Nun Like Us

Summer Blessings

2010-06-29T12:57:00.004-05:00

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

2010-05-15T01:00:00.004-05:00

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

2010-05-03T21:59:00.006-05:00

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

2010-05-03T21:27:00.005-05:00

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

2010-03-15T13:12:00.004-05:00

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

2010-02-17T14:34:00.005-06:00

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

2010-01-29T14:46:00.004-06:00

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!

Just like GLEE

2009-12-22T14:50:00.008-06:00

Today we had another group come and perform for us. This time it was Soundmasters from ACCHS. Their director is wonderful and brings the young people to perform each year. They do such a great job. I am including a couple photos and video clips for your enjoyment. God is truly good

A Few Short Video Clips

A Little Christmas Caroling

2009-12-21T16:29:00.005-06:00

This afternoon a group from St. Benedict's Abbey across town came over to share a few carols and some cookies with the Sisters in Dooley Center. They did a wonderful job and even had song sheets available for the Sisters to sing along. Here are a few photos from the event.

The Monks of St. Benedict's Abbey

Sisters Theophane and Maria

Sisters Irmina, Joachim and Jeremy

Sisters Judith, Ann, and Rosina

More of the Monks of St. Benedict's Abbey

Finally, I end with a short clip of their performance.

What a wonderful Advent Gift!!

Cookie Baking

2009-12-11T22:53:00.011-06:00

Well tonight was another wonderful evening here at the Mount.

Tonight was our annual Partners in Prayer Cookie Baking. We had almost 70 students from the college who came over to join us for Vespers, share a meal, and assist us in baking cookies to share with various groups in the Atchison area.

This year we made approximately 100 plates of cookies for the meals on wheels program. We are also giving plates of cookies to many friends of the community and are sharing the cookies with those who join us over the Christmas holidays.

I have attached a few photos of the evening for your enjoyment. Hope you enjoy them.

Some students playing a Christmas game

Sisters and students work together to solve the puzzle

Frosting cookies

Popping the cookies into the oven

Plenty of opportunities to be creative

Lots of choices for dipping

We are truly blessed!!!

National Catholic Youth Conference

2009-11-20T22:05:00.007-06:00

Jenny, Colleen, Sr. Suzanne

Well today was day two of NCYC. What a great time it has been! Below are a few photos that I have taken while here.

Sr. Elizabeth overseeing a challenge activity

Downtown Eucharistic Procession

Sr. Judith and Sr. Molly

Sr. Barb, Sr. Barbara Ann, Sr. Judith

I can not wait to see what tomorrow brings!!!!

First Snow of the Year

2009-11-16T11:21:00.004-06:00

Well it has officially happened. We have had our first snowfall of the winter. While I appreciate the beauty of the first snowfall (the photos are taken from my office window) I also am not a big fan of cold or snow. So today I will appreciate the beauty and tomorrow I will pray for sun!

Hope everyone enjoys the beauty and stays warm and dry. Remember to pray for all those who are without heat or shelter this day.

Oprah Day - O You

2009-10-24T18:12:00.010-05:00

For the past couple years, my 4 sisters (siblings) have attended the Kansas City Oprah Day (also referred to as O You). This year they decided it would be nice to bring me along and so all 5 of us (and a few other friends) signed up for the day. And what a day it was.

As you enter the conference center, each person is given a personalized name badge, a journal, a pen and a bag to carry all of your things. (You are also given a bag of goodies at the end of the day). The day itself consisted of many things including presentations by various Oprah personalities, you pick which 4 you want to attend. There are 2 speakers in the morning, a lunch, and then 2 speakers in the afternoon. In between, are opportunities to visit booths (about a dozen specially picked booths), to peruse the bookstore and Oprah store, to get a massage, makeover, or new hair style, to try yoga or Wii Fit Plus or to wait in line to get autographs and speak with the presenters.

This year we heard presentations by Nate Berkus (Decorating), Suzi Orman (Finance), Dr. Oz (Health), and Martha Beck (Loving Your Life). Each person had a lot to say and was interesting and informative in their own way.

In between two of the sessions, I decided that since one of our sisters, Sr. Mary, really loved the show "What Not to Wear" that I would wait in line and get an autograph from Stacy London to bring home to her. Well after waiting in line for 45 minutes, I was finally up to the front. I knew I was one of the last to get her autograph since her time was running out, so I quickly gave her my book to sign and explained about the sister who loved her show and gave her Sr. Mary's name. As she looks up, she screamed out (as she is known to do) and started giving me grief about my outfit - see below. As you may know, Stacy hates holiday wear and flipped that I was wearing a Halloween vest. I was laughing, since I knew I would get grief but was willing to offer it up to get Sr. Mary the autograph. Finally, after what seemed like ages of her picking on my vest (she was fine with the rest of the outfit), she asked my name, since I only gave here the name of the other sister, and she writes an autograph and hands it over to me. It read " Sister Mary, Work Hard! Dress Right! Don't let Suzanne wear holiday sweaters EVER!!! Stacy London.

It just really made me laugh. And even though she was giving me grief, she really was very nice and friendly and seemed to be a good person. But it was quite the encounter and a wonderful shared experience of loving fun with my sisters.

New Parking Lot

2009-10-21T13:03:00.006-05:00

View from St. Scholastica window

Another view from St. Scholastica window

Laying the asphalt

Moving asphalt

Smoothing out

The whole project

Over the past several months, our community has been renovating St. Cecilia's. St. Cecilia's was purchased by the sisters in 1877 and was the first building that our sisters purchased on our current land. The house was originally used as the school, monastery and dorms and has had many uses since that time. The most recent use was as our music conservatory.

St. Cecilia's is currently in the process of being renovated to accommodate more guests to both our monastery and to Sophia Center. It will also be the location of our historical room and other gathering spaces. Today, the crew was putting in the new parking area that will be located behind the building and will offer handicap access to our new space. It is so exciting to see all the pieces taking shape!

Moon Dance

2009-10-04T23:16:00.004-05:00

These pictures do not do justice to the beauty of the moon with the clouds rolling by.

Well, its a marvelous night for a moondance with the stars up above in my eyes

A fantabulous night for a moondance neath the cover of October skies

And all the leaves on the trees are falling to the sound of the breezes that blow

And I'm trying to please to the calling of the heart-strings that play soft and low

And all the nights magic seems to whisper and hush

And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in the blush

As I returned home to the monastery last night, I was overwhelmed by the amazing beauty of this gorgeous moon. As I stood there in the field looking up, my first thought was of the song Moondance by Van Morrison and what a wonderful night it was for a "moondance."

I decided it was so beautiful that I couldn't pass up the opportunity to just spend some time in the cool quiet night air, listening to the rustling of the leaves and watching the clouds roll by this amazing moon. (I really love night!)

As I sat there in the quiet, watching the clouds roll by the beautiful moon, I began to think of the wondrous gifts that God gives to us each day and how often I don't take the time to notice or to enjoy the gifts of God's creation. As my thoughts continued to progress, I soon began to think about Psalm 8 and not only the gifts from God but our responsibility to care for that great creation!

O Lord, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth! You have set your majesty above the heavens!

Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have drawn a defense against your foes, to silence enemy and avenger

When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and stars that you set in place--

What are humans that you are mindful of them, mere mortals that you care for them?

Yet you have made them little less than a god, crowned them with glory and honor

You have given them rule over the works of your hands, put all things at their feet:

All sheep and oxen, even the beasts of the field,

The birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

O LORD, our Lord, how awesome is your name through all the earth!

What amazing gifts God gives to each of us each day if we only take the time to notice!

Angels

2009-10-02T10:56:00.006-05:00

Liturgically, this is the week for angels. On Tuesday we celebrated the feast of the Archangels. Today we are celebrating the Feast of Guardian Angels.

Now as funny as it may sound - guardian angels (my guardian angel in particular) have been a part of my every day life as long as I can remember. When I was younger, I was given lots of advice about dealing with my guardian angel. This advice included leaving room on my chair for my guardian angel, asking my angel its name before I go to bed at night and it would reveal it to me as I slept, saying my guardian angel prayer each morning when I awoke, and thanking my angel when it saved me from mortal danger.

At various times in my life, I have to admit, all of these "customs" were a part of my life - sometimes for a short time, sometimes longer. But one habit has curiously remained with me to this day. That is the habit of thanking my guardian angel. In fact, thanking my guardian angel has become such a natural part of my life that I probably say thanks about 20 times a day. While I am sure my guardian angel has saved me from mortal danger on more than one occasion, I am more grateful for all the "little saves" that I am sure have happened on my behalf because my angel is so diligently looking out for me.

There are those times I am driving along and slow down for no apparent reason only to have an animal cross the road a short time later or a police officer pull over the car ahead of me for speeding.
There are the times I changed lanes or take a different route only to witness or hear about an accident where I would have been had I not changed.
There are the times my alarm fails to go off or I fall asleep and suddenly I wake up for no apparent reason right when I need to.
There are those times I am feeling down and completely out of the blue, I hear from someone with just the right words of encouragement or love.
There are those times when I am internally nudged to call someone - only to find they were in need of a friend right at that moment.
There are times I may trip or stumble, only to catch myself at the last minute and avoid injury.
There are those times someone suddenly pops into my mind and I add them to prayer, only to learn later they really needed prayers right at that moment.
There are those ideas or inspirations that suddenly pop into my head from out of the blue when I am trying to design a retreat or class.
There are those "aha moments" when the problem I am trying to solve becomes clear and I know just how I need to proceed.

While some may chalk these moments up to fate, luck or skill - I am certain that my guardian angel has a hand in them and so I quietly whisper a thank you for the help.

So my question becomes, "Have you thanked your guardian angel today?"

Partner in Prayer Opening Blessing

2009-09-23T19:02:00.008-05:00

Tonight was the beginning of Partners in Prayer for this school year. Partners in Prayer is a ministry where college students sign up to partner with a Sister from our community for the year. The partners agree to pray for each other all year and each week the student joins our community for Vespers and Supper. This year we have over 80 students participating in the program! What a blessing these partners are to our community. Below are a few photos from the evening.

The gathering begins

Our youngest partner

Meeting for the first time

Reconnecting with partners from last year

Gathering in the dining room for introductions

Prayer begins

A moment of silence

Many are chanting for the first time

Prayers are offered for a blessed year

Final blessing of all the partners

Kansas State Fair

2009-09-17T23:31:00.004-05:00

Today and tomorrow I am spending all day and night at the Kansas State Fair in Hutchinson. Several communities are co-sponsoring a booth "The Catholic Sisters of Kansas". It is always a wonderful chance to meet a wide variety of people, pass out some pencils and holy cards and offer a book for people to write prayer requests that are passed on to all the different communities. Each community has two full days that they are in charge of the booth. Sr. Rosann and I have gone together the past several years and have a really lovely time. Above is a photo of me standing next to the wheel that people spin for a holy card or pencil.

This is a live owl that was at one of the booths in a nearby building. This is a sculpture made completely out of butter. The theme this year was "Check Out the Stud" Finally, I thought I would attach a couple little video clips of the pig races I attended - who would have thought those little guys could run so fast! The winner received an oreo cookie so I guess that was great motivation.

I can't wait for what tomorrow brings!

Pelicans

2009-09-14T23:57:00.004-05:00

This weekend I spent some time out at our lake house. The house is about 7 miles outside of Atchison and has a wonderful picture window that overlooks a very little lake . While it is always wonderful to have a relaxing weekend and enjoy the nature that wanders by, this weekend was particularly wonderful in that there was a flock of about 40 pelicans that were hanging out on the lake.

Now for those of you who may be confused (as I was my first fall in Atchison) apparently American white pelicans spend their summers in wet prairies and marshes and Atchison is right on the migration path of a group of pelicans as they head to their winter lodgings. Every year they stop on by for a rest on our little lake. They were quite a wonder to behold.

This morning at prayers, the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, I started thinking about what an appropriate weekend for the pelicans to show up. The pelican, for those of you who don't know, is a common Christian symbol. Legend has it that, in times of famine, a mother pelican will pluck her own breast and feed her young with her blood, resulting in her death. The pelican is thus an apt symbol for the crucifixion of Christ, which he suffered willingly for the sake of the church.

How interesting that on this Feast Day the pelican should show up to remind us the beauty in giving of ourselves for others. A great reminder for us all.

Interrupted Lives

2009-09-10T09:11:00.003-05:00

Over the weekend, our community had the opportunity to preview a documentary that will be shown on September 13 on ABC (this may vary according to your location). The documentary is called "Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under European Communism" It was a powerful documentary on the situation faced by many women religious after WWII in the Communist occupied countries. Here is a description taken from their website:

Interrupted Lives: Catholic Sisters Under European Communism is a one-hour TV documentary that explores the oppression of Catholic Sisters in Eastern Europe under Soviet domination. This period began in 1948 after World War 2 ended and lasted roughly until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989.

During this 40-year period, the Catholic Church as well as other religions were harassed, suppressed and driven underground by the atheistic Soviet regimes across various European countries. However, this documentary will focus specifically on the plight of Roman Catholic and Greek Catholic Sisters whose schools, hospitals and motherhouses were seized; who were forbidden to meet publicly or privately and accept new members; who were forced to work on farms or factories when they were no longer allowed to serve as teachers or nurses for fear of “contaminating” others with their beliefs; who were imprisoned or sent in exile to Siberia and other camps as political punishment for resistance; who were forbidden to wear their community habits and veils; whose convents were seized by the state; who were forced to live secretly in ones and twos in apartments as laywomen; and who were kept segregated in “concentration convents” with limited access to family and friends. Many Sisters suffered imprisonment, exile, torture, deportations and surveillance during this period.

The program will make extensive use of interviews with the Sisters who endured this treatment for over 40 years. Many of these “Sisters Survivors” (now in their 80s and 90s) offer amazing stories of courage and fidelity in the face of this bleak political repression. The producers have made two trips to Eastern Europe, visiting Lithuania, Ukraine, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia to conduct interviews and shoot video footage at the convents, monasteries, schools, motherhouses, prisons and concentration convents where the experiences took place.

Concordia, Kansas Sisters of St. Joseph Margaret Nacke, CSJ and Mary Savoie, CSJ, who have been collecting testimonies and researching the experiences of Eastern European Sisters for about 5 years, serve as executive producers of the program. Sylvania, OH Franciscan Sister Judy Zielinski, a documentary filmmaker on staff at NewGroup Media in South Bend, IN, is writing and producing the program.

Interrupted Lives has been selected by the US Catholic Bishops’ Communications Department as one of its 2009 programs for the Interfaith Broadcast Commission TV series and is slated to air on ABC affiliates in the fall. Dates and air times have not yet been announced.

It is a difficult subject to watch but the story is one I am sure many people are completely unfamiliar with.

Office Companion

2009-09-01T14:18:00.006-05:00

Well I am not one who usually likes spiders. OK to be perfectly honest I really don't like spiders at all. They are the one thing that really creeps me out. But one morning early this summer, I walked into my office to find this really cool spider web between my screen and my window. If you can not tell from the photos, it is this wonderfully beautiful tunnel that is in an interesting "V" shape.

Since I really admired the beauty of the web, I had a little chat with the spider (through the glass of course) that if it stayed in that designated location, I would allow it to stay. Well throughout the summer the web has changed and grown in many different ways and it is always one of the first things I notice as I walk into my office. I believe the spider has enjoyed the location as well for there seems to be quite a few bugs that fly outside my second story window.

But as we all know time moves on and with fall creeping into our weather in Atchison, I am to the point of opening up my windows to let the cool breeze in my office, which means my little office companion will have to find a new home. So this afternoon, Sr. Elizabeth is going to relocate my office companion to a new location. (She is good at things involving spiders and other creepy crawly things). So in tribute to my spider and the unique beauty it has brought to my world, I have returned to the world of the blog with a new determination to blog weekly. Feel free to remind me if I forget.

How good God is to bring beauty into our lives in many unexpected ways!

So Many Adventures

2009-04-07T21:15:00.014-05:00

Climbing a tree in Ava, MO

So much has happened over the past couple months. I have done a bit of traveling and wanted to take some time to share a bit of the highlights from these adventures. My first adventure was a trip to San Antonio. I went to San Antonio for a conference and while I was there, I had the opportunity to visit several different colleges and to visit with some friends. I also had an opportunity to travel back to a place near and dear to my heart. Camp TECABOCA. TECABOCA is a camp owned by the Marianist Brothers. Each summer when I lived in Houston, before I entered the Benedictines, I spent several weeks as a leader at LIFE Workshop, a camp training high school students from all over the US to be leaders in their local campus ministry programs. It was one night during camp that God first finally got my attention, and I realized that I was being called to religious life. Going back to camp brought me back to those days and to that initial call from God. Below are some pictures of this magical place - a bit dryer and less green than when I was usually there but just as special.

Cross at the outdoor amphitheatre

Field where I first heard my call - except it was late at night and under the stars

Altar by the water

Window in the indoor chapel

A bit after returning from San Antonio, I traveled to Ava, MO to a Trappist monastery for a gathering of Benedictine Vocation Directors. It was a great meeting and it also gave me the opportunity to experience prayer in the middle of the night. Each night the Trappists rise at 3:15 for 3:30 am prayers. The prayers where sung in the dark at first for the first 1/2 hour and then the lights were turned on for the last 1/2 hour of prayer. I found that I loved this prayer time. I decided that this prayer was so different because my brain was still asleep and so I could enter into the prayer without the inner thoughts that sometimes distract me or break into my mind. It was a very different experience of prayer but one that I loved.

After our meeting, we took some time to visit the monastery's fruitcake shop and then later we took a side trip to the house of Laura Ingalls Wilder. Below are some photos from this trip.

Fruitcake made in Ava, MO

House Almonzo built for Laura after their house burned down - Rose grew up here.

Finally, a couple weeks ago I went on a trip to Copper Canyon with my Dad and his siblings. My Aunt Sis turned 80 and for her birthday celebration, she wanted to take this trip and I was invited along. It was a beautiful train ride through some really amazing parts of Mexico. On the trip, I saw some awe-inspiring views. It was a great chance to see a canyon that is even larger than the Grand Canyon, to spend some time with my dad and his siblings and to be grateful for the amazing gifts that God has given this world. Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Aunt Sis and Dad Copper Canyon El Fuerte Hotel - view from my room

From the top of the Canyon - I loved this tree!

So those are a few of my most recent adventures. This week I am glad to be home and ready for the wonderful liturgies that Holy Week has to offer. Have a peaceful and blessed Triduum.

Music

2009-01-19T11:11:00.006-06:00

Lately I have been thinking a great deal about music. Some of my earliest memories involve music. I have always surrounded myself with a varied assortment of music and I usually have some music playing in the background. When I remember major events of my life, I usually have a song that is connected with that memory. I have also been gifted with the ability to memorize and retain the lyrics to songs very quickly. So music has always been a significant part of my life.

This Christmas a friend of mine received a turntable that plugs into his computer and converts old albums into digital recordings. One of the first albums he converted was Aurora by Gene Klosner and Brad Colerick. Gene is a friend of ours and when I was in high school this was one of my favorite albums - I listened to it over and over (as you do with favorite albums). When I received a digital copy of my old album, I was interested in rehearing the old songs that were some of my favorites. As I listened to the old songs with "new ears" and many more years of life behind me, I found it interesting that my favorite songs all contained themes that I find each day in the psalms.

The song Aurora speaks of the appreciation of God's creation, Just Because speaks of unconditional love, Secret Places speaks of finding those quiet silent places in life and the peace those places bring and Paradise Beware is pure shared gratitude . Listening to these songs got me reflecting back on the songs that have touched my heart throughout my life. As I started listing my favorite songs over the years, I was surprised to see just how many of them held those familiar theme that I find each day in the psalms we pray.

I found it amusing that in looking back, God had been planting the seeds of love for the psalms in my heart from the youngest age. Over and over the songs that had meant the most to me were songs that speak parallel messages to the psalms. That love of the psalms seems to have been there from the beginning it just took me a while to make the connection and find my way to them. I am glad that God was so patient! May the sounds of music and the psalms continue to draw us all closer to God.

Finally Back

2008-12-16T10:15:00.031-06:00

Well it has been quite a while since I have ventured into writing on this blog. I have discovered that when I get really busy I don't have time to take photos and so put off writing until I can get a picture and then before I notice a month has gone by. Well today is cold and snowy and a perfect day for blogging so let me catch you up on my life!

Life has continued to remain busy here at the Mount. In Novemeber there were many activities. I had several groups who visited the monastery for tours of our chapels and for stories of Benedict and Scholastica and information about the lives of the Sisters.

Another very exciting event was my wonderful sister (sibling) Marion, knows how much I love musical theatre and so blessed me by taking me to see the Lion King while it was here in Kansas City. Those who know me, know how long I have wanted to see this one and it was amazing!!!! Well worth the wait. Marion is the greatest!!

The week following the play, life around here got crazy before our Night of Dreams dinner and auction. The night itself was a wonderful success and a good time was had by all.

Another fun adventure we had was an Advent Songfest. Each year as Advent begins, the sisters gather together for a celebration of this sacred season. The evening begins with the community singing all the songs that we will be singing during the Advent season. It is a great chance to sing all the songs we know and love (These songs are not to be confused with Christmas Carols which we only sing for Christmas) After the sing-a-long, the sisters all partake in a pie sharing. Usually there are about 20 different types of pies that various sisters baked. It is a wonderful evening.

There were two big vocation events last month. First I went to Archbishop O'Hara High School and spent the day visiting with some junior girls. It was a great day. Second, I hosted a monastic Come and See. We had three wonderful women who came and spent the weekend with us here at the Mount. It was great getting to know them and giving them an opportunity to get to know us. So November was a full month.

December kicked off with our annual Partners in Prayer Cookie Baking. It was a great night with 100 plates of cookies made for the Meals on Wheels program here in Atchison and several other plates made for friends of the community. Here are a few photos from the event!

Last week was another exciting week. I went into Kansas City and directed a Busy Person Retreat at Keeler Women's Center. For those of you who are unfamiliar with a busy person retreat, each participant meets individually with a director for 1/2 hour each day. They are then given scripture passages, readings and/or reflection questions to spend a 1/2 hour on their own in personal prayer. Then the following day, they meet with the director and discuss the fruits of their reflection and the process repeats itself for a full week. This was my first opportunity to direct such a retreat and it was a true blessing!

So now I have caught up on the many exciting adventures of the past month and the excitement of Christmas is just around the corner. Maybe blogging will make for a great New Year resolution! Have a blessed end of Advent and Merry Christmas!

There's No Place Like Home

2008-10-30T15:50:00.012-05:00

Ruby Slippers belong to my niece Kayli

As Dorothy once stated "There's no place like home!" After a month of traveling around the country for various reasons, it is wonderful to finally be home, settled and caught up on life.

October was an unusually busy month. After Louisville, Kentucky, I traveled to Erie, Pennsylvania for a meeting. Erie was beautiful! The leaves were changing, the air was crisp and clear and we were in walking distance of the lake. The meetings I attended were very productive and the 5 of us at the meeting were able to fit in a bit of social time as well. What a great group of Benedictine women they are!

Upon returning from Erie, I repacked my suitcase and headed out the next morning for Denver, Colorado. In Denver, I was invited to participate in Focus 11. This is a gathering of Catholic students who are in 11th grade (the first day) and 11 years old (the 2nd and 3rd days). There were about 30 religious communities represented and I was blessed to give the keynote and to MC the event. I stayed with some wonderful Dominican women and it was truly a blessing to have such wonderful hospitality but also to pray Evening Prayer with them. We used their new Liturgy of the Hours book and while it has some similarities to ours, it also has some differences. The main difference was the psalm tones they use. But it was nice praying with a community when I was away from home. I was also blessed to be able to share the evening meal with them. It was nice having the time to talk and get to know a bit about them and their community as all of us were in the kitchen preparing supper together.

After Denver, I was home for a couple of days and had 3 women who came to visit our community. They were able to spend some time meeting the sisters, praying with the community and sharing in our common life. What a blessing they were.

My final trip of the month was to drive Srs. Presentatia and Susanna's prioress Sr. Assanta (who was visiting from Tanzania) up to Schuyler, Nebraska. Sr. Assanta was staying with the Schuyler community for the night and then heading back to Africa in the morning. It was a beautiful drive with the hills in full color and the sun shining brightly. Susanna and Presentatia came along to see the retreat center and to meet the monks from that community. It made for a very long day but was a wonderful trip.

So now I am back home with no major travel in sight. I am very glad to be able to re-enter into our wonderful monastic rhythm of life. As I said in the beginning "There's no place like home!"

NRVC Part 3

2008-10-12T22:02:00.007-05:00

Well the Conference is coming to a close with only one short day left. It has been a great few days. Today we had two presentations by an amazing speaker Sr. Maria Cimperman. She spoke on the threshold of religious life and the hope of the future. She is truly an amazing presenter. Not only is she intelligent and articulate but she is easy to listen to, entertaining and very in touch with her audiences. She really was wonderful.

Along with all the speakers, the Conference has had some really fun small touches. One is that each day, there have been notes and letters on our tables or in our folders from children and teens in the area. It has been very touching receiving their kind words and prayers.

Another little touch is the small glimpses into Kentucky traditions and culture. We had cloggers from the area, a barbershop quartet, a derby trumpeter, a southern bell welcomed us and various musicians from the area performed for us.

On top of that, throughout the conference they have decorated the stage, the sanctuary area and all the tables with quilt pieces that women from the area quilted for the conference. Each quilt has a different pattern and are quite beautiful. Here are a few photos I took of some of those pieces.

Tomorrow I head home. It will be nice to be back home and to sleep in my own bed.

National Religious Vocation Conference Part 2

2008-10-11T20:17:00.012-05:00

Well the last two days of the Conference have continued to be a good experience. Yesterday, we had two keynote talks by Fr. Donald Senior. They were very informative and well presented. Then last night the entire group had a procession through downtown to the cathedral where the Archbishop presided over solemn vespers. It was not only beautiful but a very prayerful evening. Here are a few pictures from vespers (I was in the choir so I only got a few photos) After Vespers, I hosted a gathering in my hotel room for Benedictine Sisters from around the US. It was great having some time to gather. We had sisters here from all over the country, some who I was meeting for the first time. It was really nice getting an opportunity to visit with each other and catch up on our lives or get to know each other a bit.

Today was a less busy day. We had two workshops in the morning and then in the afternoon we all went on various tours. I went on a tour to Gethsemene Abbey - the former home of Thomas Merton. The photo at the top of the page is from there as are the photos that follow.

Monastic Chapel

Epiphany Statue

Thomas Merton's Grave

This evening was time for resting and relaxing. I returned to the hotel and after a short stop in my room, walked down to Fourth Street (quite the happening place) for dinner with several other Sisters. Then I returned to the hotel for some down time. So once again it has been a busy but wonderful conference. I will try to write again tomorrow.

National Religious Vocation Conference

2008-10-09T22:34:00.002-05:00

Well this weekend I am in Louisville, Kentucky for the National Religious Vocation Directors Conference. I arrived yesterday morning around 11 am and got settled in my room. After unpacking (which took only a couple minutes) I went downstairs, grabbed some lunch, and returned to the room to watch a bit of tv, eat lunch and wait for my friend Traci to pick me up. Traci is a Benedictine Sister from another community who I met about 10 years ago. We have stayed in contact through e mail but have not seen each other for many years. Traci lives here in town, so we decided to get together and catch up on each others life. After she picked me up, we had over an hour to chat as we drove up to her monastery which is in Indiana. It was wonderful reconnecting, praying vespers at a different monastery and getting a chance to share a meal with her community. What a great first day!

Today was the first day of the conference. The pre-conference I attended was on Young Adults in the Church and was presented by a sociologist. It had a lot of facts and statistics and was very informative and very enjoyable. This evening the Conference itself started. It began with choir rehearsal for tonight's opening and for mass tomorrow. I was pleasantly surprised to see Janet Whitaker was the choir director. Janet was at the Jesuit School of Theology in Berkeley when I was at Franciscan School of Theology in Berkeley. We were in some classes together and I loved her voice and the music she wrote. While at school, I was also blessed with singing with her on several occasion. It was wonderful seeing her and singing with her again this evening. She wrote an amazing piece for the conference!

The opening session was beautifully done. After the welcome by both the NRVC office and the Archbishop, the planning committee performed a skit. Then we had 6 local lay people share reflections on what religious have meant in their lives. Between each speaker, the choir sang the refrain Janet wrote for the Conference. It was very powerful. The opening ended with a barbershop quartet performing for the large group. They were fantastic! As we all prepared to leave, suddenly we had the trumpeter from the Kentucky Derby trumpet us into an evening gathering. It was so cool!

So as you can see - the Conference has gotten off to a wonderful start and there is so much yet to come. I will try to post photos tomorrow.

Guardian Angels

2008-10-02T11:12:00.008-05:00

Icon of Archangels by Sr. Paula, OSB

May Archangel Michael protect my right side, the side of loving kindness and divine generosity.

May Archangel Gabriel protect my left side, the side of restraint and creativity where the power of God resides.

May Archangel Uriel be in front of me, with divine wisdom and understanding where knowledge resides.

May Archangel Raphael be at my back, standing at my foundation with divine healing powers.

May the power of God cover me with the spirit of love. Amen.

This week is the week for angels! On Monday we celebrated the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. Today is the feast day of the Guardian Angels.

If you Google images of "angel", "guardian angel" or "archangel", you will get a wide variety of concepts of angels. Some are older, traditional images taken from artwork throughout time, others are more modern images with a wide variety of ethnicities depicted, and finally their are contemporary images using the animation and fantasy art styles of today. It seems that there is no end to the images and feelings that angels create in our hearts and minds. One of my favorite images is the icon above. This icon was written by our Sr. Paula and hangs in my bedroom. It is a daily reminder of the presence of angels in my life. A presence I have acknowledged since my earliest years.

As a child I remember praying the Guardian Angel Prayer:

Angel of God, my guardian dear

To whom God’s love commits me here

Ever this day be at my side

To light, to guard, to rule and guide

As an adult my gratitude for my guardian angel has not wained and I thank her daily for the protection and assistance that she offers me.

Today is a great day to remember your guardian angel and to thank her/him for all the protection and guidance you have received throughout your life. I know mine has rescued me from many a precarious situation. Below are several thoughts on angels. Hope you enjoy them.

Every blade of grass has an angel that bends over it and whispers, ''grow! grow!'' Talmud

An angel can illumine the thought and mind of a person by strengthening the power of vision, and by bringing within their reach some truth which the angel contemplates. St. Thomas Aquinas

Since God often sends us inspirations by means of angels, we should frequently return our aspirations to God by means of the same messengers. St. Francis De Sales

Beside each believer stands an angel, protector and shepherd, leading them to life. St. Basil

The servants of Christ are protected by invisible, rather than visible, beings. But if these guard you, they do so because they have been summoned by your prayer. St. Ambrose

Guardian Angel Prayer from Catechism of the Council of Trent O most faithful companion, appointed by God to be my guardian, my protector and defender, and who never leaves my side; how shall I thank you for your faithfulness and love, and for the benefits which you have conferred upon me? You watch over me while I sleep; you comfort me when I am sad; you lift me up when I am down; you avert the dangers that threaten me; you warn me of those that are to come; you withdraw me from sin, and excite me to good; you exhort me to penance when I fall, and reconcile me to God. Leave me not, nor forsake me ever, I beseech you; but still comfort me in adversity, restrain me in prosperity, defend me in danger, assist me in temptations, lest at any time I fall beneath them. Offer up in the sight of the Divine Majesty my prayers and petitions, and all my works of piety, and help me to persevere in grace, until I come to everlasting life. Amen.

Meditation for the Feast of the Guardian Angels by Pope John XXIII According to the teaching of the Roman catechism, we must remember how admirable was the intention of divine Providence in entrusting to the angels the mission of watching over all humankind, and over individual human beings, lest they should fall victims to the grave dangers which they encounter. In this earthly life, when children have to make their way along a path beset with obstacles and snares, their parents take care to call upon the help of those who can look after them and come to their aid in adversity. In the same way God in heaven has charged the angels to come to our assistance during our earthly journey, so that, protected by the angels' help and care, we may avoid the snares upon our path, subdue our passions and, under this angelic guidance, follow always the straight and sure road which leads to Paradise. Every one of us is entrusted to the care of an angel. That is why we must have a lively and profound devotion to our own Guardian Angel, and why we should often and trustfully repeat the dear prayer we were taught in the days of our childhood. May we never fail in this devotion to the angels! During our earthly pilgrimage we may often run the risk of having to face the natural elements in turmoil, or the wrath of others who may seek to do us harm. But our Guardian Angel is always present. Let us never forget our angel and always remember to pray to them. Original quote translated from Discorsi, Messaggi, Colloqui del Santo Padre Giovanni XXIII, della Poliglotta Vaticana, Vol II: 1959-1960, p. 762.

Partners in Prayer

2008-09-29T10:22:00.022-05:00

Last Wednesday was the welcoming and blessing of the 2008-2009 Partners in Prayer program. For 28 years, the Sisters have offered the opportunity for Benedictine students to partner with a Sister for the year. The partners agree to pray for each other and each week the student partner comes over to the Mount and joins us for Vespers and for a meal. This year we even have a prayer partner whose parent was a partner! Below are some of the photos from that night.

The Feast Continues

2008-09-17T20:47:00.007-05:00

St. Hildegard Formation Group

This is a video of our group singing the third and fourth verses of the song and playing bells at the community life meeting. It was a great way to introduce our gifts (holy cards and cookies)and to end our feast day. Here are the words to the song.

We Sing Our Praise of Hildegard - words: Edith Sinclair Downing

Tune: Kingsfold CMD, English Country Song 1893

We sing our praise of Hildegard,

a woman for all time;

a prophetess who urges us

to seek the light divine.

Her visions came insistently,

sent by her Living Light.

Anointed with the Spirit's power,

she spoke God's truth aright.

We now affirm with Hildegard

we do not live alone,

but are a part of all that is;

each tree, each bird, each stone.

All creatures sing creation's praise;

yet we alone possess

the power to care for Mother Earth,

the power to curse or bless.

We praise the joy that Hildegard found in God's constant care.

She trusted God to carry her,

a feather born on air.

May such a faith inspire us,

give us a breathing space,

that we may let the Spirit's breeze

support us with God's grace.

We celebrate with Hildegard

the greening of the soul

The moisture from the Spirit's breath

can cleanse us, make us whole.

May we now share life-giving love,

help justice find a home,

and by our deeds sow seeds of peace -

prepare for God's Shalom!

Feast of St. Hildegard

2008-09-16T18:47:00.027-05:00

Today is the Feast of St. Hildegard von Bingen. St. Hildegard (1098-1179) was a visionary (she saw visions), an abbess (founding her own abbeys), a scholar (she wrote books on natural science, medicine, theology, metaphysics and music), a correspondent (with popes, scholars, kings and queens), a counselor, a linguist, a philosopher, a physician, an herbalist, a poet, an artist, a composer and lyricist (she gave us the earliest recorded music by a woman, including the first Morality play set to music - Ordo Virtutum ). Today would be a great day to look up a few of her writings or to listen to some of her music on the internet. My living group within the monastery is called St. Hildegard. In honor of our feast day, we have planned surprises throughout the day for the entire community. The first surprise was feathers on all the tables in the dining room (see quote above). It caused quite a bit of stir as people sat down for breakfast and tried to figure out why there were feathers on the tables. Another surprise is the holy card above. The front of the card is an icon written by our own Sister Paula. It is just beautiful. On the back of the card is the above quote from Hildegard herself. We printed up enough cards for each of the community members. A third surprise are St. Hildgard's cookies of joy. In a treatise on medicine, she provides a recipe for spice cookies: "Eat them often," she says, "and they will calm every bitterness of heart and mind - and your hearing and senses will open. Your mind will be joyous, and your senses purified, and harmful humours will diminish..." And to top it off - they are really good cookies! Here are a few photos our our living group preparing the cookies for the community.

Mary Elizabth and Cecilia flouring the pans Joan creaming the butter

Susan mixing the dough

Christine sifting the flour

Here I am (with Susan in the back) rolling the dough into cookies

Cecilia and I continue rolling and pressing the cookies

Mary Elizabeth and Cecilia placing the cookies while Christine continues to sift

"These cookies are really great!"

St. Hildegard's Cookies of Joy circa 1157 (Recipe reconstructed and adapted from Hildegard's treatise Physica: Liber Simplicis Medicinæ ) 3/4 cup butter or margarine (1 1/2 sticks)

1 cup brown sugar

1 egg

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cloves Let butter soften and then cream it with the brown sugar.

Beat in the egg.

Sift the dry ingredients.

Add half the dry ingredients and mix.

Add the other half and mix thoroughly.

Dough may be chilled to make it workable.

Heat oven to 350°.

Form walnut sized balls of dough, place on greased and floured cookie sheet and press flat.

Bake 12-15 minutes (till edges of are golden brown.) Cool for 5 minutes, remove from cookie sheet and finish cooling on racks.

Stay tuned for more surprises to come!!!!

State Fair

2008-09-16T08:19:00.006-05:00

This past weekend, Sr. Rosann and I drove down to Hutchinson, KS to staff a booth run by the Catholic Sisters of Kansas. For those of you who have never been to a state fair, it really is a great deal of fun and something you must do at some point in your life. This fair has all the typical fair activities; judging for ribbons (animals, fruits, vegetables, and crafts), carnival rides, shows and vendors. But one unique aspect of this fair is a sculpture made out of butter. It is huge and is shaped after each years theme. This year it involved bunnies and was really something!

While attending the fair, there is this amazing couple who graciously hosts our community. They not only give us a place to stay, but they pack us a lunch and snacks for the day and for our trip home. They are marvelous and we are truly grateful for the wonderful hospitality that we are shown each year!

But back to the booth we staff. Our booth, (see the photo above) has been in existence for many years. Each year sisters from several communities throughout Kansas take a day or two and staff the booth. Our booth is not trying to sell anything, convert anyone, or hand out any specific information. Instead we are offering a ministry of presence and a place for people to write down their prayer requests. These prayers are then distributed to all of the participating communities and we all pray for their needs. We have people from all faiths and all walks of life stopping by and asking for prayers. It is humbling to be able to talk with them about the joys, struggles and issues that they are bringing to prayer and are trusting us to add to our prayers.

Along with the prayer requests, we have a gift wheel. People can spin the wheel to receive a holy card, pencil and/or pen as a free gift. On Saturday, we had over 1400 people stop at our booth and chat with us, spin the wheel and ask for prayers. I enjoy explaining the various pictures on the holy cards to people. Since there were over 20 different cards, often times the card someone won was not a card that they were familiar with, so they asked me to explain the icon or tell the story of the saint. I love telling the traditional stories to people who are hearing them for the first time. I love to watch their reactions and to hear the questions they ask. So as you can tell it was a busy weekend but a lot of fun.

Our New Postulant

2008-09-09T20:51:00.006-05:00

Formation Living Group

Well last weekend we had a very joyous day at the monastery. We received a new postulant into our community. Her name is Christine (the one in the green blouse in the center of the photo) and she came to us from Oklahoma. Christine arrived Friday night and after Vespers and Supper, a group of us helped her to get settled into her new room. On Saturday, she spent some time greeting the sisters, started to familiarize herself with the monastery, and then that evening we had a special entrance ceremony in the dining room before the evening meal. The day ended with the community praying Vespers together as we do each and every night.

Being part of the Formation Group, I have the joy and pleasure of being in the same living group with Christine. This means I am blessed with the opportunity to participate in many discussions and classes with Christine. I am very excited!

Donnelly College

This past weekend was another special celebration for our community. Donnelly College (see information below) honored the Sisters of Mount St. Scholastica for their services to the College these past 59 years. It was a wonderful dinner and program and the Sisters were very honored to have been a part of this wonderful long standing endeavor. May God continue to bless them all in many ways.

Donnelly College was a joint venture of Bishop George Donnelly, bishop of Kansas City, Kansas, and Sister Jerome Keeler, a Benedictine Sister of Atchison, Kansas. In 1949, they saw the need to make a Christian education available in the urban core where many Catholic Immigrants had settled. Bishop Donnelly gave the building for the classrooms and the Benedictine Sisters provided the faculty. The first year 170 students enrolled for day classes, 45 for evening classes and 35 St. Mary's nurses attended afternoon classes.

As neighborhoods aged and populations trends changed, families with different ethnic and religious backgrounds moved in. The pool of traditional students declined and the college trustees pondered whether to move or stick to the mission of serving the urban community. They chose to remain faithful to the original vision of Sister Jerome and began an endowment campaign to provide scholarship assistance.

Currently the enrollment is about 750, with 32% African American, 31% Hispanic, 20% Anglo American, 11% International, 2% American Indian, and 4% Asian American. About 32 percent of Donnelly's students come from households with less than $13,000 annual income. More than 90 percent qualify for some type of financial aid.

In order to respond to the needs of new immigrants in the area as well as international students, an English as a Second Language program was initiated in 1978. In 1986 Donnelly also began a Basic Education for Lifelong Learning (BELL) program to serve those who had dropped out of high school. In 1988, an Entrepreneur Development Center was launched to help people start their own businesses. In 2001, Donnelly implemented a college extension at Lansing Correctional Facility where inmates can earn an associate's degree. In 2002 Donnelly began a Building Bridges to Success program for people who needed their GED.

Donnelly's mission to serve students who might not otherwise be able to go to college continues today. May God continue to bless this ministry.

For more information you can go to the website http://www.donnelly.edu/

School is Back in Session

2008-08-25T10:09:00.003-05:00

Well once again it is time for the school year to begin. Just as the rest of the world gears up for a new academic year, the sisters here at the Mount also feel the excitement and energy as the faculty prepares for classes and the students return for another exciting year.

Last week, the sisters hosted the faculty from BC for a luncheon. I believe there were close to 90 faculty who attend the lunch and it was wonderful getting a chance to meet the new teachers and staff and to visit with others that we have known for a long time. As always, our kitchen staff prepared a delicious meal and I think everyone was sufficiently full when they left.

This weekend the students started moving back into the dorms. A couple of the dorms are still in the process of being built and so we are blessed to have many of the male athletes staying in the Conference Center rooms on this campus. They will be staying here for a few weeks or until their dorms are completed.

Yesterday, we had several groups of students come over to the monastery for a visit. Part of freshman orientation is a scavenger hunt and the Mount was one of the quests. It was fun seeing the wonder and excitement in the new students' eyes as they walked around the monastery and visited with some of the sisters.

This week, I will be spending some time over at the college signing students up for our Partners in Prayer Program. This program partners college students with a sister. They agree to pray for each other during the year and every week (or every other week) the student comes over to the monastery for prayers and a meal. The program has been going on for many years and this year we even have some children of former prayer partners at the college!

So even though I am not teaching or working in campus ministry at a school, the beginning of the school year still brings a smile to my face and a warm feeling to my heart! Peace.

I Am Back

2008-08-14T19:30:00.009-05:00

Well it has been quite a while since my last post and quite a bit has happened this summer.

Leadership Camp was a great success and a grand time was had by all the campers, counselors and Sisters. God provided perfect weather for the entire camp and we couldn't have asked for better campers or staff!

Campers with Sisters at a shared meal

We had a wonderful Jubilee celebration with Sr. Chris celebrating 25 years and Srs. Jo Ann, Micaela, Barbara Ann and Deborah celebrating 50 years.

Jubilarians

I went on a week long vacation to the Ozarks with my family. The Ozark trip is a yearly adventure with all my siblings, nieces and nephews and several aunts, uncles, cousins. There is non-stop activity and even with some rainy days we all had a great time.

My "roommates" Kathy and Kayli

A great friend of mine from California, was traveling across the United States and made a special side trip to the monastery to visit for a few days. It was wonderful to spend some time together and catch up on each others lives.

Me and Tefi at graduation last year

And finally, we were blessed to have several women visit our community to spend time with us during their discernment process. As with all our visitors, their presence was a true blessing for us all.

So as you can see the summer has been filled with a great deal of excitement and activity. In the midst of all these fun activities, writing on the blog kept getting lost in the flow but I promise to be better at posting weekly this fall.

May God bless all of you as the summer comes to a close and we start looking toward the fall.

Juneteenth

2008-06-22T23:41:00.009-05:00

Sr. Alberta relaxing before the tour.

Sisters Irene and Mary Teresa on the bus tour.

Well this weekend was another full weekend. Along with continuing to prepare for camp, there were many other activities that filled the days.

On Saturday, there was a big celebration in Atchison celebrating Juneteenth. Now for those of you who are unfamiliar with Juneteenth, let me give you a brief description.

Juneteenth is the oldest celebration commemorating the end of slavery in the United States. (As it was known in those days. Unfortunately there is still human trafficking today but that is another post.) Back in 1865, on June 19th, Union soldiers landed in Galveston and reported that the war and slavery had ended. This was over two years after the Emancipation Proclamation but the news was just getting to Texas and for the first time was being enforced. Today Juneteenth is celebrated throughout the United States in many ways but usually with picnics, celebrations and educational activities. Having lived near Galveston for many years before I entered the monastery, I have participated in some wonderful celebrations.

In Atchison, the celebrations was very nice. There was a picnic with food, music, games, inflatables, displays and many other activities. Fortunately, they had glorious weather for the celebration. My favorite part of the day was a free historical tour on the black history of Atchison. Since Atchison was established on the free side of the river, there is a great deal of history to be told. I am embarrassed to say that I am not very knowledgeable about the history and historical sites of Atchison (beyond the obvious Amelia Earhart sites), so the tour was a great introduction to many people, places and events which I am now able to further research. It was a wonderful time and a great way to celebrate. Today was another opportunity for celebration. Sr. Martha is leaving her teaching position at St. Thomas Moore School in Kansas City and is moving back home to the monastery to teach in the elementary school in Atchison. St. Thomas Moore had a nice farewell mass and reception for Sr. Martha and two other individuals who are leaving the parish and school. It was a nice chance for the parish to say goodbye and to wish her well. I was glad I was able to share this event with her. She will be missed but we are glad to have her home.

Fathers Day

2008-06-15T22:49:00.003-05:00

Well even though it was rainy and wet most of the day, it ended up being a very nice Father's Day after all. This morning, I drove into Kansas City to spend the day with my dad. His new place is finally getting fully settled with all his paintings hung on the wall and everything finally in its rightful place. After helping him out with some problems on his computer, we sat on his covered porch, chatted and watched the rain. It was a perfect temperature to sit outside and the rain made a wonderful sound as it fell on the flowers and bushes in his yard.

Later in the afternoon, we drove over to my sister Kathy's house for appetizers and a cookout. The sun peaked out long enough for us to cook hamburgers outside but we ended up having to eat in the house. Due to the rain and the cancellation of baseball games, my sister Marion's family was able to come over and join us for the afternoon and evening. It was a laid back day filled with good food and good conversation. As evening wore on we decided to relax and watch a movie (Alvin and the Chipmunks). After the movie I drove my dad back to his place and then headed back to the monastery. Overall a very nice day!

Storms and More Storms

2008-06-12T19:58:00.007-05:00

Well it has continued to be quite a stormy week! Not just here but throughout the entire Midwest. It seems like we have had storms for weeks now and the river is definitely at the breaking point. It is amazing how quickly it rises and how fast the current is. It is a site to see and the river walk is filled with people watching and taking pictures of the river. So far it is not as high as it was the last time it flooded but the rain is still coming down both here and up river. Above are a couple photos and below is a short video clip I took of the water to give you and idea of what it looks like.

Last night we had a bit of excitement at the Mount. About 12:30 - 12:45am the tornado sirens went off. This means that all the Sisters had to move down to the basement and gather in the game room - which is the safest place in such situations. Since it was so late and most of the monastery was asleep, we had to make sure all the Sisters were awake, in the basement and accounted for. We stayed there for about 45 minutes until we were given the all clear. It was a bit more excitement than we are use to during the night but fortunately we did not have a tornado here.

The rest of the Midwest was not as lucky and our prayers go out to all those who have lost loved ones due to these storms. My prayers are particularly with the families of all the boy scouts who were killed and those who suffered trauma from witnessing the devastation of the tornado. As my nephew said the other day "it looks like this year the April flowers brought May and June showers." Hope everyone keeps safe and dry.

Preparing for Camp

2008-06-07T09:19:00.002-05:00

Sorry it has been so long since I posted but life has continued to remain busy. Two weeks ago the community went through a process called Visitation. This is a process through which Benedictine communities are assisted in looking at their current situations and coming up with ideas of where they want to go in the next few years. At the end of the process a community meeting is held, a report is given compiling all the findings and recommendations are given. It was a very good week but also very full. Last week, the intensive preparations for Leadership camp began. With it approaching in a few weeks, all the final details need to be in place: materials bought, lists compiled, rooms assigned, name tags created, t shirts ordered etc. It never fails to amaze me how much work goes into a three day event. This year, I have decided once again to weave the commissioning crosses for the campers and counselors. It takes a great deal of time but it allows me to pray for each one as I weave the cross. Above are examples of 2 of the colors of crosses (I also have bright yellow crosses). In the 10 years of camp, I have made these crosses two other times. The campers and counselors really enjoyed the unique design of the crosses. So it is nice to give them something special to add to their memories of camp. Today is the community Senate. This is an organization within the monastery, where elected members are given a chance to study and present various topics of interest for the community. It is not a governing body but one of study and discussion. Senate meetings are usually very interesting and packed full. So while it will be a long day, it should be a good day. Have a great day and if possible enjoy the weather!

When You Believe

2008-05-23T14:54:00.007-05:00

Last night, I decided to watch a movie while weaving some crosses for our Leadership Camp. Since I couldn't give the movie my full attention, I decided to watch something a bit lighter and picked an animated musical interpretation of the story of Moses. The Prince of Egypt, a Dreamworks film, was released in 1998 and starred Val Kilmer as the voice of Moses and Sandra Bullock as the voice of Miriam. While the story was not the most biblically accurate, it really was very enjoyable in its own way. In the extras on the DVD, the producers discussed that the movie was translated into 28 different languages to be shown in over 50 countries. While this is impressive in and of itself, the DVD included a music video demonstrating the work that went into matching the vocal styles across languages. The song is When You Believe and is one of my favorites from the film. Since this was such a wonderful song, I thought I would include the music video and the lyrics so you could see how amazing it truly is. Hope you enjoy it!

Many nights we've prayed with no proof anyone could hear

In our hearts a hopeful song we barely understood

Now we are not afraid although we know there's much to fear

We were moving mountains long before we knew we could

There can be miracles, when you believe though hope is frail, it's hard to kill

Who knows what miracles you can achieve when you believe, somehow you will

You will when you believe

In this time of fear when prayers so often prove in vain

Hope seems like the summer birds to swiftly flown away

Yet now I'm standing here my heart's so full I can't explain

Seeking faith and speaking words I never thought I'd say

Chorus

They don't always happen when you ask(Oh)

And it's easy to give in to your fears(Oh...Ohhhh)

But when you're blinded by your pain

Can't see your way straight through the rain

A small but still resilient voice says love is the relief(Ohhh)

Chorus

Camping Trip

2008-05-19T10:47:00.017-05:00

This past weekend was the 55 and Under Camping Trip. Sr. Judy decided to organize a "beginning of the summer camping trip" and the camp grounds donated a site for us to put up our tents and spend the weekend.

On Friday night, Sisters Judy, Elizabeth, Barbara S., Mary P., Bridget, Susan and I went out to the campsite, set up tents and got things ready for the weekend. As we waited for the coals on the grill to heat up, we played several games of boccie, (an Italian game involving throwing your balls closest to a target ball) sat and visited. When the grill was ready, we cut up meat and vegetables and made some delicious shish kabob for supper. As evening wore on, Sr. Susan had to return to the monastery to play the organ for morning prayer but the rest of us stayed out at the campsite and stayed up talking around the fire until late in the night.

The next morning, four of the Sisters went canoeing and kayaking down the Platte river while the rest of us just relaxed around the campground. I was able to finish my book (The Secrets of the Fire King), two Oprah magazines, and make several crosses out of nylon cord. As the afternoon wore on several other Sisters began to arrive. Sisters Barb C., Elaine, Lou and Chris came out in the early afternoon and Sister Susan came back out later in the evening. People played softball, frisbee, boccie, chatted and got things ready for our evening meal. It was wonderful to have the time to play, relax and share the day together.

Saturday evening most of the Sisters needed to get back to the monastery so only four of us stayed overnight at the campsite. As we were visiting around the fire, I looked up and there next to our table was a visitor. It startled me enough that I just pointed and stammered. It heard me, looked up and took off running back into the darkness. We think it was a coyote attracted to the smell of meat from our dinner but we can't be sure. It was pretty amazing. Later that night we aso heard a fox calling into the night.

After a good night sleep, we woke up early Sunday morning to go back to the monastery for Mass and then several Sisters returned to the campsite for the afternoon.

Overall it was a wonderful weekend, with perfect weather (Sr. Kathleen was in charge of praying for good weather!) and a great time was had by all.

Uillean Pipes

2008-05-08T22:04:00.007-05:00

Tonight, the community was blessed with an amazing traditional Irish music concert. Kieran O'Hare, a world renown uillean pipe player, wrote to Sister Anne and offered to come up to the Mount to perform a concert for the sisters.

Kieran, who lives in Chicago but was born and raised in Atchison, has been a frequent visitor to the Mount throughout his life. Kieran's parents have been friends of the Mount Sisters since before Kieran was born and still join us weekly for Liturgy.

The music Kieran played tonight was a preview of his recital for the Irish Pipes Association in Dublin, Ireland later this month. He played several types of Irish music including reels, jigs, polkas and even a Banshee song. It was a wonderful evening and a great gift for our community.

Here are a few short clips of a couple songs he played. The first song is played on the uillean pipes and the second is played on a traditional Irish flute.

Thanks Kieran for such a wonderful concert!

Blisters for Sisters

2008-05-04T13:24:00.008-05:00

Yesterday was the second annual Blisters for Sisters walk-a-thon. (a walk sponsored by the Serra Club to raise money for the women religious in the area) The walk began at Visitation Parish with 3 routes of 1.2, 2.4 or 3.5 miles. I choose the 3.5 mile walk. After finishing the walk all the participants returned to Visitation for Mass and a luncheon with door prizes. It was a wonderful event on a beautiful, cool, sunny morning, perfect for walking. Here are pictures from the walk.

This photos is of Holly (Sr. Loretta's niece) Sisters Loretta, Patricia, myself, Barbara and Mary. Sisters Martha, Barb L. Barb C Sharon and Rita also attended.

This is me and Sr. Mary walking.

After the morning of activities, I returned to the monastery for a quick change of clothes and then returned to KC to attend a free piano concert at Folly Theatre by Ingrid Fliter, a Argentinean classical pianist. She was amazing! I couldn't believe how fast her fingers could move across the keys. After the concert, Sisters Susan, Molly, Lou and I went out for dinner to celebrate Sister Lou's 42nd birthday. What a full and wonderful day it was.

Today is a much quieter day. After Mass, I had dishes and now I am watching Game 5 of the Quarter Finals for the Stanley Cup. Surprisingly, I am a huge Penguins fan and love watching the Penguins hockey games - I even have a jersey. I got it this year at the stadium in Pittsburgh! Hopefully this game will put them into the semifinals. Go Penguins!

Trivia

2008-05-03T00:05:00.001-05:00

What a fun night! Tonight the Sisters participated in a Trivia Contest to raise funds for the Happy Hearts Adult Learning Center. Happy Hearts assists individuals who are seeking help in preparing to take the GED. Happy Hearts was started over 40 years ago by one of our sisters and has remained an important ministry to the Sisters of the Mount.

8 of us, Sisters Elaine, Susan, Marcia, Judy, Peg (all pictured above) Mary, Chris and myself all did our best with the game. There were 10 categories with 10 questions each - some of the clues were pictures, some were photos, some were questions asked out loud and some were musical clues. The categories were history (presidents), games, science, Atchison, unlikely musical duos, sports logos, literature (poets), geography, greening the earth, and sports cars. I am happy to say we did wonderful at greening the earth, games and musical duos but we weren't so hot at some of the other categories. It was for a great cause and was great fun for all involved. Maybe next year we will do even better!

Partners in Prayer

2008-05-02T13:08:00.005-05:00

The picture above is of me and my prayer partner Meisha. Meisha, a sophomore at Benedictine College, (who was also my student when I taught at Notre Dame de Sion High School) has been one of my prayer partners for the last year.

Each year, the Mount sponsors a program at Benedictine College called Partners in Prayer (PIP). PIP is a program that partners a college student with a Sister for the entire school year. Throughout the year, both are committed to pray for each other daily and the student comes to the Mount to share in prayers and a meal with the Sisters of the Mount. This year we had over 120 students sign up to be a part of the program. Some came weekly, some came monthly and some came whenever their schedules would allow. It is a great chance for all of us to get to know each other better and to share our lives and our faith with each other.

Last night was the end of the year Blessing and Supper for the PIP program. It was a great way to end the year before the students head home for the summer. (13 of them are graduating seniors). Here is the final blessing that we prayed at Vespers.

Blessing Prayer

Blessed are you, Lord our God, for having called these young women and men to share their lives with us as “Partners in Prayer” during this past year. Now that the year is coming to a close we ask your special blessing upon them as they begin a summer of work, play and prayer. Protect them from harm and evil and send as their escort the Holy Spirit who accompanied the holy ones of days past. As they leave for the summer may they take with them a heart wrapped in wonder with which to rejoice in all they shall meet. As we leave, we thank you, Sisters of the Mount, for welcoming us into your home and your hearts. As we leave we want to thank you for inviting us to pray with you, to share meals with you, to discover what it means to be part of a community of Benedictine women. May the blessing of our Loving God be with each of you as you begin the summer’s call to find God in all the people you meet and in all the events you experience.

We have truly been blessed by their presence. May God protect and guide each of them throughout the summer months and bring them safely back in the fall.

Monastic Profession

2008-04-29T09:04:00.003-05:00

What a beautiful day Sunday was and what tremendous joy for our community. Barbara was simply radiant and it was wonderful to have guests from all over the United States. The morning started with Morning Prayer with the community and then we had a bit of time before the actual vow ceremony.

As the guests gathered in St. Scholastica Chapel, the sisters gathered in the choir Chapel in silent prayer. As the time to begin arrived, the sisters followed the processional cross, candle and incense in a formal statio procession of the community into St. Scholastica chapel. This means we processed into the chapel 2x2 and as we reached the front of the chapel, bowed in reverence to God and to each other. It is a powerful procession and is beautiful to watch and participate in.

The mass continued with a sprinkling rite, readings, psalm, Gospel and a wonderful reflection given by our prioress Sister Anne. (This reflection and the one given the night before can be read on our website www. mountosb.org under "whats happening".)

Then it was time for the monastic profession itself. This perpetual monastic profession consisted of Barbara requesting to make perpetual monastic profession, the community agreeing, lighting a candle from the Easter Candle while the Veni Creator is sung, reading her profession and signing the profession on the altar (the prioress also signs this), singing her suscipe 3 x's (Receive me O Lord as You have promised that I may live, disappoint me not in my hope) lying prostrate covered with the pall while the community prays for her monastic life and receiving her ring. Barbara is then congratulated by all in attendance. The mass then continues.

After Mass we had a nice dinner for all in attendance and it was a great chance to talk with many of our guests which included Barbara's family and friends, sisters from many other communities and many friends of the community. It was a great day!

If you would like to see more pictures they also can be found on the website. What a blessed community we truly are.

Barbara Smith

2008-04-26T17:13:00.002-05:00

Well I have come to realize that I am not very good at consistently posting to this blog. It is something I will have to grow into as time goes by but I am trying.

Tonight is the night before Sr. Barbara Smith will make her final perpetual monastic profession (final vows). Guests have started arriving and there is a joy and excitement around the monastery. Tonight at Vespers, our community begins the celebration with special prayers, a reflection given by one of the sisters and most importantly a blessing of Barbara. The blessing is the most powerful experience of Vespers. After the prayers, Barbara goes out into the center aisle, kneels down on a prie-dieux, and one by one the sisters come forward and lay hands on her, giving her their blessing for her monastic life. It is incredibly powerful when you recieve the blessing, when you give the blessing and for those watching. It will be a night she won't soon forget.

Within a couple days, all the photos from tonight and tomorrow should be on the web page www.mountosb.org for you to see the profession. It is going to be amazing!

What a wonderful couple days this wil be.

Back Home!

2008-04-16T21:08:00.005-05:00

Well it has been over a week since I have been able to write anything on this blog. Life has been uncharacteristically busy. After leaving Oklahoma Sunday afternoon, I returned to the Mount in time to get a good night sleep before I was off again in the morning to the Regional Vocation Directors meeting in Leavenworth, Kansas. This meeting is a yearly gathering that gives vocation directors a chance to gather, listen to a speaker on issues pertaining to vocations and to have some prayer and sharing together. It was a good couple of days but very full.

After the meeting was over, I returned to the monastery only to leave again bright and early the next morning for the Kansas City Catholic Schools 5th grade day. This day is a yearly gathering in the archdiocese to promote vocations amongst young people. There were over 900 young people and women religious, priests and brothers from all the communities in the Archdiocese present for this event. I gave talks to small groups of 5th grade girls and Sister Rosann helped with a vocation Jeapardy game. At the end of the day the Archbishop celebrated Liturgy with the students. His homily was wonderful and really concentrated on the extraordinary contributions of women religious in this area. It was a great ending to a nice day.

After the long day in KC, I returned to the Mount to catch up on mail, phone calls and to get some information out for some upcoming events here at the monastery. After being gone a week there was a lot to catch up on. On Friday, I left once again. This time to go to a meeting in Bristow Virginia. (Just outside of Washington DC)

Now this trip was tricky. As luck would have it, I had booked my flight on American Airlines. So I knew travel would be tricky. My flight was to leave at 11 that morning but Sr. Mary Margaret had to drop me off at the airport early (6:45am). So I went to check in, only to learn my flight had been rebooked for the last flight out on Sunday - which would have been pointless since my return flight was first thing Monday morning. The agent (who must have been tired after all the cancellations) was kind and helpful and told me there was a flight leaving for Dallas at 7:10. She said if I could make it to the gate, that would get me to Dallas and she had one seat left on the only flight from Dallas to Dulles that night. I said book it and took off for the gate just making the plane. (Luckily I thought ahead and only had a carry on) We landed in Dallas where I spent 10 hours waiting for the next plane. But I made it to Dulles late that night all thanks to an early arrival and a kind flight agent.

My meeting in Bristow was wonderful! The committee I am on consists of sisters from 5 different communities. Veronica from Bristow, VA, Therese from Cullman, AL, Kathy from Erie, PA, Mariette from Elizabeth, NJ and myself. Most of us did not know each other very well, so it was a great opportunity to get to know more about each other and to work together for a common goal. After the meeting ended, 3 of us took some time to stroll around the mall in DC. While I had been to DC before, I had not seen the Vietnam, WWII, or Korean memorials so I was able to stop at each of these, say a prayer for all those killed in all wars and to say a prayer for peace.

I returned home late Monday night, only to leave again Tuesday morning for a meeting in Clyde, MO. So as you can see my life has been very busy these last couple weeks. It has all been good things but busy none the less. I am now looking forward to some time home with the community. I sure do miss them when I am away. I will try to write again soon. Peace

Jesus Wept

2008-04-04T22:27:00.007-05:00

In the song People Are People, the group Depeche Mode sings

So we're different colours and we're different creeds

And different people have different needs

It's obvious you hate me though I've done nothing wrong

I've never even met you so what could I have done

I can't understand what makes a man hate another man

Help me understand People are people So why should it be

You and I should get along so awfully

Now you're punching and you're kicking and you're shouting at me

And I'm relying on your common decency So far it hasn't surfaced but I'm sure it exists It just takes a while to travel from your head to your fist I can't understand what makes a man hate another man

Help me understand

People are people So why should it be

You and I should get along so awfully

Today I spent a lot of time reflecting on the actions taken by people filled with hate. After prayer this morning, I began my day by reading and listening to speeches and reflections given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. I continued by looking at things written and spoken about Dr. King and his influence on the world before and after his assasination 40 years ago today. I saw the anger and the hatred of those who opposed him and I heard the sadness and disbelief of those who loved and respected him and saw his life cut short. I thought a lot about the Civil Rights Tour I took with my students, the people we met, the things we learned and the expereinces we had during that week. It was a morning filled with thoughts on those who saw another way, challenged the world to change, and responded nonviolently to the hatred that they encountered.

My reflection on the effects of hatred did not end in the morning but continued throughout the day. After lunch, Sr. Joann and I drove downtown to the Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial. I walked past the one surviving tree, around the reflection pool, stopped near the memorial chairs and said silent prayers for all those killed. We then crossed the street to the statue you see above. It has Jesus turning from the violence of the destruction and weeping for those lost. He is facing a wall that contains markers for each of the victims. It was very moving in many ways. We then continued on into the memorial museum. So much sadness from the hatred of so few continuing in our world. It was important to go to the museum but it was not easy to be there and several times tears came to my eyes and my heart ached reading and listening to the accounts from the survivors and from those who lost loved ones. So much destruction and sadness caused by the hatred of a few.

As the thoughts of today still weigh heavy on my heart and in my prayers I thought it best I end with words of hope. Below are the words spoken by Robert Kennedy on this night 40 years ago.

You can be filled with bitterness, with hatred, and a desire for revenge. We can move in that direction as a country in great polarization or we can make an effort as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend and to replace that violence, that stain of blood shed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand with compassion and love. My favorite poet was Aeschylus. He wrote: "In our sleep, pain which cannot forget falls drop by drop upon the heart until, in our own despair, against our will, comes wisdom through the grace of God." What we need in the United States is not hatred; what we need in the United States is not violence or lawlessness; but love and wisdom, and compassion toward one another. Let us dedicate ourselves to what the Greeks wrote so many years ago: to tame the savageness of man and make gentle the life of this world. Let us dedicate ourselves to that, and say a prayer for our country and for our people."

And let us also pray for all the people of this world touched by the violence of hatred.

Oklahoma

2008-04-03T22:55:00.011-05:00

The past couple days I have been traveling throughout Oklahoma with Sisters Barbara and Lucille. We started by visiting the Benedictine community in Tulsa. They are finishing up some major renovations and it was nice to see their place. We arrived, toured the monastery, spent the night and then shared prayer and breakfast before we got back on the road. This is a picture of their chapel. It has a really nice curved ceiling with wonderful lighting and is a nice community prayer space.

After leaving Tulsa, we continued on to Sand Springs. Here we visited a Benedictine of Perpetual Adoration Community. This community is an ashram and has several hermitages in the woods. It has a common dining area and a wonderful chapel. The chapel has beautiful windows overlooking the woods and is in the round. The two pictures below are of the chapel and their unique tabernacle. I think both were wonderful.

Finally, we ended our travels at the Benedictine monastery in Oklahoma City/Piedmont. Here Sr. Barbara is making her retreat before final vows and Sr. Lucille and I are taking a few days of R and R. The flowers are in full bloom, the grass is green and today it got up to 73! While there was some rain I am just so happy to be in the midst of spring. This is a wonderful community as well and it has been great sharing in their meals, prayers and community life.

The chapel here also has tremendous windows that overlook the pond. Often during prayer herons or geese land on the water. It is such an amazing site while praying. This chapel is newer and also has some interesting designs within it. Below are a picture of the chapel and the tabernacle as well. I just love the differences and similiarities in Liturgical space. I find it facinating to see the space in which people pray.

I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to visit other communities, see their monasteries, pray with them, share in meals and community life. It is almost like visiting my cousins house when I was a kid - a bit like home and yet different but very enjoyable. Well I am off to read a bit more before bed. My room overlooks the lake and it is warm enough to leave the window open and hear the sounds of the pond. What a great way to end the day. God is truly good!

Feast of the Passing of Our Holy Father Benedict

2008-04-01T10:48:00.003-05:00

Death of St. Benedict Mural from Conception Abbey

Today we honor the passing of St. Benedict. The feast, like yesterday, was moved due to Easter.

The story of Saint Benedict's death is as follows.

Taken from The Dialogues of Saint Gregory the Great

In the year that was to be his last, the man of God foretold the day of his holy death to a number of his disciples. In mentioning it to some who were with him in the monastery, he bound them to strict secrecy. Some others, however, who were stationed elsewhere he only informed of the special sign they would receive at the time of his death.

Six days before he died, he gave orders for his tomb to be opened. Almost immediately he was seized with a violent fever that rapidly wasted his remaining energy. Each day his condition grew worse until finally, on the sixth day, he had his disciples carry him into the chapel where he received the Body and Blood of our Lord to gain strength for his approaching end. Then, supporting his weakened body on the arms of his brethren, he stood with his hands raised to heaven and, as he prayed, breathed his last.

That day, two monks, one of them at the monastery, the other some distance away, received the very same revelation. They both saw a magnificent road covered with rich carpeting and glittering with thousands of lights. From his monastery it stretched eastward in a straight line until it reached up into heaven. And there in the brightness stood a man of majestic appearance, who asked them, "Do you know who passed this way?" "No," they replied. "This, he told them, is the road taken by blessed Benedict, the Lord's beloved, when he went to heaven."

Thus, while the brethren who were with Benedict witnessed his death, those who were absent knew about it through the sign he had promised them. His body was laid to rest in the Chapel of St. John the Baptist, which he had built to replace the altar of Apollo.

In honor of this day, I thought I would share with you a reflection written by Abbot John Klasssen,OSB

A Story is told in the "Life and Miracles of Saint Benedict," that Saint Benedict, close to the time of his death, went to the tower cell late at night to pray. As he gazed out into the darkness, he saw an amazing light break through the black of night. "It was as if the whole world, contracted as if it were together, was represented by a single ray of light."

For me this vision also speaks of the wonderful synthesis that the Rule is for us and has been through the centuries. After centuries of work, from the vision of the Acts of the Apostles, Benedict has made his way back to community life as a fundamental sacrament of transformation. For Benedict community life is not a preparation for something else, it is not a means to another end. It is the dough, the enriched broth where the yeast of the Holy Spirit and the Gospel make us into something new.

It is in community life where we learn how to love each other into a new life, where we come to a more true and accurate self-understanding, knowing ourselves as flawed sinners, and yet sons and daughters of God.

It is in community where the gifts of the Spirit given to us are nurtured and developed. It is in community where we learn to recieve and give back, where we learn to trust in the durability of relationships, that misunderstandings and harm to each other do nt have to be the last word.

Ultimately, we live the life together because we want to go somewhere together, to heaven, to be with Christ who has been with us for the whole journey. We do it together because we like and love each other, as we grow in our love for Christ. We know that the transformation in this doughy ferment will not be complete in this life, that Christ, with the Holy Spirit, will bring it to completion.

Have a Happy Feast Day!

2008-03-31T09:36:00.002-05:00

Well it has been a week since I last added anything. This week seemed to fly by. Today we celebrated the Annunciation. (The feast was moved due to Easter). It is an important day to think about listening to what God is calling each of us to in our lives each day. Sometimes those calls are profoundly life changing but most of the time they are daily calls to change our lives and our actions in little ways. This listening to God's call is a central aspect of our monastic life and as a vocation director, is central to the work I do each day.

The picture above (of St. Benedict as a young man) is a great reminder of that call to listen. This picture (given to me by Sister Micaela when I entered the novitiate) hangs in my office directly across from my desk. It is the first thing I see each time I look up from whatever work I am doing and is a wonderful reminder from Benedict to listen each and every day.

This morning at mass Sister Susan added a wonderful reflection to our worship aid and I thought I would end today with sharing this poem with you.

The Gift of Encounter by; Eleanor McNichol, SSJ Life is filled with promises With so many options for each of us, That in the living of it, we often move and choose at random. And then, one day along the way, there is an encounter A meeting A chance A choice An opportunity for living life In a deeper, fuller way than ever before. One knows the moment. One recognizes that instant When another sees the dream in us And with gentle urgings invites us to let it be To risk it all and to let it come into being.

May you open your heart to those urgings this day. Peace

Easter Sunday

2008-03-23T19:14:00.006-05:00

The Lord has indeed risen ALLELUIA!

Well another wonderful Triduum has come to an end. This morning we celebrated Easter Sunday with a wonderful liturgy in the choir chapel. It was yet another glorious liturgy. To conclude my video selections, I decided that I would end with several clips of our monastic schola. They did a wonderful job of providing the music for each of our liturgical celebrations. God has truly blessed our community in so many ways! May God bless you and your families this Easter season.

Gloria

Schola

Easter Dance

Here are two Slide Shows of various pictures I took from the Organ Loft over the course of the last few days. Click on the words "View all images". This will link you to a site to view them individually. Peace.

Easter Vigil

2008-03-22T23:35:00.008-05:00

This is the day the Lord has made -

Let us rejoice and be glad!

Abraham and Isaac - Sisters Sharon and Mary

Exodus - Sister Susan

Sr. Micaela

African Gospel Book Procession - Sr. Presentatia

Procession After Blessing of the Water

May you all have a joyful and blessed Easter Season.

Good Friday

2008-03-21T16:37:00.011-05:00

This is the wood of the cross, on which hung the Savior of the world.

Come let us worship.

Sr. Molly Canting Psalm

Entrance for the Passion is the video above and a Scene from the Passion is the video below. Sisters Mary Theresa, Sharon, Mary Ann, Mary Agnes, Marcia, Bridget, Marie Louise, Joan (lector) and Mary Elizabeth (Christ)

Entrance for Veneration: Sisters Elizabeth, Martha, Mary Grace, Mary, Lou, Alberta, Barbara (Sorry it is sideways)

Holy Thursday

2008-03-20T21:26:00.008-05:00

"During Holy Week each year, we enter most deeply into the foundation of our Christian faith - the mystery of the death and resurrection of Jesus. As we revisit the events of that final tumultuous week in his life, we are plunged by memory and ritual into the mystery that reveals and defines the meaning of his existence and of our own. His story is our story and what happened to him is the pattern for what is happening and will happen to us." (taken from Living With Christ) Over the next couple days, I will share video clips to give you glimpses into some of the liturgical events here at the monastery. After Easter, I will add a slide show with photos from those liturgical events. I hope you enjoy them.

Tantum ergo Sacramentum

Veneremur cernui,

Et antiquum documentum

Novo cedat ritui

Praestet fides supplementum

Sensuum defectui

Come adore this wondrous presence

Bow to Christ the source of grace

Here is kept the ancient promise

Of God's earthly dwelling place

Sight is blind before God's glory

Faith alone may see God's face

Presenting the Holy Oils - Sr. Rosemary, Sr. Sharon, Sr. Angela

Cantors - Sr. Molly, Sr. Elizabeth, Sr. Susan

Mandatum - Sr. Anne, Sr. Mary Margaret, Sr. Micaela, Fr. Meinrad

Procession to place of reposition

Busy Week

2008-03-18T22:44:00.005-05:00

Sister Anne, Jen, Sister Marcia, Sister Barbara, myself

Well it has been almost a full week since I last posted and many things have occured. On Friday I facilitated a junior retreat for LeBlond High School on "The Road to Emmaus". It was a full day retreat and went very well.

Friday night, a friend of the community, Jen, came to stay the night in the guest area. A group of us played Mad Gab (Bible addition). If you haven't played this game, you really need to find it. The basic premise is to read what is written on the card and your team tries to guess what the phrase is (see picture) it is harder than it looks but lots of laughs!

"Pray for those who mistreat you"

---------------------------------- "A Drop in the Bucket"

Saturday was a pretty quiet day with bell practice as the only major activity. I started to feel a cold coming on so I just stayed in my room and started taking cold medicine. By Sunday morning my voice started to give out and my sinuses were clogged. I was the fourth person in my living group to come down with a cold this week. We try to stay in our rooms but there is only so much you can do. Each of us has different symptoms: some no voice, some coughing, some sinuses, some aches and fevers, etc. Mine is mostly sinus problems. Irritating but not terrible.

Sunday afternoon I spent some time with a Confirmation group from Topeka which ended up being a nice afternoon. Luckily the cold medicine worked and I was able to give them the tours of the monastery and talk a bit about church history.

Today was another busy day. This morning I went into Kansas City and gave a vocation talk prior to the diocesan Chrism mass. It was a nice gathering of high school students, their campus ministers, seminarians, Fr. Mitchel and myself. The morning consisted of a talk about evangelization, an explaination of the Chrism mass and a sharing about vocations. After the morning events, we all went upstairs together and attended the Chrism mass. The church was full and most of the priests from the diocese were in attendance for it is at this mass that the diocesan priests renew their promises. The mass had a beautiful choir with wonderful brass (which I love to listen to) unfortunately I still do not have my singing voice back so I had to be content with listening. Which actually is very pleasant in and of itself! So all in all a good day.

From here we begin our final preparations for the Triduum. It is my favorite Liturgical season of all and the liturgies here at the Mount are outstanding. Say some prayers for our Liturgist Susan who is having to adjust around all those catching colds. It is stressful enough planning the liturgies, assigning roles to each of the sisters and practicing so the liturgies are well done without all of us getting sick on her. She does a great job and we are lucky to have her skill and dedication.

May the cold and flu season soon end and may your final preparations for Easter be filled with peace.

Friends

2008-03-12T20:02:00.010-05:00

My first group of friends we were all born within 2 months of each other and lived on the same alley.

Jennifer Gross, Amy Gilbronson, myself and Amy Konick

Longest friendship Julie Werp Matten

We met in line the first day of kindergarten and are still friends today!

This Lent, I have been spending considerable time in prayer with the scripture passages that refer to the time between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. One theme that keeps coming up for me is the role of the Christ's friends in the events that took place. At times they were confident and supportive. At times they were doubtful and scared. At times they were heartbroken and desperate and at times they were overjoyed and filled with hope. It was his friends who shared his last meal and it was his friends who stood at the foot of the cross as he took his last breath. And when Christ rose from the dead it was to his friends that Christ returned to continue sharing the good news.

These reflections have then led me to reflect on all the marvelous people in life who I have been blessed to call friends. In these last few days of Lent it is for all of them that I pray and I offer this blessing from John O'Donohue.

May you be blessed with good friends. May you learn to be a good friend to yourself. May you be able to journey to that place in your soul where there is great love, warmth, feeling and forgiveness. May this change you. May it transfigure that which is negative, distant or cold in you. May you be brought in to the real passion, kinship and affinity of belonging. May you treasure your friends. May you be good to them and may you be there for them; may they bring you all the blessings, challenges, truth, and light that you need for your journey. May you never be isolated. May you always be in the gentle nest of belonging with your anam cara (soul friend).

We All Can Pray

2008-03-07T22:52:00.003-06:00

This morning I received news about this precious young angel. Abby is the daughter of an old friend of mine and her brain tumor has recently returned. The first time was in 2005 and now once again this precious thing will have to go through some major treatment. I ask all of you to please add Abby and her family to your prayers - they need all the prayer support they can get.

These are two prayers that may help if you are unable to find the words.

St. Gerard, who, like the Savior, loved children so tenderly and by your prayers freed many from disease and even death, listen to us who are pleading for this sick child, Abby. We thank God for the great gift of this child and ask Him to restore her to health. This favor, we beg of you through your love for all children and mothers. Amen.

Watch, O Lord, with those who wake, or watch, or weep tonight, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend your sick ones, O Lord Christ. Rest your weary ones. Bless your dying ones. Soothe your suffering ones. Pity your afflicted ones. Shield your joyous ones. And for all your love's sake. Amen. Saint Augustine May the angels surround and hold Abby and her family close.

Celebration!

2008-03-01T23:57:00.009-06:00

Well today was a wonderful day. Four times a year our entire community gathers for a weekend community meeting. These meetings deal with many things but give all of us an opportunity to hear important information together, to discuss our present and to plan for our future. As a community, we discuss important information with all present and everyone is given a chance to speak on topics that come to the floor.

Today we discussed many things, but one of the most exciting was the approval for Sister Barbara Smith to make Final Monastic Profession! She will be making profession on April 27. What a joyous occasion that will be. It is so exciting for all of us.

In celebration, many of the sisters gathered this evening in our game room to celebrate the joyful news with Sister Barbara. While lots of activities took place - the most amusing was the Benedictine ping pong game - it was done as a community! I have attached 2 video clips. The first one is a slower more refined version of the new game. The second clip is with fewer people and thus a bit faster paced and a bit more dangerous!

What a great evening and what joy for our community! We are so blessed to have Sister Barabara as part of our monastic community.

Service in Many Ways

2008-02-26T21:49:00.006-06:00

Tonight we were blessed to have several students from Benedictine College join us for prayers and supper and some service work. It was nice to have them here and for them to share a part of our life with us. They are all looking at serving in various ways next year on the BC campus as RA's, Student Embassadors or other positions of leadership. This service was part of their preparation for those positions. They did a great job of cleaning the chapel and we are very grateful for their presence among us!

An interesting thing occured while the students were here. Before the cleaning began, I gave the students a brief tour of two of our chapels. Outside the choir chapel is the community necrology board. This is a chronological listing of all the women from our community who have gone before us and have gone to their eternal reward. Each of these sisters is remembered in prayer by the community on the anniversary of her death. Yet our connection to our sisters does not end there. Underneath the necrology board is a bin that contains numbers. As sisters walk by the necrology board throughout the day, we draw a number and find the corresponding sister on the board. We then say a short prayer for that sister and ask her to pray for us.

Tonight as I showed the students this board, I drew the number for Sister Pia Leithner who died in 1987. Later as we were cleaning the chapel one of the students found a memorial card on the floor. It was Sister Pia's! Now remember she died in 1987 and so it is pretty remarkable that of all the cards to appear hers showed up. I told the students that Sister Pia must be trying to tell them something. I later found out that Sister Pia was a tiny German sister who made habits and was the bell ringer and sacristan for the community. It is said that when she rang the bell, she was lifted clear off the ground! She was full of life and full of love and is obviously still looking after the chapel. So here's to you Sister Pia - we remember and pray for you this night and ask you to continue to look out for us here. Peace.

Living Water

2008-02-24T21:24:00.003-06:00

In today's Gospel, we heard about the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan women. As I was reflecting on the story, a song kept creeping into my head. (This often happens to me since I really enjoy a variety of music). The song is called You Are Water and, as I know it, is performed by an extraordinary young women from New Zealand named Hayley Westerna. She has a tremendously beautiful and haunting voice that I could listen to all day. While she is not listed as a Christian singer, much of her music has a spiritual tone to it. I encourage you to listen to her sometime. I am sure you will enjoy it.

Here are the lyrics to the song that I feel could have been song by the Samaritan woman.

You Are Water

When I'm lost in a tunnel of shadows and fear

With no light

Only night

And I listen for a kind word, but nobody's here

All so blue

All but you

You are the one voice

That gives me my own voice

Oh, don't you know

You are water on a hot summer day

For a thirsty daughter who's finding her way

You are waterI found my oasis

I'm drinking from the fountain of dreams

You are water

You hear the melody of my song

You stop time

Heal my mind

You show me struggle can make you so strong

Plant the seed

That is me

You are the one voice

That gives me my own voice

Oh, don't you know

You are water on a hot summer day

For a thirsty daughter who's finding her way

You are waterI found my oasis

And now I've got my arms wide open

Now I've got my wishes in motion

And I want to thank you

Yeah, I want to thank you

Every step that you take shows me the way

You are water on a hot summer day

For a thirsty daughter who's finding her way

You are waterI found my oasis

And now I've got my wishes in motion

You are water

May you too drink from the Living Water this day.

Very Cold Wednesday

2008-02-20T18:56:00.005-06:00

Today was a full day as usual. After morning prayer and Eucharist, I returned to my office to work on posting the daily scripture reflections for the month of March. For those of you who don't know, our webpage http://www.mountosb.org/ contains a section that has a reflection questions based on each days scripture readings. These questions are posted on the web and can be sent to you as a text message if you are interested. I come up with the questions and then plug them in to be sent as a text message to all those interested. It is a nice way to reflect on the scriptures each day.

After I finished March's reflections, I went to my Wednesday class on monastic profession. Our novice Margaret spends much of her novice year taking classes about monastic life. In each of her classes, four or five professed sisters join in to share their lived experience of monasticism. It also gives the professed sisters an opportunity for continuing education. It is a wonderful class with 6 sisters plus the instructor. Today we spent time dicussing the three monastic vows of stability, obedience, and conversatio.

After class, I returned to my office to get some things ready for the afternoon. After lunch, I took three sisters to the Nelson Atkins Museum of Art. We spent the afternoon walking around the various areas of interest. Each sister had her particular favorites and each enjoyed her time in those areas. As we were walking around, we were pleased to find that the guards around the museum were most friendly and rather enjoyable to chat with. They enjoyed sharing all sorts of information about their particular sections. It was almost like personal guides!

This is a picture of the four of us - Maria Larkin OSB, LucilleBorengasser OSB, Bridgid Kelliher OSB and myself. (I had to darken the edges of the photo since we were by a white wall it was hard to see us.) What a wonderful way to spend a very cold afternoon.

A Relaxing Sunday at Home

2008-02-17T22:10:00.003-06:00

Well today was a very relaxing day. I came home from KCCSC (Kansas Catholic College Student Conference) on Saturday night (a day early) because of ice and snow. When I woke up this morning the ground was covered with very heavy wet snow and ice and I was glad I drove home yesterday. I went to the chapel for morning prayers and mass. It is so wonderful to be back home and to pray with my community. Even when I am gone for one day, I miss the communal prayer aspect of our life.

As the day progressed, the teperature rose to the upper 30's and so everything became a thick slush. True to form, several sisters went out with the sleds to take a few rides down their run. Unfortunately, as you can see in the video, the snow was way to slushy and the ride was anything but exciting. But I am sure more snow is on the way.

Tonight we had another of the Community Concert Series - Latex Trombone Quartet. It was a group that originated from Louisiana and Texas (thus the name). It was a great concert and made me regret that I stopped playing the trombone when I graduated from high school. I thought I would try taking a video clip from the organ loft to see how it turned out. That is the second video you see.

So all in all it was great to be back home at the monastery for a relaxing Sunday of prayer with the community, play in the snow, and a concert.

The Gift of Life

2008-02-16T22:03:00.005-06:00

All day today I have been thinking about my godson Jake. 9 years ago today I got a call from my sister telling me she was going into labor and inviting me to be there for the birth. I arrived at the hospital only to discover my wait was going to be longer than planned - Jake had his own plan of when and how he was going to come into this world (Things haven't changed much). After many hours of painful contractions, Jake came slipping into this world, into my arms, and into my heart. Being there for Jake's birth was one of the most humbling expereinces of my life as well as one of the greatest gifts. It was a confirmation of how great our God truly is and Jake has been a profound blessing every day since. Below are my wishes not only for Jake but for all my nieces and nephews. May God guide and protect them all their lives. Welcome to the world little one. Created in love, anticipated with excitement, dreamed of with hope, how we have longed for your coming. The whole world lies before you just waiting for you to experience all it has to offer and to give you the chance to grow into the person God created you to be. The road ahead is long yet you will not have to travel it alone. You will have many alongside you to guide you, protect you and help you along the way. You have your aunts, uncles and cousins. Each of us, in our own way, will be there as you learn the lessons life has to teach you. Some of those lessons will come easily and some will take time to learn but we will be there with you when you triumph and when you fail. You have your grandparents, on this earth and in heaven. Each one played a part in bringing you here today. They created your parents and helped them to grow into a loving couple that will encircle you with love. They will look after you, pray for you, and guide you as best they can and they will love you without bounds for you are their grandchild. But most importantly you have God who will never leave your side and has such plans for who you one day will become. As you grow each day may you always remember: Each day is a gift - live it to the fullest Never be afraid to try something new - this is where we often find our greates surprises Find something each day that brings a smile to your face and joy to heart. Love unconditionally and with all your heart - sometimes it may be broken or bruised but it is worth the risk. Treat each person you meet with kindness, dignity and respect. Learn something new each day. Play with reckless abandon and work with fierce determination Give more than you recieve Pray each day for what you need. Pray each day in gratitude for what you have been given. Be generous with your gifts and talents - you were given them to share with others. Believe in your dreams - you can do great things Know we all fall sometimes - have the courage to pick yourself up and brush yourself off, try again and ask for help along the way when you need it. Let faith and hope be your constant companions. The world is an amazing place - look around and notice each little thing God has created. Know some of the greatest things in life can never be seen but must be felt with the heart - love, faith, forgiveness, wonder, awe, and passion. Listen and speak, lead and follow, teach and learn, pray and work, dance and be still. Read something each day - for pleasure, for learning, for spiritual growth But most importantly - never forget that I love you unconditionally and that I will always be here for you. Welcome to the world little one - I am so glad that you are here.

First Post

2008-02-15T12:58:00.003-06:00

Well after several months of encouragement, I am finally starting a blog. I am hoping to post some reflections a couple times a week. They will consist of my life here at Mount St. Scholastica as well as prayers and reflections that I come across that I think people may find interesting. Feel free to comment on any of the posts. I wanted to start my posts with a poem that has spoken to my heart for a long time. A good friend even had it printed on a t shirt for me as a gift for my final vows. I offer it to you today as my wish and prayer for you. May you recognize in your life the presence, power and light of your soul. May you realize that you are never alone, that your soul in its brightness and belonging connects you intimately with the rhythm of the universe. May you have respect for your own individuality and difference. May you realize that the shape of your soul is unique, that you have a special destiny here, that behind the facade of your life there is something beautiful, good, and eternal happening. May you learn to see yourself with the same delight, pride, and expectation with which God sees you in every moment.

John O'Donohue

May your day be filled with peace.