The words of a song written by a Handmaid of the Sacred Heart clearly speak the mission of the congregation of sisters and their presence in the Philadelphia region and the United States for 100 years.
“Open the doors, welcome all to the encounter that restores,” a choir sang as a meditation hymn during holy Communion at a Mass Sunday, July 26, using the words of Sister Catherine Kirwan-Avlia, aci, who penned the song celebrating her order’s centennial here.
At least 200 sisters, family members, friends, and supporters from across the U.S. and beyond came to Ancillae-Assumpta Academy, a preschool-through-8th grade school run by the Handmaids in Wyncote, Montgomery County for the centennial Mass and reception.
A display shows the history of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart. (Photo: Jay Sorgi)
“It’s particularly wonderful given the opportunity that it’s been to reflect back on what this charism has looked like over 100 years in Philadelphia and in different parts of the United States, and also the opportunity that it is to come together with people who have been part of that at many different junctures,” Sister Kirwan-Avila said.
“‘Open the Doors’ is really a beautiful theme,” said Sister Michelle Cimaroli. “That has been what we have tried to live for a hundred years and our doors are open to anyone who wants to walk through them, no matter what your faith is, no faith at all, no faith community, wherever you’re coming from. All are welcome.”
Philadelphia Cardinal Dennis J. Dougherty invited the order, which began in 1877, to the city in 1926. Two sisters came on a ship from Europe and arrived in New York that year, coming to a new home on 34th Street in what is now Philadelphia’s University City neighborhood. That home became a school for women and children and a site for daily adoration of the Blessed Sacrament.
“It’s important for us to understand the Handmaids and the audacity of the Gospel that they proclaimed,” said Jesuit Father Thomas Flowers.
“It wasn’t just [that] they wanted the Eucharist in their house so that they could adore. It’s that they knew they needed the Eucharist there because they needed to invite people in. They knew the worth of knowing Jesus Christ and they knew that they had the time to share that with others.”
The Handmaids founded other Catholic schools across the Delaware Valley which served children for decades. In time, the order spread to missions in Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, and Texas, accompanying and supporting the journey of Hispanic and Vietnamese immigrants among the many acts of service that the Handmaids have offered over 100 years.
Today in the Philadelphia region the Handmaids operate Ancillae-Assumpta Academy and St. Raphaela Center in Haverford, Delaware County, a facility that offers retreats and spiritual direction in the Ignatian tradition.
“These sisters have given me a place to live out my faith and practice my faith and be in an environment that feels sacred, safe, holy, affirming,” said Jackie Newns, who attended the centennial Mass.
She first encountered the Handmaids through a retreat at St. Raphaela Center, and is now its director of communications and a spiritual director.
“I’ve learned a lot from their humility and also their confidence and conviction of how … all people are beloved by God and we need to trust, so that fuels some of the empowerment of sharing your gifts in service of the Church and in service of the world.”
Sister Cimaroli, director of St. Raphaela Center, said she was overwhelmed by the diverse backgrounds and experiences of the hundreds who came for the Mass, and the level of support they have offered the order over the years and decades.
“We built on things, moved and shifted around the country. Even just here in Philadelphia, our ministry has evolved over the years or changed just to be able to try to meet the needs of the time,” Sister Cimaroli said. “The sisters have always tried to be attentive to what’s going on around them and respond from who we are.”
She also cites how the charism of the Handmaids is deeply rooted in daily adoration, with Christ as the center of their lives and mission whose Church brings unity in a world of diversity.
“We really value that diversity,” Sister Cimaroli said. “That is the space that, drawing from the Eucharist, encompasses all of that diverse body of Christ. “That’s what God wants for the Church, that everyone feels like, ‘This is my home.’”
The Handmaids mostly live in the Delaware Valley, but also in St. Louis, which is the home of Sister Jessice Kerber, aci, provincial for the order in the U.S.
Sister Kerber encouraged the 200-plus in attendance to consider a life of sharing the Good News of the Gospel as a future Handmaid or a lay associate, to dive into adoration as St. Raphaela Mary Porras did in founding the order, and to live a life of compassion that brings reparation that heals the wounded.
“All of us here in this room today, we’ve taught each other what it means to love, and that this love that is so real and so true can’t be limited to just a few,” Sister Kerber said.
“We are called to share an authentic love, a sacrificial love, a joyful love, and to do so together.”
Sister Jessica Kerber, aci, the provincial of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart’s United States Province (right) with her mother who traveled from Wisconsin. (Photo: Jay Sorgi)
Share this story