Juneteenth

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!