ST. BERNARD'S CONVENT

The Daughters of the Cross was founded by Blessed Marie Thérèse Haze in Liège, Belgium in 1833. Today Daughters of the Cross work in Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, England, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, and Pakistan. In 1958 four Daughters of the Cross came to Tracy to open St. Bernard's School. Over the years their ministry expanded to Angel's Camp, Lockford, Manteca, San Andreas, and Stockton. Today the sisters work in Manteca, Stockton, and Tracy.

Today four sisters serve in various parish ministries here in Tracy.

Sister Maureen O'Brien  is the Superior of the Convent and is a part of St. Bernard's Stewardship Committee. She plays guitar at the 10:00AM Sunday Mass.

Sister Mary Lancaster provides religious education, especially for parents whose children will be receiving the sacraments. She is a member of the Parish Pastoral Council.

Sister Marlene Sylas coordinates the Ministry of Caring and trains ministers for the program. She is actively involved visiting the elderly, homebound, and hospitalized. She is a member of the seasonal choir. 

Sister Cecilia D'Mello helps families arrange funerals and supports them in their time of grief.  She coordinates the welcoming of new parishioners.

All are lectors and special ministers of the Eucharist.

For more information about the Daughters of the Cross, please go to:   www.daughtersofthecross.org.uk 

 

 

Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you…


...to all of you who made the celebration of my profession as a Daughter of the Cross so special. I appreciate your presence, your kind words, and your prayers.  It is an honor and pleasure for me to serve as a Daughter of the Cross in St. Bernard’s Parish. I ask you to continue to pray for me and for the sisters who serve in the parish in so many ways. Please pray for all Daughters of the Cross who minister in Africa, Asia, Europe, and California. Pray that the Lord of the Harvest will send us more vocations so that we can continue in the footsteps of our foundress, Blessed Marie Thérèse.


May God bless you all.
Sr. Cecilia d’Mello, F.C.

 

 

 

A PIECE OF OUR HISTORY

 

 The Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross was founded by Blessed Marie Thérèse Haze in Liège, Belgium in 1833. Her childhood and early womanhood were lived against the political upheaval of the French Revolution in so far as it affected Belgium. She experienced the loss of home, loved ones, and possessions and knew what it was to be poor and displaced, to have nothing. Her only security was in God. It was in contemplating the self-giving of Jesus on the cross that she founded the Congregation of the Daughters of the Cross to help suffering humanity.  During her lifetime she sent sisters to work in schools, hospitals, prisons, homes for “fallen women,” prisoner rehabilitation centers, to nurse in war zones, to take care of people in their own homes, in fact to do any work she felt the Lord was calling Daughters of the Cross to serve Him.

 

     The Daughters of the Cross in Tracy

Four Daughters of the Cross came to Tracy in 1958 to open St. Bernard’s School with grades 1-3. They were Sr. Mary Peter (Superior), Sr. Ann Gabriel, Sr. Madeleine Louise, and Sr. Mary Assumpta. Unfortunately Sr. Mary Assumpta was only able to stay for a very short time as she became ill and needed to return to England. Sister Mary Laetitia replaced her. As a grade was added each year an additional sister came till there were 8 grades and 9 sisters. Sr. Martin Mary (Mary Lancaster) came next followed a year later by Sr. Mary Eugene. Sr. Maureen O’Brien came in 1969 and Sr. Marlene Jude in 1997.

In 1966 sisters took on catechetical work in the parishes of Angels Camp and San Andreas and lay teachers began to join the school faculty. In 1991 the first lay principal was appointed and just one sister remained on the faculty. 

     Since 2001 there have been no sisters working in school but we continue to support functions and activities. 

 

     The work carried out and the number of sisters have varied over the years and currently there are 4 sisters serving the parish.

 

Ministries include:

  • Visiting the elderly, homebound, & hospitalized taking them spiritual support & Holy Communion

  • Training parishioners to participate in this ministry

  • Organizing special Masses, Anointing of the sick, and

  • celebrations for seniors

  • Assisting families arrange funerals & supporting them in their time of grief

  • Providing religious education especially for parents whose children will be receiving the sacraments

 

Serving as Special Ministers of the Eucharist, Lectors, and musicians for parish liturgies.

“Tracy Sisters” now in England Currently Sr. Norah Friend (Sr. Mary Peter) is in our convent in Cheam, England. Though she finds it difficult to move around, she is very alive and active in the community. Sr. Monica Duckett is being taken good care of in the convent attached to our hospital in Haslemere, England. Though her dementia has become worse, she is very pleasant and happy with our sisters.  Sr. Maureen Long is happily settled in our convent in Dublin, Ireland. She is able to see more of her family and enjoys keeping in touch with her California friends via email.