We Give You Thanks, O Lord, For Your Great Gifts!
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| Sr. Mary Magdalene did the grilling and shows off her work, while Sr. Maria grabs a sample in the background. |
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| You can't separate a New Englander from her baked beans! |
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| Sr. Mary Jacinta prepared the necessary additions (lettuce, cheese, tomato, onions, and watermelon). |
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| Sr. Mary Veronica thoroughly enjoyed making funnel cakes. Her first time frying and a new taste for many sisters. |
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Sr. Maria of the Cross enjoy eating everything
and not having to work!
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| Sr. Maureen shows off a fancy red, white, and blue Jell-o dessert--how patriotic! |
On July 5th Father Kieran Fergus, O.P. celebrated his last Mass as our chaplain after almost 11 years here. Please pray for Father as he begins this new chapter of his life as a Dominican Friar.
We now have 6 weeks before our next chaplain, Fr. Gregory Salomone, O.P. will arrive. He was previously at St. Dominic’s Parish in Washington, DC. The chaplain's apartment is in need of serious renovation, having had little since it was build. If you are interested in helping in any way check out our Monastery Needs. May God reward you for your generosity.
On the feast of St. Maria Goretti July 6th the sisters received a visit from our brother Bishop Chris Cardone, O.P. of the diocese of Auki in the Solomon Islands. He just celebrated his 25th anniversary of Ordination on May 30th and 10 years as bishop on March 27th. We were intrigued to discover that his pectoral cross is made from dolphin teeth. Jokingly, he told Sr. Mary Magdalene, “You don’t have those in Kansas!” After Mass he recreated with the sisters in the community room telling them a child in the Solomon Islands can spear a fish by the time he is 5. They cook it themselves and eat it as “an after school snack”.
On July 7th Father Rolando Rosendo DeGracia Yadao who is currently the Parocial Vicar at St. Theresa of Avila Parish in Summit, NJ celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving. His homily was about spiritual poverty and Divine Providence: two elements very relevant to our lives. Father was just ordained May 18th so after the Holy Sacrifice of the Altar, each sister received a First Blessing.
July 8th Fr. John Vidmar, O.P., who authored the book To Praise, To Bless, To Preach, arrived to celebrate Mass for the next several days, claiming he also needed to stock up on soap. Father is one of the biggest friar fans of the soap department and we always enjoy his company.
Fr. Vidmar is working on two books which will be published next year. One on the Inquisition and the other on the Dominican friars who served and sacrificed their lives during the Yellow Fever epidemic in Tennessee in 1878.
In spite of everything going on the sisters in the soap department have come out with a new soap, Star of the Sea! Check it out!