The Eudist Servants
The Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour
The Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour is a new branch, a twig sprouting on the 400 year-old tree of the extended spiritual family of St. John Eudes, whose strong branches include the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, our Eudist sisters, and the Congregation Of Jesus And Mary, our Eudist priests.
Both of these orders were founded by Saint John Eudes, close friend of Saint Vincent de Paul, in the early 17th century. The Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour is an association of the faithful whose members are sisters who are mature women who love Jesus and want to follow Him by serving the poor and the needy. The Eleventh Hour refers to the scripture where Jesus calls the last, and signifies that the community is for older women, generally between the ages of forty five and sixty five. The reference to St. John Eudes is recognition that the community is part of the Eudist Congregation, and it is also in honor of St. John Eudes spirituality.
Mother Antonia’s ministry
Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour
In 2003 the Eudist Servants of the Eleventh Hour community was formally accepted by Bishop Rafael Romo Munoz of Tijuana, Mexico. The community’s mission is to minister to the poor and the needy, to bring to them the love of Jesus Christ. To accomplish this members must, in their hearts and in their lives, bear the pain of the poor, the imprisoned, the sick, the rejected, the forgotten and the abandoned children of God.
Members of the community serve, with the permission of the local Bishop, in a variety of locations in Mexico and the United States, and perform a variety of services.
The Servants operate a ministry center, “Casa Campos de San Miguel”, located just three blocks from the La Mesa Penitentiary. The Casa is a refuge for women leaving prison and for women visiting incarcerated family in the nearby prison. They also support women and children who have come to Tijuana for treatment for cancer.
The servants also have a convent nearby, Corazon de Maria, which is a residence for some of the servants in Tijuana. Corazon de Maria is also used as the community’s house of formation.
Still other servants and associates live in the United States and minister to the imprisoned and sick in their area of residence.
All of the servants are self-supporting, both economically and with their own health care. Vows are taken for a one year period and then renewed annually, if mutually agreeable.
The Prison Angel
Mother Antonia’s Life of Service in a Mexican Jail
The winners of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for international reporting tell the astonishing story of Mary Clarke. At the age of fifty, Clarke left her comfortable life in suburban Los Angeles to follow a spiritual calling to care for the prisoners in one of Mexico’s most notorious jails. She actually moved into a cell to live among drug king pins and petty thieves. She has led many of them through profound spiritual transformations in which they turned away from their lives of crime, and has deeply touched the lives of all who have witnessed the depth of her compassion. – Amazon Book
Interested in Making a Donation?
Take a look at all the ways you can contribute to our mission!
ESEH
PO Box 530039, San Diego, CA 92153-0039
Email: outreach@eudistservants.org
To sign up for the hardcopy newsletter, click here.