Summer Blessings

Well it has been quite a summer so far! The summer days began with the re-opening of the newly renovated St. Cecilia's. St. Cecilia's was the first building the sisters purchased and has been in use since that time. The third floor will be used for retreat housing, the second floor will be used for monastery guests, and the first floor will have music rooms, an art gallery and our historical room. An elevator has been added to the back and new gathering space has been added to each floor. We are so excited to have such a wonderfully renovated space and are truly grateful for all who have assisted us with this project.

Once the open houses for St. Cecilia's ended, it was time to welcome our first guests. The Federation of St. Scholastica held its Chapter Meeting here at the Mount. We were blessed to have Benedictine women from all over the United States, Mexico, and Brazil staying with us. The meeting was a full week of presentations, process, discussions and the election of a new Federation president and council. Below are Sr. Glenna, the new president (Bristow, VA) and Sr. Esther the former president (Atchison, KS). We were truly blessed to have such wonderful women spend time here at the Mount!

Finally, with St. Cecilia's finished, new projects are beginning around the monastery. This week we are having some work done to the bricks around our Choir Chapel. We continue to pray for the safety of all those who work around the monastery.

May your summer be safe and may it be filled with many blessings.

Ronald McDonald House Fundraiser

This past weekend, Sr. Molly and I went to a fundraiser for the Ronald McDonald House in Kansas City. It was a wonderful evening with many items for both a silent and oral auction. As you moved from room to room there were several different restaurants that provided a variety of food for the sampling. It was such a nice evening and from what I gathered was a big success for Ronald McDonald House. What a wonderful organization that shows amazing hospitality to so many who are in need!

Blisters for Sisters 2010

This past weekend we attended the annual Blisters for Sister. This is a terrific event supporting the women religious in the area. This year the walk was held at Nativity Parish. Over 100 sisters participated in the walk along with around 200 "friends of Sisters". The walk was 2.4 miles through the local neighborhood and the weather was perfect for the participants.

In the back are Sisters Cecilia, Fran, Mary, Elizabeth, Molly, Barb, Suzanne, Judy and Patricia.

Sitting at the table are Sisters Mary Ann, Mary Rae, and Anne

Two Bishop Ward students with their teacher Sr. Molly

Sisters Mary Ann, Patricia, Cecilia, Anne, Rose Marie, Mary Rae, Linda, Elizabeth, Molly, Suzanne, and Mary.

A huge thank you to all the Serra Club members who not only hosted this event but offer their prayers and support to all our communities.

Benedictine College Liturgical Choir

Once again we were blessed this past week to have the Benedictine Liturgical Choir visit us here at the Mount. It is truly a blessing and a pleasure to spend some time listening to their marvelous voices that can't help but lift ones heart in prayer.

Here are a few clips from that wonderful afternoon.

Little House on the Prairie

Last week, on the way home from a Vocation Directors meeting, Sr. Ruth and I decided to stop at the site of the original Little House on the Prairie. The log cabin is located just outside of Independence, Kansas and was reconstructed on the original site of the house. (The well Pa dug is still there). This was the second of our "Little House" adventures. Last year we stopped in Mansfield to visit the house Laura, Almonzo and Rose lived in after their house burned to the ground. Only 5 more Laura Ingalls sites to go to!

On this site, they also had a school house from the period. I was excited by the school since Sunnyside is the school the my older sister Kathy works at.

What a great day it truly was!

Ash Wednesday

Today, we once again entered into the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday has always intrigued me. Outside of Christmas and Easter, Ash Wednesday is probably the most recognized liturgical celebration by non-Catholics. The simple act of placing ashes on our forehead not only is a reminder to us but it is a powerful symbol to all those who see it.

But today is just the beginning! The beginning of a time of preparation, a time of sacrifice, a time of prayer and a time of change. Recently I have received many questions about Lent here at the monastery. So I thought I would share a bit of the traditions here at the Mount.

The first noticeable difference is the silence. While the monastery tends to be significantly quieter than most places, during Lent the time of silence is deepened. Ash Wednesday and the Triduum are days of total silence around the monastery. On the other days during Lent, the monastery is silent until 8:15 in the morning, we add two minutes of communal statio before all prayers, and we have silence during several meals.

Liturgically, you will also see many differences during Lent. The most notable is that Liturgy of the Hours is chanted a cappella with a cantor and the community. This simple change makes a dramatic difference in the sound and simplicity of our prayers. We also use special Lenten music for the Eucharistic Liturgy and have very simple decorations in the chapel.

But the difference does not end there. Each Lent the community makes a special effort to cut back and each sister is challenged to contribute alms to AIM - the Alliance of International Monasticism. Here is a bit about AIM taken from their website.

AIM USA is an organization composed of 168 communities of men and women in the United States and Canada who follow the Rule of Benedict and over 300 English-speaking monasteries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

AIM USA provides spiritual, educational, formation and building assistance to monasteries in developing countries to enable them to be centers of life for others.

Monasteries in Africa, Asia and Latin America enrich their brothers and sisters in the United States with global vision, fresh insights into monastic life, cultural diversity and gospel witness of service to the poor.

Finally, each sister makes a concerted effort to "clean out" the excess in their lives and pay special attention to the health and balance of mind, body and spirit.

All together this makes for Lent a special and wonderful time here at the Mount. May your Lent be just as blessed.

Faith of Childhood

Lately I have been greatly amused (and impressed) by some of the fun stories of faith I have heard from my family and friends about their children. So I thought I would take this opportunity to share a few of them with you here. The first story takes place before Christmas. My youngest niece always has a unique outlook on the world. It seems that the typical placement of Nativity figures just doesn't quite fit her sensibilities. In her mind, it is crazy that the figures are so far apart. We all know how important it is to be close to those we love and how we all snuggle in close! (She even gave Mary a scarf because it was cold outside!) Here are the two versions.

But her ideas don't end with the Nativity. She also finds that it is important to re-adjust the angels on the table to fit the loving image she has of angels. First we see the angels arranged nicely for decoration. Next we see her secret adjustment so that they look like they are chatting away, sharing stories and having a grand ole time!

The second story involves the youngest daughter of one of my friends. The other morning as she was getting ready for school, Emma asked her mom, "Mom, what will they call me when I become a Saint?" "Well, St. Emma of course." "Mom, there is already a St. Emma." "That's okay honey, there can always be more than one." "Okay, we should practice calling me that." Oh the confidence of childhood!

Finally, I want to end with another story about one of my nieces. When she goes to Church, she usually sits up front so that she can see what is going on. She knows to whisper if she needs to say something. However, as we all know, when a young child is suddenly “struck” by something he or she has just heard, or a revelation pops into their head, they have no control over the volume used to express their immediate thoughts. Such was the case when the homily was provided through a slideshow/video narrated by the Archbishop. The church went dark, a screen popped down from the ceiling, and a man’s voice began. Kayli suddenly sat up straight, began looking around, eyes darting back and forth like they do when you’re thinking hard, trying to figure out a complex problem. Then, she glanced once, then twice, towards the ceiling, turned toward her mom, and cupping her hand around the side of her mouth, as if she were trying to be discreet, loudly inquired “Uh, Mom, is that man’s voice talking to us from heaven???” “Is it God talking from heaven?” Quietly her mom assured her that it was not voices from heaven they were hearing, but she continues to look above the screen as if she's found evidence to the contrary.

So, now the slideshow is over and the priest reiterates the key points he wants the congregation to think about, such as how we all need to just “light that fire in our hearts!” “What?” Kayli perks up again. “What, Mom??? Did he say Light our Hearts on FIRE???” Her mom nods and tries “shushing” her as she shakes her head in disbelief, ignoring her moms attempts to lower her volume, as she bellows “WOW, that’s Gotta hurt!” The lady next to them had a hard time stifling a laugh.

May your heart be lit on fire, may your week be filled with the faith of childhood and may you too believe that one day you will be a Saint!