Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary of Saint Benedict Center is a traditional, active Order re-founded by Brother Hugh MacIsaac in 1976, in the spirit of Father Leonard Feeney. The community of Brothers and the community of Sisters live True Devotion to Mary, and consecrate themselves daily using the formula written by Saint Louis Marie De Montfort in his classic treatise. Our monastery is called Saint Benedict Center to reflect our life of work and prayer. We are a Public Association of the Faithful in the Diocese of Worcester, Massachusetts.

The Sisters, Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (MICM) take vows as Brides of Christ and live a traditional active religious life of prayer and work nourished by the Traditional Latin Liturgy and dedicated to Jesus through Mary.

The Sisters, live a community life united by their total consecration to Mary, where they give all their goods, both interior and exterior, without exception, for the greater glory of God. This total consecration to Mary as formulated by Saint Louis Marie de Montfort in his book True Devotion to Mary, is the driving force behind the spiritual life of the Sisters, whether they are praying, working, studying, or teaching. All is done “in, with and for” the Immaculate Heart of Mary for the salvation of souls. It is not so much about what they do, rather for whom they do it.

In a spirit of a life lived for Jesus through Mary, each day is centered around prayer, and begins with meditation, rosary and the Tridentine Liturgy. Personal prayer, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, community prayer, are sprinkled throughout the day, which ends with Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament and the Little Office of Our Lady.

The actual apostolate of the Sisters, while missionary in nature, encompasses a variety of work, ranging from the intellectual to the manual. Fortifying their outward labor with the driving force of an interior life, the Sisters are skilled in many fields. Their spirit of contemplation goes beyond the chapel walls and accompanies them in everything they do: teaching, typesetting, writing, or creating graphic art for our evangelizing tool, “From the Housetops” magazine constitute only a part of their work. Daily activities such as cooking, gardening, sewing or taking care of the chickens, are spiritualized because, unlike worldly labor, every job is united to prayer, giving glory to God all day long.

Wearing a simple but traditional full black habit, the Sisters witness to the world a life hidden in Christ, rejecting the vanities and allurements of materialism.

Aspiring to be Christ’s Eternal Bride, the Sisters live a life of chastity and self-denial that is diametrically opposed to our impure society where self-gratification and immorality are the norm. Obeying the will of Christ in the rule of the order and voice of superiors they submit their freedom to the yoke of humility and dependence on God.