Our Convent
Expansion of Mother Mary Michael’s Foundations
Mother Mary Michael’s first new foundation was established in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1915. God’s blessing on this community was quickly evident, and before long, young women from the United States were seeking admission. As the Congregation continued to flourish, Mother Mary Michael went on to establish additional convents in the Philippines, Germany, and the Netherlands. She also began discerning the possibility of a second foundation within the United States.
Around this same time, the Holy Spirit stirred a desire in the heart of Mrs. Theresa Kulage, a devout St. Louis widow of considerable means, to found a convent dedicated to perpetual adoration in her home city.
Through the Society of the Divine Word, Mrs. Kulage learned about the Holy Spirit Adoration Sisters and traveled to Philadelphia to meet them personally. Deeply moved by their life of prayer, she approached Archbishop John Glennon of St. Louis with the offer to establish a convent of adoration in his diocese. In October 1924, the Archbishop formally wrote to the Philadelphia superior, warmly inviting the Sisters to found a community in St. Louis
Mrs. Kulage undertook the construction of the new chapel herself, and on October 30, 1927, the cornerstone was laid. During the ceremony, the preacher emphasized the significance of the new foundation.
In keeping with Mrs. Kulage’s wishes, the new convent was named Mount Grace Chapel of Perpetual Adoration. The Sisters embraced the name wholeheartedly, noting that the chapel stood on a hill overlooking the Mississippi Valley, a fitting place from which to implore God to let His graces continuously flow into the world.
“We have many Sisters in St. Louis, active through their prayer and work in hospitals and educational institutions. The new Sisters, as apostles of faith and prayer, share in the entire work of salvation. It was a noble idea, a testimony of faith, to establish an institute whose purpose is the perpetual adoration of Christ the King, whose feast we celebrate today, thus raising an altar and throne for the Eucharistic Savior.”
Twelve Sisters were appointed to the new foundation, six of whom came directly from Steyl. Mother Mary Michael herself traveled to St. Louis for the blessing of the chapel and convent, which took place on June 7, 1928. On that same day, the community began perpetual adoration, a practice that has continued unbroken to this day.
In 1958, the Legion of One Thousand Men was formed, inviting laymen to pledge one weekly hour of adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. Eventually expanded to include women, the association is now known as the Legion of 1000 Adorers, continuing the tradition of supporting the Sisters’ mission of unceasing prayer.