Going to WORLD YOUTH DAY in Madrid!
World Youth Day 2011 in Madrid has begun!
The vocation of a cloistered nun is paradoxically a life that knows no geographical boundaries as she lives in the heart of the Church! Before there was virtual anything, cloistered nuns accompanied all those she carried in her heart no matter where they were or were going!
Such is the case with World Youth Day, a journey enhanced by today's technology! Earlier on, we asked if anyone wished to email us the names of their group of young people so that we could post the list on our board outside of choir. Sad to say, we have the list of only one group, that of St. Anthony's Youth Group from St. Anthony's Parish in New Bedford, MA!
At our daily Office Intercessions we've been invoking the Holy Spirit, praying that He will inflame the hearts of all participating in WYD for the increase of holiness of each one there will increase the holiness of the whole Church! As in each age, our age needs saints!
The First Reading at the Opening Mass in Cibeles Square, Madrid, "How beautiful are the feet of those who announce good news!" is a call to all of us that we are called, no matter our vocation, (even in the cloister) to be preachers of the Good News of Salvation! (We Dominicans tend to to think that these verses of scripture were written just for us!)
Posted on our bulletin board is the WYD schedule for EWTN. We're not sure how much of it we'll be able to watch because of the time change, and our upcoming retreat which starts on Saturday. Posting it helps us to keep each day's events in our prayer.
Posted next to the list is the names along with a large photo of St. Anthony's Youth Group attending WYD. This bulletin board has provided a few humorous moments! About a day after the St. Anthony kids left for Spain someone hung up a medal she had found and wrote on the whiteboard next to it "Lost and Found" with an arrow pointing toward it. Another sister (all names being withheld to protect the guilty!) said, "What! They've lost the kids already!?!"
At recreation the other night we were talking about how the Holy Father will be meeting with young religious woman at El Escorial on Friday. One sister questioned why just woman religious. Another answered that, "after all, about 80% of nuns are in Spain and that's not just our Order but all Orders." One sister looked confused so she repeated it again. Finally Sister looked relieved! "Oh, I thought you said 80% of all nuns are INSANE!"
After we stopped laughing we came to the conclusion that perhaps it is better for the Church and the world that we are cloistered and not let "loose" on the world!