Here I AM LORD!!! Novitiate attends vocation conference without ever leaving home!

You called me? Last evening the novitiate sisters crammed into Sr. Mary Catharine's office to participate in a short Q & A at the Here I am Lord Vocations Conference at St. Patrick's Church in St. Charles, IL. Thanks to Skype they didn't have to leave the monastery, buy plane tickets or expensive airport food. However, the seating arrangement before the webcam was just about as "ample" as a plane seat with one difference: there was even less legroom!

We enjoyed the opportunity to share just a little bit about our life to a packed church of about 1,000 people. However, as often happens when you try to do something to serve the Lord, there were some technical problems so we're not quite sure how much they heard. All the people waved so they must have seen us on that big screen! Sr. Coleen Clair, FMA from the Salesian Sisters in New Jersey moderated the Q & A. This is the first time we've met Sister!

Half hour before the big moment Sr. Mary Catharine's computer suddenly lost internet access although the other sisters in the house had no problems. A moment of panic and prayer and then after the novitiate sisters did all sorts of mysterious things to her computer it was back online. Phew! That was a scare!

Although the session had its hitches we hope that those attending saw that contemplative, cloistered life isn't a dreary, cold life but one of love and joy! And now they've met the nuns praying for all of them!

While the sisters waited for the Skype Call the air in the room got a little warm and since the bell had rung for recreation it got a little boisterous. They had asked one of the professed sisters to take a photo but what they didn't know is that she recorded the following video!