Dcn. Chris Gutierrez congratulates Sister María de Guadalupe of Jesus Crucified at the open Communion Doors following the Holy Mass which enfolded her solemn profession. COURTESY OF THE POOR CLARE NUNS
‘Led by Our Lady’ – Sister María de Guadalupe Velazquez pronounces Solemn Vows as a Poor Clare Nun
BY THE POOR CLARE NUNS OF OUR LADY OF MERCY, SPECIAL TO THE WESTERN KENTUCKY CATHOLIC
On August 11, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Clare of Assisi, the spiritual daughter of St. Francis and the foundress of an order of enclosed contemplative nuns. Nearly 800 years after Pope Innocent IV approved the Rule of St. Clare (the first religious rule written by a woman), her form of Gospel living – marked by poverty, simplicity and a strong fraternal life – is still attracting followers. Among these is a young woman from the Owensboro diocese who made her solemn profession earlier this summer at the Poor Clare Monastery of Our Lady of Mercy in Belleville, Illinois.
Sister María de Guadalupe of Jesus Crucified (Norly Cristina Velazquez) and her large family moved to Owensboro, Ky., when she was a teenager. She participated in the Hispanic youth group at Sts. Joseph and Paul Parish and served as a catechist. After graduating from Daviess County High School in 2011 and working for a time, she began to pray more intensely about where God was leading her in life. While she admired the active Sisters who served in her home parish, she felt strong attraction to the contemplative life. “My next questions were: Do such nuns still exist? Where are they? How can I contact them?” she said.
Sister María de Guadalupe of Jesus Crucified holding her bridal candle and wearing the ring and crown of thorns which are traditionally bestowed upon a Poor Clare nun after she pronounces solemn vows of obedience, poverty, chastity and enclosure. COURTESY OF THE POOR CLARE NUNS
A first search on the internet didn’t seem to point anywhere. “It was in early December,” Sister remembered, “so I decided to make this my special intention for the novena to Our Lady de Guadalupe.” Returning to the internet, Sister discovered a monastery that wasn’t too far from her home. “I called and actually spoke to a nun who offered to send me some materials. I opened their package on December 12, and the first thing I did was watch the vocation video that was inside. It was the answer to my novena! When I finished watching, I was crying because this was exactly what I was looking for.”
Norly Cristina entered the Monastery of Our Lady of Mercy on March 6, 2015, as a postulant. The following March, she was clothed in the holy habit and received her religious name: Sister María de Guadalupe of Jesus Crucified. After completing a two-year novitiate, she pronounced her simple vows on May 8, 2018.
Fr. Albert Bremer congratulates Sister María de Guadalupe of Jesus Crucified at the open Communion Doors following the Holy Mass which enfolded her solemn profession on May 4, 2024. COURTESY OF THE POOR CLARE NUNS
Sister María’s spiritual formation as a Poor Clare continued through six years of temporary profession, and culminated in the total gift of herself to Christ and His Church through her profession of solemn vows of obedience, poverty, chastity and enclosure. Most Rev. Michael G. McGovern, Bishop of Belleville, was the main celebrant at the Mass enfolding the bilingual profession ceremony on May 4, 2024. He was joined at the altar by seven other priests including Fr. Albert Bremer III of the Owensboro diocese who was Sister María’s parochial vicar when she entered the monastery. Dcn. Chris Gutierrez, who led youth ministry at Sister’s home parish, proclaimed the Gospel in Spanish.
As a Poor Clare Nun, Sister María’s life is especially dedicated to the praise and worship of God. Her vocation is fulfilled through her participation in the Church’s Liturgy, the seven-fold offering of the Divine Office and daily times of Eucharistic adoration. She has also served her community as sacristan, baker and assistant cook. As a Bride of Christ and spiritual mother of souls, all the needs of the world are held close to her heart in prayer. For more information about the Poor Clare Monastery in Belleville, IL, to view their vocation video or find out how to submit prayer intentions, you are welcome to visit their website: https://www.poorclares-belleville.info/
In this photo (taken from the Sisters’ side of the Chapel), Sister María de Guadalupe prostrates before the altar as the Litany of the Saints is sung during her solemn profession on May 4, 2024. COURTESY OF THE POOR CLARE NUNS
Originally printed in the August 2024 issue of The Western Kentucky Catholic.
