What does our name "Franciscan Handmaids of the Immaculate" mean? It all goes back to the very first event of the Annunciation when the Archangel Gabriel announced the coming birth of the Redeemer to Our Blessed Mother. It was the very root of every evangelization and mission. It was the source whereby we draw our essence as religious community; it is the mystery that enters into the very inner structure of who we are. 




Bearers of Jesus, bearers of souls

Mary became the handmaid of the Lord by her decision and consent to be God’s Mother; it was an acceptance of God’s invitation to enter into a “personal relationship” with His Son for that is what it means to be Mother of God. It was born out of virginal love that is total and unconditional and is grounded on the “obedience of faith” (Rom. 16:26; cf. Rom. 1:5; 2 Cor. 10:5-6; John Paul II’s Redemptoris Mater n. 13) and the action of the Holy Spirit (cf. Lk 1:35). It was at this moment that Mary’s cooperation with salvific mission of the Son was inaugurated. It transpired simultaneously with her vocation of motherhood. The moment that Mary conceived the Son of God, the divine mission of the Second Person of the Trinity in time began -- she became the Mother of souls. Here is the summary of our vocation as Franciscan Handmaids of the Immaculate.

We were graced by the visit of the Most Reverend Robert F. Hennessey, Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Boston when he came to administer the Sacrament of Confirmation to the candidates of St. Brendan's Parish in Bellingham, Massachusetts. 

The sisters have been assisting with the staff of St. Brendan's Parish in Confirmation Catechism for some years now. It is certainly one of the most fulfilling apostolates we have when we see children learn the rudiments of being "soldiers of Christ" in the world they have to face as they grow up in our society nowadays. 

Seeing the supernaturals effects of the Sacrament of Confirmation as "...the sacrament which gives the Holy Spirit in order to root us more deeply in the divine filiation, incorporate us more firmly into Christ, strengthen our bond with the Church, associate us more closely with her mission, and help us bear witness to the Christian faith in words accompanied by deeds," (CCC. n. 1316), one can never regret the effort in preparing these children for it. It is certainly  a work that is divine and fulfilling since nothing is worth more than the salvation of souls. Moreover, the seed of grace that will empower them to be witnesses of the Faith, will transform them to be leaven in the world that is becoming more distant to supernatural realities. We pray that these children will preserve and bring to fruition this grace for the rest of their lives.