“...come, follow me." (Luke 18:22)
Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate
Sisters Servants Lane - 9 Emmanuel Drive
P.O. Box 9
Sloatsburg, New York 10974-0009
Phone: 845.753.2840 Fax: 845.753.1956
Email: ssminy@aol.com
Website: www.ssmi-us.org
Over 70 years of Christian Service has been provided by the Congregation of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, to both St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic School and St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church. By their example they have taught and shown everyone how to live and love as Christians; hoping that one day, all may become worthy of being counted as members of the Kingdom of Heaven; forever dwelling in blissful harmony and peace with their Creator.
Let us remember our dear Sisters in our prayers, asking God to help them do His good works, and to always watch over and protect them.
Please remember, our Sisters need your financial support.
(An address ... is provided above)
Glory to God ! - Honor to Mary! - Peace to us!
The emblem of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate is the letter M on top of which is a cross, and is flanked by three stars. This emblem was adopted by the First General Chapter in 1907. The emblem signifies that the Sisters are followers of Christ who have taken up their cross and who claim their glory and salvation in the cross of Christ. The letter M also indicates that the Sisters are under the protection of Mary Immaculate and that they strive to walk in the fullness of faith and also in trust, responding to God's call, as did the Blessed Virgin Mary. The three stars symbolize their religious vows, faith, hope and charity. Every Sister Servant especially cherishes: meekness, humility and sisterly love. The three stars also represent, education, health care and concern for the beauty of churches, which are three main works of the Congregation. The Congregation of Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate was founded on the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, August 27, 1882 , in the village of Zhuzhyl , Western Ukraine.
Josaphata Hordashevska was born Michaelina Hordashevska in the year 1869 in the city of Lviv, and lived until 1919, when she was called by the Lord. She was a Ukrainian Greek Catholic nun, and was the first member of the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate. At the young age of 18, she decided to consecrate her life to God in a contemplative monastery of the Order of St. Basil the Great, which at that was the only Eastern-rite woman's congregation. The Basilians decided to establish a woman's congregation that focused on the active life, and Michaelina was elected to be the first leader of the order. When she agreed, she was sent to the Felician Sisters where she would gain experience in the active paramonastic life. Michaelina took the name "Josaphata", in honor of the Ukrainian martyr St. Josaphat Kuntsevych. She, being the first superior of the young sisters, trained them in the spirit and charisma of the Sisters Servants: "serve your people where the need is greatest". But regrettably at the age of 49, she died amidst terrible suffering from bone cancer. She was taken to Rome after her body was found to be incorrupt. She is buried in the generalate of the Sisters Servants in Rome. The process of her beatification started in Rome in 1983 and on June 27, 2001, she was beatified by Pope John Paul II in Lviv. Numerous miracles are ascribed due to her intercession after her death.
