The Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood are a

contemplative In a religious context, the practice of contemplation seeks a direct awareness of the divine which transcends the intellect, often in accordance with prayer or meditation. Etymology The word ''contemplation'' is derived from the Latin word '' ...

and

cloistered A cloister (from Latin ''claustrum'', "enclosure") is a covered walk, open gallery, or open arcade running along the walls of buildings and forming a quadrangle or garth. The attachment of a cloister to a cathedral or church, commonly against a ...

religious institute A religious institute is a type of institute of consecrated life in the Catholic Church whose members take religious vows and lead a life in community with fellow members. Religious institutes are one of the two types of institutes of consecrate ...

of the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

. They were founded in 1861 by Catherine Aurelia Caouette in

Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec Saint-Hyacinthe (; French: ) is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 57,239. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérég ...

, Canada.

History

The ''Sœurs Adoratrices du Précieux-Sang'' was established as a cloistered, contemplative community in 1861 in

Saint-Hyacinthe Saint-Hyacinthe (; French: ) is a city in southwestern Quebec east of Montreal on the Yamaska River. The population as of the 2021 Canadian census was 57,239. The city is located in Les Maskoutains Regional County Municipality of the Montérég ...

, Quebec. The first subsequent foundation was that of Toronto in 1867. A monastery was opened in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

in 1874. In 1925, Precious Blood Monastery in

Edmonton Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...

Alberta Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

was established. With declining membership, the monastery closed in 2012, with two sisters going to the nursing home at Providence Centre, and the other four dispersing to monasteries in Calgary, Quebec and Portland, Maine. A Monastery of the Precious Blood opened in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

in 1891 and closed in 1992, the sisters dispersing to houses in the East. A house was opened in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

, Cuba in 1902 and closed in 1960. A Monastery of the Precious Blood in

Charlottetown Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlottetown was an unincorporated town until it was incorporated as a city in ...

Prince Edward Island Prince Edward Island (PEI; ) is one of the thirteen Provinces and territories of Canada, provinces and territories of Canada. It is the smallest province in terms of land area and population, but the most densely populated. The island has seve ...

opened in 1929 but closed in 2012.

Life

The Sisters follow a routine of prayer and of work, supporting themselves through the sale of their handicrafts as well as donations. They wear a distinctive

religious habit A religious habit is a distinctive set of religious clothing worn by members of a religious order. Traditionally some plain garb recognizable as a religious habit has also been worn by those leading the religious eremitic and anchoritic life, ...

consisting of a white

tunic A tunic is a garment for the body, usually simple in style, reaching from the shoulders to a length somewhere between the hips and the knees. The name derives from the Latin ''tunica'', the basic garment worn by both men and women in Ancient Rome ...

, with a red

scapular The scapular (from Latin ''wikt:scapula#Latin, scapulae'', "shoulders") is a Western Christianity, Western Christian garment suspended from the shoulders. There are two types of scapulars, the Monasticism, monastic and Catholic devotions, devot ...

over it and a red

sash A sash is a large and usually colorful ribbon or band of material worn around the body, either draping from one shoulder to the opposing hip and back up, or else running around the waist. The sash around the waist may be worn in daily attire, bu ...

. Their mission, in the words of their foundress, is to pray for the salvation of the world and for an increased holiness of the

clergy Clergy are formal leaders within established religions. Their roles and functions vary in different religious traditions, but usually involve presiding over specific rituals and teaching their religion's doctrines and practices. Some of the ter ...

of the Catholic Church.

Present day

As of 2020, the institute was composed of autonomous Monasteries of the Precious Blood in the United States, Canada and Japan. Two independent monasteries are located in Japan. French Generalate (Canadian -French speaking) There is a French-speaking community in St.-Hyacinthe, Que., where the order was founded. London Generalate (Canadian -English speaking) * In 1913 eleven sisters from the Toronto house established a foundation in

London, Ontario London (pronounced ) is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, along the Quebec City–Windsor Corridor. The city had a population of 422,324 according to the 2021 Canadian census. London is at the confluence of the Thames River, approximate ...

. The General Superior, other administrative Sisters and new members of the community who are in formation, reside at the London monastery. * Regina Coeli Monastery was opened in 1933 in

Regina, Saskatchewan Regina () is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province, after Saskatoon, and is a commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. As of the 2021 C ...

, by sisters from Edmonton. It is part of the London Generalate. * Our Lady of Peace Monastery was founded in Hamilton in 1946 by eight sisters from the Winnipeg community. Our Lady of Peace houses the community's infirmary and takes in sick and elderly sisters from the monasteries in Calgary, Regina and London. * The Precious Blood Monastery in

Calgary Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...

was founded in 1951 by eight sisters from the Edmonton house, (which itself was founded from Toronto). They support themselves by the making and distribution of altar breads throughout the diocese and beyond. A monastery was established in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

, Ontario in 1887. When the convent was sold, the eleven remaining Sisters moved to a convent near Quebec City. In 1991, the building was purchased by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons. American Federation of Monasteries: * Monastery of the Precious Blood in

Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

(1890) In 2012, when the Flatlands monastery of the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin of Matará Sisters (S.S.V.M.) was found to be in need of significant repair, the Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood welcomed them. The two communities share the building. * A Monastery of the Precious Blood was founded in

Manchester, New Hampshire Manchester is a city in Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States. It is the most populous city in New Hampshire. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 115,644. Manchester is, along with Nashua, one of two seats of New Hamp ...

in 1898. In 1934 sisters from Manchester opened a house in

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropol ...

. The Portland house closed in 2018, with the remaining two sisters returning to Manchester. * Sisters from Manchester founded a monastery in

Watertown, New York Watertown is a city in, and the county seat of, Jefferson County, New York, United States. It is approximately south of the Thousand Islands, along the Black River about east of where it flows into Lake Ontario. The city is bordered by the ...

in 1963.Precious Blood Monastery, Watertown, NY
/ref> A house opened in

Lafayette, Indiana Lafayette ( , ) is a city in and the county seat of Tippecanoe County, Indiana, United States, located northwest of Indianapolis and southeast of Chicago. West Lafayette, on the other side of the Wabash River, is home to Purdue University, whi ...

in 1955, closed in 2006.

References

Sources

* "Sisters of the Precious Blood-the thirty ninth anniversary of the order celebrated in Brooklyn." New York Times. New York, N.Y.: September 17, 1900. p. 10, 1 p. The order had 10 houses in the U.S. and Canada, enclosing 300 souls. ProQuest document ID: 105751771 Text Word Count 873. (subscription) viewed 9/29/2006 *Cook, Joan. "Even Today, Some Nuns Choose the Cloistered Life of Prayer." New York Times. New York, N.Y.: July 6, 1971. p. 38, 1 p. ProQuest document ID: 90680535 Text Word Count 2853 (subscription) viewed 9/29/2006 *Lieblich, Julia. "The Cloistered Life; More American women are finding a vocation in the age-old observance of silence and solitude to facilitate prayer." New York Times. New York, N.Y.: July 10, 1983. p. SM12, 9 pp. ProQuest document ID: 119514659 Text Word Count 5487 (subscription) viewed 9/29/2006

External links

Flintham, Lydia Sterling. "Sisters Adorers of the Precious Blood", ''Records of the American Catholic Historical Society of Philadelphia'', Vol. 14, No. 1(MARCH, 1903), pp. 6-15
{{Authority control Catholic female orders and societies Religious organizations established in 1861 Catholic religious institutes established in the 19th century 1861 establishments in Canada