October 13, 2022 - Our Lady of Fatima Procession
September 23-25, 2022 - Come and See Weekend
IHM Receives Two New Novices
On July 1, 2022, the 174th Anniversary of the founding of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, two novices were received into the community. It was a grace-filled day in welcoming Sr. Mary Gemma and Sr. Emilia Marie to begin their next stage of discernement.
The Sisters welcome a new novice
With great joy, the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart announce the reception of Sr. Edith Marie, IHM into the novitiate. Sr. Edith Marie, IHM was received into the novitiate on May 28, 2022. As a new novice, she officially begins her life as a religious Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. At the reception, she was given a white veil, a medal of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a dolors rosary, the Constitutions of the Institute and her new name.
Sr. Edith Marie, IHM took as her secondary patroness (Mary being her primary patroness), St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein) who was killed in Auschwitz concentration camp on August 9, 1942. Sr. Edith Marie, IHM will continue to discern and receive formation for the next two years in the novitiate. 
Please pray for her as she continues to seek God's will. Fiat!
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Novena in preparation for the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Please join the Sisters in preparation for the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary by attending the Immaculate Heart of Mary Novena.
The Novena begins on Thursday, June 16 and ends on Friday, June 24. The evenings begin at 7:00 p.m. with a Marian talk by one of the Sisters, followed by refreshments and will end with a Eucharistic Holy Hour and confessions beginning around 7:45 p.m.
On The Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, a special Mass will be celebrated at 8:00 a.m. followed by a breakfast.
All of our friends and family are invited to join us!
Novena Talks
June 16 - Mary, the first tabernacle, monstrance, adorer, disciple of the Eucharist
Talk 1-Mary the First Tabernacle
June 17 - The Eucharist and Fatima
Talk 2-The Eucharist and Fatima
June 18 - The life and charism of St. Peter Julian - Jesus living in the Eucharist
Talk 3-The Eucharist and St Peter Julian Eymard
June 19 - The Eucharist and the Priesthood: Mary, Mother of Priests
Talk 4-The Eucharist and the Priesthood
June 20 - The Eucharist in times of persecution: Mary and the Eucharist
Talk 5- The Eucharist and Mary in times of persecution
June 21 - Holy Mass, Liturgy and St. Thomas Aquinas (Eucharistic Hymns)
Talk 6-Eucharistic Hymns of Saint Thomas Aquinas
June 22 - The Eucharist and Divine Mercy: Mary at the foot of the Cross
Talk 7-The Eucharist and Divine Mercy
June 23 - St. Mary Magdalene: Eucharistic Adorer
Talk 8-Saint Mary Magdalene-Eucharistic Adorer
June 24 - Eucharistic Miracles throughout the centuries and Blessed Carlo Acutis
June 25 - Gospel and Homily for the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Novena Prayer
O Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary, ever Virgin!
O Heart most pure, most noble, most perfect image of the adorable Heart of Jesus!
We humbly entreat you to intercede for us and to obtain for us the favors we petition for in this novena, if it be the holy will of God to grant them, and if not, to ask for us whatever graces we most need.
(Pause for private intentions said in silence.)
We desire by this novena, which we offer in your honor, that you will always be, after the Heart of Jesus, the object of our love and devotion. Through your Immaculate Heart we offer to your divine Son all our thoughts, words and actions of this day and all our days.
We pray for Francis, our pope, for our bishops, for all priests and for the conversion of all sinners.
We beg your powerful intercession for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and religious life.
Through your maternal Heart, we ask God's blessings upon our families, upon all who have been good to us for the Lord's sake, for all the living and the dead who are dear to us and for all for whom we have been asked to pray.
V. Hail Mary…
R. Holy Mary…
V. Immaculate Heart of Mary,
R. Pray for us.
V. Refuge of Sinners,
R. Pray for us.
V. O Mary conceived without sin,
R. Pray for us who have recourse to you.
V. May Mary's Heart Immaculate,
R. Be forever praised.
On the last day of the novena, pray...
The Litany of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Lord, have mercy on us.
Christ, have mercy on us.
Lord, have mercy on us. Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
God the Father of Heaven,
Have mercy on us.
God the Son, Redeemer of the world,
Have mercy on us.
God the Holy Spirit,
Have mercy on us.
Holy Trinity, one God,
Have mercy on us.
Heart of Mary, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, according to the heart of God, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, united to the Heart of Jesus, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, organ of the Holy Spirit, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, sanctuary of the Divine Trinity, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, tabernacle of God Incarnate, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, immaculate in your conception, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, full of grace, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, blessed among all hearts, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, throne of glory, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, most humble, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, holocaust of Divine Love, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, fastened to the Cross with Jesus Crucified, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, comfort of the afflicted, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, refuge of sinners, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, hope of the agonizing, pray for us.
Heart of Mary, seat of wisdom, pray for us.
Christ, hear us.
Christ, graciously hear us.
Immaculate Heart of Mary, meek and humble of Heart,
Make our hearts according to the Heart of Jesus.
Let us pray:
O most merciful God, who for the salvation of sinners and the refuge of the wretched, has made the Immaculate Heart of Mary most like in tenderness and pity to the Heart of Jesus, grant that we, who now commemorate her most sweet and loving heart, may by her merits and intercession, ever live in the fellowship of the hearts of both Mother and Son, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary celebrate two Perpetual Professions
On March 19, 2022, the Solemnity of Saint Joseph Spouse of Mary, Sister Maria Kolbe Schaeffer and Sister Mary Francesca professed their perpetual vows of chastity, poverty and obedience as Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Following are excerpts from the homily of the Most Reverend, Carl A. Kemme, Bishop of Wichita:
Sister Maria Kolbe and Sister Mary Francesca are being wed to their beloved Spouse, to none other than Christ himself. As a bride of Christ, they are laying down their lives for him and He for them, joined now in a perpetual bond that can never be broken, symbolizing the unending bond of Christ to humanity. From this day forward, they will call Jesus their Bridegroom and strive to be faithful to Him in all things, knowing that His fidelity is perfect and unalterable.
For their commitment they will be given joys untold and blessings beyond our ability to measure.
Sisters, today you will be given a ring which you will wear until the day of your entrance into eternal life. This ring has no end and so too your vows and your commitment. Spouses wear these rings as a sign of the decision they have made to love until the very end. The same must be true of you. As you wear these rings, day in and day out, and as the years mark themselves one by one, let the ring be a powerful symbol of this day when you gave it all for Christ, who has given His all for you.
Finally, why do the likes of us, sinful as we are, do all of this, by entering into lifelong vocations for which we are naturally so unqualified and unworthy…? The answer comes to us today in the very ritual and it is a part of this ceremony that I personally love, almost the most. After the Sisters personally and individually make their perpetual vows and then together promise to seek perfect charity in the religious institute they propose to join and imploring the Immaculate and Sorrowful Heart of Mary, Mother Mary Magdalene says these most telling words: “And I in the name of our Religious Institute, receive your vows with joy. If you observe them faithfully, you are promised eternal life.” Eternal life. Imagine that, life without end, life with Mary, with Joseph, with all the angels and saints, with all those who have fulfilled their vocations before God; life with Jesus, a beloved spouse and friend. Life without war, disease, conflict and strife, life with a joy nothing on this side of heaven comes even close to! It seems to me, that and that alone makes it all worthy and worthwhile.
Relics of IHM Martyrs Come to Wichita!
Carmen, Rosa, and Magdalena Fradera were born in Riudarenes, Gerona, Spain. Young and docile to the Lord’s call, one after another they entered the Congregation of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. They lived, however, in a tumultuous time, the time of the Spanish Civil War, and there was full-blown persecution of the Church. Throughout Spain, religious were required to disperse, forced to return to their paternal homes.
During this most confusing of periods in Spanish History, it was a time of relentless martyrdom of bishops, priests, religious, and lay catechists. Sources tell us that the number of martyrs totaled almost 7,000: 4,184 diocesan priests: twelve bishops, one apostolic administrator and about thirty seminarians; 2,365 Brothers and 238 Sisters. Of these 1,000 have already been beatified or canonized and 2,000 are in process.
In the early morning hours of September 27, 1936, they were arrested. Having been informed of the impending arrest, they unlawfully donned their religious habits. As they were being taken from their parents, filled with the Holy spirit, they told their family, “Do not cry, we are happy to be martyrs.” Not for one moment did they hesitate. In a forest about 12 miles from Riudarnes they were tortured and put to death.
Sister Maria Carmen was 41 years old, Sister Maria Rosa was 36 years old, and Sister Maria Magdalena was 34 years old. Their feast day is November 6. Their remains rest in the Motherhouse in Olot next to Venerable Joaquin Masmitja, the Father Founder of the Community.
On October 28, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI beatified 498 martyrs, three of which were Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary: Sisters Maria Carmen, Maria Rosa, and Maria Magdalena Fradera.
The IHM’s were recently gifted two thecas containing first class relics of Blessed Carmen, Rosa and Magdalena! The reliquary will be given pride of place next to the icon of our martyrs
Sister Mary Teresa Laville, IHM, Professes Perpetual Vows
On August 22, 2021, Sister Mary Teresa Laville, IHM professed perpetual vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience in the hands of Mother Mary Magdalene O’Halloran, IHM. In the same celebration, Sr. Mary Elizabeth Boede, IHM observed her silver jubilee, 25 years of fidelity to Christ through religious consecration. The ceremony took place in Sacred Heart Church in Colwich.
As the entrance hymn began, Sr. Mary Teresa led the community of Sisters in the entrance procession; each carried a lit candle as a reminder of their Baptism, on which the religious consecration is founded, and to signify their union with Christ the Light of the World. The Church was filled with family members and community friends who had gathered to celebrate this joyful and momentous occasion. The Sisters were followed by the altar servers and several priests who reverently proceeded to the altar of sacrifice. Bishop Carl Kemme was the main celebrant.
After the Gospel was proclaimed in which the congregation fittingly meditated on the mystery of the Annunciation to Mary, Bishop Kemme gave a beautiful homily, reflecting on the mystery of Mary in the context of religious profession: “Why was Mary assumed into heaven and why was she crowned as Queen?...The answer to these questions, I believe, can be found in the events that happened to her and because of her on the day of the Annunciation....In her absolute and unaltered freedom, she said ‘fiat: may it be done to me according to your word..’.... As Queen, she is the highest honor of our race. The glorious life she now enjoys will one day be yours and mine if we also give our ‘fiat,’ however imperfectly we do so in contrast to hers.” Here, the Bishop encouraged each member of the Church to imitate Mary’s immediate, total, and loving response to God’s will. Later on, he continued, speaking more directly to the Sisters: “Today, you [Sr. Mary Teresa] will receive a ring, espousing yourself forever to the holy Bridegroom of your soul, Jesus Christ....as a way to continually live in this world as Mary lived in this world.... Sr. Mary Elizabeth, you have lived in this manner for 25 years; no small commitment given today’s culture and world in which we live. No doubt, it was your cooperation with God’s many graces that had inspired you 25 years ago and inspires you today to remain faithful and true...”
After the homily, Bishop Kemme determined Sr. Mary Teresa’s readiness to dedicate herself to God by asking questions such as “Are you resolved, with the help of God, to undertake that life of perfect chastity, poverty, and obedience chosen for themselves by Christ our Lord and His Virgin Mother, and to persevere in it forever?” to which Sr. Mary Teresa whole-heartedly responded, “I am!” Sr. Mary Teresa concretized this verbal assent a few moments later when she professed her perpetual vows in the hands of her superior. She then signed a written copy of her vows on the altar which was placed under the corporal during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, symbolizing the divine reality of Sr. Mary Teresa’s union with Christ forever! Then, Bishop Kemme said the solemn prayer of consecration followed by the blessing of the ring which Sr. Mary Teresa now wears as a reminder of her eternal espousal to Jesus her Bridegroom.
After Holy Communion, Sr. Mary Elizabeth publicly renewed her vows as an act of love and gratitude toward her Divine Spouse. Mother Mary Magdalene also presented her with a Papal Blessing and a Jubilee Crucifix.
This sacred participation in Christ’s redemptive sacrifice of the Mass and the joyful recognition of the gift of Mary, our Queen Mother, was accentuated by the dual celebration of the perpetual profession of Sr. Mary Teresa and the silver jubilee of Sr. Mary Elizabeth. Like them, may Jesus and Mary, the Source and vessel of grace, ever inspire each of us to echo in our lives the fiat of Our Lady, uniting us to God and His holy will.
First Profession of Vows by two Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
On March 13 th , Sr. Julian Marie Swantek, IHM and Sr. Maria Cabrini Sponsel, IHM professed their first vows at Sacred Heart Church in Colwich, with Father Jason Borkenhagen as the main celebrant and seven concelebrating priests. By doing so, they became brides of Christ and vowed to live consecrated chastity, poverty, and obedience for one year. The Church requires religious to live the vows for a period of at least three years with a temporary commitment before professing perpetual vows. After this three-year period of temporary profession, the religious can request to make her perpetual profession when she would be solemnly consecrated and perpetually vowed to belong exclusively to the Lord.
By making their first profession, Sr. Julian Marie and Sr. Marie Cabrini took their first official step in this process. Their consecration was made externally visible by the reception of the full religious habit as well as by the exchange of the white veil for the black veil which represents consecration, being set apart for a holy purpose. Commenting on her profession, Sr. Julian Marie said, “I am so grateful for my vocation to be a bride of Christ as a Sister of the Immaculate Heart of Mary! I could not be happier to give my life to the Lord. I look forward to seeing where He takes me and how I will be able to make Him better known and loved through my consecrated witness.”
In his homily at their profession Mass, Father Jason Borkenhagen summarized this well. He said, “Sisters, you are professing your vows in an institute that immediately places you under the maternal protection of our Sorrowful and Immaculate Mother. It joins you to these other Sisters already professed who are seeking the same thing you are: the perfection of charity through poverty, chastity, and obedience in the community of the Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Wichita. Sister Julian Marie, Sister Maria Cabrini, on this day of your first profession of vows, I’d like to remind you, and Mother Mary Magdalene, and all the Sisters, of something Bishop Jackels wrote to you fourteen years ago. “Your success in this endeavor is measured by your fidelity to your way of life enshrined in your Constitutions and by your repeating with heartfelt sincerity the fiat of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”
Sister Julian Marie is the daughter of Marc and Annette Swantek of Genoa, Nebraska. She, with her four siblings, grew up on a farm. After graduating from high school she attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and studied engineering and animal science. She frequented the Newman Center and soon was drawn to daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration and the community spirit offered at the Newman Center. As she spent more time in prayer, she began to feel the Lord inviting her away from worldly pursuits and to
a religious vocation. Sister Julian Marie first moved to Wichita in the summer of 2017 to work as an engineering intern. When she returned to Lincoln for her third year of college, she began to discern religious communities and felt drawn back to Wichita. She began visiting the IHM Sisters and realized that the Lord wanted to draw her to His Heart through that of His Mother. She entered the next fall on the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady, August 15, 2018.
Sister Maria Cabrini, daughter of Theodore and Susan Sponsel of St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Schulte, is the fourth of eleven children. Having first attended St. Joseph School, Wichita, then St. Peter, where she first had an IHM as a teacher, she then attended and graduated from Bishop Carroll Catholic High School, where she was again taught by IHM’s. Following high school graduation, she attended Newman University for 2 years. The Sisters were very present in her life even as a young child. Her family would
attend the yearly novena for the Immaculate Heart of Mary, First Saturday devotions, and the May and October Fatima processions. With the encouragement of the Sisters and her family, for over 10 years, she continued to ask God to reveal His will to her. A mission trip, Teens Encounter Christ (TEC), Fiat discernment retreats, prayer, Eucharistic adoration, and the sacraments led her to respond joyfully to the Lord’s call. Finally realizing that she did not want to wait any longer, that she had found what she wanted since she was in fourth grade, she entered the convent on, August 15, 2018, the Assumption of Mary.
The two Sisters began their formation together as postulants. At that time, they kept their baptismal names and wore a simple navy-blue dress. They prayed and worked alongside the Sisters though they were not yet official members. They began their formation by taking classes at the convent taught by the Sisters. These classes helped them to learn more about religious life by studying Church documents such as Essential Elements in the Church’s Teaching on Religious Life and Redemptionis Donum. They also studied the foundational truths of the faith such as the Creed, the Old and New Testaments, and the Sacraments. Not surprisingly as future IHMs, the Sisters also grew in their knowledge and love of the Blessed Virgin Mary by taking a Mariology class and studying the Church document Redemptoris Mater. A full schedule of classes gave the Sisters much to pray about as they spent part of their day working outside, gardening and watering the new trees around the property. As IHMs are a contemplative-active community, postulants also learn how to work in silence so that they may learn how to practice recollection and how to commune with God within their hearts. It is this interior life of prayer that will enable them to devote themselves to the urgent mission of saving souls through their future apostolic work as teaching Sisters. Sr. Maria Cabrini said, “I want my life to be a witness of God’s love and to spread to all I encounter, especially the youth. There is a fire in my heart to lead souls to Christ and to form Saints.”
After about a six-month postulancy, young women can request to be received as novices whereby they transition out of the lay life and become official members of the community, signified by taking on a new religious name. Along with receiving a copy of the Constitutions of the community, the new Sisters also receive a white veil to represent “newness.” At this stage, the Sisters’ commitment is similar to an engagement before marriage. The life of a novice is much like that of a postulant but classes are more directed toward learning about the charism of the community and about the vows in preparation for their future profession, and studying additional Church documents on Religious Life, such as Fraternal Life in Community and The Consecrated Life.
After two years of formation as novices, the Sisters can then request to profess their vows, after which they will be more formally oriented toward the community’s active apostolate. For most Sisters, this involves continuing college in order to earn their teaching degrees. They also engage in ongoing formation by taking catechesis classes from the Sisters in order to learn how to teach the Faith. The period of initial formation from the postulancy to first profession is a vital time for each Sister in order to be fully equipped to serve the Church as a faithful and dedicated religious. As Sr. Julian Marie and Sr. Maria Cabrini experienced, their journey has not ended with profession but has moved to a deeper level; they will continue to respond daily to the Lord’s invitation to “follow Him wherever He goes,” but now, they follow Him as brides, with a singularly-devoted heart in imitation of the Blessed Mother.
IHM Pilgrimage to Shrines of St. Joseph and Our Lady
This past summer 11 of the Sisters were able to accentuate the Year of Saint Joseph with a pilgrimage; heading north they visited the Marian Shrines of Wisconsin and the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in La Crosse and the National Shrine of Saint Joseph in De Pere. The first stop was the Cathedral, entrusting all of our travels and time to Saint Joseph and His Most Chaste Spouse.
Exterior and interior of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Shrine. Settled amidst the bluffs of southwestern Wisconsin, the Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe, with its many devotional areas, provided a stunningly beautiful place of quiet prayer. (The Shrine Church was completed and dedicated in 2008; the architect was Mr. Duncan G. Stroik.)
Traveling from southwest Wisconsin to the northeastern region, the third stop on the pilgrimage was to the National Shrine of Saint Joseph at St. Norbert College in De Pere. Declared a National Shrine by Pope Leo XIII in 1892, it houses a lovely statue of St. Joseph holding the Child Jesus.
From there the Sisters traveled to the nearby shrine of Our Lady of Good Help, the only approved apparition site of Our Lady in the United States. The Shrine is very simple and humble but fitting and very conducive to prayer. It is a wonderful experience to be where Our Lady has deigned to come.
Heading south, the last stop on the pilgrimage, outside of Milwaukee, was to Holy Hill Basilica, the National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians. The setting was magnificent and the views stupendous! The unique Chapel to Our Lady Help of Christians was a great encouragement and reminder of Our Lady’s loving concern and desire to be active in our lives.
IHM pilgrims from left to right, front row: Sister John Marie, Sister Maria Cabrini, Sister Maria Kolbe, Sister Mary Francesca, Sister Mary Catherine; back row: Mother Mary Magdalene, Sister Mary Faustina, Sister Julian Marie, Sister Marie Bernadette, Sister Veronica Marie, Sister Cecilia Marie.