The Ursuline Sisters, who have served in Santa Rosa for more than 130 years, are announcing the sale of their property at 400 Angela Drive in Santa Rosa to the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa.
After careful, sometimes painful discernment, the Ursuline Sisters have determined that they are no longer able to carry on their ministries from this location. Three years ago, Angela Center building was lost in the 2017 Tubbs Wildfire. The convent also suffered significant damage as did the surrounding landscape. It has taken three years to repair the damage, to rebuild the maintenance building, and return the grounds to a safe condition. Hence, a recent decision was made to sell the convent, as well as the adjacent property. The sisters wish to express their deepest gratitude to all the people who have supported them and graced their halls and grounds. We are truly blessed.
It is our desire that the Marian Sisters enjoy the property and make it their home for many years to come.
The founding sisters of the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa, natives of California, were invited by Bishop Robert Vasa to establish the community in 2012. The community has grown rapidly and serves the Roman Catholic Diocese of Santa Rosa in the Catholic schools, chancery, and parish offices, as well as through catechetical instruction, retreat talks, youth events, liturgical music, and sacristy care.
“We are honored to work with the Ursuline Sisters through this transition,” Reverend Mother Teresa Christe, MSSR stated, “and we look forward to continuing to use this property for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. The acquisition of the property is a big step in deepening our roots in this community.”
The Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa hope to establish residence at Ursula Hall in Spring 2021.
For more information about the Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa, visit www.mariansisters.com.
The above comes from a Jan. 21 release from the Diocese of Santa Rosa.
This is another sign of hope for the Church. Another young, growing religious community. When we embrace our Catholic faith, pray together and even are unafraid to “look” Catholic, vocations thrive.
“Our desire as Marian Sisters of Santa Rosa is to live and love at the heart of the Church. This is, in part, lived out through our charism of living the fullness of the Church’s liturgical life. When our Holy Father Emeritus Benedict XVI issued the Moto Proprio Summorum Pontificum and the accompanying letter to the Bishops in 2007, he envisioned that the peaceful mutual enrichment of the Extraordinary and Ordinary Forms of the Roman Rite would be ‘an interior reconciliation in the heart of the Church.’ This Moto Proprio concerning the place, usage, and celebration of the Extraordinary Form of the Latin Rite Liturgy influenced the founding of our community and continues to influence the living of our consecrated life. Our good Bishop, Bishop Robert F. Vasa, invited our Superiors to found a community to make visible the invisible reality of God’s love in the Diocese of Santa Rosa.” Thanks be to God.
There is a very large Benedictine monastery in my state that is in steep decline from age and lack of vocations. It’s member’s progressive philosophies since the 1970’s are ultimately at the root of the decline, but they don’t see it that way, unfortunately. There was much concern about what would happen to it once there were so few nuns to run/maintain it, but this story gives great hope. Our bishop is cut from the same cloth as Bp. Vasa and has undoubtedly been keeping an eye on the situation. He has already invited outside faithful religious orders into the diocese to establish a presence and if what Bp. Vasa is doing is any indication of what is in the minds of “orthodox” bishops in these days of crisis in the faith, I hope I can look forward to an invitation being extended to one of the many vibrant, young and holy orders of sisters from around the country. Great story.
The age difference of the sisters in photographs of the two orders speaks volumes. No pictures of the Ursulines in this story, I know, but a simple search demonstrates the point. This isn’t lost on anyone and the reasons for it are self evident. The cognitive dissonance required to explain them away is truly breathtaking especially considering who it is in the hierarchy that give the impression of being blissfully ignorant (they’re not).
Loved the note: Marian Sisters wear habits, not lay street clothes. They outwardly profess by their attire, they are brides of our beloved Christ. So wonderful to see. This is true of most of the growing orders.
Is that the one at Mt. Angel? They were so sadly destroyed after Vatican II, but continued on– lay clothes and all!
The above reply was to the post written by Mark on Jan. 22, at 1:46 pm.
When they first arrived in Santa Rosa Bishop Vasa gave up his home for them. Now look at what the two sister Sisters have grown. A mustard seed planted in Santa Rosa, a very liberal area, has been so blessed. Faith, hard work, and genuine kindness has produced an abundant yeild.
It does my heart good to see the good young sisters in habits.
Why the different colored head coverings?
A novice is a person who enters a religious order under probation. The novices have on the white headdresses.
The white ones have not yet taken their final vows?
Fully professed black veils. White veils for novices, most likely. Some communities have no coverings for postulants, those just beginning their journey of discernment into the religious life.
the ones with white veils are new novices
This is good news for the church. If this was a business, which it is not, I would ask these sisters to put on seminars across the country to teach other orders their “best practices.” They are doing something that attracts young women to join them. Our culture tells us that this growth is anti-culture, so what is it. What is the attraction? What is the endearing message that attracts? Why? The answers may help other orders grow rather than wither. It has to be more than we are traditional, or we wear the veil. Or maybe it isn’t. Let’s dig deep on this one.
Love for God lived in a profound prayer life, Eucharistic adoration, devotion to the Church and to the Eucharist, espousal to Christ, a life of obedience and service, Marian consecration,
Mary, my Mother,
Live in me, act in me,
Speak in and through me.
Think your thoughts in my mind.
Love through my heart.
Give me your dispositions and feelings.
Teach, lead, and guide me to Jesus.
Correct, enlighten, and expand my thoughts and behavior.
Possess my soul.
Take over my entire personality and life.
Replace it with yourself.
Incline me to constant adoration and thanksgiving.
Pray in me and through me; let me live in you,
And keep me in this union always. Amen.
From their website
How beautiful! I wonder if they also have a lay order, for Catholic laymen, like the lay orders of Franciscans, Carmelites, etc.?? That would be just wonderful! Love their Marian Consecration! I will look on their website.
Bob One not surprisingly misses the obvious, these young ladies are attracted to the traditional/orthodox teachings of the Church, rejecting the failed “spirit of Vatican 2”. They are in a sense telling the grey haired hippies that all your reforms and “openness” to the world were a gigantic failure. Perhaps Bob One should look at other growing orders such as Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles and the Sisters of Life all young, all growing, all orthodox/traditional. How’s that for a deep dive.
bohemond, I hope you are correct. If so, there are models for other orders to follow. When I was growing up, all the nuns wore habits. Some of the headpieces were, shall we say different. But they were listened to by Protestants and Catholics, were recognizable on the street, and went about their good work quietly. The habit made them different from other women. I would vote for nuns wearing the habit, but very few nuns would vote for it, me thinks.
I would vote for nuns wearing the habit, but very few nuns would vote for it, me thinks. Me thinks you are wrong since it’s the growing orders like the one mentioned here that are the ones where the full habit is worn by the nuns. Pant suits are out;tradition is in.
Did everyone see the puppy in the picture?
Is the puppy a novice or fully professed?
Hard to tell
A) i was relieved not to see any polyester pant-suits
B) didn’t the ursulines “educate” melinda gates in high school?
Love the Marian Sisters! Notice how they are subservient to the local Bishop and the Holy Father – they are not bucking to be ordained as priests. These sisters know their place in God’s creation and accept it. Hopefully, through their ministries, these sisters are influencing many young people and helping them see the beauty of God’s created male and female roles. For married couples Ephesians 5 comes to mind: wives be subservient (or obedient) to your husbands. Glory be to God!
and the man should be willing to die for his wife as Christ died for his Bride the Church. So says St. Paul.
Of course wifely obedience pertains only to what is right and good in the eyes of the Lord. If a husband were to tell his wife to steal luxury items from the local grocery store or help him murder an innocent person, the wife should not obey. Like a priest or bishop, he cannot force her to commit a crime.
Anne Te: of course. Let’s not throw out common sense.
Love their pretty, flowing, soft, feminine (not stiff and starched) blue and white religious habits (the colors of Our Lady are blue and white); love their dedication to Our Lady, love their catechetical charisn, way of life, old Latin Mass, Adoration, Rosary, etc. etc. If I were young, they might inspire me to think about a possible vocation! Well, I will keep my eyes out, and see if these nuns ever decide to also form a lay group of some type.
I am not a “fanatic” believer, Christian Love is the heart of our Faith. But I do believe in orthodoxy and Tradition, and I prefer the old Latin Mass. To find a stable Catholic religious group of fellow believers, that I might join and feel happy and comfortable serving, plus, to learn more and grow in my Faith– that would be a wonderful thing! So many Catholic endeavors I have joined over the years, since Vatican II, have had too much painful tension between true believers and “Cafeteria Catholic” liberals— resulting in a big mess, and then, falling to pieces– or else, the “Cafeteria Catholics” get their way, and the rest of us quietly drop out. I don’t believe it’s right, to try to compel others in a religious group, to believe as you do– even if you really feel you are correct! That is the job of the clerical leaders of our Church, to formally teach and preach the Catholic Faith, and establish proper guidelines for the faithful to follow and abide by, in their parishes, and in all Church-related endeavors. But clerical leaders no longer do their jobs very well! So, I believe it is best to just find a group of like-minded believers, to begin with– and see if you’d like to join with them, and serve our Church that way– to happily serve Christ and Our Lady, with like-minded believers! And be happy and at peace, and do a good job– no cruel, painful, harmful, unnecessary conflicts!
I know what you mean. It seems one will join a church that is faithful to Church teaching then someone will come, whether priest or lay, and “throw a wrench” in it and spoil everything. People who were getting along will now be fighting. That is why when I hear the word “inclusive” I start to cringe. It depends on what one includes, and I am not talking about race but behavior.
I went to an approved Latin Mass, liked the priests since they were faithful and did not sell my name and address to every other group; then they were taken far away. Parishioners and priests need some stability. Slower changes are far less stressful.
Wonderful that these Sisters participate in both the Novus Ordo and the traditional Latin Tridentine Masses — and even have a choir of their nuns that sing for the Latin High Mass, on Sundays, at their Cathedral! Lovely!