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.
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. 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.”] ,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 of Wisdom, 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, this website and our Internet radio show, Reconquest. 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 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 … Continue reading
“Tell me, is Monsignor Hickey still alive?” “Yes, he’s alive,” the visiting priest answered his host as they sat out on the lawn, one summer day in 1970, overlooking the valley vista beyond them. “But he’s very, very sick.”
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 … Continue reading
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 … Continue reading
The obsequies of our beloved Brother Francis were an appropriate finale to his long and fruitful life in this tearful vale. This Ad Rem is a series of more-or-less random reflections on Brother’s wake and funeral, followed by a photo … Continue reading
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, … Continue reading
Since our announcement about Brother Francis’ health, our venerable Superior has had many visitors. Family from Canada and Ohio have joined friends and relations from the New England states coming to say their good-byes. A Benedictine Abbot and a retired … Continue reading
(Note: This was written on the occasion of the death of Brother Hugh, M.I.C.M., one of the founding members of our Order, who went to his reward on July 11, 1979. The piece introduced From the Housetops No. 18, which … Continue reading
For the unaware, it should be made known that our sisters have a web site that is frequently updated with pieces of “educational philosophy and cultural miscellany from a classical Catholic viewpoint.” Their brief and frequent postings do not disappoint. … Continue reading
Today, the Feast of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Saints Peter and Paul, there is an interview with me published on the Renew America web site. Brian Mershon, a traditional Catholic journalist interviewed me several months ago, and this … Continue reading
Street Address: Saint Benedict Center 95 Fay Martin Road, Richmond, N.H. 03470 Find us on Google Places | Yahoo! Local | Map We are 1 ½ hours from the intersection of Route 128 (I-95) and the Mass Pike in Massachusetts. … Continue reading
“Sentimental Theology Revisited” is an article published in issue #32 of From the Housetops (this issue is unfortunately out of print), discussing Brother Francis’ article, “Sentimental Theology” and its significance to the Crusade of Saint Benedict Center.
The contents of this posting are taken exclusively from a page located here: http://fatherleonardfeeney.googlepages.com/ .Of especial value to this page is the series of links that appears at the bottom of this posting. Leonard Feeney was born in Lynn, Massachusetts … Continue reading
To Our Readers: Laudetur Iesus Christus! The intention of the present letter is to give a brief overview of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, our work and our goals, our community and our spirit. I begin with … Continue reading
First Order members (brothers, and — God willing, in the future — priests) take the three traditional vows of evangelical perfection (poverty, chastity, and obedience) and an additional fourth vow to make the Doctrinal Crusade of Saint Benedict Center their … Continue reading
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