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Our Charism
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The Intercessors of the Lamb are dedicated to the contemplative formation of all Christians for the powerful ministry of intercession. Our goal is to develop and foster a deep interior life in the hearts of God’s people so that they might become within themselves, “a house of prayer” as God is within Himself. Because it is the life that prays, our own personal relationship with Jesus is the root and power of all effective intercession. The stronger our union with His Heart, the more our hearts begin to beat like His… a steady, slow beat… a beat that always says, “Souls… souls… souls…” |
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| | | Throughout our 2,000 years in the Catholic Church, we have seen many beautiful charisms given and many beautiful works come forth from these charisms. A charism is a gift given to the Church through certain people to bring forth a very specific work that God feels is needed at a particular time in history. This is how new religious families are born in the Church. Men and women have received a special gift from God and they bring it to the Church. The gift is given to meet the needs of the Church at that time. The Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, is a growing Body and along with this growth, come new problems so new ministries are needed. | | The Intercessors of the Lamb have a specific charism that in its initial form was given to the Church through St. John Eudes. St. John Eudes had a deep understanding and devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. St. John Eudes was full of God’s love and he knew the Hearts of Jesus and Mary. His beautiful writings tell us that Jesus and Mary have but one heart. After much prayer and consultation with his superiors, moved by divine inspiration, St. John Eudes left his position as a diocesan priest and founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (the Eudite Fathers) in the hopes of educating and edifying the diocesan clergy. He spent most of his life thereafter securing Papal approbation for the new institute and promoting devotion to the Sacred Hearts |  | | | |  | | Out of St. John Eudes’ order came an order called The Congregation of the Good Shepherd Sisters. St. Mary Euphrasia, a member of this order, had a great devotion to St. Teresa of Avila and she embraced her spirituality, which is Carmelite. St. Mary Euphrasia was called to re-form the charism also, so she started an order within this order called The Sisters of the Cross. Reform from within is very difficult so God usually calls people out when reform is needed. | | | Mother Nadine, Foundress of the Intercessors of the Lamb, was called to follow God in a life of prayer and penance as a contemplative in the Sisters of the Cross of the Good Shepherd Congregation. Sixteen years later, it was discerned that God was calling her out of the cloister. She was to bring the rich heritage of this contemplative spirituality and its intercessory fruits to the broader Church, offering to all Christians the means of achieving a relationship with God, which was formerly seen as only available to consecrated Religious. | |  | | | On May 27, 1998, The Intercessors of the Lamb were recognized as a Public Association of the Christian Faithful, the second step in becoming an Apostolic Society. At the Canonical Erection, Archbishop Elden Curtiss said, “My congratulations to this family of the Intercessors of the Lamb, but with the congratulations comes the challenge. You’ve just begun and you have much to do.” (See “Community News” for news story and Archbishop Elden Curtiss’ homily at the Canonical Erection.) |
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Contemplative communal intercession is our primary ministry. We promote contemplative spirituality and provide spiritual guidance in the development of individual relationships with God. Our goal is to give greater honor and glory to God by bringing about a spiritual renewal in the lives of the faithful, renewing humanity from “within.” (Evangelii Nuntiande #18) Our first priority is to gather the faithful together in contemplative, communal intercession for priests. We are committed to live Jesus and His cross for the purpose of taking away the sin of the world. In the power of the Spirit, equipped with tools for spiritual warfare, we are commissioned to the powerful ministry of intercession, which springs forth from the wellspring of Divine Love flowing from the pierced heart of Jesus. Those among the people of God particularly entrusted to this apostolate are the shepherds of the flock to whom we commit ourselves to support through the witness of our lives and the power of prayer. We, the Intercessors of the Lamb, aim to bring the desert spirituality to the city, calling people forth into holiness, into transforming union. We provide a “novitiate” for the spiritual renewal of the faithful. During these past years, we have sponsored annual conferences, conducted prayer workshops, seminars, directed weekly communal intercessory prayer, as well as directing private retreats for laity, hermits, and priests. We envision calling forth all the faithful to take the Gospel in its full meaning and live it according to the needs of our times, and to each person’s state of life. Our call is to become, within ourselves and the Church community, “a house of prayer for all peoples” (Is 56:7).
Mother Nadine
Foundress, Intercessors of the Lamb |
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