"America! A foundation in the States? Why not? In fact, it seemed almost obligatory seeing as many young American girls have arrived and continue to arrive at our doorstep seeking admittance."
Dear Friends,
One of the characteristics of Archbishop Lefebvre’s tenure as archbishop of Dakar from 1947-1962 was his great zeal in bringing religious to his diocese and fostering the religious life there. “Since there were not enough missionaries, and vocations were getting rarer, I took the initiative and appealed for help to other congregations…If one wanted to develop the apostolate, one had to find a greater number of workers for the harvest” (Marcel Lefebvre: The Biography, p. 175). Find them he did! Marists, Missionaries of the Sacred Heart, Brothers of St. Gabriel, Brothers of the Sacred Heart, Franciscan Missionary Sisters of Mary, Benedictines from Solemnes, Carmelite nuns, and several other orders all came to Dakar at the request of the Archbishop, to the great benefit of his diocese.
The U.S. District is blessed to have several religious orders present within its borders: the Sisters and Oblates of the SSPX, the Brothers of the SSPX, the Dominican Sisters of Fanjeaux, Carmelite nuns, Benedictine monks and nuns, and the Franciscan Sisters.
Having religious among us provides us examples of the consecrated life, lifts up our gaze to heavenly things, detaches us from this world, and draws us closer to Our Lord. We see His life replicated before us, through the faithful living of the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. Our youth are inspired to imitate the virtues they observe in the religious and sometimes as well to dedicate their lives to God.
It is thus a great joy for me to welcome to our District the Consoling Sisters of the Sacred Heart. The congregation was founded in 1961 by Fr. Basilio Rosati in Italy, and was entrusted by Fr. Basilio in 1996 to Fr. Emmanuel du Chalard of the SSPX. The mission of the Sisters is to console the Sacred Heart of Our Lord by loving Him and making Him loved by others. The Sisters pray for priestly vocations and the sanctification of priests, and assist the priests in their apostolate. They particularly dedicate themselves to works of Catholic formation of youth.
Since August, five Consoling Sisters have been residing at our priory in Phoenix. They have been teaching at the school, assisting in the sacristy, singing the Divine Office, and organizing activities for the youth.
One of the factors that made this new foundation of the Consoling Sisters possible is the fact that their congregation has been blessed with a number of American vocations. Currently, 40% of the congregation’s members come from the United States, and three of the five Sisters in Phoenix are Americans. If the congregation attracted so many vocations while not being in the USA, we may hope that many more may be led to join by their presence here.
May Our Lord grant us many holy religious vocations for the great benefit of our District and the salvation of souls.
Fr. John Fullerton
US District Superior
