Platinum Jubilee of Sr. Mary Agnes, OP
We celebrated recently the Platinum Jubilee of religious profession of Sr. Mary Agnes, OP. Please enjoy this reflection below written by Sr. Mary Agnes looking back on her more than 70 years of religious life. You can view a PDF here. More pictures will follow soon!
Platinum Jubilee of Religious Profession - 70 Years
1954 - July 10 - 2024
Sr. Mary Agnes of the Infant Jesus, O.P.
It seems incredible that I’ve reached my 72nd year of entrance into the religious life, and 70 years from First Profession of Vows. I have so much for which to thank God’s Providence in the care He has taken at every step of my life’s journey.
JULY 10, 1954 TO YEAR 2024 - seventy years from First Profession of Vows! My vocation story seems to have begun at the age of about 15, when I remember the first stirrings of devotion to the Lord’s Eucharistic Presence in the tabernacles of our Catholic Churches. When I started doing office work after graduation from High School, I took most of the daily lunch hour to go to the nearest Catholic Church to make a few minutes’ adoration of Our Lord in the tabernacle. A few years later I sensed a calling to the religious life. After much prayer and making inquiries of different groups of religious, in search of where God wanted me to join, I chose the Dominican cloistered nuns’ monastery in Buffalo, NY, which had the privilege of Eucharistic Perpetual Adoration.
MEMORY LANE - Throughout my religious life I have thanked God’s Providence for arranging my involvement in various departments of our monastic life, which provided many occasions to observe the ‘behind-the-scenes’ dedicated way our nuns provided their services in obedience to their responsibilities. There are happy memories of when I was Novice Mistress of guiding new members in their adjustment to living the monastic life. My several terms as Bursar (Administrator of Finances) acquainted me with business people who provided much help with the demanding business of finances. I cherish the memory of their friendship. One of my terms as Sacristan occurred during the time of ‘Vatican II’ when we had to relinquish our rubrics for celebrating Holy Mass according to the Dominican Rite in Latin and assume those of the Roman Rite in English, using a new Missal format. Our elderly Chaplain experienced much stress in adapting to the many changes. I enjoyed making an in-depth study of the new format which resulted in being able to assist Father in such a way to reduce the tensions he was experiencing. At the end of my term as Sacristan, I was deeply touched by a note of profound gratitude from Father for the assistance I provided for him. At various other times I was assigned to the Kitchen, Clothesroom, Laundry, and Infirmary. The experiences of working with other nuns in all of those duties enriched my spiritual life as I observed the virtues they practiced in their devoted services entailed in their responsibilities. For about ten years I was also assigned to answering the incoming phone calls and attending to people who came to the monastery asking for our prayers, etc. It was a tremendous blessing for me and my community to touch so many lives and to give them a share in our prayer-life.
Then a major change came into the life of our Buffalo Monastery. Due to the fact that our neighborhood was becoming unsafe, after much prayer and discussion about that and other important matters, we decided to move on June 15, 2020. History holds in its memories why the community had to close a few years later. That is why I transferred to the Dominican Nuns Monastery in Summit, New Jersey, arriving on December 1, 2022. I chose this community because I surmised it had vitality in living Dominican monastic life. So, there I was at the age of 90, ready to begin a new adventurous phase of my life! I thank God for His Providence in leading me to this community where I have found that for which I was searching. In leaving Buffalo, I surely did not leave behind the cherished friendship of those whose lives I’ve touched. I remember them all in my daily prayers.
From my own experience, it is very important to believe in and abandon oneself to God's Providence, and to see ALL that happens to each one of us every moment of every day, from the perspective of God's mysterious plans. That belief and practice brings me untold peace in all the circumstances of my daily life. It is a blessing to have a positive attitude in life and in all of God’s providential plans for us. I’m steeped in the faith that God’s Providence is ruling all circumstances, therefore, deep in the center of my soul there is peace knowing that the destiny of each moment is in God’s hands. I live the reality of each moment, every day, doing the best I can to live it for the glory of God Who plans each circumstance, and I go forward with Him, trusting in His promise given in Psalm 31(32):8 “I will give you counsel and show you the way you should go, KEEPING MY GAZE ON YOU.” What a wonderful assurance to help us be in peace!
O Lord, all Your ways are prepared,
and in Your Providence You have placed Your plans.
(cf. Judith 9:4-5)