A Day for the Record Books
Yesterday, April 30th, was a big day for our community. Sr. Mary Daniel celebrated 70 years since she first stepped foot into the cloister and began her monastic adventure--a record for our monastery! When asked a few days before the 'big day' what she'd like to do for her anniversary, she answered, "Oh I don't need anything." We tried prompting her, maybe there was a special dish she'd like served? "Oh, I really can't think of anything."
So we had breakfast with the bishop!
Actually, though it may have seemed coincidental, it was all arranged by Divine Providence. Archbishop Hebda, who will soon be installed as Archbishop of St. Paul-Minneapolis, came and said our morning Mass. Afterwards we invited him and our chaplain Fr. Gregory for a special breakfast in our community room.
In the afternoon 30 minor seminarians from St. Andrews College Seminary at Seton Hall came for a parlor visit. The young men varied in age from 18-31 and were sponsored by 4 NJ dioceses (all but Trenton) as well as the diocese of Madison, Wisconsin. Two seminarians, the youngest and the oldest, shared their vocation stories and our prioress, Sr. Mary Martin, shared her vocation story with the seminarians. Questions were asked back and forth and before we knew it the bell had rung for Rosary and Vespers. Prayers were promised and pictures were taken before the seminarians headed up to the public chapel to join us for prayer.
