Journeys of a Catholic Poster Girl

Part I

Part II

Sunday was my last day in Summit.
It was a beautiful day–low seventies and a perfect blue sky, the sort of day that doesn’t make you want to leave!

I got up at 6:20, ate breakfast and went to the chapel for Sunday Mass. The schedule on Sunday is a little different–Mass is at 7:30, and the other prayer times are pushed back a bit. Fr. Ciaran celebrated the Mass again. It was sort of strange having his back to us,  and I had a hard time following him, since I couldn’t read his lips.

The chapel was a bit more crowded for Sunday Mass–there were even some tourists, unbelievably! (You can tell the tourists, they’re the ones taking photos… ).

After Mass, I went down to St. Ann’s Parlour and met with the last member of the Council, Sr. Mary Agnes.

(Read on …)

For part I, go here.

Saturday

I got up at 6:20 on Saturday morning–without complaining. Let me tell you, this is a rare feat for me.

I showered, dressed, and made myself breakfast in my room. Breakfast, even for the nuns, is a sort of ‘catch as catch can’ event. It’s the one meal they don’t eat in common. The sisters can eat before lauds, after lauds, before Mass, after Mass…whenever. Dinner  (aka, lunch) is the biggest meal of the day at the monastery.

After eating I took my Magnificat and chapel veil and headed to the chapel. (When Sr. Maureen first saw me veiled she thought it was my hair! (it was Compline, it was dark. ) A few other people were there, and the chapel doors were wide open to Springfield Avenue, letting in the lovely morning air. It was a beautiful day in Summit.

More after the jump…

(Read on …)

The visit that I had been waiting for all summer finally happened over the past weekend.

On Friday morning, my dad dropped me off at Port Columbus for my 8:30 flight to Newark, NJ, where Sr. Maureen would pick me up and take me to the Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary. Sr. Maureen is the convent’s extern sister.

I was taken into the lower level/basement of the Monastery, where the guest room, St. Dominic’s Hall, and St. Ann’s Parlour are located. I had my own bathroom, and the room I had was more like a suite! It had a TV/VCR/DVD combination, a minifridge, microwave, coffee pot, couch, a kitchen table and chairs (for taking meals–I couldn’t eat w/ the sisters, since they’re cloistered and I’m, um, not), and two twin beds with a nightstand and closet in the “bedroom” part of the room. I also had a desk.

At 10:00, I finally met Sr. Mary Catherine! After emailing back and forth for the past few months, it was wonderful to finally meet her in person. She–all–of the nuns are wonderful, joy-filled, warm and funny! There was a lot of laughter in the parlour over the weekend.

Sr. MC (I’m going to abbreviate some of the names, for brevity!) walked me through the weekend–I’d be meeting the novitiate and the sisters on the Council (there were five of them, including Sr. MC) during their work/free periods. In between I was free to pray, study, walk around the town of Summit and the grounds, read, whatever I liked. I decided to follow the nuns’ schedule as closely as possible.

The first meeting I would have would be after The Office of Readings and a study period from 3-4.

More below the jump…

(Read on …)

The pull of home…and Summit. Here.

Until Summit!

I’ve started packing my backpack. I’m doing this trip sans checked luggage, which is a first for me, but then again I’ve never flown anywhere just for the weekend. So far:

–Two skirts

–A twin set

–a pink lightweiht sweater (it’s going to be in the low-to-mid 70s this weekend in northern NJ)

–two pairs tights

–nightgown

That’s it, so far, but I have a list. Most things can’t be packed until Thursday (like drugs, toiletries, etc.). My breviary and bible are coming, and probably 1 or 2 other books (like, hmmm, In This House of Brede? Maybe? ). When I fly I have to bring my meds in their bottles, not in plastic bags or my pill box, which is a real pain, because who, honestly, smuggles anti-rejection drugs? WHO?

But I digress.

I am excited. I’ve been waiting for this all summer, and as we know, patience is NOT my strong point.

I’m also nervous. It’s like a weekend long job interview. Except the job is for life.

Shudder. Not the “for life” part. the “weekend long job interview” part.

I can’t wait to meet everyone I’ve been reading about or emailing for the past few months. I imagine it’s sort of like meeting pen pals, back in the day when we had pen pals.

Sorry, I’m rambling. But really, I’m a bit nervous. Two days! Two days! EEK!

Deep breath…..

“Lord, make me chaste…but not yet!”

(For more St. A quotes, go here)

In this spirit, one woman is indeed being “made chaste”–Sr. Veronique enters Summit today!!!!

If it’s as lovely in NJ as it is here, she will have a beautiful day. But I am sure it will be beautiful, regardless.

Tomorrow on the Feast of St. Augustine, Summit welcomes Sr. Veronique to the monastery!!!

I am very happy for her and can’t wait to meet her, and all the other sisters, in less than a week!

That’s right–a week from right now, I will be at Summit, and probably asleep!

This does create a problem for Sr. MC, the novice mistress.

See, our other postulant is named….

Veronica.

So we have Veronica.

And Veronique.

Of course, Sr. MC calls Veronica Sr. Mary Veronica, so it will distinguish them!

The community keeps on growing, and I hope I’m next!

In other Summit news:

Please pray for the soul of Sr. Mary Anthony, who died last Saturday and was buried this week. She was 92!

And also pray for another Summit sister who was just diagnosed with colon cancer. She will be undergoing treatment this fall.

Oh, and…

If you’ve got any spare pennies, or if you want to buy nice soap/liquid soap/lip balm/good hand creme/ Dominican books/etc, for Christmas? Go here.

Because we need more rooms for our ever growing novitiate!

And the soap is good. Check around Christmas when the Christmas soap–in white, green and red!–comes out! It’s lovely!

St. Bartholomew
From Today’s Office of Readings:
First Reading: 1 Cor. 4:1-16
Second Reading: From a homily on the first letter to the Corinthians by St. John Chrysostom, Bishop

“We are fools on Christ’s account. Ah, but in Christ you are wise! We are the weak ones, you the strong!” (1 Cor. 4:14)

“How the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and how his weakness stronger than men!…For the good deeds which tax collectors and fishermen were able to accomplish by God’s grace, the philosophers, the rules, the countless multitudes cannot even imagine.” –St. John Chrysostom

*    *    *
“Fools for Christ”–this verse is one that P and I use when  we discuss our vocations, and how people tend to think it’s a waste, it’s pure folly, to die to self, to give our lives to God. Ah, well. We are “fools for Christ’s sake [as some translations have it].” Saying that gives a certain measure of consolation.

In Shakespeare’s plays, the Fool is often the only character who speaks the truth to those in power (i.e., the Fool in King Lear). Fools aren’t often taken seriously, because they are, of course, fools. They no not what they do. But quite often, they do know what they do, and know it very well.

It is also true for Christians. The world may see us as fools, giving our lives to follow “this Christ! Who died 2,000 years ago.” (In This House of Brede). For St. Bartholomew, following Christ meant death by flaying and beheading. But it also meant unimaginable glory.

Which is more dangerous–to be seen as a fool by the world, or by God? In last Sunday’s Gospel Jesus preaches about the difficulty of salvation:

Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I tell you, will attempt to enter but will not be strong enough. After the master of the house has arisen and locked the door, then you will stand outside saying, ‘Lord, open the door for us.’ He will say to you in reply, ‘I do not know where you are from…Depart from me, all you evildoers!’ And there will be wailing and grinding of teeth…(Lk. 13)

Being a fool for Christ might be misunderstood by the world, but I am sure it will be understood by the Master at the door.

Find out here. http://anunslife.org/resources/sister-or-nun/

Even though I am fairly sure that God wants me as a sister, that my discernment will ultimately be successful, that doesn’t mean I still don’t have doubts. I do!

Because discernment is a two sided process. It isn’t enough for me to like them–they also have to like me. They have to see how well I fit into their existing community. And that sort of scares me, because my fate, so to speak, is out of my hands. In the end, 50% of the final decision is theirs.

This is sort of scary, no? It’s like the Most Important, Longest Job Interview ever.

In times like this, the only thing I can do is pray that God’s will be done. Only His. For He has my ultimate good in mind–and that may be different from what I think is my ultimate good.