Welcome, Sr. Aisling!
Today Sr. Aisling entered the monastery to begin her postulancy! Sr. Aisling comes to us from Ireland and it is so nice to hear the Irish brogue again around the monastery; it has been absent since our Sr. Mary Rose Dominic passed away almost 6 years ago.
Sister entered shortly before Vespers. During the entrance ceremony the postulant is welcomed into the enclosure by the prioress and then is led to choir by the community chanting Psalm 122 "I rejoiced when I heard them say: 'Let us go to God's house.'" Once the prioress has led the new postulant to her choir stall the novice mistress reads the reading from Ephesians 3:14-21. (It is really beautiful, go take a look!) Then the prioress prays for the postulant with these words:
Lord, you have given your servant Aisling the desire to serve you.
Complete the work you have begun.
Make her giftof self whole-hearted and bring this first beginning to its perfect end.
We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever.
The ceremony closes with the chanting of the Dominican Salve, after which everyone greets the new postulant in the community room. A new "tradition" seems to be catching on after this greeting, and that's for the novice mistress to fix the new postulant's veil! For a couple of days we have two postulants, until Sr. Danielle receives the habit on Tuesday. Although she is in retreat for her vestition, we were able to get a picture of our two "bluebirds"!
