Please pray for the seven Sisters who will prostrate themselves in front of the altar today to make their Profession of Perpetual Vows. They will give themselves to Jesus Christ “for all my life.” I would also encourage you to pray for the two Sisters who will profess their Temporary Vows to the Order on Friday, July 26.
Vows professed by Religious are very similar to the vows a man and woman say to one another in the Sacrament of Holy Matrimony. We also see vows made to God in Baptism, Confirmation, and Holy Orders. Vows made to God is a sign of fidelity and respect to the divine majesty and love one has for a faithful God.
Although many of us have taken vows in our life already, how does the Church define a vow? The Catechism of the Catholic Church states,
“a vow is a deliberate and free promised made to God concerning a possible and better good which must be fulfilled by reason of the virtue of religion, A vow is an act of devotion in which the Christian dedicates himself to God or promises him some good work. By fulfilling his vows he renders to God what has been promised and consecrated to Him. The Acts of the Apostles shows us St. Paul concerned to fulfill the vows he had made” (#2102).
The Dominicans Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, is my favorite religious order in the US Church. I’ve worked with them on two different occasions at two different Catholic high schools. They are women of pure joy, faithfulness, and obedience to Mother Church, and women striving to be live lives of holiness. If you are not familiar with this rapidly expanding order, I would highly encourage you to read more about them by visiting the link above.
Eleven years ago (see picture below), I was blessed to witness in person the Perpetual Vows of some of these Sisters. I had worked with a few of them at Saint Mary’s Catholic High School in Phoenix for three years. It was an experience I still haven’t forgotten and hope to someday take my wife and children to such a beautiful liturgy and profession of vows. If you are live near Ann Arbor, Michigan or are traveling to that part of the country, I would highly recommend stopping in to see the Sisters of Mary.
In the past, I have written about them numerous times. You can check out three of the articles below –
Reflecting on the Sisters of Mary for the Memorial of St. Dominic
“Mondays with Mary” – Marian Hymns and the Sisters of Mary
Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist
Saint Dominic…Pray for Us
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TOM PERNA 
Thank you!! Beautiful day! Remembered mine in 2008! Grateful for your support!
Sr. John Paul, O.P.
“Freedom has to continually to be won, it cannot merely be possessed. It comes as a gift but can only be kept with a struggle.” – Karol Wojtyla, “Thinking My Country” (1974).
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Where is Sr. John Mary, graduate of Kennedy HS in Somers New York. Both os us are friends of Fr. Brian McSweeney. I worked with Father at Lourdes HS in Poughkeepsie NY. When Sister John was discerning her vocation, FFather asked us to pray for her. “Small world”