Who We Are

We are the Passionist Servants of the Sorrowful Hearts of Jesus and Mary, a developing hermitage devoted to the Passion of Jesus Christ and the Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin Mary currently inhabiting the Heart of Sorrows Hermitage in Tennessee, USA. Founded by Sister Charles Michael and Sister Mary Gabriel of the Precious Blood of Jesus in the summer of 2019, our retreat serves the special purpose of providing professed laity members who were unable to enter traditional monastic life due to restrictions from chronic health conditions, injuries, and other medical exclusions the opportunity to live in the vocation of contemplative prayer and worship.We value the rich history and early traditions of the Church as taught by the Apostles and the early Church Fathers and are especially dedicated to remembering the Passion of Jesus Christ and the rule of the founder of the Congregation of the Passionists, Saint Paul of the Cross. What we seek to do is allow the education of the Gospels and knowledge of our faith to be accessible and easily understood by all who seek it, as so often other facets of life in today's world have taken priority over furthering our spiritual well-being. As we take the time to culminate our careful research and personal paths of education into this humble website, we look forward to one day being a stable resource for any and all to come closer to Our Lord and His Passion.We believe that the life of contemplative prayer is for all who are called to it and are dedicated to providing outreach to the sick, needy, dying, and oppressed who make up the "Crucified of today", as well as providing educational resources about the live of the hermit. We thank you for taking the time to read our story and ask humbly that you would please pray for us as we continue forward in the development of our convent as we hope to one day welcome our supporters in person to our completed cloistered abbey and retreat house!

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As we make progress on our website, we will regularly update all who are interested to see our progress as well as share information about the happenings of our gift shop and construction. We thank you with all of our hearts for your interest in our devotions and services on behalf of God!

Today the Passionist Order, though still much smaller and lesser-known than other orders, has grown significantly in the last 300 years, with over 2,500 professed members across more than 60 countries. Passionists of today provide a variety of ministries, with Fathers and Brothers providing pastoral care and ministering to the sick, needy, homeless, and marginalized who are "the Crucified of today" when not in silent contemplation at their retreats, taking every act of charity and labor as an opportunity to not only spread the the Passion of Christ but also to bear witness to the sufferings of the world in honor of His Passion. Passionist Nuns and Sisters are often completely cloistered, devoting their lives to contemplative prayer for the conversion of sinners, reflection of the Passion, and for some, having ecstatic, mystic visions just as many Passionist Saints (including Saint Paul of the Cross himself) had in their lives.

"The Passion of Christ is the greatest and most overwhelming work of God's love."

As Passionists, we are guided by the rule of our founder St. Paul of the Cross, whose life and work were centered on drawing all people to the foot of the Cross of Jesus. We believe that the greatest act of love and service we can offer is to be present to those who suffer most: the poor, the sick, the homeless, the hungry, the abused, and the marginalized who make up the "Crucified of today".Our work is grounded in the belief that every act of service is an opportunity to witness to the love of Christ. Whether we are serving in the hospital room, visiting a lonely soul, providing a meal for the homeless, or sharing the Word of God on the street, we strive to live out our Passionist charism to love deeply, serve humbly, and live simply. Through our ministries, we aim to offer not only physical care but also spiritual nourishment to those who are hurting, lost, or searching for the peace that only Christ can provide.It is our mission to live in perpetual remembrance and mourning of the suffering and death of Our Lord, as well as joyous celebration of the world's salvation through His sacrifice. We seek to live in imitation of the life of Jesus Christ, the Apostles, and the Passionist Saints. As a charismatic order, we are deeply inspired by mystic experiences and are called to a life of separation and contemplative prayer when we are not ministering and providing charitable outreach, as was the traditional way of life for the earliest Passionist Fathers.Through a life of passion, we hope to draw closer to the foot of the Cross and inspire those who are in need of Our Lord's mercy to abandon lives of temporal pleasure and gain the strength through God's grace to lift up their own crosses and be crucified with Our Heavenly Spouse who suffered so greatly in love for us all.