The Brothers, Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The vocation to the consecrated life as a religious Brother is a great gift of God!

What We Are: Consecrated Men

We Brothers are men vowed to the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience in an active-contemplative religious life according to the Rule of Saint Augustine and the Marian total consecration of Saint Louis de Montfort. Ours is a common life of liturgical prayer, mental prayer, study, work, and apostolic action in a masculine atmosphere of joy and sacrifice. Dedicated to the conversion of America to the one, true Church, we are traditionalists, who worship exclusively in the classical Roman Rite of the Church’s sacred liturgy.

What We Do: The Crusade

We live a “mixed” life of activity and contemplation, at the service of the Queen of Heaven for the glory of the Holy Trinity and the extension of the one, true Church — outside of which no one at all can be saved.

Our manifold apostolate, which we call “the Crusade,” includes street evangelism, education, internet radio broadcasting, print and electronic publishing, youth apostolates, and the fostering of a vibrant Catholic community life among the families who worship with us.

The Brothers are also responsible for the temporal affairs of our apostolate, which include chopping wood, mowing grass, maintaining our buildings, keeping the books, doing sacristy work, producing print and digital media, and many other things.

We do all in a spirit of total consecration to Jesus through Mary for the glory of the Holy and undivided Trinity, and for the salvation of souls. “All whatsoever you do in word or in work, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks to God and the Father by him” (Col. 3:17).

What We Wear: The Angelic Habit

Our habit is a modified version of the Augustinian habit, with traditional monastic tunic, belt, and capuche. The modifications are the blazon of our Congregation on the capuche, and the fifteen-decade Dominican Rosary that hangs from the belt.

Our habit is worn at the monastery and in public. It is the Brother’s clothing, not a costume.

The texts below are taken from the clothing prayers the Brothers recite when dressing. Each garment is first kissed.

How We Pray: Liturgical and Mental Prayer

Our daily prayer life consists of Holy Mass in the traditional Roman rite; Laudes, Vespers, and Compline from the traditional Roman office; one hour of mental prayer; 30 minutes of spiritual reading; and the Rosary all in common every day, as well as visits to the Blessed Sacrament.

The following is our horarium:

  • 5:45 Rise
  • 6:15 Laudes, followed by Mental Prayer
  • 7:30 Holy Mass and thanksgiving
  • 8:30 Breakfast
  • 9:00 Work or Class (depending on day)
  • 12:00 Lunch
  • 12:30 Work
  • 5:05 Vespers, followed by Dinner
  • 6:30 Rosary
  • 7:30 Evening Class, Show Recording, or private study depending on day
  • 9:00 Compline, spiritual reading,
  • 10:30 Lights Out
  • The Sunday horarium is much different, allowing more time for prayer and recreation. Every Sunday we sing Solemn Vespers with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.

What We Look for in Candidates: Real Men Seeking Holiness

We look for men who consider all the foregoing to be goods worthy of pursuing. Further, we look for men with the same commitment to the Church’s doctrine and tradition that we have, which can be discerned from the following links:

Whoever presents himself to our congregation must be a real man who desires to acquire holiness. No effeminates or deviants are accepted. We respect the norms of Pope John XXIII’s February 2, 1961 document, “Careful Selection and Training of Candidates for the States of Perfection and Sacred Orders,” which states, in part:

Advancement to religious vows and ordination should be barred to those who are afflicted with evil tendencies to homosexuality or pederasty, since for them the common life and the priestly ministry would constitute serious dangers.

Besides this, men presenting themselves to our Congregation must meet additional criteria. Candidates should be between the ages of 16 and 35 (although in rare cases, this upper age limit may be waived). They must be in good health, docile to authority, and “normal” (i.e., devoid of eccentricities and strange personal habits). While scholarliness is not requisite, they must exhibit a sincere willingness to learn. They must also exhibit the more important desire to grow in virtue, since the religious life is a “state of perfection” in which growth in virtue is a duty. True desire to live in fraternal charity and to observe the holy vows is necessary. Lastly, they must not have any canonical impediment to entrance into the religious life.

How Slaves are Made: Our Formation

Our formation consists of a six-month postulancy and a two-year novitiate, during which time the Rule, the evangelical counsels, and the spirit of the Congregation are studied. Upon entrance into the postulancy, the Brother is given his religious name and his work habit. The habit of the congregation (described above) is taken when the candidate enters the novitiate, sans Rosary. If the novice is admitted to vows, he first makes his three-year simple profession, receiving his profession Rosary, which he wears in the fashion of a mendicant friar, on his left side, as his “spiritual sword.” After the three years of simple profession, the Brother professes his perpetual vows. He is then a religious for life.

To Learn More: Arrange a Visit

Further information on our life, formation, and spirit is available by visits to the monastery. It is only with a candidate’s observing the community (and vice versa) that any serious vocational discernment can begin.

To make an appointment to visit, serious candidates are invited to contact us through this website or to call: 603-239-6485 x7.

A Prayer from the Raccolta for Choosing a State in Life

O my God, Thou who art the God of wisdom and good counsel, Thou who readest in my heart a sincere desire to please Thee alone and to direct myself in regard to my choice of a state of life, in conformity with Thy holy will in all things; by the intercession of the most holy Virgin, my Mother, and of my Patron Saints, grant me the grace to know that state of life which I ought to choose, and to embrace it when known, in order that thus I may seek Thy glory and increase it, work out my own salvation, and deserve the heavenly reward which Thou hast promised to those who do Thy holy will. Amen. (Indulgence of 300 days once a day.)

Send forth, O Lord, laborers into Thy harvest! (300 days, plenary if every day for a whole month.)

The Saints on the Religious Life

“A religious vocation is the greatest grace God can give a soul after holy Baptism.” — Saint Mary Magdalene di Pazzi

“In this privileged state [the religious life] there is a happy and wonderful exchange; for goods of this world are given up and in their place the goods of Heaven are received. Treasures that will pass away are surrendered in exchange for treasures that last forever. Articles of no value are swapped for articles of priceless value.” — Saint Basil

“The Religious State is like the Promised Land; it is Paradise on Earth; it is a Great Grace.” — Saint Alphonsus de Ligouri

“God has designedly concealed the happiness of the religious state because, if it were known, all would relinquish the world and fly to religion.” — Saint Laurence Justinian

“Is not that a holy state in which a man lives more purely, falls more rarely, rises more speedily, walks more cautiously, rests more securely, dies more confidently, is cleansed more quickly, and rewarded more abundantly?” — Saint Bernard