aeternus

When the phone rang after 9:30 last evening I was hoping that is was not bad news.  I always feel it must be bad news if it rings anytime after 8 p.m. because most of the people I know already know I am “early to sleep and early to rise”!  Also, most know that I have a “phone-a-phobia” and as a fact do not like using that particular communication device except in necessity.  But I digress…

The call actually came from a friend of mine who wanted to invite me to mass in the morning at a parish well across town — St. George’s in Afton.  That wonderful invitation was hardly the “bad news” I had premonitioned to myself when the phone rang!

The Holy Mass, offered on this most beautiful feast day of Our Blessed Mother, Queen of Heaven, was to be given in special regard to a new religious community who has come to St. Louis and will establish themselves under the name of The Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel’s Hope.  The Daughter will be a contemplative and active community with a teaching and evangelistic focus. The community has as its foundress familiar Catholic teaching personality and Evangelist, Rosalind Moss. 

Rosalind, known well for her work with EWTN and “Catholic Answers Live” is a convert to Catholicism. She came to St. Louis this summer at the invitation of our wonderful Archbishop Raymond Burke.  (Now since the Archbishop is now “Emeritus” and the faithful of the Archdiocese are now awaiting a new Archbishop the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Isreal’s Hope will have to await formal inauguration for their community, which would come once a new archbishop is appointed. However, its all in Gods time and in His most loving Hands!)  

There is an obvious support for the new community as the 8 a.m. mass filled most of the giant and beautiful church of St. George (where the new community will make as their home).  The a cappella hymns of Immaculate Mary and Sing of Mary were sung so joyously by all it was hard to hold back the tears!  Throughout the mass I just kept remembering the quotation from this morning’s office of readings (and which I posted about earlier today) that through the holiness of Mary our Queen and “with divine assistance she has redirected these waters and made them into streams of peace and pools of grace.”  What a beautiful meditation, “Streams of peace and pools of grace” — these holy waters were certainly invisibly flowing during this holy mass!

The name Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel’s Hope reflects Rosalind’s religious heritage. She was raised Jewish and later, as an adult, embraced “Jesus as the Messiah of the Jewish people”.  Rosalind initially joined an evangelical Protestant church but over time came to know and love not only Christ but convert to His Holy Catholic Church in the mid-1990s. 

At today’s Holy Mass Rosalind and two other women who seek to form the community, were clothed in Postulant’s habits as they will now make a retreat to learn about living in religious community from an already established religious community in the South of the U.S.

Rosalind reports that she received about 300 inquiries from interested women who are interested in her community but plans to start with a membership of about a dozen. 
For more information on the Daughters of Mary, Mother of Israel’s Hope, call the community’s convent at (314) 352-LOVE (5683) or e-mail Rosalind Moss at rosalindmoss@gmail.com.

One final comment which is interesting and unique to her order is the lack of an age limit for entrance.

“I’ll take anyone from 18 to 118, as long as they can keep the rules,” Moss said.