Our Mission

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Our Mission
- Impelled by the love of Christ... 2 Cor 5:14
  The St. Mary Sisters were founded in the Diocese of Bismarck, but as the community grows, will serve wherever there is a need.
  Desiring as Saint Dominic did to contemplate and give to others the fruits of his contemplation, the Sisters participate in a life of communal prayer and the Liturgy of the Hours and in doing so, are dedicated essentially to the interior life “which draws the Word, the Father, and the Spirit to itself” (Starting Afresh in Christ, 25). Drawing unceasingly on this dimension of their lives, the Sisters courageously tread St. Dominic’s path of proclaiming the Gospel with unflagging zeal to the ends of the earth. Following in the footsteps of the first mendicant friars, who were sent out to preach, the St. Mary Sisters will serve throughout the United States and further, according to God’s providential designs and the needs and discernment of the Church.
  
  “The apostolate of all religious consists first of all in the witness of their consecrated life, which they are bound to foster by prayer and penance” (Code of Canon Law, 673). The Institute regards teaching its “specific duty” and an “essential dimension” of the Church’s mission (Vita Consecrata, 96). Ever aware that Christ is the center and source of their apostolic impulse, the Sisters’ teaching is an overflow of their life of prayer and immersion in the Word through which they become a reflection of Christ’s life to the world.
  
  Impelled by the love of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:14) into the mission of Christian education entrusted to it by the Church, the Institute echoes the words of the Divine Teacher to the Father: “Consecrate them in the truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:17). Ever faithful to the Magisterium, the Sisters carry out this apostolate under the authority of the local ordinary, cooperating with him in the diocese for the care of souls (Code of Canon Law, 678).
The Decree
of the
St. Mary Sisters

In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity, Amen.
View on Diocesan Website
The Decree
- The Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church
  DECREE
  In the Name of the Most Holy Trinity, Amen.
  In accord with the norms of Ecclesiastical Law as contained in the Code of Canon Law and Canons 312-320,
  by these presents the undersigned Diocesan Bishop and competent authority hereby erects:
  The St. Mary Sisters
  Public Association of the Christian Faithful for Women
  of Diocesan Right [canon 312 §1 3°]
  
  is established in response to the desire of women, heeding Christ’s personal call, to give themselves completely to Christ through religious consecration, the profession of the evangelical counsels, and to live together in fraternal charity in view of being erected in the future as a religious institute of diocesan right. The Sisters serve the Church in the apostolate of catholic education as teachers, and in the Spirit of St. Dominic, preach the truth, and endeavor to bring all persons to Christ, “who is the Way, the Truth and the Life.” (John 14:6).
  
  With the publication of this Decree to the Catholic Faithful of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bismarck in North Dakota on this date and by these same presents, the Public Association of the Oblates of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is hereby suppressed. An initial description of this new Public Association is attached so that those interested may seek further information with regard to its nature, purpose and organization.
  
  The Most Reverend David D. Kagan, D.D., P.A., J.C.L., Bishop of Bismarck
  
  Given at the Chancery this 1st day of June A.D. 2020
  Mr. Dale Eberle, Chancellor
What is a Public Association of the Christian Faithful?
- A Public Association of Christ’s Faithful:
  
  Refer to the Code of Canon Law, Canons 312-320. It is not a canonical Religious Institute but can become one such Institute. It is established by the competent ecclesiastical authority, that is, the Diocesan Bishop for his own territory and is under his supervision and thus, is of diocesan right with a rule of life and constitution approved by him for the fulfillment of its specific charism.
  
  This Public Association realizes fully its ecclesial dimensions in its dependence on, obedience to, and cooperation with the Church, ever aware of its sharing in the “twofold aspect” of the Church “as visible social organism and invisible divine presence” (Mutuae Relationes, 3). The Sisters, called into a spousal love of Christ, seek to nurture a deep love and affection for the Church and faithful submission to her teaching authority, and in so doing, participate in her sacramental nature.

Impelled by the love of Christ... 2 Cor 5:14

The St. Mary Sisters were founded in the Diocese of Bismarck, but as the community grows, will serve wherever there is a need.

A Public Association of Christ’s Faithful: