St. Mary Sisters

Bishop Kagan has announced the decree of formation of the Public Association of the Christian Faithful for Women open to all single Catholic women between the ages of 18-35 who have a personal relationship with Christ and His Church, a clear aptitude towards learning and teaching, and an evident desire to live the evangelical counsels. Those seeking more information should contact Mother Mary Joseph Campbell in writing at PO Box 2576, Bismarck, ND 58502-2576. For more information go to the sisters' website at: https://www.stmarysisters.org/.

The Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
DECREE

      In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity, Amen.

In accord with the norms of Ecclesiastical Law as contained in the Code of Canon Law and Canons 312-320, by these presents the undersigned Diocesan Bishop and competent authority hereby erects:

The Saint Mary Sisters

Public Association of the Christian Faithful for Women
of Diocesan Right [canon 312 §1 3°]

is established in response to the desire of women, heeding Christ’s personal call, to give themselves completely to Christ through religious consecration, the profession of the evangelical counsels, and to live together in fraternal charity in view of being erected in the future as a religious institute of diocesan right. The Sisters serve the Church in the apostolate of catholic education as teachers, and in the Spirit of St. Dominic, preach the truth, and endeavor to bring all persons to Christ, “who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (Jn 14:6).

With the publication of this Decree to the Catholic Faithful of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck in North Dakota on this date and by these same presents, the Public Association of the Oblates of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is hereby suppressed.  An initial description of this new Public Association is below so that those interested may seek further information with regard to its nature, purpose and organization.

The Most Reverend David D. Kagan, D.D., P.A., J.C.L., Bishop of Bismarck

Given at the Chancery this 1^st day of June A.D. 2020

Mr. Dale Eberle, Chancellor

Principal Patrons:  The Most Blessed Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of the Rosary and St. Dominic de Guzman

Secondary Co-Patrons:  St. Mary Magdalene, St. Augustine, St. Catherine of Alexandria, St. Catherine of Siena, and St. Martin de Porres
 
Principal Feasts:  Jan. 28 – St. Thomas Aquinas
                                 Feb. 2 – Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
                                 April 29 – St. Catherine of Siena
                                 Monday after Pentecost – Mary, Mother of the Church
                                 July 22 – St. Mary Magdalene
                                 Aug. 8 – St. Dominic de Guzman
                                 Aug. 23 – St. Rose of Lima
                                 Aug. 28 – St. Augustine
                                 Oct. 7 – Our Lady of the Rosary
                                 Nov. 3 – St. Martin de Porres
                                 Nov. 7 – All Saints of the Order of Preachers
                                 Nov. 25 – St. Catherine of Alexandria


Nature of the Public Association:  St. Mary Sisters are established in response to the desire of women, heeding Christ’s personal call, to give themselves completely to Christ through religious consecration and the profession of the evangelical counsels, and to live together in fraternal charity. The Sisters serve the Church in the apostolate of Catholic education as teachers, and in the Spirit of St. Dominic, preach the truth, and endeavor to bring all persons to Christ, “who is the Way, the Truth and the Life” (Jn 14:6).
 
Virtues of the St. Mary Sisters:  The Sisters, living in common, strive to cultivate charity, that is, love for God and neighbor; devotion to the Most Blessed Sacrament and the Blessed Virgin Mary; humility; a zeal for the salvation of souls through communal prayer and the apostolate of teaching truth; and lifelong dedication to study and contemplation.
 
Members:  Catholic women between the ages of 18-35 who have a personal relationship with Christ and His Church, a clear aptitude towards learning and teaching, and an evident desire to live the evangelical counsels.
 
A Public Association of Christ’s Faithful:  Refer to the Code of Canon Law, Canons 312-320.  It is not a canonical Religious Institute but can become one such Institute. It is established by the competent ecclesiastical authority, that is, the Diocesan Bishop for his own territory and is under his supervision and thus, is of diocesan right with a rule of life and constitution approved by him for the fulfillment of its specific charism.
 
Overview:  1) Live a communal prayer life centered around adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, chanting of the Divine Office, and devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary; 2) live in community as a true family in the Lord sharing in their common/shared vocations; 3) work for the salvation of souls through teaching and the education of children and adults; 4) profess the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience; and 5) wear a black and white habit which stands as an “outward mark of total consecration to God” (Perfectae Caritatis 17).

The Public Association of the St. Mary Sisters exists principally to provide a stable form of living and to seek the sanctification of its members who “strive to live now what will be in the after-life” (Essential Elements 8) by means of fidelity to the evangelical counsels according to the Rule of St. Augustine and the Constitutions of the St. Mary Sisters, and participation in divine liturgy and the traditions of monasticism as taught by St. Dominic de Guzman. Through these means, its members offer honor to almighty God, “give to the world an outstanding witness” (Lumen Gentium 39) and contribute to the holiness of the entire Church.
 
In light of Pope Benedict XVI’s pronouncement that “[w]e are facing a profound crisis of faith” and that “this loss of the religious sense contributes to the greatest challenge of the Church today,” (Address to the Plenary Meeting of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Jan 2012), the St. Mary Sisters heed in a particular way the urgency of the Church’s renewed call for “the qualified presence of consecrated men and women” in the “world of education” (Starting Afresh from Christ 39). Accordingly, the St. Mary Sisters strive to emphasize study and the life of the mind so as to send into the world women who participate in an “an intense evangelization of culture in the academic institutions” (Starting Afresh from Christ 39).

Recognizing the Eucharist as the source and summit of the Christian life (Lumen Gentium 11), the St. Mary Sisters place the Blessed Sacrament at the center of their lives. Through a daily period of adoration, the Sisters encounter the risen Lord with a “personal knowledge” (Essential Elements 28). In this way, she ensures that she is rooted in Christ who, as He did for the rich young man, looks upon her, and loves her. By drawing close to the Eucharistic Lord, the Sisters participate in the radical self-emptying of Christ.
 
Desiring as St. Dominic de Guzman did to contemplate and give to others the fruits of his contemplation, the Sisters participate in a life of communal prayer and the Liturgy of the Hours and in doing so, are dedicated essentially to the interior life “which draws the Word, the Father and the Spirit to itself” (Starting Afresh in Christ 25).
 
Assuming Our Lady as their exemplar and model of perfection and religious consecration, the Sisters turn to Mary, Mother of the Church, whose fiat brought about the redemption of the human race. Imitating her ‘yes’ to bring about the salvation of souls, the Sisters “enter more intimately into the great mystery of the Incarnation” (Lumen Gentium 65), emulating her maternal love of Christ in their care for souls. In their daily adherence to Marian devotions, the Sisters fly to the Virgin most powerful, Refuge of Sinners and Help of Christians, imitating her perseverance in affliction, and ready acceptance of many sorrows, and echoing her soul’s joyful proclamation of the greatness of the Lord (CIC 663 §4).
 
Seeking God before all else, the Sisters emulate Christ who said, “I have called you friends” (Jn 15:15) in their common call to pursue holiness together. This Public Association, deeply conscious that the heart of communal life is brotherly love, seeks to instill in its members the reality that holiness lies in the perfection of charity, lived out in the context of community life. Mindful that there is no “true unity without unconditional mutual love,” the Sisters strive to be “one heart and soul,” while rejoicing in the spiritual richness that diversity of minds, souls and talents can bring (Vita Consecrata 42).
 
Cherishing the example of St. Dominic, the Sisters live a monastic discipline structured around a common life that fosters contemplation and the apostolic work of study, teaching and evangelization.
 
This Public Association realizes fully its ecclesial dimensions in its dependence on, obedience to and co-operation with the Church, ever aware of its sharing in the “twofold aspect” of the Church “as visible social organism and invisible divine presence” (Mutuae Relationes 3). The Sisters, called into a spousal love of Christ, seek to nurture a deep love and affection for the Church and faithful submission to her teaching authority, and in so doing, participate in her sacramental nature.