The Sister Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus

Paul Waddington reports on the remarkable growth of this order of nuns

In 2001, an order of nuns was founded to be the female counterpart of the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest. It was given the rather long title of the Sister Adorers of the Royal Heart of Jesus Christ Sovereign Priest. It is a Society of Apostolic Life of Pontifical Right, and the vocation of the nuns is to pray for the sanctification of priests and to support the work of canons of the ICKSP in their various apostolates. They do this in many ways including teaching in schools, singing at Mass and leading eucharistic adoration.

The sisters lead a semi-cloistered life, and their daily routine includes chanting the Office, as well as attending Mass and Benediction and reciting the Rosary. Between these, they find time for work and recreation, as well as for meals that are eaten in silence. The work, or labora, can be varied. Besides cooking and cleaning, the sisters may be involved in sacristy work, teaching, and the making and repairing of vestments. The sisters have also earned an enviable reputation for the quality of their singing.

In 2005, three sisters moved into their first house, the House of the Royal Heart, located in the village of Seici, only a mile from the Institute’s seminary at Gricigliano, near Florence. Originally namedVilla Cerbiosa, this large mansion was in a very dilapidated state, but has gradually been brought up to modern standards. It remains the Mother House of the order.

Rapid growth

From small beginnings, the order has grown rapidly. It now has around 60 members, and typically attracts about six recruits each year. After spending a year as a postulant, the young nuns can expect to take the habit and spend a further three years as novices before taking final vows. The second house acquired by the sisters was the House of Maria Engelport, in the Rhineland region of Germany. Formerly owned by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, it is a traditional stopping point for pilgrims en route to Compostela. This large building was in good structural and decorative order, and the sisters were able to continue to run it as a guesthouse without too much work being required. The third house to be acquired by the Sisters of the Royal Heart of Jesus was in the Jura region of Switzerland. Purchased in 2011 from the Fathers of the Holy Sacrament, this former boarding school has an idyllic location amid meadows and forests. After extensive restoration, it was renamed the House of the Eucharistic Heart, and reopened as a guesthouse and retreat centre. The extensive grounds allow youth camps to be held in the summer months.

Preston

In 2018, the sisters were able to open a convent at Preston in England. The Canons of the Institute already had responsibility for two large churches in Preston, so it was very convenient that the Bishop of Lancaster invited the sisters to establish a convent in the presbytery of the former Church of St Augustine.

Since the convent is not too far from either of the Preston churches, the sisters are kept busy supporting the work of the canons. Most noticeably, they can be seen singing Gregorian chant every day. They also teach the school children at St Benedict’s Academy and look after the sacristies.

A major development for the sisters was their taking possession of a large convent in Naples. Placed under the protection of St Thomas Aquinas, the Naples convent has, since 2019, served as the Noviciate for the order. Besides having a large chapel, the convent boasts a central cloister and an extensive garden planted with lemon trees. The buildings were in an advanced state of dilapidation, but with help from seminarians, the sisters are gradually restoring the ancient buildings.

A further convent has been opened near Livorno in northern Italy. Set in extensive parkland, the Villa of the Sacred Heart was originally the summer residence for the seminarians of the Diocese of Livorno. More recently, it had been occupied by canons of the Institute serving apostolates in the surrounding area.

When a church in central Livorno was entrusted to their care, the canons were able to move into the presbytery, leaving the House of the Sacred Heart available to become a convent. Five sisters moved into the villa from Germany, bringing with them their sewing equipment and skills. It has become a centre for vestment making.

The sisters first venture into the United States also occurred in 2019 when Bishop William Callahan welcomed the order to the Diocese of Lacrosse. A former guesthouse in Wausau, Wisconsin was purchased, and adapted to become the Convent of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Located near to the Institute’s Oratory of St Mary, it is well placed for the sisters to help the canons in their pastoral work.

The eighth and most recent convent to be acquired for the Sisters of the Royal Heart of Jesus is in Ireland. It was announced in April 2021 that the former convent of the Sisters of Mercy in Ardee, Co. Louth, had been purchased so that a community could be set up in Ireland. This purpose-built convent, standing in ten acres of grounds, dates from the 1850s, and has been maintained in very good condition. The sisters have yet to move into their new home in Ardee, but are expected to do so later this year.

Please pray for the souls of all members who have died recently Requiescant in Pace

John Adams, James Aherne, David Ashley, David Brady, Jennifer Burke, Daphne Farmar, Maurice Foley, John Kim, Terence McAuliffe.

Every effort is made to ensure that this list is accurate and up-to-date. However, if you know of a recently deceased member whose name has not, so far, appeared on our prayer memorial, then please contact the LMS, see page 3 for contact details.

The LMS relies heavily on legacies to support its income. We are very grateful to the following who remembered the Society in their Will: John Kim