2012 Novice Mistresses meeting a success!

Sr. Mary Catharine, Sr. Mary Martin, Sr. Mary of the Sacred Heart, Sr. Maria Guadalupe and Sr. Mary Jeremiah arrived home from the novice mistresses meeting yesterday happy to share with us the fruits of their meeting together. It was a time of great grace as the Sisters gathered to mine the depths of the riches of Augustinian monasticism. The Rule of Augustine is the basis of our Dominican legislation. The Sisters loved Fr. Allan Fitzgerald's lectures. Using writings from Augustine he spoke on the themes of Conversion and Growth, Baptism and Forgiveness, Unanimity of Heart and Mind, and Prayer. The Sisters even had homework and Sr. Mary Catherine was kept busy at the copier!

Fr. Allan graciously gave the Lancaster Nuns a beautiful coffee table book on Augustine. He must have seen the longing in the eyes of the other nuns because he surprised them all with coming back again on Saturday (a two hour) trip to deliver a copy for each monastery who had a novice mistress at the meeting!

Friday evening Sr. Maria of the Angels, OP (St. Dominic's monastery) gave a wonderful talk on the importance of Lectio Divina. It was followed by some vigorous discussion.

The retreat day on Saturday was accompanied by the sound of pipes being sawed and repaired as the shower where the sisters were staying decided to start leaking all over the first floor! The ole boy obviously didn't like this meeting! However, the sisters weren't inconvenienced by it at all and one sister even admitted to still being able to take a nap while the drilling was going on under her!

On Sunday the Lancaster nuns treated the sisters to an indoor picnic of Kentucky Friend Chicken! Yum! Laughter and conversation filled the community room as everyone enjoyed just being together!

Sr. Mary of the Precious Blood arrived on Saturday and then on Monday Sr. Mary Martin and Sr. Mary Jeremiah arrived for a Formation Committee meeting. Fr. Walter Wagner, OP also arrived to speak on the Rule of Augustine. Everyone had their copies of his new book which probably made him a little nervous! Fr. Walter's talks were very provocative and everyone had to think a lot thus necessitating refueling during break time. The Summit sisters sent a box of Sun Chips and you wouldn't want them to go stale, would you?

All the sisters agreed that it was a wonderful time of grace, sisterly communion and solid intellectual formation. Doing the dishes together at each meal provided that extra special bond of being sisters!

A special thank you, asking Jesus and Mary through the intercession of St. Dominic to bless our sisters of the Monastery of the Immaculate Heart of Mary for all their generosity!

(Sr. Mary Catharine was at the meeting but she was busy like Martha, taking photos and helping Sr. Mary Veronica!)