. This does not mean excommunication.

Eventually, they moved in 1958 to Still River, MA. So, the interdict no longer held force as this is out of the Boston Archdiocese.



By the early 70's there was differences of opinion on the government of the female and male communities at St. Benedict Center.

Eventually, and very sadly there were 5 factions. One group is now St. Benedict Abbey.www.abbey.org and another is St. Scholastica Priory. www.stscholasticapriory.org These are full Benedictine houses.
[/quote]

Correct me if I am mistaken:
the two websites above, for the monks (St Benedict) and the moniales/nuns (St Scholastica, too small to be elevated to the status of an abbey) --
are both located, are they not, in Petersham, Massachusetts? The Abbey is where our own Staretz/Br Bruno may transfer, yes?
That said, I am in agreement with Sr Mary Catharine's history, in that
the Petersham Benedictines (the monks, certainly) moved to Petersham from the Still River Benedictines decades ago.

So St Mary Catharine (OP, God love her) is strictly correct to identify the two Petersham houses
as "factions" from Still River/MICM origins.

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

None of the communities were ever out of communion with the Holy Father.

The monks at Still River are an abbey: www.abbey.org
The monks at Petersham are a monastery, St. Mary's Monastery and was founded by 2 of the original brothers of St. Benedict Center. This is in Petersham!

You can't say they are static!

And yes, Startz is going to St. Mary's Monastery!

[EWIE]

Always right up on all the news, eh Catherine?

[OnlySunshine]

Thank you, Sr. Mary Catharine, for setting the story straight. It certainly helps alot!

[Sister Andrew]

Thanks so much Sr. Mary Catherine!
I've heard different things about these groups but it was always a bit hard to make heads or tails of it. This info is very helpful!
in Jesus, through Mary,
Sr. Andrew

[sistersintigo]

[quote name='Sr. Mary Catharine' timestamp='1318713689' post='2321741']
The monks at Petersham are a monastery, St. Mary's Monastery and was founded by 2 of the original brothers of St. Benedict Center. This is in Petersham!

You can't say they are static!

And yes, Startz is going to St. Mary's Monastery!
[/quote]

I looked it up:
the two founders from Harvard University, and its St Benedict [fr Feeney] Center, were the Maronite/Lebanese priest Rev Cyril Karam (died 1990) and the Catalonian/Spanish geologist Joan B Ribera i Faig. These men came to Harvard from extremely diverse points of departure, and unless I'm mistaken, the St Benedict Center there, and the original Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, were the things that brought the two men together.
I guess that both of them were in Still River although I have to find substantiation for this.
These two men, with a third companion who appears to have left them at some point, came together to Petersham.
The website for the Benedictine monks of Petersham only mentions these co-founders in passing. You have to scroll down the page to find it.

"St Mary's Monastery owes its origin to a priest and two companions who, in 1985, with the permission of the Bishop of [the diocese of] Worcester [Mass.], began to live the monastic life here."
[url="http://www.stmarysmonastery.org/community.html"]http://www.stmarysmonastery.org/community.html[/url]

I stand corrected, Sr Mary Catherine is correct -- Petersham is not an abbey, the abbey is St Benedict's in Still River.
The two Petersham monasteries (one for monks, one for nuns) are dependent houses of abbeys in England in the Subiaco Congregation of Benedictines, in the Congregation's "English Province".
[url="http://www.subiacocongregation.com/directory/index.php?s_Province=5&s_AltName=&s_CommonName="]http://www.subiacocongregation.com/directory/index.php?s_Province=5&s_AltName=&s_CommonName=[/url]

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

Yes, you're correct, Fr. Cyril and Bro. Stanislaus were both part of the original groups at St. Benedict Center. I knew them well. Bro. Stanislaus was especially dear to me. As a teenager I remember especially enjoying when his family came over from Spain to visit...especially his nephew! Bro. Stanislaus also taught me Spanish.
Fr. Cyril I didn't know as well as he was so intelligent I was shy around him. His parents were so sweet but his dad was equally brilliant! He was my sister's substitute math teacher in high school and she almost dropped out!
Both were, I believe, very holy.

[DameAgnes]

[quote name='EWIE' timestamp='1318715093' post='2321747']
Always right up on all the news, eh Catherine?
[/quote]

Monastics do a good job of keeping each others communities informed.

[brandelynmarie]

Thanks Sr. Mary Catharine. It's kinda like the communities are all cousins.

[sistersintigo]

A few other things:

Should you try to locate Still River, Massachusetts -- in an internet search, for example -- and in some circumstances draw a complete blank, don't feel bad about it....
Worcester County, Mass., has a town named Harvard (west of Interstate 495, the great outside wheel-rim of the Hub that is Boston). Harvard includes Still River which was once 'way out in the country. The Still River zipcode is part of Harvard's zip-code list. And Harvard, Mass. does indeed have a Still River Road., on which the MICM/Benedictines live.

St Scholastica's Priory, the Benedictine nuns of Petersham, Mass., is now dependent upon the English Province of the Subiaco Congregation of the Order of St Benedict. That said, the nuns have strong historic ties to Stanbrook Abbey in England, which I believe is in a different Benedictine congregation.

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

Hey, Still River has its own Post Office! It's a room about the size of my office here in the monastery! The government is always going to close it but it's probably one of the busiest POs around since it's on the main road!

The area is still pretty much way out in the country but not anything like when I was a kid. Most of the dairy, black angus and pig farms are gone. So sad.
My parents will tell me that there is a lot of traffic going by the house and when I ask what they mean they say, "About 5 cars at once!" :-)

[sistersintigo]

[quote name='sistersintigo' timestamp='1318896764' post='2322943']
St Scholastica's Priory, the Benedictine nuns of Petersham, Mass., is now dependent upon the English Province of the Subiaco Congregation of the Order of St Benedict. That said, the nuns have strong historic ties to Stanbrook Abbey in England, which I believe is in a different Benedictine congregation.
[/quote]
I have another question for Sr Mary Catharine, regarding her acquaintance with the Still River Benedictines.
For four pivotal years, the Still River Benedictines had three people aiding them through transition, in the early 1980's: they were fr. Vincent Tobin OSB from St Meinrad Abbey, and Dame Gertrude Brown OSB with Dame Anne Field OSB, from Stanbrook Abbey. This is summarized in a paper from the English Benedictines (online in a .pdf file) which profiles the life of Dame Gertrude. Their purpose in Still River was to provide a Benedictine novitiate for the community members.
Sister, was that when you were there? Did you encounter the two Stanbrook Abbey Dames in person?