- 603-239-6495 ext. 1
- micmreligious@gmail.com
- 95 Fay Martin Rd., Richmond, NH 03470
St. Philomena's Convent
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“Of One Heart and One Mind in Christ”
Learn a little more about each of our Sisters and her role in our Community!
A native of Mount Shasta, California,
Sr. Mary Peter professed her Vows on the feast of the Immaculate Heart in 1999. Over the years, she has taught all the grades, kindergarten through twelfth, as well as serving as principal of Immaculate Heart of
Mary School. Blessed with an abundance of compassion for the sufferings of others, as well as the common sense to deal with life’s day-to-day trials, Sister served for a long time as Novice Mistress within the Community and was elected Mother Prioress in 2023.
Professed in 1998, Sr. Maria Philomena is the Sisters’ sub-prioress. With over 20,000 teaching hours in various grades, she has taught almost all high school level subjects, authored a number of articles, and given dozens of lectures to adult audiences on historical and cultural subjects. As the director of the St. Augustine Institute, she crafted SAI’s four-year program. Having studied the principles and practices of regenerative agriculture, she has been a presenter at the Catholic Land Movement conferences and oversees our St. Isidore Project.
Born in Wisconsin, Sr. Marie Therese professed her Vows in 1990, and, of all the Sisters, was the best acquainted with Br. Francis Maluf, M.I.C.M. Prioress for many years, Sister continues to share her amazing mastery of Gregorian chant by directing the Sisters’ choir; she shares her invaluable common sense by overseeing several facets of the St. Isidore Project; and she shares her deep wisdom by serving as a valued member of the Sisters’ Council.
Invited to teach in the school in 2000, Sr. Maria Perpetua of southern California entered the Community at the end of that school year, taking her Vows in 2004. Besides being a gifted guitar player and pianist, Sister enjoys teaching math and geography at the junior high and high school level. Her skills as a seamstress are invaluable, and she also serves as the bursar in the Community.
Coming to us by way of Newport, Maine, Sr. Mary Joseph (professed in 2004) has long found her joy in working with the first and second graders. Now a regular contributor to the online journal of the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Sister is always eager to cultivate wholesome interests such as philosophy, music, literature, games, etc. in order to strengthen the natural foundations upon which the life of grace is built.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Sr. Maria Rosaria is the first of IHM School’s graduates to have entered the Community. Professed in 2009, she has been in charge of the kitchen for many years, as well as serving as novice mistress. Quite knowledgeable in natural home remedies, she is currently working to earn her diploma with the online Homegrown Herbalist School.
A native of Sonoma County, California, Sr. Marie Gabrielle has been teaching the fifth and sixth grades since her Final Profession in 2012. She has proven to be an accomplished speaker, having several talks posted on Sensus Fidelium which have been well received. Sister is also the Community’s beadle (bell-ringer) and assistant photographer.
Coming to New England by way of Minnesota and Georgia, Sr. Maria Junipera, who professed her Vows in 2021, works as a teacher with grades kindergarten through fourth. Painter, singer, song-writer, and mandolin-player, Sister regularly delights her students and fellow religious with her amazing artistic and musical talents.
After graduating college and doing secretarial and catechetical work in her local parish for several years, Sr. Maria Jeremia answered the “Are You Called to Teach?” ad she found on the Sisters’ website. She entered the postulancy on the feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, 2024. Cheerful and capable, she is a wonderful asset to our Community.
The Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary were founded in 1949 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We are a young Community, but we are very traditional. All our Sisters wear the full habit, and we worship exclusively in the Traditional Latin Rite.
Our day begins with morning meditation and Rosary, followed by Holy Mass at the local Traditional rite parish church. After a second Rosary, the Sisters commence their teaching, farm, or household duties. We gather at 4:30 for our afternoon Rosary. Dinner is at 5:00, followed by recreation, and an evening class (theology, history, philosophy, etc.). Our day ends with the Office of Compline at 8:30.
Our Sisters have been joining in the annual Pilgrimage for Restoration—organized by the National Coalition for Clergy and Laity—since it started in 1996. We have attended Catholic Land Movement conferences (both in New York and Indiana). In the summer of 2024, we were invited to participate in Hugh Owen’s Kolbe Center Leadership Retreat. In addition to these, our Community hosts its own conference each October, featuring such speakers as Charles Coulombe, Mike Church, and C. Joseph Doyle.
Yes! The Saint Isidore Project is an agricultural effort that we initiated in 2019 during the period of social uncertainty brought about by Covid. What began as a way to our being able to provide healthy food for ourselves and our dependents has since grown into a quasi-apostolic outreach, whereby we are able to make contact with local and out-of-state farmers alike. We currently raise pigs and chickens, along with tending to multiple gardens and a greenhouse.
Although we have been actively seeking approval for many years, we have been unsuccessful so far. Given that our previous Holy Father looked unfavorably on Traditional groups and apostolates, we are hoping that under Pope Leo XIV, all of our waiting, praying, and suffering for this worthy intention will at last bear fruit.
Our vocation as Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is to uphold the Catholic Faith without compromise, especially the dogma Extra Ecclesiam Nulla Salus. We are devoted to working for the conversion of America and to the spreading the message of Fatima. We strive to sanctify ourselves by living the Marian spirituality of St. Louis Marie de Montfort and the Little Way of St. Therese. The other principal patrons of our Community are St. Joseph, St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross, St. Benedict and St. Scholastica.
Yes. Our Sisters worked slowly but steadily for many years on what has become Arouca Press’ best-selling book, The Liturgical Rosary. It is a compilation of Rosary meditations taken directly from the liturgical texts of the traditional Roman Rite. Lauded by Dr. Peter Kwasniewski and Fr. Thomas Crean, O.P., it is carried by Leaflet Missal, latinmasshelper.com, and others. You can listen to the Sisters’ promotional talk HERE.
Certainly! We Sisters are happy to receive guests and would be delighted to show you around the school and the farm. We do ask that guests kindly respect the traditional Catholic dress code: long skirts for the ladies, pants for the gentlemen, and sleeves for both. Please call or email to schedule your visit. We look forward to seeing you!
Why were the Sisters forced to evacuate our Convent? Learn more about how a terrible mold crisis has left us squeezed into our own guest quarters, and why a total mold remediation would not solve all our problems.
