PLANTING ROSEBUSHES!

Easter Tuesday's lovely weather provided the opportunity for Sr. Judith Miryam and our aspirant, Masumi, to plant a dozen small rosebushes at the border of our cemetery. These roses will not just be for our enjoyment. Some will be chosen to be picked, pressed, and "transformed" into Blessed Roses of the Rosary. This devotion was begun by our early Dominican friars, in memory of Mary, the Mystical Rose. They distributed Blessed Roses to the faithful as marks of Mary's favor, to be used in her honor in times of sickness and danger. Our monastery continues this tradition, particularly at our two annual Rosary Pilgrimages on the first Sundays of May and October.

Though this was Masumi's first ever experience of planting rosebushes, her skill was very impressive indeed!