Category Archives: The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Seal of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary are a Congregation of religious brothers and sisters dedicated to a two-fold Crusade: the propagation and defense of Catholic dogma — especially extra ecclesiam nulla salus — and the conversion of America to the one, true Church. Besides the religious members, the Congregation has a Third Order comprised of mostly lay people living in the world.
The religious members live in the priory and convent at Saint Benedict Center in Richmond, New Hampshire.
(See our vocations pages for the Brothers and the Sisters.)
Our Crusade was begun by Father Leonard Feeney, who strove to combat the liberalizing of Catholic dogma which he saw as a major impediment to the conversion of America. The choice of the word “Crusade” to describe our mission is no accident. “The life of man upon earth is a warfare” declared Holy Job (Job 7:1). St. Paul admonishes us to arm ourselves with spiritual weapons to fight the enemies of our souls (Eph. 6:11-17). While every Catholic is called upon to fight the world, the flesh, and the devil, our battle also engages them specifically in the forces of the Revolution 1 ,many of which have entered the very precincts of the Church.
Our methods are threefold: personal sanctification, education, and works of the apostolate.
For Religious members, personal sanctification comes by way of our prayer life, our Marian Total Consecration, and living the vows and virtues of the religious life. Our Third Order members also live the Marian Total Consecration, and are joined to the congregation by simple promises.
Our educational work takes place in several ways. One is the Saint Augustine Institute, a program of continuing Catholic education which has the goal of forming apostles to work for the conversion of America. Another is the running of primary and secondary schools (such as Immaculate Heart of Mary School in Richmond, New Hampshire). We believe very strongly that one must be a reservoir before he can be an aqueduct. For this reason, we promote continuing study of the Faith as one way to spread it.
As religious, the works of our apostolate include the publishing of books, pamphlets, and our quarterly journal, From the Housetops. We reach out to the “man on the street” with our publications by distributing them door-to-door in an effort to spread the faith. Another very important aspect of our apostolate is the work of fostering Catholic community life. At Saint Benedict Center in Richmond, our religious brothers and sisters work with Third Order members and other faithful to build and maintain a thriving Catholic culture. The community provides both an atmosphere conducive to wholesome family life and a hub of missionary activity to convert this nation.
We are dedicated not only to the Deposit of Faith in its integrity and to sound Catholic morals, but also to the western liturgical patrimony of the Church as we have it in the traditional Roman Rite Mass (the “Extraordinary Form”) and the other sacramental rites associated with it.
We invite readers to learn more about our founder, our history, our Crusade, and its methods by reading the offerings in this section. The most common questions would be answered by reading these two postings:
- We use the word “Revolution” as it was employed by the Venerable Emmanuel d’Alzon: a personification of all those elements in this world which oppose the Church, as embodied in the French Revolution. Father d’Alzon’s “Revolution” is virtually synonymous with Father Fahey’s “Organized Naturalism.” ↩
Congratulations, Sr. Maria Philomena!
Sister Maria Philomena was a contributor to a recently published and now best-selling book, Amazing Grades. Her contribution to the volume is entitled “From Loathing to Loving Literature: Questions to Ask So You Can Master Any Book.” Here is the publisher’s write up of the book: Amazing Grades is a worldwide goodwill book written by 101 best selling authors and experts from 13 countries around … More →
Two Sisters Profess Final Vows: Photos
The IHM School site has a photo gallery from the March 25 profession of two of our sisters. Please join us in thanking God that Sister Maria Rosaria and Sister Marie Gabrielle took their final vows as Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.
Obituary: Sister Mary Bernadette, M.I.C.M.
Sister Mary Bernadette Maluf, M.I.C.M. (January 8, 1920 – December 16, 2011), founding member of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Prioress of Saint Benedict Center in Richmond, New Hampshire, and educator died on Friday, December 16, at the age of 91. Mary Kathleen Healy Maluf (her name before entering the convent) was born in Detroit, Michigan, the only child of Dr. Gaillard … More →
From a Freemason: High Praise for Our Apostolate
Although I am a Freemason, I will say one thing for you people, and that is you are not at all hypocritical about our primary goal which you state as being: “We Want To Make America a Catholic Nation.” This is very clear, as are Catholic beliefs and doctrines, which as you know I don’t agree with. However, like it or not, your mission is crystal clear, which is far more than I can ever say for our stupid, arrogant politicians (both Republicans and Democrats, Liberals and Conservatives, Catholics and Protestants etc.) who have no plan or mission, and still continue to bombard us on a daily basis with all of their utterly contradictory hogwash, claptrap, bum wad, and drivel.
The Work of the Sisters: IHM School
The MICM Sisters, who run Immaculate Heart of Mary School have just begun to send out an email newsletter. It is to be a monthly. The first issue of it may be sampled online here. The school also has a blog at ihm.catholicism.org. If you would like to receive their monthly e-newsletter, please sign up here. Lastly, those interested in helping to support traditional Catholic … More →
Founding Member of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Turns 90
Sister Anne Mary, M.I.C.M., is one of Father Feeney’s original disciples, being the first member of the community to have attended Father’s lectures at the original Saint Benedict Center in Cambridge. She joined the community in 1949, and has been faithful to her religious profession for sixty-one years. On November 1, the Feast of All Saints, she turned 90.
Father Feeney Fact Sheet
[Tower of David Ministry] Father Feeney was a priest of the Society of Jesus until, in 1949, he co-founded the religious order, Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Mancipia Immaculati Cordis Mariae), whose acronym is MICM. This priest was a defender of the unchangeable traditional teaching/doctrine of the Catholic Church.
A Brief History of Saint Benedict Center
We will tell the history of the Center in a question-and-answer format. How did Saint Benedict Center begin? In 1940, a prominent Catholic laywoman, Catherine Goddard Clarke, sought permission of the then Archbishop of Boston, William Cardinal O’Connell, to establish an educational oasis of Catholic truth close to the renowned secular universities that dominated the area. The cardinal agreed to the project, admonishing Mrs. Clarke … More →
Remembering Brother Francis
As we mourn the loss of a great man, our Superior, Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M., we are pledged to promoting his life’s work for the Catholic Faith, sound reason, and holy beauty. This poet, philosopher and Catholic thinker’s work can be found not only in his few books, but also in his many recorded lectures, which are much applauded and loved by listeners the world … More →
Speech for a Surprise Party in Honor of Brother Francis: December 3, 1981
It is certainly my pleasure to be a part of this tribute to our wonderful teacher. I’m sure I speak for all in saying that we know the one, true Faith better because of him. And for that we are all deeply grateful. You may wonder why it is that I am up here speaking on this wonderful occasion. Well, I’ve been wondering about that … More →
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Brother Francis’ Obituary
Brother Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M., (July 19, 1913 – September 05, 2009) Founding member of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Superior of Saint Benedict Center in Richmond, New Hampshire, Philosopher, College Professor, and published author died on Saturday, September 5, at the age of 96.
