Our Monasteries

Monastery of Wilmington, DE

On July 16, the sisters of St. Veronica Giuliani Monastery, elected new leadership for the next three years:

Mother Magdalena Cacho, Abbess
Sr. Carmen Quiroz, Vicar
Sr. Lucy Solorio, second counselor



Monastery of Amarillo, TX


On October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, Sr. Frances de María Piceno pronounced her first vows in the hands of her abbess, Mother Teresa Cortés.

On the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, December 12, Sr. Guadalupe Gamboa made her first profession. The celebration was presided by Bishop Patrick J. Zurek.

Monastery of Denver, CO

On November 17, the sisters of Denver celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the Foundation of the Monastery of Our Lady of Light with a Mass presided by our Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap. and concelebrated by several of the Capuchin Friars.

Coming Event

On March 31, the Capuchin Poor Clares of Denver will celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our Sister Margarita María. Sister Margarita entered the monastery when she was only 15 years old and she is originally from Mexico. Sister Margarita says she always wished to enter in the cloister; she belongs to the original group of Poor Clares who came to Denver to establish Our Lady of Light Monastery in November 1988.

The main celebrant will be Fr. Charles Polifka, OFM Cap. We look forward to enjoying the celebration with our friends and benefactors; God willing the weather will be glorious.
Mass will be at 12:00 noon with a reception following in the garden.

Sr. Maria de la Consolacion

On November 1, 2007, we had the wonderful privilege to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of our Sister María de la Consolación. Sister Consolación was born in Villa Jimenez, Michoacán, Mexico, in 1939. She joined the community of Capuchin Poor Clares in Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico, in 1955 and made her first profession on November 1, 1957. She belongs to the original group of Poor Clares who came to Denver to establish Our Lady of Light Monastery in November 1988. The main celebrant was Archbishop Charles Chaput, OFM Cap. He encouraged Sister to continue her religious way of life.

In his homily, the Archbishop said he saw Sister Maria’s life reflected in the liturgy’s first Scripture reading from the Book of Revelation “‘Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?’” the Archbishop read, “'These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.’ What does this mean? In your life Sister, it means your fidelity during these 50 years — persistent fidelity that reminds us to be faithful without limits.” At the end of his homily, Archbishop Chaput emphasized that God has invited all to be holy. "The Second Vatican Council reminded us of the universal call to holiness.”

“I am most grateful to God for all the blessings in my life” Sister Maria said, “I am grateful for my community, for the support given to me throughout all these years and for all our friends and benefactors who help us live our special vocation in the Archdiocese of Denver.”
We had the opportunity to enjoy the company of our benefactors and friends at the reception in our garden.

Federal Assembly

The Federation of Our Lady of the Angels of the Capuchin Poor Clare Sisters, gathered in Assembly, elected new leadership for the next four-year term on September 5, 2007.
The elected sisters are:
Sr. Maria de Cristo Palafox, President
[Denver, CO]

Sr. Catalina de Maria Bañuelos, First counselor
[Wilmington, DE]

Sr. Maria Margarita Garcia, Second counselor
[Amarillo, TX]

The Assembly is taking place in the monastery of Capuchin Poor Clares of Wilmington, DE

You are invited to pray with us

For The Feast of Our Mother Saint Clare

Eucharistic Celebration

Presider and Homilist

Fr. Thomas Gallagher, OFM

Wednesday, August 8th at 7:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 9th at 7:00 p.m.

Friday, August 10th Eucharistic Celebration
and Transitus of Our Holy Mother Saint Clare
at 7:00 p.m.


Eucharistic Celebration on the Solemnity

Saturday, August 11, 2007 at 11:00 a.m.
Presider: Most Reverend Michael A. Saltarelli, DD

In this twenty-first century, the Capuchin Poor Clares throughout the world,
continue the great work of our Foundress St. Clare of Assisi, living the Gospel of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

We gather into the very heart of our life of prayer, all the needs and hurts of our world. We invite you to join us in praying to Our Seraphic Mother St. Clare for her intercession for the sick and suffering of our time; especially, those who are afflicted with terminal illness.

Let us come with confidence to Our Mother St. Clare, who as a true “consoler of the afflicted”, wishes to extend to all the comfort and compassion of Christ Himself. May her powerful prayers obtain for those who suffer, the grace to recognize the value of their sufferings, united with the saving Sacrifice of Jesus Christ, as she did.

Prayer

O God, You Who filled
the heart of St. Clare with love
for the mysteries of the Cross
and caused her to rejoice when sharing
in the suffering of Christ,
grant that, through
her example and prayers,
all who suffer
in mind and body
may find serenity in suffering,
faith in time of trial,
hope in Your healing mercy,
and be given a share
in the everlasting light and love
of Your Heavenly Kingdom.

We ask this through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

We are inviting you to pray with us

We are inviting you to be with us in the procession of the Most Blessed Sacrament

Sunday, 10th June, on the Solemnity

of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi).

The Procession will start at the St. Lawrence Cathedral, and nearby we will

prepare an altar and we shall receive the grace of the Exposition of the

Blessed Sacrament; we pray at each station and we sing hyms;

we are then blessed with the

Blessed Sacrament and then we proceed to another altar.
Your Capuchin Poor Clares

Spanish

Muy apreciados amigos en Cristo,

Los estamos invitando para que nos acompañen a la procesión del Santisimo Sacramento el domingo 10 de junio Solemnidad del Santisimo Cuerpo y Sangre de Cristo Corpus Christi, la procesión comienza en la Catedral de san Lorenzo, y alrededor vamos preparando un altar y recibimos la visita del Santisimo Sacramento, se reza una estación y se cantan algunos cantos nos dan la bendición con el Santisimo Sacramento y sigue la procesión a otro altar.
Estan todos cordialmente invitados.
Sus hermanas Clarisas Capuchinas de Amarillo, Texas

Monastery of Amarillo, Texas

We invite you to join us for the visit of the Blessed Virgin of Zapopan

She will remain with us the days 4 and 5 of June.

You are most welcomed to attend the

welcoming ceremony and also to stay in prayer through the

night singing and praying with the sisters.

Spanish

Los invitamos cordialmente a la visita de la Virgen de Zapopan.

Ella estara con nosotras los dias 4 y 5 de junio.

Estan invitados a la ceremonia de bienvenida y tambien a cantar

y rezar con las hermanas durante la noche.

Historical outline of Our Lady of Zapopan

The town of Zapopan was settled in 1542, and in the same year Friar Antonio de Segovia (Franciscan) gave the image of Our Lady of Zapopan to the Indians of the vicinity. The image was called the “Evangelizer” after the tiny one Friar Segovia used to carry around his neck.
The image of Our Lady of Zapopan is a little carved piece representing the Immaculate Conception of Our Blessed Mother. Her dress is crimson with a blue mantle. The Statue itself measures 34 centimeters and two millimeters tall. At the present time, the original statue of Our Lady is protected by a silver vase which shows her face and hand only.

In 1641, information was sent to the Holy See by order of the Most Reverend Don Juan Ruiz Colmenero, concerning the miracle that God had worked through this holy image. (The Indians had the image hidden for some time so that they would not be deprived of so precious relic.,) The information was necessary in order to declare the image to be a worker of miracles.

In 1655, at the feet of Our Lady, Bishop Colmenero and all his clergy promised to confess, to hold, and to defend her Immaculate Conception; and the same bishop changed her feast day from the 8th to the 18th of December.

The Most Reverend Juan Santiago de Leon Garabito, a great devotee of Our Lady, determined to build a sanctuary and after his death, the Most Rev. Camacho continued the construction; the Most Rev. Gomez de Cervantes completed it and dedicated the sanctuary on September 8th, 1730, and the miraculous image was placed upon its throne with unexpected pomp.

The Architecture of the inner part of the sanctuary, now Shrine, is Doric Colonial; the arched roofs are Gothic; the altar pieces are of various styles, the largest is Corinthian; the façade is “plateresco” which agrees in detail with the towers.

In 1734 the city of Guadalajara was stricken by pestilence and the Most Reverend Nicolas Gomez de Cervantes issued a decree which permitted processions and visits of Our Lady in the city.

When the Cathedral Chapter and the Royal Court of Justice noted a miracle, namely that upon taking the statue of Our Lady to every suburb, the pestilence stopped immediately. Hence they declared Our Lady Patroness of thunderstorms and epidemics.

Acknowledging the miraculous fact that not even a drop of blood was shed when Independence was proclaimed in the town of Tlaquepaque on June 13th, 1821, at 10 o’clock a.m., at which time the holy image was taken into the city, she was proclaimed “Patrona y Generala de las Armas” of Nueva Galicia (now Jalisco). Also, the military leader in chief of the Province of Nueva Galicia, Don Antonio Andrade, dressed her in the flag of his own generalship and put into her right has the small cane denoting command. This was on September 15th, 1821.

When the Province of Nueva Galicia was transferred into and constituted the sovereign state of Jalisco in the government palace, she was declared Patroness of it.

On January 18th, 1921, Francisco Orozco y Jimenez, Archbishop of Guadalajara, with pontifical authority crowned Our Lady of Zapopan with a beautiful crown as “Queen”. By petition of the very Rev. Fr. Antonio M. Gomez, O.F.M.., Commissary Provincial, who was very fond of Our Lady of Zapopan, the Sacred Congregation of Rites, in a decree of 1934, declared her Patroness of our Franciscan Province of St. Francis and St. James in Mexico.

On January 10, 1940, his Holiness Pope Pius XII, by a Pontifical Brief, raised Our Lady’s Sanctuary to the category of Minor Basilica.

In 1942, Guadalajara was celebrating the 400th anniversary of its foundation under the protections of Our Lady of Zapopan. The commemorate the event, the statue was taken out of its niche, and in the court in front of the Basilica, His Eminence Jose cardinal Garibi Rivera, during a Pontifical Mass, placed in Our Lady’s hands the keys to the city as a symbol of submission.

In 1946, a great number of prelates, amid great rejoicing, attended the celebration of the silver Jubilee in the Cathedral of Guadalajara of Our Lady’s pontifical enthronement.

In 1954 all Catholics, assembled at a religious gathering, were requested by the Cardinal Archbishop to swear to defend the spiritual motherhood of the Blessed Virgin.

In 1946 the water level of lake Chapala dropped drastically until at the beginning of 1956 Guadalajara and the lower region called “El Bajio” underwent and unbelievable shortage of water. Thereupon, the whole city of Guadalajara headed by Cardinal Garibi implored the Blessed Virgin’s aid who during four centuries has protected her people from misfortune. She answered their prayers obtaining from her Blessed Son a rise of the water to its former level. Consequently the holy statue was taken in procession to Lake of Chapala where cardinal Garibi celebrated a Pontifical Mass of Thanksgiving to God who through the intercession of the Blessed Virgin had come to the aid of his faithful servants.

On January 30, 1979, in all her regalia, and, according to some, brimming with joy, Our Lady of Zapopan received a visit from her most devoted pilgrim, His Holiness Pope John Paul II.

In September of 1988, the Archbishop of Guadalajara, don Juan Jesus Posadas Ocampo for the first time expressed the idea of the “Patronage of Our Lady of Zapopan” for the Diocese of Guadalajara. The proclamation of the “Patronage of Our Lady of Zapopan” was given with a solemn Mass on October 11, 1989 in that at Jalisco Stadium, and was as follows: “Mary, in this small and simple image of Our Lady of Zapopan, is a sign before God, for the Diocese of Guadalajara. The Patronage of Mary is one of service, a service of love, the service of a mother that we have to experience, each time more clearly in our Church of Guadalajara”.

Year by year the number of persons devoted to Our Lady of Zapopan in the U.S.A. particularly en Los Angeles, Cal., Oxnard, Cal., and other places. In April 1994, in the city of Oxnard, the civil and ecclesiastical authorities, on behalf of persons devoted to Mary, gave the keys to the city to Our Blessed Mother.

On January 18, 1996, with hymns of thanksgiving and great rejoicing, the religious authorities and those devoted to Our Lady of Zapopan celebrated the 75th anniversary of the pontifical coronation.

On December 8th, 1998, in a very Solemn Ceremony, at the Basilica, the Major of Zapopan Jose Maria Ramirez Acuña along with the Municipal Council symbolically delivered to Our Lady the Keys of the City, which were received by the Auxiliary Bishop Javier Navarro and the Guardian of the Convent Fr. Hector Ventura, OFM