.

From the archives, Frances Xaviera Maguire

2012-02-02T00:00:00.000-05:00

Frances Xaviera McGuire was born inIreland on August 17, 1798, and when she was young her family moved toBaltimore. She had an engaging disposition and that made her seem fit for theworld rather than religious life, but God inspired her with contempt forfollies and vanities, and a desire to consecrate herself irrevocably to Hisservice. She originally thought about entering the Ursulines, but she was toldin a dream that God was not calling her there, but instead to the Convent ofthe Visitation at Georgetown. She hadn’t even heard of it before this dream,and she didn’t want to act too precipitously, so she consulted with herspiritual director in Baltimore. He advised her to pray to God for light tomake a proper choice before deciding anything. She also didn’t want to make herintention of retiring from the world public until she had fully determined herpath, so she continued to dress gaily and she engaged in pleasantries withothers. She still found her heart inclined to this house, however, so shepetitioned to be admitted, and she entered toward the end of November, 1816.Her parents, especially her father, were remarkably fond of her, and they wereabout to move to St. Louis, so this would be a sacrifice for everyone, and shemade hers with courage and generosity. In fact, generosity of mind was the mostdistinguishing feature of this dear sister’s character, and she gave manyproofs of it during the short time God permitted her to remain.

Frances Xavierabegan and finished her noviceship with much fervor, and then made her holyprofession. That day her countenance and demeanor reflected the interior joy ofher soul. She took great satisfaction in obliging others, and if it hadn’t beenfor her health she might have done much more. She was naturally industrious andingenious, and she had a particular taste for adorning little images andrelics. She was employed during some months as assistant to the mistress ofNovices, and later as an aid with the boarding students, where she gained theirhearts. Her last job was as a habit keeper, demonstrating through that serviceher sincere affection for all of her sisters.

In the spring of1821 she had a severe attack of vomiting blood, followed by a second one inMarch of 1823. After the second episode she declined rapidly, and toward theend of July that same year, despite being a naturally active person, she had toconfine herself to the infirmary where she was a very meek, affable, andgrateful patient. Instead of complaining, she frequently said that too muchcare was taken of her (something we also heard in the earlier biography ofSister Margaret Louisa Beall). Frances Xaviera sometimes expressed a desire todie on the feast of her holy patron, St. Francis Xavier, but not unless Godpleased. Instead, God called her three months earlier, on the feast of theglorious St. Augustine, “after having been fortified for that dangerous andawful passage from time to eternity, with all the last sacraments and helps ofthe holy Church and religion. She expired with much peace and composure, andpreserved her perfect presence of mind to her last breath. May God grant us thegrace to imitate her example.”

There went the comments, poof!

2012-01-31T06:37:00.005-05:00

With one accidental, sleepy keystroke, 50 lovely comments from blog readers were accidentally deleted. Happily, the internet has various search engines that crawl the web and archive pages. One of those services archived livejesus.blogspot.com a few days ago, and we now have a copy of that cache, but alas, no clear way to restore it here. If anyone understand blogger and can help restore the html, please send a note!

A visit from former First Lady Barbara Bush

2012-01-27T16:58:00.001-05:00

Georgetown Visitation was privileged to have a special visitor this morning, former First Lady, Mrs. Barbara Bush. Mrs. Bush was greeted by Head of School Dan Kerns, President Emerita Sr. Mary Berchmans and Board Chair Kerry McDonnell Mudd, and then enjoyed coffee and refreshments with Mother Jacqueline and several other Sisters as well as a few members of the school's administration. The former First Lady then visited a math and a history class and enjoyed a visit with student government leaders. At each point she complimented the students and spoke to them about how fortunate they were to be at Visitation and reminded them to value the education they are receiving. It was a memorable visit with a very gracious and special guest.

March for Life

2012-01-26T09:10:00.004-05:00

Visitation students participating in the annual March for Life on Monday, January 23. These pictures were taken by Elise Italiano, one of our religion teachers, who was one of the chaperones with the group. According to Elise, "It was a rainy but beautiful day. Our girls were very prayerful and joyful!"

January 24 and St. Francis de Sales

2012-01-26T08:47:00.001-05:00

Tuesday, January 24, was the Feastday of St. Francis de Sales, our Holy Founder.

From the archives, Margaret Louisa Beall, Part II

2012-01-26T03:00:00.000-05:00

MARGARET LOUISA BEALL, PART II

Margaret’s superiors all agreed that they had never met a more docile, sincere, or candid person. She charitably spoke well of all, and when she could say nothing in favor of someone she remained silent. Her meekness gained her the love and affection of almost everyone, and her holy virtue of patience enabled her to withstand trials and “pains of mind.” Even though she was really debilitated, some in the monastery thought her constitution was robust and that she could bear a great deal. She never complained in the least, however, and she said that she did not even harbor an uncharitable thought against those who caused her to suffer. She did admit that she was sometimes tempted to speak up, however, her charity caused her to believe that the sisters actually took too much care of her.

As Margaret’s Novitiate ended her infirmities increased, especially a swelling of her feet which made her fear she wouldn’t be able to perform the ceremonies of her holy profession. As the date grew nearer (this was around the time of the annual retreats), she got better and undertook the spiritual exercises to prepare for her profession. This made her happier, since her desire to consecrate herself entirely to God was almost complete. About three months later, at the beginning of Lent, her sickness became serious. She received the holy Viaticum and extreme unction. She had not, however, yet received the sacraments of Confirmation, as Rev. Dubourg, Bishop of Louisiana, was here on a visit, he conferred this strengthening sacrament on her. (Editor’s note: Bishop Dubourg, whose life is well documented, also served as one of the first presidents of Georgetown University, and he later founded St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore.) Everyone expected that Margaret would soon breathe out her last, and Father Clorivière said the prayers of the agonizing and gave her all the indulgences of the Church and their holy order, but she suffered for three more weeks. The sisters believed this was to purify her more perfectly and fit her for a more speedy union with him after death, and to edify the community by her patience, solid virtue, and perfect resignation to the will of God. One day someone asked her in jest if she was planning to disappoint everyone and get well again. She replied with her usual meekness and affability that disappointment or no, she had resigned herself entirely into the hands of God for life or death, and therefore whatever he pleased would be equally welcome and also would not surprise her. She was also asked if she wanted to see her natural sisters, or at least have them informed of her illness, and she replied that if it were up to her she would not have them come, but she’d leave it up to the will of her superior. The superior did think it proper for her sisters to visit, so they came on Palm Sunday and bid their last farewells to their dying sister.

Margaret’s illness had increased rapidly during Holy Week. Father Clorivière had stopped attending to her earlier when she had gotten better, but now he began again, and he gave her the holy Viaticum again at 10 o’clock on Good Friday morning. By noon she told the community that she was going, so they called Father Clorivière again, and the entire community gathered around her, remaining with her in prayer until she died. “This amiable sister preserved her presence of mind until her last gasp, and it was edifying and moving to see what efforts she made to pronounce the holy names of Jesus, Mary and Joseph.” She died between one and two o’clock in the afternoon, “during the hours in which Christ himself had agonized on the cross for our sake.” The community believed that, as she died with him, she either went straight to heaven, or at least rose gloriously with him at his resurrection. “God grant to us to imitate her virtues.”

By His hand we are knit together!

2012-01-22T14:19:00.001-05:00

For these photos of sisters knitting, we offer some knitting verses from scripture:

1 Samuel 18:1, "When he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul."

"...that their hearts may be encouraged as they are knit together in love, to have all the riches of assured understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, of Christ..." (Colossians 2:2)

Proverbs 27:26: "...the lambs will provide your clothing..."

These knitting scriptures came from a page titled "Knitting and the Bible," http://eastburnadventures.com/2007/01/09/knitting-the-bible/

From the archives, Margaret Louisa Beall, Part I

2012-01-19T07:00:00.000-05:00

Margaret Louisa Beall was born in Anne Arundel County on May 20, 1800, to wealthy Presbyterian parents. She was only six years old when she lost her mother, so her father put her under the care of one of her older sisters, who had become Catholic. This sister taught Margaret her prayers and gave her Catholic instruction appropriate for her age, but thought it prudent not to let her go to the Catholic church, lest their father, who was an inveterate anti-Catholic, would disinherit them both. However, she did often warn Margaret against falling back into Presbyterian ways when she returned to her father at age 13 or 14 (the reason she was supposed to return to him was so she wouldn’t become Catholic). Margaret was certain she would never act as a Presbyterian, but as soon as she went home she began to omit the observances she had begun with her Catholic sister. When she returned to visit that sister, she was first asked to make the sign of the cross, and then asked if she had forgotten her prayers, etc. She just smiled.

She continued in this dual world until age 18, when she was engaged to be married. She had absorbed anti-Catholic sentiments from her Presbyterian friends over the years, until at last she really couldn’t bear to be with Catholics at all. However, just two years after her marriage her husband died, leaving her with two children. Then she began to have second thoughts about the Catholic faith, and she wondered if she had made a mistake. She began to change her mind, but at first she didn’t tell anyone, not even her Catholic sister. Instead, she secretly asked a virtuous servant woman of her sister’s for religious instruction. When in company with Catholics she would ask questions, seek their opinions, and generally gather information. Finally she sought instruction from a Priest, and she was conditionally baptized, a ceremony that was done in those days if one had already been baptized Protestant, as she had. It was only then that she finally told her sister, and she also had her two children baptized, sometime after which they sadly both died while still infants.

Shortly after the death of her children she petitioned to be admitted to this Visitation monastery, but as soon as her brothers, sisters, and relations found out about it, they violently opposed it. She had sufficient courage and resolution to overcome all those seemingly great obstacles and embrace religious life, which she did in 1821, when she was 21 years old. Three days after her entrance as a postulant she cut her own hair, to show her determination never more to return to the world. She divested herself of all attachments and said she wished to consecrate herself entirely to God and make her sacrifice complete.

Before she entered religious life she had been attacked with some sort of liver disease. This produced other disorders and often put her life in danger, and her physicians said they could not help her. She came to this house, she said, not to live but to die in religion. Consequently she was quite fervent during her Novitiate, but this energy was more than her health could bear. She was told to spare herself a little, but she would reply that she always suspected her feelings, so instead she asked her superiors to tell her when they thought she needed relief or refreshment so that she could do it out of obedience.

Epiphany Queen

2012-01-12T09:37:00.003-05:00

On the eve of Epiphany (January 6), as a long-standing tradition, the sisters choose a Bean Queen or Epiphany Queen. Whichever sister finds the bean/medal in her piece of cake after supper is Queen-for-a-Year and can request special things (especially free evenings and free days) for her fellow sisters. This year Sr. Mary Philomena Tisinger, a former Mother Superior, received the crown.

Opening Christmas Gifts

2012-01-12T09:33:00.001-05:00

Sisters enjoying the thoughtful generosity of our kind benefactors during Christmastide.

From the archives, Mary Bernardina McNantz, Part II

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

Eventually (and strangely), her cough and all her consumptive symptoms andfever did leave. Bernardina’scountenance became bright, her conversation sparkled, she laughed heartily, andshe did not seem to become tired, but she then entered into a nine-day periodof crisis. During that time, everything she said and did was spiritual, sometimeseven mysterious, and she only reluctantly ate food at the sisters’ urging,after nearly fasting for three days. While resisting food she’d reply thatnourishing the body was beneath her, and that she wanted to quit this earth andearthly things. She wanted to divest of all her possessions, even her clothes,so that she could ascend with Christ into heaven. Once she called herselfNabuchodonosor (a common earlier transliteration today often rendered asNebuchadnezzar), and said that like him she would eat grass as an ox and dwellwith cattle for seven years. Another time she called herself Abraham, and thenagain Isaac, with the latter character seeming to please her most because hewas ready to be sacrificed. She recited long and complicated passages ofscripture with great ease, as though she had always been perfectly acquaintedwith every part of them. She sometimes composed songs based on spiritual textswith advice for those present, often alluding to certain passages of the holywritings in a way that astonished everyone. Our dear Father Clorivière askedher where and how she had learned all these things. She laughed and said shehad read them in the Holy Court, alarge book owned by the community which she had been free to peruse, althoughshe lamented that she often read too much of it. She sometimes related pastevents, and even those from the lives of others. She foretold a circumstancethat came to pass within two months. During this period she remained fullysensible of everything she said and did, remembering every detail, and shesometimes wondered aloud why she had such a strange affectation.

After her nine-day crisis passed, Bernardina’s coughreturned even worse than before, and as it turned out she had only three moremonths to live. Although she had always feared death, all dread left her a fewweeks before she died. She said that if she only had to consider her actions bythemselves and have confidence in them alone then she would have great cause totremble at her last moments. However, when she reflected on the merits ofChrist, she felt encouraged to meet her last hour with joy, and “thus did sheanimate and encourage herself to follow the will and good pleasure of her Godin this dangerous passage from time to eternity.” This dear sister beggedpardon of the whole community in general, and of each one in particular whomshe believed she had offended in the least, with sentiments of the mostprofound humility and her own deficiencies. She also proved her resignation tothe will of God, for when Fr. Clorivière was injured and confined to his roomduring the time when she was to receive the last sacrament, she had to receiveit from Fr. Carey, with whom she was unacquainted, and she didn’t offer theslightest sign of uneasiness. Happily, however, her passing was delayed by twodays, and Fr. Clorivière was able to come to the infirmary on crutches tocomfort her and pray by her bed when “she finally closed her eyes to thismortal world.” She preserved her perfect presence of mind to the last; about aquarter of an hour before her death she said her feet were cold, and Fr.Clorivière directed that a warm brick be placed by them. The infirmariansdidn’t hear his order, however, and concluded that her cold was that ofimpending death, so they asked her again what she wanted, and she said firmly,“Do what the Father has told you.” Then, after a short agony, she happily sleptin our Lord.

It seems worthy to notice that all these three McNantzsisters, Bernardina, Isidora, and Mary Leonard, died on great Sundays, this onebeing the first Sunday of Lent. Isidora died on Easter Sunday, and amiablelittle Mary Leonard went on the first Sunday of Advent. In these three sistersmay we have--as we may justly hope--three advocates in heaven where we allexpect to meet one day, never more to part.

Wishes for the New Year

2011-12-31T23:59:00.000-05:00

We Georgetown Visitation sisters wish our friends God's choicest blessings for the new year 2012. We place each one in prayer under the protection of Holy Mother Mary on this solemnity in Her honor, January 1st!

A Visitation Sister winds all three of our grandfather clocks in preparation for December 31.

Another sisters' life from the archives: Mary Bernardina McNantz (Part I)

2011-12-29T09:00:00.000-05:00

Part I of II

Mary Bernardina McNantz was the birth sister to two othersin the community, Isidora and Mary Leonard McNantz. Bernardina was the oldestof the three and only nine when she entered our school. She had a cheerfuldisposition and was inclined to be fond of the world, but the good example ofher sister Isidora helped her turn away from vanity and apply herself earnestlyto the practice of virtue. She was bright and took delight in her studies. Shedid have a rather quick temper, but she endeavored to subdue and overcome it.

Leonard Neale received Bernardina to the habit on August 15,1817, the feast of the glorious Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, and the sameday as her classmate, Susan Angela Boarman (see previous biography); she wasfifteen years old. Bernardina was a fervent and exact Novice, to the pointwhere at first she was a bit scrupulous, a problematic characteristic that cansometimes accompany a purity of conscience as great as hers. She improvedthrough prudent care and attention to the instruction of her Director, MotherHarriet Agnes Brent, for whom she had great affection and to whom she openedher heart with simplicity and candor. She punctually took Mother’s advice, andalthough she sometimes warred within herself to overcome a tendency to judgeothers, she performed faithfully and became an example of docility andsubmission to all the Novices.

She made her holy profession the next year on August 21,1818, the Feast of our holy foundress and Mother, along with Sister SusanAngela Boarman, whom she survived by only one month. Because of weak health shecould not finish the second year of her Novitiate, and she sometimes lamentedthis, for she had an excellent mind and many abilities, and she would haverendered considerable service to religion if her health had not intervened.God, however, took care to purify her with many interior trials, which he usedto supplement any deficiency in the exterior trials of the Novitiate which wouldhave been too much for her. She also had a natural sensibility to practiceinterior self-denial. Bernardina was quite pretty; our physician Dr. Beaty,when called in to consult about her health, saw the floridness of hercomplexion and said “It was a pity such a beauty should be hidden in amonastery.”

Because of her active, bright mind, she had a great desireto read and know all the books of our order, and to imbibe the true Spirit ofthe Visitation. These books, however, were nearly all in French, so FatherClorivière agreed to teach the language to some of the sisters, including her. She applied herself, and in a short time she translatedour small books of customs and part of the responses of our holy Mother to them,but unfortunately for us she was forced to stop. Not only did she have a talentfor languages, but also for drawing, painting, writing, and embroidery. Sheleft us a memorial of her industry in her embroidery of a fine vestment, whichshe finished on the eve of her last illness, October 30, 1821. This vestment eventuallyserved in the dedication of our church, which took place on the first day ofNovember, the Feast of All Saints that same year, but unfortunately this poorsister could not attend. It seemed a great pity since she had worked so hard onit, but God had other views unknown to the community.

She had long prayed to be preserved until the age when shewould be able to inherit her estate for the benefit of the community, but nowthat seemed impossible, although the sisters were only concerned about herhealth. She had been threatened with consumption (tuberculosis) all of herlife, and two years prior to this she had a persistent cough that Dr. Beatyfirst attributed to a “bilious fever,” meaning a fever accompanied by nausea,vomiting, and diarrhea. Her behavior became erratic: “Some thought her crazy!Others that she was possessed of a devil! Some were even for having herexorcised!” Instead of any of this, however, the community joined in prayer forher.

More photos from Advent

2011-12-27T11:52:00.001-05:00

Keeping with a longstanding tradition, several students and alumnae joined the Sisters in the Neale parlor for a rousing hour of Christmas carol singing and a few refreshments as school dismissed for the Christmas vacation. Alumnae Patricia Lawless '05, Colette Young '07 and their parents, John & Barbara Lawless and Robert Young and Ginny Lum, organized and led this year's festivities. Old favorites such as "Silent Night" and "O Come All Ye Faithful" were interspersed with lively renditions of "The 12 Days of Christmas" and "Jingle Bells" making for a perfect blend of both the spiritual and the joyous emotions that this beautiful time of year arouses.

Christmas Joy and Greetings

2011-12-24T10:04:00.003-05:00

We sisters wish you a Blessed Christmas Season!
May the Divine Infant Jesus bless and protect you!

In the joy of Our Incarnate Lord,

Your Visitation Sisters of Georgetown

Some Holy Trinity students caroling for a few of our sisters, 12/2011

Grandparents' Day

2011-12-19T19:08:00.000-05:00

Mother Jackie smiles with a grandmother and granddaughter at the reception following our Grandparents' Day Service of Lessons and Carols on Monday, December 12. This annual event gives grandparents a chance to glimpse their granddaughters' school and sample a bit of what makes Visitation so special.

The service opens with a welcome from President Emerita Sr. Mary Berchmans, and it features performances by Visitation's Dance Ensemble, Irish Dance Club, Chorus and Madrigals. There are readings, and of course a recounting of the birth of the infant Jesus from the Gospel of Luke. Remarks by a grandparent and Head of School Dan Kerns close the service.

The Nolan Center is always packed with grandparents who are delighted with the event. Afterward, everyone adjourns to the parlors in Founders Hall for refreshments. Many also relish the chance to touch base with the Sisters who are always special guests on this special day.

Vespers With the Sisters

2011-12-15T14:45:00.001-05:00

We have hosted this event for a few years as a way of thanking major donors and other members of our community for their generosity and support during the previous year. It has become hugely popular, and attendees always remark on what a gift it is--both the spiritual component (Vespers) and the chance to visit with Sisters and others in the community. It's a wonderful start to the holidays; a time to step back, pause, reflect and reconnect with the reasons for the season: faith, friends and family.

Photos from a Christmas carol event

2011-12-13T19:32:00.001-05:00

Annual Holy Trinity School Christmas caroling for the Sisters.

Sr. Mary Roberta loves this version of "Stand By Me"

2011-12-04T21:43:00.001-05:00

Another archive installment: Susan Angela Boarman

2011-12-04T21:42:00.003-05:00

Susan Angela Boarman was born in Kentucky to a Catholic family on May 20, 1801. Her parents normally lived in Maryland, but they had gone to Kentucky to settle some family affairs. After they returned to Maryland, Angela’s mother died. When Angela was 10 years old her father brought both her and her sister Mary Ann, who became Sister Benedict Joseph, to our academy to be educated.

Angela was inclined to vanity, but through the good example of some of her companions and the pious discourse of Mother Ann Catherine Rigden, to whom she was much attached, she gradually turned her heart to piety and decided she would “dedicate her heart to God in the religious state.” She had the happiness of having Leonard Neale as her Director, and when she was 15 he admitted her to the habit of our order on August 15, 1816, the feast of the Glorious Assumption of the Blessed Virgin, to whom this dear sister had a tender devotion. She showed much fervor, joined with a great simplicity, and applied herself earnestly to subdue the nature within her and to be perfect in obedience. In 1817 she made her religious profession on the feast of our Holy Mother, St. Jane de Chantal. She did this together with our dear sister Mary Bernardina McNantz, who died about a month after Angela did.

Angela had a charitable heart, and was always mindful of the needs of others. Ever compassionate toward the sick, she would often deprive herself of her own rest for their relief. She even risked her health, especially during the illness of Mother Ann Catherine Rigden, where she paid assiduous and almost uninterrupted attention to Mother’s needs. She began to waste away, and in a few months she developed “consumption” (tuberculosis). She met her illness with courage and proof of her charity, for as weak as she was, she rose every morning with the community to assist at the hour’s meditation, attend the choir, and follow the community in everything. No one could convince her to relax in the slightest way from her accustomed duties, and she would not accept any nourishment beyond what was given to the rest of the community. Sometimes she was found in such a state that they thought she was dead, and though she increased in virtue, she decreased so much in strength that she finally yielded and allowed them to place her in the infirmary toward the end of November, 1821. Even so, she forced herself to be present at the meetings of the community as often as she could, but by the beginning of January, 1822, she was unable to leave the infirmary at all.

She was still charitable and attentive to all around her, and before anyone could put herself to the smallest inconvenience Angela would anticipate the impulse and stop her. For example, it was terribly cold on the nights prior to her death, and Angela would ask quite pointedly if the attending sisters had provided for themselves against the cold. She would not be content, even up to the very night of her death, until she was assured that they had taken care of themselves as she desired. Three months before her 21^st birthday, “[s]he breathed forth her free soul into the hands of its maker with the peace and tranquility of an angel on the 11^th day of January, 1822, having enjoyed her perfect presence of mind to the very last gasp.” She held the rank of choir sister, and had served the community in the offices of Sacristan Vigilant, and Assistant at the school.

Sr. Mary Raphael receives a birthday greeting from Willard Scott

2011-11-28T20:39:00.001-05:00

The Today Show's Willard Scott regularly notes the birthdays of people who have passed the milestone of 100. Last Wednesday he mentioned Sr. Mary Raphael, who turned 101 on October 31. Enjoy the clip below, but sssssh, please don't say anything to Sister! (She wasn't too crazy about being mentioned on TV.) If you want to fast forward, she appears just after 2:15.

Lives of the Visitation Sisters: Frances Xaviera McGuire, 1798-1823

2011-11-17T14:26:00.002-05:00

Frances Xaviera began and finished her noviceship with much fervor, and then made her holy profession. That day her countenance and demeanor reflected the interior joy of her soul. She took great satisfaction in obliging others, and if it hadn’t been for her health she might have done much more. She was naturally industrious and ingenious, and she had a particular taste for adorning little images and relics. She was employed during some months as assistant to the mistress of Novices, and later as an aid with the boarding students, where she gained their hearts. Her last job was as a habit keeper, demonstrating through that service her sincere affection for all of her sisters.

In the spring of 1821 she had a severe attack of vomiting blood, followed by a second one in March of 1823. After the second episode she declined rapidly, and toward the end of July that same year, despite being a naturally active person, she had to confine herself to the infirmary where she was a very meek, affable, and grateful patient. Instead of complaining, she frequently said that too much care was taken of her (something we also heard in the earlier biography of Sister Margaret Louisa Beall). Frances Xaviera sometimes expressed a desire to die on the feast of her holy patron, St. Francis Xavier, but not unless God pleased. Instead, God called her three months earlier, on the feast of the glorious St. Augustine, “after having been fortified for that dangerous and awful passage from time to eternity, with all the last sacraments and helps of the holy Church and religion. She expired with much peace and composure, and preserved her perfect presence of mind to her last breath. May God grant us the grace to imitate her example.”

Parents Association Meeting

2011-11-17T14:23:00.001-05:00

Sister Mada-anne Gell presents the sisters to our parents at the monthly meeting of our Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School Parents Association on Monday the 14th, and Mother Jacqueline prays as the meeting concludes.

Esprit de Noel

2011-11-08T10:37:00.001-05:00

Perfect fall weather blessed Visitation’s 41st annual Esprit de Noel this past weekend, drawing happy crowds of parents, students, alumnae, alumnae parents and friends to our festively bedecked campus. Co-chairs Lynda Jesukiewicz and Karen Mattheis masterfully led their second bazaar; Claire and Garner Bennet did a superb job with the car raffle, and Mary Lou McCormick and her committee filled the gym with a dazzling array of vendors selling something to tempt every shopper. Each of them was assisted by an army of volunteers who decorated, baked, gathered, arranged and transformed our campus into a shopping event. Esprit not only raises money for the school, but draws the entire community together as friends and alumnae return annually to mix, mingle, and introduce their families to the Sisters.

Special thanks go to the Mother Jackie, a tireless saleswoman who beguiled everyone with her smile. Thanks to her persistence, all 900 raffle tickets sold! Mother was also on hand to draw the winning ticket on Saturday afternoon, and Julie Cordell and her family emerged the excited winners of the sporty-red Mini Cooper. The real winners, however, were our students, since all proceeds from the bazaar benefit the school.

Living Rosary!

2011-11-04T15:44:00.000-04:00

One of our most inspiring and profoundly spiritual traditions is the LIVING ROSARY, a mother-daughter event that dates back many decades. This moving evening provides an opportunity for mothers and daughters to come together for a simple dinner after which they all, along with the Sisters, pray the rosary together by candlelight in the Quadrangle, forming the shape of the Rosary by standing along brick paths laid in that shape. This year about 100 students and mothers took part. After it rain most of the day, the weather cleared and they were blessed with a cool, but dry and crisp, fall evening last Wednesday.

Sister Mary Raphael Speer – 101 on October 31, 2011!

2011-10-31T16:38:00.004-04:00

Many might think that October 31 is a day reserved for ghosts, goblins and trick or treating, but the day is special for another reason. Today everyone in the Georgetown Visitation Monastery and Georgetown Visitation Preparatory School community celebrated with their dear Sister Mary Raphael Speer on her 101st birthday (although many of the celebrants wore costumes)! A large group of students and faculty lined the main hallway of Founders Hall to serenade Sister with a rousing version of Happy Brithday. Elvis "the King" Presley (aka Head of School Dan Kerns) presented Sister with a large bouquet of roses which she accepted with a huge smile.

Sr. Raphael was born on Halloween in 1910 in a suburb of Pittsburgh, PA. After taking her vows as a Sister of the Visitation of Holy Mary at the Order’s monastery in Parkersburg, WV, she spent many years as a math and English teacher, a librarian and a school administrator. She was also the Mother Superior of the Visitation community in Parkersberg. When that monastery closed in the early 1990's, Sister Raphael chose to join the Georgetown Visitation monastery. These days she keeps all of the other Sisters on their toes with her razor-sharp mind, ever-present wit and an interest in each of the sisters and the school’s 490 students. Sr. Raphael loves geography and can often be found searching an atlas to locate a new country in Africa or determine the distance between two cities. And at 101 she still enjoys a mean game of Parchesi during the Sisters’ periodic game nights.

Sister Raphael’s inquiring mind and broad range of interests have only increased with the passage of years. Her witty comments are a constant source of enjoyment for all who know her; she'll often ask a thought-provoking questions like, "I wonder how spaghetti got its name?" Her presence is a tremendous gift to our entire community!

Slowly getting the blog back in shape

2011-10-23T20:41:00.001-04:00

The template for this blog mysteriously vanished, but thanks to the Internet Archive Wayback Machine it was possible to look at the previous template for this blog and copy it. Gradually this blog should look more like the one you're used to! The image at the top is now formatted, and some of the features at the left such as mass readings have returned. Changes may continue while I experiment with fonts and posting (getting rid of that white-against-blue post lettering, for example), but gradually it will come into shape. Thank you, readers, for so much encouragement!

Sr. Mary Baptista Klein, part two of a series

2011-10-23T19:45:00.001-04:00

The stories about Sr. Mary Baptista Klein are legend. She was the English teacher who would give one of only three grades: C+, C, or “See me,” the yearbook moderator who sent at least one young editor to the hospital with gastric ulcers, the determined photographer who took and developed all the yearbook pictures, as well as the lovely scenes of the Visitation campus still given to students at Awards Night. Like her photos, Sister’s opinions often seemed black and white. At the same time, she proved herself a sensitive and devoted friend to many, many students, some of whom needed special understanding. She was endearing, challenging . . . and something of a tragic figure.

St. Francis de Sales Leadership Society Dinner

2011-10-15T20:12:00.011-04:00

These are photos of some of our sisters with alumnae and their families. They were taken at our annual St. Francis de Sales Leadership Society dinner Wednesday evening, October 12.
This is a dinner the Sisters and the school give to show appreciation and thanks to alumnae parents and friends who have been most generous to Visitation in the previous year.

Their support is crucial to both the school and the Sisters. (Although both our founders, St. Jane de Chantal and St. Francis de Sales, are often quoted as emphasizing the importance of giving little gifts with great love, leadership gifts are also important in order to support a school with 490 students on a 23-acre campus graced several buildings dating to the mid-19th century.)
The evening was to have begun with a cocktail hour in the Monastery Garden (a rare treat), but rain forced that part of the evening indoors. After enjoying appetizers and drinks in Founders Hall, the group moved to a lovely tented buffet dinner in the Quadrangle. With well-over 100 guests in attendance it was a festive evening emphasizing the blessings of faith and friendship.

Sr. Mary Baptista Klein, a series to come

2011-10-13T20:03:00.006-04:00

Many of us remember Sr. Mary Baptista Klein, aka “Bappie.” The stories about her are legend. In cooperation with the monastery archivist we will post some stories about her in the days to come as part of a little series. Meanwhile, here are two photos!

A golden jubilee in autumn

2011-10-06T08:25:00.002-04:00

Congratulations to Sister Mary Immaculata as she celebrates her 50th year of vows on October 3rd, 2011!

An in-school friendship leads to marriage

2011-10-06T08:15:00.002-04:00

This cute photo is from the shower for two of our school employees, Uyo and Arjetta, who will soon be married. Congratulations to the happy couple!

The blogging gets better

2011-10-06T08:04:00.003-04:00

I found an archive of this website, and am working to restore the nifty little features Blogger nixed in a blink. Soon this page will be back to its former, familiar look! More soon, plus news and photographs from the archives.

Does anyone understand Blogger?

2011-10-02T20:12:00.005-04:00

Blogger had a major update that we did not choose or want, and now this page looks completely different (new colors, new fonts). Also, certain elements of the Live+Jesus! blog are missing. If you are knowledgeable about Blogger and want to help, please post a comment here. Thank you.

Mother Jacqueline Says...

2011-10-02T20:07:00.002-04:00

Here's another in a series of favorite quotes and sayings from Mother Jacqueline. Like the first in our series, this one comes from Holy Father, St. Francis de Sales: "During the course of the day you will find the eyes of Jesus turned towards you and constantly fixed on you with an incomparable Love."

Did you say this is a fixer-upper?

2011-09-28T15:51:00.003-04:00

The monastery bell tower, which dates to the early 19th century, is swaddled in scaffolding and drop cloths as it receives a fresh coat of paint and some routine maintenance. Some say it's the oldest original structure on the 23-acre school and Monastery campus. The picture was taken September 14 by Billie McSeveney. The scaffolding and work should continue into the middle of October.

Mother Jacqueline Says...

2011-09-23T17:39:00.000-04:00

We're starting a new series of sayings that Mother Jacqueline particularly likes, or things she sometimes says. Here is a quote she often shares from Holy Father St. Francis de Sales: "Keep your heart full of courage and your courage full of confidence in God... in Jesus!"

2011-09-22T08:17:00.002-04:00

Sarah Richardson of Warrenton, Virginia, became a postulant on September 21, 2011. We pray for her perseverance in her call to follow Our Lord closely. God be praised!

Part II of the Biography of Susan Mary Margaret Wightt

2011-09-13T09:22:00.001-04:00

Susan Mary Margaret Wightt, PART II. I'm touched as I post this with how young some of the sisters of the past were when they died. Mary Margaret was only 20.

*****

The companion spoken of in the last installment, to whom Mary Margaret Wightt had been so attached in the school and who later became a religious, was made the head of the Novices about three months after Mary Margaret entered the novitiate, bringing Mary Margaret much joy. She demonstrated the sincerity of her love for her dear companion and now Mistress. For the Mistress’s part, she took every opportunity to instruct her pupil, particularly in points of humility and obedience. One day she sent Mary Margaret to the wardrobe to bring her an old garment. Mary Margaret didn’t hear the word old, however, so she brought the very best one she could find, for she felt nothing was too good for her dear Mistress. The Novice Director took this opportunity to humble her Novice, telling her she was still far from having the true spirit of poverty, and that vanity yet reigned in her heart. She instructed Mary Margaret to go straight back and bring her the very worst she could find. The humble Novice did this without offering the smallest excuse to justify what she had done.

She was a true example of obedience, humility, and charity, and she took greater pleasure from obliging than from being obliged. She showed much deference toward her superiors, viewing God in them, particularly in our beloved spiritual Father.

She was made Mistress of Novices in December, 1820, a task for which she was well qualified because of her piety, zeal for regular observance, and other amiable qualities. Alas, however, she developed consumption in early May, 1821. The last sacraments were administered to her by our worthy spiritual Father, “but God, who delights in purifying his elect, was pleased to keep this his spouse on her bed of suffering still some time.” During this interval she showed both meekness and good humor. In fact, she was so gay and cheerful that some thought she might recover. Her Director, one of the sisters, observed that she coughed with much difficulty. This sister even she wished that she could cough for her—a remark that made Mary Margaret smile, and to which she replied, “My dear Sister, do you not know that the brides in former times were accustomed to wear no other garlands on the day of their nuptials than those which they themselves had previously gathered and arranged in due order?” She was full of such spiritual thoughts, and with these fervent comments she continued to inspire the sisters around her. She made many pleasant observations and she laughed heartily with everyone, but she always spoke of the country to which she was going. She had received enough relief from the Last Rites to give her sisters time to observe many proofs of her true and lively faith, piety, and holy liberty of spirit. Because of this delay they felt the loss even more when she died on July 18, 1821, about mid-day. She was 20 years old, and had been four years in her profession, with the rank of choir sister.

Back to the archives: Susan Mary Margaret Wightt

2011-09-02T09:25:00.002-04:00

Last academic year we began a series focusing on the lives of Visitation sisters from the past, beginning with the first sisters who arrived in the late 1700s. That series continues now, at the pace of approximately one installment per week. Each biography is typed from the handwritten account in the monastery archives that was generally written after the sister's death by one who knew her well. Language is modernized and entries are edited to delete repetitions, but some of the flavor of the original remains in the music of the English language from two centuries ago...

SUSAN MARY MARGARET WIGHTT (Part 1 of 2)

Mary Margaret was born in Prince George’s County, Maryland, on February 13, 1801. When she was one year old her father died. Her mother was pious, and also attentive to her children’s educations, so when Mary Margaret was five she and her elder sister Ann (who also became a religious among us) were enrolled in our Visitation academy, where they were received with much love and kindness. It was evident that Mary Margaret was a chosen soul, for her understanding far surpassed her age. She was lively, and she advanced quickly in her studies, but also proportionately in the paths of virtue. She applied herself seriously to observe all of the school’s rules. However, the enemy (who is ever watchful and seeks to draw souls into his nets) tempted “this innocent dove” when she became very close friends with one of the boarding students. This student was “full of the world” and instilled frivolous thoughts into her mind. Instead of studying, the friends spent their time in conversation, but Mary Margaret was so quick that she still managed to know her lessons well enough that at first no one caught on. Their tutor knew what a good student Mary Margaret could be, however, and she soon discerned the difference. The tutor reported this change to Leonard Neale, and he spoke to Mary Margaret about it. This was in vain, however, for no sooner had she left him than she recounted the conversation to her friend, who said “Oh Mary Margaret, don’t mind the old man, he only wishes to make you a nun. For my part, I wouldn’t mind him were he to talk to me.” Although Mary Margaret felt deeply attached to her companion, she also wanted to follow the advice of Bishop Neale, of whom she was remarkably fond. This left her undecided about what step to take.

About this time her sister Ann obtained leave from Bishop Neale, although not without much difficulty, for both of them to visit their friends in the country; he considered them innocent lambs going out to be devoured by wolves. They went during August vacation, and when it was time to return Mary Margaret didn’t want to leave her friends, “and her heart cleaved still more closely to the world than ever.”

On December 1, 1811, Bishop Neale received one of the boarding students to the habit. This student was a close friend of one of the girls whom Mary Margaret had visited in the country. When the country girl saw her friend in religious habit, she promised never to return to the world, and she kept that promise. Just as before she had done all in her power to draw our dear sister Mary Margaret into vanity, now she made as great if not greater an exertion to help her find her way back to the place from where she had been led. She became a religious just one year after, and became the 12th sister in this new establishment. Our dear sister Mary Margaret now strived to imitate the examples of her friends, and she advanced daily in virtue and became once more an example of piety and regularity to her friends. She was also a comfort and support to her teachers, who rejoiced at this happy change, and with Bishop Neale’s permission they made her responsible for the care of the little chapel. In this task, so necessary because duties were numerous and there were not enough sisters to do it all. Mary Margaret’s piety and zeal became even more evident through her diligence and fervor. She so advanced in virtue that at age fifteen she prevailed on Leonard Neale to admit her to the habit of religion. He did this without difficulty, however, for he had always known her real merit.

(To be continued in a second part next week)

Habemus Matrem!

2011-06-16T05:42:00.000-04:00

We used to call her "Sister Mary Compostina" or "Sister Mary Trash" ... because she is so faithful to doing small things (like taking out the trash and battling the bugs on the way to the compost bins) with great love -- and a BIG SMILE ... but now we call her MOTHER JACQUELINE.

On Monday morning, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and in the presence of Rev'd Msgr. Charles Antonicelli, the chapter sisters of our monastery elected Sister to be our 30th Mother Superior in the 212th year of our foundation. God be praised!

We are most grateful to Mother Mary Berchmans for her service to our community. After almost a decade of GOLD team leadership, we have a WHITE team sister at the helm (and the white team won the banner for 2010-11 .... hmmm, this doesn't bode well for the GOLD team!)

With the sharing of this news, we also take a summer break from regular blogging as many of us will be making our annual retreats and attending meetings, etc. We will resume normal posting in the fall. Stay tuned!

Graduation 2011

2011-06-09T05:12:00.000-04:00

Before this week's heatwave set in, we were blessed with a positively beautiful morning for the 212th commencement exercises here at Georgetown Visitation. At 11.08am the 121st soon-to-be graduate took her place on the stage and the ceremony began with a prayer. The address to the graduates was delivered by Sister Deirdre Byrne who left the graduates with some excellent advice and loving words. We hope our readers enjoy a short "highlight reel" from a glorious morning under the tent on McNabb Field.

Big Day at Day Care

2011-06-05T05:48:00.001-04:00

On Friday 3 June, it was a big day at Visitation's Day Care. Four students graduated and several others were promoted. It was an exciting day for all involved. Above, Sister Maginel opens the commencement exercises with a prayer.

The students and Ms. Isaacs close the graduation with a prayer of thanksgiving. The ceremony was attended by parents, teachers, sisters and a few flying guests. ;) For more pictures of the Day Care graduation -- and for some pictures of the "Nursery School" graduation (transplants into the monastery garden) click here.

"While we are little children, we are wise like little children, we speak like little children, we love like little children, but when we shall come to our perfect growth, there above in heaven, we shall be freed from our state of infancy, and love God perfectly."
St. Francis de Sales

Too Cute Not to Share

2011-05-30T05:20:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday our day care center invited the sisters to watch their annual Trike-a-Thon. Above, Sister Maginel helps a competitor get started. Below, the sisters and bikers pose for an after-race photo. Visitation's day care is one of the best kept secrets on campus and surely one of the cutest!

Enlargement of the Heart

2011-05-26T05:43:00.000-04:00

We have a little saying around the monastery which is said mostly in jest -- but sincerely nonetheless -- that we use when someone performs an act of charity which is small in nature and (usually) visible to others. For example, if a sister is getting dessert at a meal and there is only one cookie left, one sister might offer it to the another. The beneficiary of the cookie might smile gratefully and say, "Oh sister, thank you! Be careful: you might die of an enlarged heart!" It is a sweet way of acknowledging the kind deed but it points to something bigger: we should all strive to die of an enlarged heart!

There is a plaque in the catacombs of St. Sebastian which commemorates the place where, in 1544, St. Philip Neri did, in fact, experience an enlargement of his heart. The saint we commemorate today is known for his ardent love of God and outstanding love of the faithful whom he served. The physical expansion of St. Philip Neri's heart is a visible manifestation of the spiritual growth that took place in his life.

We may not experience a physical enlargement of our hearts, as did St. Philip, but we can strive to achieve a spiritual growth which will enlarge our hearts' ability to love our neighbors. Perhaps the next time we have an opportunity to perform a small act of charity, we will allow the Lord to stretch our hearts to seek and find Him in our neighbors ever more diligently.

"The Blessed St. Philip Neri, at fourscore years of age, had such an inflammation of heart through divine love, that the heat making the ribs give way to it, greatly enlarged them, and broke the fourth and fifth, that the heart might receive air and be refreshed."

St. Francis de Sales

Game Night at the Monastery

2011-05-22T05:23:00.000-04:00

Many people ask us what we do for recreation on "game nights" in the monastery. That all depends upon what games we're playing and who is play which game! Below, Sister Philomena and Sister Mary de Sales take on Sister Rosemarie in a 2 on 1 game of ping pong.

Other sisters enjoy a relaxing board game. Above, Sister Jacqueline, Sister Maginel, Sister Raphael and our retreatant play Parcheesi. Click here to see more pictures (including some ACTION SHOTS) from a recent game night.

Last Movie Night

2011-05-18T05:37:00.000-04:00

It's our last pizza and movie night -- but it's not our last Adoration. All-night Adoration will continue on third Fridays throughout the summer ... but the movies will begin again September. This Friday we'll be showing "Nine Days that Changed the World." It is an account of the nine day trip to Poland in June of 1979 that played a significant role in the defeat of communism. To learn more about this 90-minute film, visit its website here. Locals may RSVP on Facebook or email us -- or just drop in to visit the Lord.

Basil the Great

2011-05-14T05:33:00.000-04:00

It may be the Feast of St. Matthias but around here, it's Basil the Great who's getting lots of attention. Well, not St. Basil, but the aromatic little seedlings which make the "nursery school" smell delicious. Sister Philomena inspects one of the baby basil plants which have been living next to the tomato and pepper seedlings. This year's seedlings were "born" in room 212 on a carefully covered desk, where they poked their cotyledons up through the soil in late April. They are all getting ready to move outside to the garden soon. This year, we are pleased to report that there was no need for Sister Mary Marple to visit the nursery, as all transplants appear, thus far, to be safe from harmful visitors. Stay tuned for photos from nursery school graduation when the seedlings move outside!

Tapestry of Trust

2011-05-10T05:12:00.000-04:00

Do we really believe that we will want for nothing if we receive the Lord into our body when we receive communion and if we receive Him into our hearts when we listen to His word? We should.

It is probably accurate for most of us to say that we believe this but perhaps we do not always live it with confidence. Unanswered prayers, broken dreams and lost friendships are just a few of the circumstances which might cause us to wonder whether or not the Lord is with us in moments of difficulty. Like the disciples in Sunday's Gospel, it might well be the case that He is even closer to us than we realize in moments such as these. The Lord know our needs before we speak them and he knows our needs better than we know them. How many of our earnest prayers of petition were, in the long run, better left unanswered -- or answered in a way that we did not expect (or accept!) at the time. How many times has that broken dream led us to an open door we would not otherwise have found?

As one who observes a tapestry from the underside might be tempted to dismiss it as a mess, we do not share God's vantage point. He sees all the threads coming together in a way which is at once both beautiful and ordered to his good purposes. If we believe that the Lord is the sustenance of our life, the food that will satisfy us and never leave us hungry then we must trust that he is with us and is caring for us even when we do not understand why certain circumstances unfold as they do.

"The measure of the Lord's providence over us is the measure of our confidence in Him."

St. Jane de Chantal

The Last of Rigden

2011-05-06T05:01:00.003-04:00

This is the last in our mini-series about Sister Ann Catherine Rigden. We hope our readers have enjoyed these accounts. Stay tuned for more historical accounts from the archives.

Fr. Clorivière visited her every day, and his presence cheered and revived her. He had a particular gift for speaking to her in the most consoling terms. In those days one received Holy Communion only with the permission of the spiritual director, and the communicant was required to refrain from all food and water after midnight. Ann Catherine would not drink during the night even when it troubled her, for she cared more for her soul. Five days before her death, Fr. Clorivière decided she should be given the Viaticum; two days after giving her the sacrament, he administered extreme unction. Each time the whole community surrounded her bedside, and since she could not speak loudly enough to be heard by everyone, she asked Fr. Clorivière to express her sentiments to them, including again asking pardon, and assuring them all of her affection. She often recommended the love of God above all things, and now in a better fashion than she had ever done previously, even from the most profound humility. The sisters concluded she must have been most agreeable to God, since she seemed to have been assisted in a supernatural manner. Although the sisters observed many examples of this supernatural gift, they hesitated to write all of them down out of fear of not being believed. Instead, they asked Fr. Clorivière to tell the story in his own words, one that would show how much they were indebted to Ann Catherine for building the church that was begun six months before her death, and that would tell of her dedication and tender devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

A gentleman called on her during the last weeks of her life. The sisters told him she was sick, but he asked for permission to see her before either her death or his. She was too ill and unable to grant his request. Everyone wondered who he was. It was only then that she told father Clorivière the circumstances that she had kept secret until then except from Leonard Neale himself. This was the man to whom she had once been engaged (see part two). Although her family long ago feared he had committed suicide, it happily was not the case.

After having endured nearly 14 months of sickness, her strength failed, and she came to the end surrounded by the community. She entreated Fr. Clorivière not to leave her during these last moments, and she cried out to Jesus, Mary and Joseph, to the Sacred Heart, and the Sacred Wounds as long as she could speak. She took her last breath at 11:00 on the morning of December 21, 1820. She was buried the next day under the church, in Tomb 3, after the sisters adorned her body with the finest flowers.

Her two natural sisters were present at her interment, for they had recently converted to Catholicism. They sobbed at the sight of her countenance that was still so sweet. The church was not yet finished, so they stood on a scaffolding above the basement and viewed her through the tiles of the floor. Her mother, who had also lately been converted thanks probably to Ann Catherine’s intercession and prayers, expressed full expectation that God who had been so generous to her during her mortal life would not fail to give her a reward for her virtues, which the community endeavored to imitate.

Man of the Night

2011-05-02T05:09:00.000-04:00

No, it's not the Phantom of the Opera, it's a Pharisee named Nicodemus. We learn in John's Gospel that Nicodemus visited Jesus at night -- quite likely because, as a leader of the Jews, he might have been afraid of what other Pharisees might think. Have we ever acted from a similar motivation? Perhaps in our hearts we feel strongly about something but we are unable to act in a way which is commensurate with our feelings. Maybe we are out at a restaurant sharing a meal with a friend and we want to say grace before eating but instead of asking our friend to join us in praying, we pray quietly to ourselves and carry on with the meal. Or perhaps we are driving with a family member and a homeless person approaches our car and we hesitate to give him money or talk to him, as we might do if we were alone.

It may not seem to matter whether we say grace by ourselves or with our dining companion but what we will never know (at least not on this side of eternity) is how it affected the people around us. There might have been a lonely soul, eating alone, whose heart was warmed by seeing us bless ourselves and pray. We can never know the far-reaching effects of our small deeds of fidelity. Nothing, is small in the eyes of God. Nothing at all. Not a smile, a good deed, a warm greeting or even just a good intention. Nothing is small to the loving eyes of our heavenly Father.

"Great works lie not always in our way, but every moment we may do little ones with excellence, that is, with a great love. Behold that Saint, I beg you, who bestows a cup of cold water on the thirsty traveler; he does but a small matter in outward show, but the intention, the sweetness, the love, with which he animates his work is so excellent, that it turns this simple water into water of life, and of eternal life."

St. Francis de Sales

Returning to Rigden

2011-04-28T05:10:00.001-04:00

...and the second-to-last in our series of Sister Anne Catherine ...

In the beginning of November 1820, Mother Ann Catherine Rigden developed an inflammatory disease that caused everyone great alarm. She had abscesses on her breast and other disturbing symptoms. Dr. Beaty, the monastery physician, thought there was no immediate danger, but Sr. Mary Leonard McNantz, who was ill and expected to die soon, prophesied that Ann Catherine “was never to recover from this sickness, that she would get better for a while and go about a little, but that finally she would die of it.” She repeated this twice in different company, which increased the sisters’ alarm. They prayed and said many novenas for Ann Catherine’s recovery, and in the spring she did attempt to resume work. “Alas, however,” the constant cough returned, along with pain in her chest, and a slow, burning fever. She continued to work, but by fall she lost her remaining strength. She concealed the symptoms of her decline, and sometimes after a particularly bad night she would forbid the sister who stayed in her room to say anything about it. This left the poor sister at a loss about what to say if asked how Mother was doing. Whenever she wanted to get help for Mother during a bad night, Ann Catherine would exhort her not to “disturb the spouses of Christ, for whom we should have great respect.”

Toward the end of November it became evident that she would die soon, but she didn’t express the least concern except for her apprehension of God’s judgment, “not on account of any sin which I have committed in the world, nor whilst I was a simple religious, but since I have been Superior.” She humbled herself with much sincerity before all the community, begging pardon of anyone whom she thought she might have afflicted. Sometimes she would send a sister in her name to ask pardon when she was unable to get up and do it herself, and she would ask the sister to do so in the most humble manner. She spoke to everyone with heartfelt gratitude for the care she received, and she reproached herself for any uncharitable or rash judgment she may have formed against any of them.

Seeking The Risen Christ

2011-04-24T05:06:00.001-04:00

In today's Gospel the angel says to Mary Magdalen, "Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified." What an observation! Would that the people we encounter could say the same thing about us. As we celebrate the Resurrection of Christ, let us pray that we, by our words and actions -- like Mary Magdalen -- may reveal to those around us that we too are seeking Jesus. For more pictures from our Triduum, click here.

"Blessed are the souls that seek the Lord everywhere. For they will find Him everywhere and everywhere they will seek what they have found."

St. Jane de Chantal

Triduum Schedule 2011

2011-04-20T05:15:00.000-04:00

Locals are welcome, as always, to join us for the celebrations and liturgies during the Sacred Triduum. Below is our schedule:

Holy Thursday

5:00pm Mass of the Lord’s Supper

7.30pm Night Prayer

Adoration until Midnight

Good Friday

7.30am Office of Readings

8.45am Morning Prayer

11.00am Daytime Prayer

3.00 Commemoration of the Lord’s Passion

7.00pm Night Prayer

Holy Saturday

7.30am Office of Readings

8.45am Morning Prayer

11.30am Daytime Prayer

5.05pm Evening Prayer

8.00pm Vigil Mass of the Lord’s Resurrection

In the Holy Night of Easter

All events underlined in bold take place in the Chapel of the Sacred Heart. All Liturgies of the Hours take place in the Monastery Choir, just down the ramp from the chapel. Please arrive a few minutes prior to the time listed, as we do not ring bells during the Sacred Triduum.

More Mini-Series

2011-04-17T05:43:00.001-04:00

This is the ante-penultimate installment in our series about Sister Ann Catherine Rigden.

Ann Catherine Rigden worked as mistress of boarding students, who were drawn to her talents and sweet manners. She taught them many little practices of devotion, as the sister who wrote her life recalled from her own youth. Ann Catherine was especially close to Sister Isidora McNantz, who died at age 15 about three years before Ann Catherine’s death. She performed the last office for Isidora--meaning she placed her in her coffin--and she twice felt pressure on her hand from the hand of the deceased. The first time it alarmed her somewhat, but the second time it seemed fond, “either a remembrance of some compact of prayers, or as a last token of affection.” Some nuns said later that the incident might have been a harbinger of Ann Catherine’s own death not too long after, but this touch did not disturb her peace, for she had no other desire in life than being closely united with God.

She did all the most useful and laborious jobs in the house except the role of Superior, which she did not desire. Since 1800 there had been only one Superior, Teresa Lalor, whom the sisters called “the cornerstone of this house.” But an election was required at the Ascension of 1819, and “Ann Catherine Rigden became our mother, to the great joy of the whole community.” This especially pleased the sisters who had previously been her boarding students. This was a delicate time for the community, as the sisters were just getting acquainted with the rules of the Visitation as Clorivière interpreted them. However, Mother Ann Catherine’s health began to decline noticeably.

Making Room for the Word

2011-04-13T05:06:00.000-04:00

Jesus speaks some powerful (and painful) words in today's Gospel: "But you are trying to kill me because my word has no room among you." How often is our first response one of hostility -- even if it is contained in our hearts and never seeps out into our actions -- when we are faced with a difficult truth or an inconvenient situation? Perhaps someone has pointed out an unconscious habit we have which is irritating to those around us; maybe someone has corrected or challenged us with respect to a fact which forces us to reconsider some significant aspect of our life. More likely, it may simply be the vicissitudes of daily life that present us with opportunities to be patient and charitable. In each inconvenience that befalls us: lost car keys, an irritable neighbor, interrupted internet service, etc., is an opportunity to allow the Lord's grace to work in us -- a chance to make room for the Lord and his word, a chance to accept that which is beyond our control and trust that the Lord will use it for our growth in holiness, in patience, in charity. He will use it to continue to make our hearts bigger so that there is more room for Him and all things which are dear to Him.

As the passing days of Lent draw us closer to Holy Week and the celebration of the Lord's passion, let us welcome every opportunity which will help us to make room for the Lord and His saving word.

"So long as God’s Providence does not send you great and heavy afflictions; so long as He does not ask your eyes, at least give Him your hair. I mean, take patiently the petty annoyances, the trifling discomforts, the unimportant losses which come upon all of us daily; for by means of these little matters, lovingly and freely accepted, you will give Him your whole heart, and win His. I mean the acts of daily forbearance, the headache, or toothache, or heavy cold; the tiresome peculiarities of husband or wife, the broken glass, the loss of a ring, a handkerchief, a glove; the sneer of a neighbor, the effort of going to bed early in order to rise early for prayer or Communion, the little shyness some people feel in openly performing religious duties; and be sure that all of these sufferings, small as they are, if accepted lovingly, are most pleasing to God’s Goodness, Which has promised a whole ocean of happiness to His children in return for one cup of cold water. And, moreover, inasmuch as these occasions are forever arising, they give us a fertile field for gathering in spiritual riches, if only we will use them rightly."

St. Francis de Sales

A Distinguished Alumna

2011-04-09T05:40:00.001-04:00

Baptized Dorothy Holly Reynolds and known to her family and friends as "Holly," she graduated from our high school in 1950. After a year and a half of college, she entered the Poor Clare monastery in Jamaica Plain, MA where she received the religious name Sister Mary Lucy of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She was one of twelve sisters who left Jamaica Plain to begin the foundation in South Carolina at the invitation of Bishop John Russell.

Sister Mary Lucy, in the years that followed, served her community as novice mistress, abbess and, for a time, responded to a call to solitude by living in a hermitage near her community on the grounds of their monastery until her heath declined. Sister loved nature, the outdoors, animals and she raised African violets.

Our own Sister Philomena was a classmate of hers in high school and remembers her to be "extremely brilliant academically and simple soul who had great confidence in God."

Sister's health began to fail in the spring of 2010, when she returned, from her hermitage and was cared for by her community. On Tuesday 5 April 2011, Our Lord came for her and He, no doubt, found her waiting for Him, whom she had so loved on earth. Requiescat in pace.

The Drama Continues

2011-04-05T05:14:00.001-04:00

Part III of the on-going narrative of Sister Ann Catherine Rigdon:

She mastered the rules immediately upon entering, which was unusual because at the time the sisters of our monastery had not yet received the rule books from the Visitation order, and the rules our sisters had adopted were more rigorous. “There were more fasts, less sleep, more frequent disciplines, more austerities, and fewer accommodations.” Ann Catherine immediately took on the harshest and most tedious drudge work, never sparing herself and putting up with cold, heat, and inconvenience as though she didn’t even feel it. She often would stay up at night working (which was itself against the rule), and she was good at all types of work. Despite her “modesty and unalterable meekness,” she did not seem to have a high opinion of herself. Other sisters said that she was marked by obedience, patience, mortification, “admirable simplicity,” and a childlike heart so that she did not even reflect on what she was told to do. For example, if it was her task to call the sisters to prayer in the morning, she would rise frequently in the night to check the clock. Although she knew there was no need to be fully clothed if just checking the clock, she was also mindful of the rule that one must never leave a cell without being clad and veiled, so she was always dressed for these excursions.

One day the Bishop commanded the sisters to perform good works for the souls in purgatory, which of course they did. But during the night Ann Catherine woke, worried that she had not done enough, and that perhaps some poor soul was suffering because of her neglect. She rose, went to a convenient place, and picked up a discipline (an instrument, usually cord or metal, that was used for penance). She used it unmercifully on herself. When morning was come, “she could not conceal her fatigues and pain.” Leonard Neale saw her and asked what ailed her, and she was forced to tell him. His “punishment” was to forbid her to ever use that instrument of penance again. He also deprived her of a rough hair shirt that had weakened her constitution. Since she was forbidden to use those familiar implements of mortification, she took advantage of something out of the Bishop’s reach, and she never told him of it. “Do not blame her for this, dear sisters,” wrote the nun who penned her biography, “for it seems that she was inspired to act thus...” and the nun went on to explain that Ann Catherine was silently enduring violent headaches, which seemed to stand in place of the earlier physical acts. Although the Bishop lived for several more years, she never mentioned these to him, or to anyone else except her last director, who did not feel bound keep silent after her death. She claimed that in one of her dreams she was comforted by the late Bishop, who said that by making her petition for mortification she had “rendered herself most agreeable to God.” After she was Superior, she suffered so much from headaches that the sisters asked her permission to make a novena for her relief, or to give her some remedies. They urged her to wear St. Bobola’s cap, a reference for which our archivist has not found the meaning, but she refused, saying it would be a sin to beg to be relieved from pain which had freed her from greater torment.

We Love Our Seniors!

2011-04-01T05:40:00.000-04:00

It's that time of year again! For the second year in a row, we are having our seniors join us for a morning of reflection which begins with a presentation about "making holy the day" with suggestions from the writings of St. Francis de Sales. Following the presentation and a brief introduction to the Liturgy of the Hours, seniors join the monastery community for daytime prayer and then down to the refectory for dinner. Above, seniors enjoy a taco dinner and homemade cupcakes for dessert.

"As soon as they awake, the Sisters should cast their souls wholly upon God with some prayerful thoughts which the Holy Spirit will suggest . . . at the beginning of any interior or outward action, let them ask for God's grace and offer to His divine goodness all the good they may do . . . And let them not forget to do this even in little things which seem unimportant: eating, drinking, resting, recreating . . ."

St. Francis de Sales

Post # 600

2011-03-28T05:14:00.003-04:00

Hard to believe, but it's true: this is our 600th blog post ... and our second in our recent mini-series:

Rigden had been engaged. When she told Leonard Neale, however, he said this was not God’s call for her, so she told her fiancé she would never marry him. He was so distressed that he threatened and possibly even attempted suicide, and he begged her not to marry anyone else. He disappeared shortly after this, and her family worried that he had succeeded in killing himself.

She asked to enter the monastery shortly after refusing to marry, but Leonard Neale wanted her to remain with her family a while longer in the hope of converting them. He also anticipated that her family would oppose her entrance and cut off her inheritance. They even threatened to set fire to the convent. After a few years Neale finally agreed to admit her on the feast of the Guardian Angels, October 2, 1806. Just before she entered, she asked for her mother’s consent. Her mother refused. By this time she was 23 years old and there were two other sisters in the family, so she bid them “an eternal adieu.” They wept and accused her of abandoning them, and she wept in return, entreating them to abandon her to God. She did not see them again for 13 years, until after she had become Superior, even though they sometimes came to the parlor, and she only did that much out of obedience to her spiritual father, who was then Fr. Clorivière.

When Rigden joined, the monastery was only a few years old, and it only had five or six sisters in it. There was much poverty and hard work, but this excited rather than discouraged the new postulant, and they received her with great joy.

Monastic Mini-Series

2011-03-24T05:42:00.002-04:00

Due to the lengthy nature of this sister's entry in the handwritten book which contains the lives of some of our early sisters here at Georgetown Visitation, we are making this biographical sketch a mini-series!

PART I:

Sister Ann Catherine Rigden, the first American to be a mother superior at this monastery, was born in Georgetown to a Protestant family in 1782. When she was about fourteen she began accompanying a friend to catechism classes, and she studied the lessons because she didn’t want to be the only one who couldn’t raise her hand. Later she asked the priest for more lessons, which he provided. The night after her baptism she dreamed “that she was clad in white, and was sewing at the altar, having little red wings, with which she flew about, sometimes even higher than the priest’s head.” The sister who wrote her life noted that they would not have chosen to mention this dream in her posthumous biography, were it not for prophetic dreams to come later in her life.

Rigden embraced the Catholic faith, but she met great opposition from her family. Her father ordered her tutor not to allow religious books unless they were Protestant. Both parents prevented her from observing the rules of the church, even trying to trick her into eating meat on days of abstinence by disguising it in her food. They also invited Protestant ministers as guests, but she paid no attention to them. When her parents forced her to attend parties, she responded by dressing plainly and refusing to mix the other young people, to the point that “it was evident that her heart was not where her body was.” Her exasperated parents finally sent her to live with a wealthy aunt across the river in Alexandria, Virginia, just a few miles away from Georgetown. The aunt had two elegant daughters, and Rigden’s parents hoped the girls would prevail upon her to begin to dress more fashionably. She continued in her plain style, however, to the point that one day her frustrated aunt tore a garment off of her, and “our Sr. Ann Catherine, without proffering a murmur, procured another.” The aunt was so incensed that she did it again, but this only made Rigden more resolute. Despite this conflict, she was sociable and gentle; she said her rosary and other prayers in private.

The first Catholic priest to guide her was the Rev. Francis Neale, founder of Holy Trinity Catholic Church, but in his absence she appealed to his brother, the Rev. Leonard Neale, who had founded our Visitation monastery two blocks away. They were immediately taken with one another, and Leonard Neale became her spiritual director, guiding her in “the paths of perfection.” She was obedient to his instruction, and thereafter would only visit her aunt in Alexandria with his consent. In a notorious incident that probably happened on a feast day, she was staying in Alexandria with his permission, but he had encouraged her to go to church in Georgetown. The aunt refused to grant permission for a carriage; echoing a remark made by St. Jane de Chantal when she, too, was refused the use of horses for a long journey, Sr. Ann Catherine said she would walk, for “Obedience has very good legs.” The aunt finally gave in and called for a carriage. Stay tuned.

Boxing Lessons

2011-03-20T05:52:00.000-04:00

No, we haven't taken up a new sport ... but some of us did have a lesson in building boxes this weekend. As part of a homeless awareness event, a group of our students, sisters and parents slept outside on our campus in cardboard boxes, heard testimony from formerly homeless people and reflected on ways in which we can be more attentive to those in our society who experience homelessness.

After a night in a cardboard box, students attended Mass with the sisters and shared some of their experiences with them in the parlor after Mass. After cleaning up "box city" the homeless-for-a-day had time to journal and reflect on their experiences. To see more pictures from this powerful event, check out the photo album on our Facebook page.

"And therefore the same charity which produces the acts of the love of God, produces at the same time those of the love of our neighbor. And even as Jacob saw that one same ladder touched heaven and earth, serving the angels both for descending and ascending, so we know that one same charity extends itself to both the love of God and our neighbor, raising us to the union of our spirit with God, and bringing us back again to a loving society with our neighbors; always, however, on the understanding that we love our neighbor as being after the image and likeness of God, created to have communication with the divine goodness, to participate in his grace, and to enjoy his glory."

St. Francis de Sales

Daylight Dividends!

2011-03-15T05:34:00.001-04:00

The advent of daylight savings means a LOSS (usually of sleep) for most of us. For some, however, it is a gain. With an extra hour of daylight, it means that we can recreate outside when the weather permits. Last night found a few sisters taking advantage of the extended daylight and the warm(er) air for a game of bocce.

Even harder than aiming at the pallino was the task of teaching our dogs, Nicholas and Gabriel, that we really don't want them chasing these balls. They are normally quite obedient, but the sight of four bipeds tossing around nine balls is enough to confuse them as to why we really don't want them chasing the balls (at least not until the round is scored!)

The green team narrowly stole a victory from the red team with a sneaky point-busting ball tossed by Sister Rose which kissed the pallino and broke up a big 3-point score for the red team. The setting sun ended the game with a 10-7 score. One could hardly tell from the laughing and (gentle) shouting which duo won and which did not ... it seems the only "losers" were the crestfallen canines.

"Walking, harmless games, music, instrumental or vocal, field sports, etc., are such entirely lawful recreations that they need no rules beyond those of ordinary discretion, which keep every thing within due limits of time, place, and degree. So again games of skill, which exercise and strengthen body or mind, such as tennis, rackets, running at the ring, chess, and the like, are in themselves both lawful and good."

St. Francis de Sales

From the Archives

2011-03-11T05:36:00.001-05:00

Those of you who have visited our campus, will note that Founders' Hall is named after the three founding sisters of our community. The classrooms on the second floor all begin with "McDermott" after the honored memory of our dear Sister Mary Francis McDermott.

Sister Mary Frances McDermott, nee Maria Corballis, was born in Dublin, Ireland ca1750. Her father was a learned man who made certain this youngest daughter received a good education. She had a vivacious disposition, but she was also studious, pious, and known for her compassion to the poor. Her oldest sister was a nun in the order of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin in Dublin; there were also two brothers with similarly sparkling personalities who died young.

Sister's parents both died in 1774 when she was 24 years old. Two years later she married Martin McDermott, who encouraged her work with the poor. They were a pious couple who responded to need and distress so freely that friends warned them they would ruin themselves through giving. They lived by the maxims of the gospel, however, and gave freely of the abundance with which the Lord had blessed them while considering themselves only stewards of those gifts.

Two years after their marriage, Roman Catholics were so persecuted in Ireland that they sailed for America, settling in Philadelphia where they soon became known for piety and charity. Martin McDermott died in 1793 of the yellow fever that was ravaging Philadelphia. They had no children, and soon McDermott declared her intention to enter religious life. Her spiritual director was the most Reverend Leonard Neale, who was in the process of establishing a nunnery under the rule of the Visitation. She resolved to join the other two ladies who were beginning this with him, but because of the many obstacles they encountered, she had to remain in the world longer than she had hoped. Finally, in June of 1799 the two ladies were sent to Georgetown, Rev. Neale followed soon after, and McDermott was invited to come a few months later. On her arrival in Georgetown she was able to relieve their many needs considerably. Her dowry of $3,000 paid for their first house, and she also donated many necessary items such as furniture and silver plate.

These three ladies comprised the community for a long time; no one yet had had the courage to enter with them because of their poverty. Also, because of the French Revolution and the ensuing Napoleonic Wars, religious life had been banned in Europe and the monasteries dispersed, so there was no possibility of sending for anyone. Gradually they took on pupils and built Visitation into a well-respected school. Sister's good education, thanks to her father, was vital to this endeavor. When the community was officially accepted as a Visitation monastery, Sister made her solemn profession. Her lively faith manifested itself in a tender devotion to the Blessed Virgin and to St. Joseph, whom she frequently called upon along with other favorites saints Teresa of Avila, Peter of Alcantara, John of the Cross, and Francis Borgia. One of her favorite occupations during her last years was making small, tastefully adorned boxes to hold relics.

The nun who wrote McDermott's biography said she contributed to the education of "many of us," yet sometimes her zeal meant she became over-anxious for the girls' welfare. She had a good heart, though, and quickly acknowledged it humbly whenever she let this intensity get the better of her. Naturally of a robust constitution, she remained healthy until her final two years, during which she suffered brief, frequent bouts of illness. In early June 1820 she developed dropsy, an inflammation of the limbs now known as edema, and it caused her much suffering. Several times she tearfully asked pardon either for the trouble caused by her sickness or for her previous tendency to excitability, and she styled herself a great sinner when she spoke movingly of God's goodness toward sinners. She received the last sacraments from Fr. Clorivière in the presence of the whole community, after which she survived only three days, speaking often of eternity and God. She died in tranquility on October 26, 1820, at the age of 70.

Corporal Works of Mercy Revisited

2011-03-07T05:44:00.001-05:00

Today's first reading from Tobit puts before us the corporal work of mercy known as burying the dead. Christians seeking to perform corporal works of mercy may, at times, feel limited by their circumstances if they are unable to go out to visit the sick or imprisoned, etc. Without diminishing the value of performing one of these noble tasks, perhaps there are ways in which we, daily, may perform these acts in a spiritual way. And in doing so, we can keep the fire of devotion -- and desire -- burning in our hearts until we have an opportunity to perform these acts physically.

We may not have direct access to help feed and to give drink to those who need it. We can, however, be attentive to those who are starving for attention and who are parched -- whose spirits are dried up -- in need of a kind word or a loving touch to restore hope to their hearts. We can feed those who are hungry for the things of God with the promise of prayer; we can feed those who are hungry for loving attention with a moment or two of our time as we listen to their troubles or inquire about their day.

Perhaps we are aware of a colleague at work or a classmate at school who is especially vulnerable. Perhaps he does not seem to fit in and appears to be painfully aware of it. We may clothe the nakedness of his vulnerability by going out of our way to include him in conversations or casual gatherings at work. Maybe someone in our parish is naked because rumors -- be they true or false -- have begun to circulate about her personal life. We can clothe her in her nakedness by reaching out and demonstrating by our actions that we are unaffected by the unkind words which have fallen from the nasty bird of gossip.

Few of us are able to open our doors to the homeless and provide the shelter that they need. Many of us may be able to help support agencies which provide these services, but all of us can provide protection from the "bad weather" which comes upon our friends and family members from time to time. Perhaps one of our students is experiencing a painful situation at home; we can listen and offer a loving space in which she can feel safe to talk about it. Maybe a coworker has just been let go; instead of allowing the awkwardness of the situation to keep us apart, we can protect him from the cold night of shame or humiliation by reaching out and offering to help him make contacts and update his resume.

Visiting the sick and imprisoned can be done in person or by a thoughtful greeting sent in the mail, over email or by other means. A spiritual bouquet is a beautiful way to give a gift to someone who is sick or imprisoned. We can also visit those whose prisons are not Lovelace's stone walls and iron bars. Perhaps we have a classmate who is in an abusive relationship or who suffers from addiction. These situations can be as confining and painful as a physical experience of incarceration. We can "visit" those among us who are imprisoned by their circumstances by offering our company, our friendship and our moral support.

It is usually a sad day when we have the opportunity to participate in the corporal work of mercy described in today's first reading. Burying the dead, however, is a gesture of respect for the earthly body that housed an eternal soul. We can show respect to the souls of the deceased by how we speak of them. If someone is bringing to light the shortcomings of a deceased friend or family member, we might find a gentle way to balance the remark or to overshadow it by recalling the virtues of the deceased. In doing so, we protect the reputation of one who is unable to defend himself.

This is not intended to suggest that we may dispense ourselves from seeking opportunities to perform corporal works of mercy. Rather, it is merely an invitation to seek new ways of performing these acts of charity. In addition, we can always unite ourselves to those who are directly engaged in these works by praying for them and those whom they serve. We will never know how many good works go undone or unfinished because there was no one to pray for their success; we can never underestimate the importance of praying for those who perform these corporal works of mercy.

"It is always a work of love to join with others and take part in their good works. And although it may be possible that you can use equally profitable devotions by yourself as in common with others . . . nevertheless God is more glorified when we unite with our brethren and neighbors and join our offering to theirs."

St. Francis de Sales

Another Archive Article!

2011-03-03T05:07:00.001-05:00

Catharine Clare Agnes Lancaster was born into a wealthy English family ca1785, and she had six brothers and one sister; she was the youngest daughter and the third child. She was considered thoughtful and unworldly. Her sister often reproached her, calling her foolish and even stupid, and due to her natural meekness she generally received this in silence. If she did answer it would only be to say "I cannot help it."

That older sister desired to marry an equally wealthy man, but her parents refused because he was Protestant, although otherwise he would have been a fine match. Independently, and in opposition to them, she "bound herself to this man for life," a monastery euphemism for a Protestant marriage not recognized by Catholics. She continued to practice her Catholic faith until her death just a little over a year later in 1808. This tragedy inspired the younger, surviving sister to wish to "bid adieu to this deceiving world" by entering our monastery, although her grieving parents asked her to remain at home. They were worried because she was used to a certain level of domestic comfort, and religious life demanded certain austerities, so she stayed at home.

About three years later her mother died, and she remained with her afflicted father who suffered from what was known as apoplexy, probably some sort of stroke. For three years she "shared in both his confinement and in his sufferings." Although she continued to long for consecrated life, she was not free of family obligations for the next eight years, even after he died in 1810. When not busy with her father she performed acts of charity including visiting the sick, ornamenting churches, reading spiritual books (especially the lives of the saints to whom she was so devoted), and various other "pious exercises." After her father's death she had control of her own time, and she liberally shared her inheritance with the sick and needy, traveling with her servant to bring whatever was needed. She was also known for excellent taste and for sewing skills, and so was able to richly serve her church, where she was a voluntary sacristan.

She still aspired to religious life, and came to this monastery on June 1, 1818. She was so weak at that time that she spent a great portion of her probation in the infirmary, and it was not until her reception to the habit on July 2 (then the great festival of our order, although the date has been changed to May 31 on the new Roman calendar) that she began to recover her health and spirits. She began her novitiate joyfully, and even though her novice mistress was several years younger than she was, she was strictly submissive, never resisting obedience and sharing her interior thoughts with candor and simplicity as is recommended by our holy rules. She was honest without reservation about her many temptations and trials, and at the same time she expressed her gratitude to God for having called her to a religious life.

"She was a person of few words, and never related anything that would cause disunion or trouble. Her actions clearly proved that she considered her sisters as her superiors, for no sooner was she requested to do this or that, than she complied without any will or apparent thought but that of obedience." During her novitiate she was made assistant to the sacristan, and she held this office for most of the last two years of her life. She also helped care for boarding students, and even as her health faltered she continued this work until ten days before her death. When it was clear she had to leave the school, she agreed with her usual sweetness and a smile, but everyone knew she might not return.

On the tenth day of her confinement her pain became so excruciating that she was given a painkiller. This deranged her in a manner from which she did not recover, and it prevented her from receiving the Viaticum, though she had received holy communion four days before the festival of the Assumption of Our Lady. She always had a particular devotion to the holy Virgin Mother of God and St. Joseph, and she always placed herself under their singular protection; when she had been in the world she said daily the Little Office of the Blessed Mother. Due to her delirium it was only possible to administer the holy extreme unction. A few hours later she quietly passed "from the rank of choir sister to the peace of the children of God." This was August 19, 1820, and she was 35 years old, having been professed for 13 months and 17 days.

An Evening with a Saint and Some Angels

2011-02-27T05:03:00.002-05:00

On Friday evening some lovely ladies from the Court of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Catholic Daughters of the Americas of Georgetown University made an evening of reflection here on campus. We listened to some spiritual lessons from the life of St. Jane de Chantal, colored some magic scratch angels, made some paper-bag mailboxes, enjoyed some great food, joined the monastery community for Compline and had some quiet time before the Blessed Sacrament. Among the highlights was the "Guess that Gospel Passage" game ... where we had two winners who were able to name the Gospel passage from which the title "Our Lady of Good Counsel" is derived. Check out our photo album on Facebook to see more pictures from Friday evening. Below, one of the "Holy Hoyas" shows off her mailbox and her angel.

Nun Run

2011-02-23T05:48:00.000-05:00

It's a long way from Atlanta, Georgia but the St. Thomas Apostle Life Teen group that arrived here on Monday was bright-eyed and enthusiastic for the first leg of their six-day, four-stop nun run. Pictured above are the valiant youth ministers and their four angels gathered in the novitiate lounge after a question-and-answer session with our postulants and a couple of sisters.

The delightful gang arrived in time for Vespers. They enjoyed a supper of soup and wraps with homemade cookies for dessert. After Night Prayer the group gathered in the novitiate lounge and watched "A Season of Restoration" about our 1993 fire. Questions, answers, and lots and lots of laughs followed the movie. We enjoyed our time with the St. Thomas pilgrims and we hope they come visit on their next trip through DC!

Quite a Find: the Foundress!

2011-02-19T05:31:00.001-05:00

As we continue our series of archival accounts, we share here a brief account of the life of the Foundress of our monastery, Alice Lalor.

Alice ("Allie") Lalor was born in Ireland during the era when penal laws prevented Catholics from attending school. When she made her Confirmation, she made a vow to give her life Christ; her spiritual director urged her to devote her energies to establishing a Catholic school for girls. Her family immigrated to the United States when she was 16, in 1794. She left her home country promising to return when she was of age.

Soon she met the Rev. Leonard Neale, who convinced her that she was called to work in the U.S. They began a school in Philadelphia, but when yellow fever ravaged that city, her companions in the enterprise all died it had to close. In 1799 she joined Neale, who had been appointed President of Georgetown University (then just a small school), in Georgetown to try again. She and her two companions were known by the neighbors as the "pious ladies," and they established an Academy and a Benevolent School for orphans. Neale had initially allowed the women to make simple vows, but they took formal vows as Visitation Sisters in 1816, and Alice was renamed Mother Teresa Josephine Lalor. During her lifetime, Visitation began to expand throughout the country. As she lay dying in 1846, she joked with the sisters who were leaving to make a foundation in Frederick not to wait for her funeral. She did not want her approaching death to slow down God's work.

At some point, when the sisters renewed their vows, Alice mistakenly vowed herself to "Poverty, Charity and Obedience." Ever after, she was conscious of that fourth promise, keeping her vow of charity as faithfully as she kept the first three. She was noted for her cheerfulness, kindness, her charity -- especially in her speech, humility and sense of humor. She died September 9, 1846. She spoke so little of herself that we do not know her date of birth.

Treasures from a Different ARK-hive

2011-02-15T05:23:00.000-05:00

Recently we've been posting highlights from our archives. In light of today's first reading, we have two humorous pieces to share. Perhaps some of our readers received this first ditty in an email; it seems to have been in circulation for some time. This particular version of the "modern ark" story is from appleseeds, a Franciscan website.

And the Lord spoke to Noah and said: "In six months I’m going to make it rain until the whole earth is covered with water and all the evil people are destroyed. But I want to save a few good people, and two of every kind of living thing on the planet. I am ordering you to build Me an Ark." And in a flash of lightning He delivered the specifications for an Ark."OK," said Noah, trembling in fear and fumbling with the blueprints."Six months, and it starts to rain," thundered the Lord. "You’d better have the Ark completed, or learn how to swim for a very long time."And six months passed. The skies began to cloud up and rain began to fall. The Lord saw that Noah was sitting in his front yard, weeping. And there was no Ark."Noah," shouted the Lord, "where is My Ark?"A lightning bolt crashed into the ground next to Noah. "Lord, please forgive me!" begged Noah. "I did my best. But there were big problems. First I had to get a building permit for the Ark construction project, and your plans didn’t meet code. So I had to hire an engineer to redraw the plans. Then I got into a big fight over whether or not the Ark needed a fire sprinkler system. My neighbors objected claiming I was violating zoning by building the Ark in my front yard, so I had to get a variance from the city planning commission..Then I had a big problem getting enough wood for the Ark because there was a ban on cutting trees to save the Spotted Owl. I had to convince U.S. Fish and Wildlife that I needed the wood to save the owls. But they wouldn’t let me catch any owls. So no owls. Then the carpenters formed a union and went out on strike. I had to negotiate a settlement with the National labor Relations Board before anyone would pick up a saw or a hammer. Now we have 16 carpenters going on the boat, and still no owls.Then I started gathering up animals, and got sued by an animal rights group. They objected to me taking only two of each kind. Just when I got the suit dismissed, EPA notified me that I couldn’t complete the Ark without filing an environmental impact statement on your proposed flood. They didn’t take kindly to the idea that they had no jurisdiction over the conduct of a Supreme Being.Then the Army Corps of Engineers wanted a map of the proposed new flood plan. I sent them a globe. Right now I’m still trying to resolve a complaint from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over how many immigrants I’m supposed to hire, the IRS has seized all my assets claiming I’m trying to avoid paying taxes by leaving the country, and I just got a notice from the state about owing some kind of use tax. I really don’t think I can finish your Ark for at least another five years," Noah wailed.The sky began to clear. The sun began to shine. A rainbow arched across the sky. Noah looked up and smiled. "You mean you’re not going to destroy the earth?" Noah asked, hopefully."Wrong!" thundered the Lord. "But being Lord of the Universe has its advantages. I fully intend to smite the Earth, but with something far worse than a flood. Something Man invented himself—GOVERNMENT!"

The second ARK-hive treasure is this children's song. There are several versions of this available but the animation on this particular version is sweet. Enjoy!

Archive Installment

2011-02-11T05:09:00.001-05:00

As we continue our historical series, we share some biographical information about our Sister Elizabeth Augustina Greenwell.

This sister, who was born c1786, had a more difficult childhood than most. She fell when she was 18 months old and broke her arm and leg. Doctors removed a bone from each limb, causing them to grow out of proportion to the rest of her body, and she remained lame all her life. The monastery sisters later deemed this disfigurement a blessing in disguise, however, for they credited it with preserving her innocence in childhood. Unlike the other sisters, who always seemed to be more pious than the other children in their youth, this sister's piety developed only as she became older.

She became known for charity to the poor and the sick, and for getting up to pray every morning at 4 a.m. (typical in the monastery but not in private life). Before she entered she did not enjoy worldly pleasures as much as her sisters did, preferring to be alone or spending her time working for the Church. She went to confession and was allowed to take communion every eight days, a rare privilege in that era, making her an example of piety in the world.

She petitioned to enter this monastery, was admitted, and received the white veil from our founder, Archbishop Leonard Neale. She had a sweet, easy temper and obliging ways, and she carefully concealed her extreme weakness and pain, participating in all the duties of the community as much as she was able. She was given the rank of choir sister, meaning she was educated and could read or recite Latin to chant the Divine Office.

She contracted tuberculosis that caused incontinence, and faintness, and she coughed up blood. She moved to the infirmary of the monastery where she remained for the rest of her life. During her last six weeks she was short of breath and could not even lie down. Too much sitting caused dropsy in her feet and legs. All of this she bore with great patience, expressing her gratitude to others for the smallest services. As she grew worse she asked for the entire community to assemble in the infirmary, and she begged their pardon for all her failings. She received the Viaticum, and she often called upon God during her suffering. She was in extreme pain, but exhorted herself to patience by saying, "My spouse suffered more for me." She also asked the infirmarian to speak and read to her of Christ's sufferings.

She died on April 14, 1820 at age 34.

A Little Biblical Humor

2011-02-07T05:30:00.000-05:00

As the football season ends and spring training for baseball is on the horizon, we thought we'd share a little joke. Today's first reading is the punch line for a little Biblical humor. Do enjoy a chuckle and share it with your friends.

Q: How can we know for sure that baseball is really God's favorite sport?

A: There is a common mistranslation of the first verse of Genesis and it has occluded the true translation: "In the BIG INNING when God created . . ."

Dirty Feet

2011-02-03T05:24:00.000-05:00

Most of us, upon entering a house or a building, find a moment to wipe our shoes on a welcome mat or other convenient carpet. This is a polite gesture. We are careful not to bring the dirt, dust mud (dirty snow and blue salt-crystals) into a clean space. Do we do the same with our hearts?

In today's Gospel, when the Lord instructs his disciples to shake the dust from their feet as a witness against those who rejected them, we might consider adopting the same practice. For when we have experienced the anger or negativity of another, if we do not "shake the dust" from our feet -- and our hearts -- we will have more than dirty feet with which to contend. A careful guard of our hearts can save us from being wounded -- and from wounding others -- on account of the negativity or anger we have experienced in the words or actions of another.

Sometimes we offer ourselves to someone in an act of kindness; perhaps we anticipated a need or perceive an oversight. Love of our neighbor propels us to act generously. It can be painful when our act of charity is unwelcome. Like germs, negativity is also contagious. We can catch a cold by not washing the germs from our hands; we can become uncharacteristically negative by not washing the negativity from our hearts. We may not, of our nature, be inclined to discuss the shortcomings of our colleagues or neighbors but when we spend time with those who are so inclined we may not even notice this odious little habit growing in our heart like a silent cancer. Let us keep careful watch over our hearts (and our feet) so that we may keep them clean. Blessed are the clean of heart for they shall see God. And they shall see Him everywhere!

"There is no clock, however good, that does not need to be continually wound up . . . any one who really cares for his heart's devotion will wind it up to God night and morning, and examine its condition, correcting and improving it . . . . And just as the clockmaker applies a delicate oil to all the wheels and springs of a clock, so that it may work properly and be less liable to rust, so the devout soul ... will lubricate his heart with the Sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist. These exercises will repair the waste caused by time, will kindle your heart, revive your good resolutions, and cause the graces of your mind to flourish anew."

St. Francis de Sales

Archive Treasures Continue!

2011-01-30T05:25:00.001-05:00

The last sister professed by Archbishop Leonard Neale before his death was Sister Mary of Jesus Mattingly, who was born in 1784 in St. Mary's county, Maryland. She was somewhat worldly in her youth, but after attending a retreat when she was 22 or 23, she concluded that earthly pursuits were empty, and began working toward the sanctification of her soul by various exercises of devotion. She could do this only as far as her health would permit, however, because she had been of "a weak constitution" since childhood. After several years of perseverance practicing the devout life, she wanted to enter a religious order, but her relatives were opposed. Her father objected particularly, as there was another young daughter at home. She loved her father very much, and over time her prayers and constant entreaties prevailed and he consented at last, but he wept about it. She was sympathetic, but at the same time she also worried that he might revoke his consent, so she came eagerly to our monastery to ask admittance. This was readily granted, for the Sisters knew her merits, and several of them had known her even before they had entered religious life.

She edified everyone during her time in the novitiate by demonstrating submission to her director and the other superiors by her exact observance of the rule. She made her vows on May 8, 1817, becoming the last religious personally professed by Archbishop Leonard Neale, who died just over a month later.

She was known for her amiability, and although she restrained her natural vivacity in an appropriate manner, it was part of her character. She loved the sisters so much that she frequently said that she could perceive no fault in them. Although she was quite intelligent and could have handled any office of the house except that of Assistant Superior, her delicate health kept her in her status of associate sister. (Note: Associate Sisters were not obliged to recite the Divine Office sung in Latin in the choir, which occupied at least two hours in a sister's day. That prayer was replaced with more simple devotions such as the Rosary which could be prayed anywhere.)

She developed tuberculosis (then known as "consumption," and the same ailment that took Sister Mary Charity McAtee and many other sisters.) She was so ill that she never enjoyed a day's health. She took to her bed, an although she was failing, when the last sacraments were administered she received them with "lively devotion." She was indifferent to her own state and confident in God throughout her last moments. She retained her faculties until the last, making "acts and ejaculations" to God and calling on Our Lady and her other patron saints to assist her. When someone asked if she were resigned to die, she answered, "I desire nothing more, since such is the will of God." A few minutes later, "she yielded her happy soul to the hands of Him who created it. It was the evening of the 17th of April, 1818." She was 33 years old.

Media Mania

2011-01-26T05:41:00.000-05:00

Just when some of us may feel as though there is an information overload and privation of privacy in the digital age in which we are living, an encouraging word from His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI comes our way. On Monday, as we celebrated the Solemnity of St. Francis de Sales and participated in the events of the March for Life, some of us were delighted to stumble upon this message for the 45th World Communications Day.

Many of us are only too familiar with the ways in which the boundless possibilities of the information age have served as a conduit for less-than-virtuous pursuits. From cyber-bullying and cyber-stalking to pornography and libel: we are well-acquainted with the "moving violations" along the information superhighway.

It is not without caution that Pope Benedict encourages the use of media for networking but it is a caution which we would do well to heed: one can never replace the tenderness of human contact, face to face encounters and live conversations with a computer screen and gradually slip into a state of isolation. That being said, we are encouraged to use the ever-evolving media to spread the Gospel message in new ways and to spread the hope of Christianity beyond our own -- often limited -- spheres of influence.

It is no accident that this message, prepared to be delivered on 5 June 2011 was issued on the day when we honor St. Francis de Sales. It is amusing to consider just what media tools St. Francis de Sales would use, were he alive today. We might be able listen to his homilies through podcast or perhaps we might subscribe to his blog. He would probably entertain spiritual questions and give advice over email. He might even carry a blackberry or iPhone when he travels so as to keep in touch with the many people who sought his advice. Perhaps he would have his own cafe press site with t-shirts and bumper stickers that say, "Be who you are and be that well" ... and mugs that read "There is nothing so strong as true gentleness and nothing so gentle as true strength." It is hard to imagine how exactly how this sharp mind and tender spirit would navigate today's digital age but one can safely bet that he would be making good use of the tools available to him, as suggested to us by Pope Benedict.

Archival Addition

2011-01-22T05:21:00.002-05:00

Our next installment from the monastery archives takes us to the early part of the 19th century:

Sister Sophia Simplicia King was born in 1803 in Georgetown. Just as was noted in the lives of some of the other sisters, she was inclined to piety even from an early age. She was known for great "charity and liberality" that manifested itself in giving alms to the poor even when she was young; she seems to have come from a well-to-do family that made possible such generosity.

At age 15 she came to our academy and immediately impressed everyone, especially her teachers, with her amiable disposition. Until 1910 children were not allowed to make their first communion until they were a good bit older than they are now, usually their younger teens. She was prepared with "much fervour" for her first communion. She was an excellent student, and when she wasn't doing her schoolwork she was engaged in spiritual reading, "holy conversations," or prayer.

She soon expressed interest in becoming a religious, but her parents objected strenuously. She was the youngest child, they doted on her, and they knew she had many talents. However, she continued with her entreaties until they finally relented, and she entered our monastery in late July 1818. She received the habit on August 28, the feast day of St. Augustine.

Her most distinguishing characteristics were docility and exactness, although the latter quality could vex her to the point of scrupulosity. She only troubled herself, however, not others. She became ill during the subsequent year, causing her profession of vows to be delayed. By September 1819 she was worse, and the sisters knew she might not recover. Her parents asked that she be allowed to return to them, and she agreed to this. She continued to decline; the last sacraments were administered, and she died just a few days later on October 7, 1819. She was at her parents' home, but at our request and theirs as well, she was buried here. She was 17 years old.

The Mistake of the Pharisees

2011-01-18T05:20:00.002-05:00

Today's Gospel recounts an exchange between the Pharisees and Our Lord which has a lot more to do with the heart of the men involved than with the heads of grain they were picking. A closer -- and more compassionate -- look at the Pharisees may help us to mine a spiritual lesson from the account. It is easy to dismiss the Pharisees we encounter in the Gospel as being obsessed with the details of Jewish law.

Consider, for a moment, the track record of the chosen people. A cursory check of the Old Testament reveals a pattern of broken promises. Each generation had its own struggle being faithful to the covenant with Yahweh. In the second century BC a group of men known to us as the Maccabees rebelled against what had a become a "watered down" expression of the Jewish religion. Part of their zeal manifested itself in a return to a faithful observance of the customs of their religion. They felt keenly the many infidelities of their ancestors (and their contemporaries) and they sought to reclaim the practices of their faith. If one were to consider the Pharisees to be the spiritual descendants of these courageous men we meet in the Old Testament, their fixation with a painstaking observance of the letter of the law becomes more understandable. Understandable: yes. Appropriate: no.

How often can we slip into the mindset of the Pharisees? Perhaps we do so inadvertently because we are of a temperament which has a proclivity for being rule-oriented or perhaps we do so because we are seeking to avoid a more appropriate -- but sometimes difficult or inconvenient -- response in a given situation. Most of us understand that it is disrespectful to talk in Church. By our body language and posture, we may communicate that we are preparing ourselves while we wait for Mass to begin. A neighbor whose company we find tiresome approaches us and makes light conversation. On the one hand, we may know that it is disrespectful to talk in Church; on the other hand, however, if we really examine our hearts, the respect that we may strive to show to the presence of Christ reserved in the Blessed Sacrament is the same respect that we owe to his little one who has approached us for a word of comfort or welcome. It may be "right" to refrain from talking in Church but, in this case, it is "wrong" to ignore the child of God who is at our side.

The Pharisees were so focused on the letter of the law that they overlooked the spirit in which it was written. Let us not make the same mistake. Rather than seeing this as an invitation not to follow civil or religious laws, we can see this as an invitation to follow the Lord and to understand spirit behind the law. A loving response toward that irksome neighbor who approaches us in Church would fulfill the law ... to overflowing; it would fulfill the law with a response worthy of the One who poured Himself out for us. A cold response -- as we seek a perfect posture of solemnity in Church -- would find us a seat among the Pharisees: perfect in observance but lacking in love. Let it never be that our following of the law allows us to stray from the path of following the Lord.

"The supreme law of the Church is the salvation of souls."

Canon 1752

More from the Treasure Trove!

2011-01-14T05:33:00.001-05:00

As we dig through our archives, we uncover many interesting tidbits about our early sisters. Here, thanks to our trusty assistant in the archives, we share a biographical sketch from an 1817 letter written by Archbishop Leonard Neale, to the Superior of Annecy, the first Visitation community, founded in 1610.

When she was ten years old, around the year 1813, Sister Charlotte Isidore McNantz arrived at the Monastery as a boarding student. She was amiable, and understood fully God's grace in placing her here. In addition to her general love of God she was singularly devoted to Mary. She was a precise child who heeded all the rules of the house, but she also had a sweet temper combined with two particular virtues that stood out above others: prudence, and discretion in her conversation. The sisters loved to hear her speak, and they respected her for demonstrating wisdom far beyond her years. She had a tendency towards unspecified physical mortification that she might have pursued to the point of great pain but she was also submissive to her director, who restrained her. Instead, she practices interior mortification so constantly that she could almost not be prevailed upon to interrupt it.

She petitioned to be admitted to the community, but her request was initially denied as they considered her "fruitfully ripe for heaven," perhaps a euphemism for spiritual growth combined with physical frailty. Ultimately she did prevail, however, for a final note mentions that she received the white veil on March 25, 1817, with the name of Sister Isidora, and she was permitted to make her vows on March 29.

Within days she suffered an undefined "pulmonary complaint" but rather than being frightened, she rejoiced that she would soon be united with Mary. She asked for and received the last sacraments during Holy Week with fervor and spiritual joy. She prayed to die on Good Friday, hoping to expire in the same hour that Christ died on Mount Calvary. Her strength rallied, however, so she then prayed that she would pass on the day of the Resurrection. This prayer was granted, and she died on Easter Sunday, April 6, 1817 at approximately 14 years of age. Her confessor asserted that she "preserved her baptismal innocence," meaning she never committed a mortal sin.

Sister is remembered for a postmortem miracle, for death did not disfigure her. Instead, it left her even more beautiful. She seemed in repose, with lovely, vermilion lips, and a body that retained its flexibility. This appearance was so remarkable that the next day her attendants called in two non-Catholic physicians who testified to her condition and asserted that medical principles could not explain it.

Sister appeared to Archbishop Leonard Neale while he was on his deathbed, to guide him to eternity.

Return to the Ordinary

2011-01-10T05:10:00.000-05:00

With the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, we conclude the Christmas season and return to the green hues of ordinary time. If we listen carefully to the Gospel, however, we can be sure that there is nothing ordinary about the days between the Christmas season and Lent.

Today's familiar account of Jesus calling the fisherman is a call to all of us. Jesus may not appear in person at our workplace -- as he showed up on the shores of the sea of Galilee -- but he may come to us in other ways and ask us to leave behind something and, with him, to seek other shores. Perhaps we have a bad habit that we have been meaning to break or maybe we have slipped into a pattern of behaving which is comfortable but unhealthy. From time to time we may come to realize that our response to that cranky neighbor or our avoidance of that annoying aunt is not exactly how we are called to follow Christ. Like the disciples who were called to leave their nets -- their familiar livelihood -- we are called to leave behind those things in our life which keep us from following Christ closely.

When we, like the disciples, are "mending our nets" and we find that we are suddenly beckoned by the voice of a friend, a family member, our conscience, a sentence in the Gospel, a passage in our spiritual reading, etc., let us stop and listen. Perhaps we are being called to leave behind something that has, over time, become an easy pattern of behavior. Listening to and participating in office gossip might have seemed a bit uncomfortable at first, but when left unexamined for long enough, it can become surprisingly comfortable. Standing on the shores of this "comfort zone" we may hear the Lord inviting us to leave behind the nets that can trap us in ways we might never expect. During these "ordinary days" let us listen extraordinarily carefully to the voice of the Lord, inviting us to follow Him ever more closely, each day.

"After you have made this self-examination, confer with some holy director as to your shortcomings and their remedies . . . and above all, place yourself in the Presence of God, and earnestly ask His Grace to confirm you and keep you steadfast in His Holy Love and Service."

St. Francis de Sales

More Treasures from the Archives

2011-01-06T05:41:00.002-05:00

Our good friend -- and proprietor of "Down the Streetza Pizza" -- has provided us with another peek into the monastery archives for the second posting in our historical series.

-----------

Sister Ann Stanislaus Fenwick was born in St. Mary's County, Maryland, in 1756. More studious and prayerful than other children, she was an early reader who recited her prayers from memory. Around age 18 she began to teach poor children, instructing them in reading, writing, arithmetic, sewing, and catechism. Although she was typically meek, she had such a strong devotion to and respect for priests that "no one would have dared speak against a priest in her presence."

Sister was what we now call plus-sized (in their words "uncommon large"), and this distressed her to the point of abjection. She sometimes endured comments from strangers, and when she rode to Church on Sundays the cart had to be pulled by oxen because her weight strained the standard carriage. This made it difficult to enter religious life as early as she wished, because she required special assistance.

She finally appealed to her spiritual director, Archbishop Leonard Neale, founder of our Monastery. Although it was years before she was allowed to enter, she had made herself useful by assisting Neale in every office. "Nothing," the sister-biographer wrote, "could disturb her or put her out of her temper: her motto was the will of God." She finally entered this monastery sometime around 1800 at age 43 or 44.

Her biographer was a young nun who had grown up at the school and remembered her as a motherly figure to all the students, especially those who became sisters. The nuns believed there was something supernatural about her, and they often asked her to pray for them, during which prayers she would be "as immovable as a statue." Once on retreat "she was favoured with the sight of the state of her soul," which the sisters later interpreted as insight into the time and manner of her death.

Sometime during or after 1814 she developed what was then known as dropsy, a condition causing retention of fluid. She could not lie down or move without assistance and she suffered greatly, though reportedly without complaint. The sisters believed intimate union with God gave her the ability to predict her 1816 death the day before it occurred. Although they tried to care continuously for her, she was accurate that she would die alone, for she slipped away when a sister left just for a few minutes to receive Holy Communion. She was 60 years old.

Return of the Christmas Ass

2011-01-02T05:54:00.001-05:00

No, this isn't a joke. It's true. The nearest live donkey is, most likely, at the "kids farm" at the National Zoo up on Connecticut Avenue -- just three short miles away. The nearest "spiritual donkey" is, however, right here on 35th Street. We honor a Christmas custom in our monastery -- of which no sister seems to know the origin -- whereby we draw billets on Christmas Eve before supper. Each little card has on it a person or an item which (in the mind's eye of the author) would have been present at the birth of Our Lord. Some of the cards include The Blessed Virgin Mary, St. Joseph, the Angels, the Shepherd, the straw in the manger, the owner of the stable, the lamp in the stable, the manger itself, the ox and ... that famous card number 19, the ass. Each card has a spiritual message and a virtue to be cultivated. For those who may have missed this post a few years ago, we reprint here the spiritual message for the sister lucky enough to be the "Christmas Ass" this year.

No. 19

The Ass.

---

THE ASS KNOWETH HIS MASTER'S CRIB

(Is., 1,8)

---

At the court of the king JESUS you will have the office of the Ass, which a GOD permitted to be near His crib.

Offer yourself very humbly to this divine King, to be engaged in the most abject services, since you are incapable of sublime and elevated employments. Resign yourself to suffer and to be despised in imitation of Our Lord; say to Him with the prophet King that you are as a beast of burden before Him; as Him to give you the understanding of Christian truths with humility of mind and heart.

---

Practice: Love to be unknown and reputed as nothing.

Aspiration: My Saviour, give me the treasure of Thy humility.

Heinz Variety and Eyes of Faith

2010-12-29T05:24:00.000-05:00

If a marketing company wanted to do a spotlight for today's Gospel, they could borrow the slogan from the 1980's Heinz ketchup advertisements: "Good things come to those who wait!" Perhaps no one in the history of mankind experienced this more profoundly than Simeon, whom we meet in today's Gospel. One can only glean, from today's Gospel account, that this man had a deep and personal relationship with God to have received a revelation that, before death, he would behold the Messiah.

It is probably not unreasonable to presume that many parents brought their children to the temple to be presented. Only a man with eyes of great faith would have been able to see the Triune God, veiled in the humanity of a fragile infant. And only a man deeply in touch with the Lord could have the keen discernment to recognize the carpenter's son as the Messiah.

We may not spend our days in a temple awaiting the fulfillment of a promise but we might consider that we live in the promise that Simeon awaited. The Lord is come. He was born in time, took on the frailty of our flesh, was crucified for our sins and has risen from the dead. The promise is fulfilled and we are heirs to this great patrimony.

As baptized Christians we believe that the Lord is present to us in our neighbors. As humans -- with clay feet -- most of us probably cannot help but to notice that some of our neighbors do a masterful job of hiding the Lord's presence by their countenance. Still, however, with hearts of faith, we know that the Lord is present to us in those who may annoy or irritate us. We are called to be like Simeon; we are called to see with eyes of faith and to recognize, in the frailty of our neighbors, the presence of the Lord. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to be attentive to his presence, as Simeon was, in the most unlikely of places.

"We are told to love one's neighbor as one's self. In token that we love him, we must not avoid being with him."

St. Francis de Sales

A "Technical" Christmas

2010-12-25T08:01:00.001-05:00

Many readers will, no doubt, have already seen the very cleverly done video which depicts the Nativity using 21st century social media tools. One may well consider it a view of Christmas from a "technical" standpoint. What many may not realize, however, is that the very first Christmas day was also a highly "technical event" ... in the eyes of some.

In 325 at the Council of Niacea, the infamous Arian heresy was disputed and condemned. Arius, as well-intentioned as he was misguided, had proposed that Jesus was neither God nor man; he was, rather, somewhere in between: something akin to the demi-gods of the classical world. Arius used a "technical" term to describe Jesus: 'omoiousios, which means "to be like" or "to be similar." He asserted that Jesus was "similar in being" to God -- but not God. The Council Fathers, insisting that Jesus is truly God, countered with the term 'omoousios simply deleting the iota from Arius' term. This word means "the same as" -- as in "the same substance" or "the same being."

So, why all the fuss about a "technical," headache-provoking theological term on this happy and holy Christmas morning? Had it not been for the insight and perseverance of the Fathers of the Council of Niacea we would not be celebrating the Incarnation. One iota -- one little letter -- could have obscured this precious truth of our faith; it could have shattered all the Christmas balls on every tree and silenced all the "Glorias" which have been sung since that first Christmas night in Bethlehem. As we kneel before the creche today, let us whisper a prayer of thanksgiving for those heroic defenders of our faith who kept alive the legacy of this great mystery -- amid a very "technical" controversy -- 16 centuries before the advent of social media!

"God was united to our human nature by grace, as a vine to its elm, to make it in some sort participate in his fruit; but seeing this union undone by Adam's sin, he made another more close and pressing union in the Incarnation, whereby human nature remains forever joined in personal unity to the Divinity."

St. Francis de Sales

O Rex Gentium!

2010-12-22T05:17:00.001-05:00

The "Great O" which we sing today contains the only phrase in an O Antiphon which is traced exclusively to the New Testament:

O King of the Nations, and their desire, the cornerstone, who makes both to be one: Come and save mankind, whom you formed from clay.

The phrase "who makes both to be one" appears to be a reference to St. Paul's letter to the Ephesians where he describes the reconciliation between the Jews and the Gentiles. That Christ came to bring salvation to all, not merely the people of Israel and their descendants, is indicated in this antiphon. Just as the previous antiphons show the clear relationship between the Old Testament covenant and Christ's fulfillment of that promise, this antiphon carries the fulfillment a step further as it is extended to those traditionally excluded from the promises made to the Israelites and their heirs.

As we intone this antiphon we draw ever closer to the manger in Bethlehem. Fellow travelers along the road ask us where we are going and we reply that the King awaits us. He does. The real question is, perhaps, do we believe that he is our King? Do we act as though he is the King of our hearts? Let us, these last days of Advent, make known that the desire of the nations is indeed the desire of our hearts. Let our actions and our words speak of him and let us invite others to journey with us as we approach the newborn King in the humble manger of our hearts where He is born anew each year.

Christmas Begins with an O!

2010-12-18T05:24:00.000-05:00

Well, not really, but one could say that the Christmas season begins with an O. Seven of them, in fact. We know very little about these ancient antiphons which serve as a liturgical harbinger of the nativity of Our Lord. The little we do know, however, is as charming as it is fascinating: ledger books of ancient monasteries show large expenditures of money for items such as eggs, flour and other provisions beginning on the 17th of December. One can only imagine the feasting that accompanied these solemn days of preparation -- and celebration!

Today we sing the second of these Great "O" Antiphons:

O Adonai

O Lord, and Leader of the house of Israel, who appeared to Moses in the red fire of flame and gave him the law on Sinai: Come and redeem us with outstretched arm.

This antiphon takes the believer to the book of Exodus where God revealed Himself to Moses. The old covenant is ratified and the exchange between God and man is filled with imagery of fire and light. The fire which the Israelites saw atop the mountain was but a suggestion of the light that was to come in Christ. The second part of the antiphon, "come and redeem us with outstretched arm," is an echo of Yahweh's promise to Moses that "I will free you from the burdens which the Egyptians lay on you. I will release you from slavery to them, and with my arm outstretched and my strokes of power, I will deliver you" (Ex 6:6). The promise made to the people of Israel is seen in its fullness when it is considered in the light of Christ's redemptive death. As the people of Israel awaited freedom from their captors, so the Church awaits the birth of the Messiah.

The promise to be freed from one's captor may not seem relevant to most of us today. The temptations to become enslaved can be subtle. Sometimes we are tempted to make a "good thing" the center of our lives: be it our work, our ministry, our studies, a particular project, etc. It may seem impossible to be "tempted" by something good. When we replace Christ as the central focus of our life, however, we take a great risk of becoming a prisoner. This is not to suggest that we should not apply ourselves diligently to our work, our responsibilities, our studies -- and even our play. Indeed, we should! Whether we are religious men and women, parents with children, single Christians, etc., Christ is the end of all we do. He blesses all that we do in his name and for his glory -- it matters little whether it is sweeping a floor, changing a diaper or working at a desk. We are freed from becoming prisoners of our work, our responsibilities or our hobbies when we keep Christ at the center of all we do. We have only to let Him in when he comes, for he comes with arms outstretched.

"Trifling temptations . . . flit around one like flies or gnats, now settling on one's nose -- later stinging one's cheek -- it is wholly impossible altogether to free one's self from their importunity; the best resistance one can make is not to be fretted by them. All these things may worry one, but they cannot really harm us, so long as our wills are firmly resolved to serve God."

St. Francis de Sales

Jubilee Year Ends!

2010-12-14T05:15:00.000-05:00

Last January we began our 400th Anniversary year complete with special Masses, celebrations, gatherings, pilgrimages, a decree from the Apostolic Penitentiary granting plenary indulgences, and untold graces for many who shared in this celebration. Although the jubilee year *technically* ended on Sunday 12 December, the anniversary of the death of St. Jane de Chantal, His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI is personally closing the jubilee with a Mass of Thanksgiving on Tuesday 14 December. By the time most patrons of our blog read this, he will have celebrated Mass for the community of Visitation sisters who are living in Vatican city as part of the jubilee celebration.

Below is an excerpt from an English translation of the Pope's letter to the Superior of our Monastery of Annecy and entire Order, worldwide:

"During this year when the Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary is celebrating the fourth centenary of its foundation, I am happy to unite myself in thought and in prayer with the Visitation nuns throughout the world who are living a life of prayer and work in the spirit given to them by Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jane de Chantal. . . . At the heart of the spirituality of the Visitation of Holy Mary is the seeking of holiness in one's daily occupations through gentleness and humility, simplicity and peace of heart and by doing 'all through love, nothing through constraint.' . . . This heritage given to you by your Holy Founders contains great significance for today's world where men and women feel more and more burdened as they cope with the crushing weight of self-fulfillment at any cost and with the hedonism which makes everyone, especially our young people, fragile and without defense. . . . Confiding to the intercession of the Virgin Mary and to that of Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jane de Chantal, I send to each community, to each sister, and to all the persons who are in spiritual relation with you, a most cordial apostolic blessing."

Vatican City

Benedict XVI

A Peek into the Archives

2010-12-10T05:33:00.002-05:00

We have a very special series to share with our readers. It is taken from the handwritten Book of Records Containing an Abridgement of the Lives and Deaths of the Members of this Community, located in our Monastery archives. The book contains 19 lives that we will post one at a time at the approximate pace of one per week. There is much more to say about each sister than can or should be recorded on this blog, but the series will offer a glimpse into the past. Our Sister Archivist is overseeing this project with a member of Georgetown University's faculty, who, although she will remain nameless, can easily be identified by the amazing homemade pizza (from down the "streetza") she provided for our September movie night.

*****

Sister Charity McAtee was born 1782 in Charles County, Maryland, to parents of modest means. There was a nearby Carmelite convent, but she encountered unspecified obstacles attempting to join that order and instead turned to the Visitation house in Georgetown. With her parents' consent she entered on July 23, 1809, age 27. After four years her health began to decline, and she developed consumption (today known as tuberculosis), dying at age 32 or 33 on April 2, 1815, the first Sunday after Easter. She retained the rank of lay sister, which meant she did domestic duties, cooking, cleaning, etc. in the monastery and school. She might possibly have assisted in the domestic care of the students. It also usually meant that she lacked even a basic education; confirmation of this can be found when the annual vow book is signed with an X instead of her name. These handwritten biographies by surviving sisters are characteristically florid, but if one reads between the lines, she seems to be praised particularly for evenness of disposition, modesty, submission, and deeming others superior to herself.

As a note, the convent where she did not enter was the Carmel of Port Tobacco, founded in 1790 in Charles County and now located in Baltimore. It was founded by Charles Neale, brother to two other famous Neales: Archbishop Leonard Neale who founded our monastery and school, and Francis Neale who founded Holy Trinity parish two blocks away from us. Their cousin was John Carroll, founder of Georgetown University.

Obstacle Removal Continues

2010-12-06T05:13:00.000-05:00

If we might think of this most sacred season of Advent as a time of removing obstacles then today's Gospel offers us an inspiring example of this practice. The friends of the paralyzed man were not able to bring their lame companion to the Lord on account of the crowd. They went in the proverbial back door by lowering their friend through the roof and landing, as the Gospel tells us, in "the middle in front of Jesus."

How often do we feel at an impasse in a difficult situation? Perhaps we even feel paralyzed in some cases. Maybe we feel unable to respond in a loving way to someone who has hurt us; it may be the case that we feel unable to approach someone whom we have hurt, in order to apologize. Whatever our form of paralysis, let us follow the example of the "stretcher-carriers" in today's Gospel; let us go straight to Jesus to be healed. Let us put aside the obstacles that keep us from doing this: fear, busyness, preoccupation, etc., and let us run to the Lord.

We cannot, of ourselves, "get up and walk" when we have been injured and -- in some cases -- injured badly. We cannot "get up and walk" until we are healed. It is no different for our spiritual maladies. We cannot will ourselves to respond lovingly to one who has hurt us without the grace of God. We cannot ask for forgiveness when we have been wrong without the humility that comes from the Lord. So, let us take our wounds to "the middle in front of Jesus" and let us "go home glorifying God" because of His great mercy.

"The Lord will be as a healing balm to say and soothe our heart in time of spiritual sickness, --he will shield us from evil, and confirm that which is good in us, and when we fall through infirmity, he will avert the deadly nature of the evil, and raise us up again."

St. Francis de Sales

Happy 5th Birthday, Blog!

2010-12-02T05:03:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, on 1 December 2010, "Live + Jesus" celebrated its 5th birthday in the Catholic blog-o-sphere. It's hard to believe but we've been "parishioners" at St. Blog's parish since 2005 when we decided to make the foray into the world of push-button publishing.

We weren't sure exactly how to feel about having a blog and we did not know exactly what we would say on our blog or what kinds of things we might share with our readers. In fact, we weren't even sure we would have many readers. Five years, 570 blog posts 105,000 visits and 165,000 page views later, we are quite happy we took the plunge and decided to share a little window into monastic life here on Thirty-Fifth Street.

In fact, we were delighted to discover that some little robot from outer space found our blog and actually thinks it is worth reading. We're not exactly sure how he heard about us, but we think his news report is OUT OF THIS WORLD! Do enjoy a 2-minute chuckle.

Setting Out on the Journey

2010-11-28T05:37:00.000-05:00

As we begin this most sacred season of Advent, we may think of this season as a time to remove obstacles on our journey to the manger. Those of us who pray the Liturgy of the Hours will be spending a great deal of time with the prophet Isaiah during the Office of Readings. One may look at this book as one which calls us to embrace hope and to reject the temptation to give in to pride. Isaiah felt that the judgment and punishment which the Israelites brought upon themselves were due to Israel's and Judah's pride, made manifest in their desire to shape their own destiny instead of being faithful to Yahweh's covenant for them. Despite the gloom and doom of his words, Isaiah called the Israelites to wait in hope for the coming of a Messiah, the promised descendant of David's line.

His word still speaks to us today as it calls us to be vigilant in keeping our eyes and our hearts on the star as we set out on this four-week pilgrimage to the birthplace of our savior. Let us look carefully in our hearts and ask ourselves what obstacles might stand in the way as we journey to Bethlehem. Do we need to reconcile with someone at work, at home, at Church? Do we need to examine how we spend our time? Do we need to spend more time with the Lord, more time in prayer, more time with our family, with our friends? Do we need to be more patient with someone in our life? Let us find the obstacles, the detours and roadblocks and let us ask for the grace to negotiate them in a way which will help us to grow in grace as we approach the manger later this month.

"Our dear Savior and Master came to teach both the little and the great, the learned and the simple. Yet we almost always find Him among the poor and simple. How different is God's spirit from that of the world!"

St. Francis de Sales (Advent Sermon 1620)

Thanksgiving Leftovers

2010-11-24T05:14:00.002-05:00

As most of us in America celebrate the secular holiday of Thanksgiving, we might profit from adding a Christian flavor to our holiday and to all the days that follow.

"Dedicate yourselves to thankfulness. Let the word of Christ, rich as it is, dwell in you" (Col 3:12).

It is a good practice to pause as we celebrate Thanksgiving and to give thanks for the many blessings we have received. It is a better, practice, however, to make sure that the "leftovers" last all year long. Long after the last turkey sandwich (with stuffing inside) has been eaten and the remains of the pumpkin pie enjoyed, we might do well to savor the spirit of Thanksgiving in our daily life. Let us keep before our eyes, a deep sense of the Lord's goodness to us in the many gifts we receive on a daily basis. Perhaps our Thanksgiving leftovers may last us the whole year through!

"Is it possible that I was loved, and loved so tenderly by my Savior, that He should have thought of me individually, and in all these details by which He has drawn me to Himself? With what love and gratitude ought I to use all He has given me?"

St. Francis de Sales

The Power of Prayer

2010-11-20T05:18:00.000-05:00

We're pretty sure that if St. Francis de Sales were alive today he would be using the Internet to spread the Good News and to encourage his readers to grow in holiness. In some small way, we try to be worthy daughters of this great patron saint of journalists by sharing bits and pieces of his patrimony with you, our dear readers. The Internet does seem to be evolving into an effective means of aiding in the noble work of evangelization!

In addition to being a medium for spreading the Gospel (and, in our case, sharing tidbits of monastery life) the world of push-button publishing makes the global world much smaller. News travels faster; rumors and false-reports spread like wildfire; on account of the Internet maps, directions and weather reports are at our fingertips and the encyclopedia salesman has had to hang up his briefcase. One other advantage to this fast-paced new medium is the "ripple effect" (sometimes called "going viral" ... which sounds scary!) of one message, picture or video reaching the eyes -- and hearts -- of millions.

In an effort to help spread awareness of a special intention, we share here the special intention of a seminarian in need of prayers. Philip Johnson is a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo in Philadelphia who is studying for the diocese of Raleigh, NC. He is currently undergoing chemotherapy for a brain tumor. Those who wish to join their prayers, are invited to take part in a Novena which will begin on 29 November and conclude on 8 December. Links to the Novena prayer (in English and Spanish) as well as a letter from his bishop asking for prayers can be found here. Do join in the prayer brigade; for where two or three are gathered . . .

The Tiny Tax Collector

2010-11-16T05:32:00.001-05:00

Today's Gospel affords us both a spiritual and syntactical example.

First things first, the spiritual example is a charming one: a grown man, disliked by his own people because his job as tax collector implied that he colluded with the Roman authorities, climbs a tree to catch a glimpse of Jesus. One might not have difficulty imagining a teenager climbing a tree to see a rock star at an outdoor concert; the sight of a grown man scaling a tree with no indication of any concern for the opinions of those around him would surely have been the target of finger-pointing and head-turning.

We, too, should be unselfconscious when we seek the Lord in our daily life. Our quest may not take us up a sycamore tree, but it may take us some places which are equally precarious and similarly uncomfortable. When we encounter someone who treats us unkindly it is often difficult to reach out after we have been rejected or ignored. We may feel like walking in the opposite direction just so as not to have eye contact and risk feeling the discomfort of a cold stare. When we go out of our way to reach out to this distant neighbor, we are seeking out Christ. We, like the first-century tax collector in today's Gospel, sometimes have to behave in ways that will draw more attention that we might have wanted. We should not be surprised to overhear our colleagues say things like, "Why is she talking to him? He's always rude to everyone!" Or, we may fear that people will treat us differently if we begin to reach out to the local crosspatch. Let us not be concerned about how uncomfortable it can be to perch ourselves atop this tree of virtue. Rather, we should be emboldened by the knowledge that when we earnestly seek the Lord, we will see Him and He will come ever closer to us.

Our syntactical example is almost as charming as the image of the sycamore-scaling Zacchaeus and it speaks to the importance of identifying clearly the antecedents we use. The English translation of today's Gospel reads: "Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him because of the crowd, for he was short in stature." There is no indication in the passage of who "he" was who was short. Was it Jesus or Zacchaeus? English, not being an inflected language, lacks the ability to make this distinction. A cursory check of the Greek text, however, would reveal that the antecedent to the ambiguous "he" is, in fact, the diminutive tax collector. Without the original text to confirm the case of the pronoun, one might be left wondering.

"Blessed is the soul that seeks God alone. For she will find him everywhere and everywhere she will seek what she has found."

St. Jane de Chantal

Featured Film

2010-11-12T05:09:00.001-05:00

November's all-night Adoration and movie night on the 19th will feature the1956 classic film, "Miracle of Marcelino." The 90-minute story features an orphan who is raised in a Spanish monastery where his puerile antics wreak havoc for the monks.

The little boy's insatiable curiosity and his mischievous ways pave the way for a life-changing encounter with the Lord. This touching film continues to charm viewers (and keep Kleenex in business.)

Adoration begins at 7pm in the Chapel and movie go-ers may gather in the front hall by 7.15 to head up to the Little Odeon for pizza and our featured film. Don't miss this enchanting story!

Locals who would like to attend, may RSVP to the FB event here; or, they may email us directly.

A Century in Review

2010-11-08T05:12:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday, when many of our neighbors were out ringing doorbells, we were ringing in a new century. Our Sister Mary Raphael, about whom we wrote last week, celebrated her one hundredth birthday on Halloween. To honor our centenarian, the community performed a skit which highlighted events from sister's life: a fondness for map-reading, making washcloths for WWI soldiers, disciplining children, learning to dance and putting Mary Kay out of business with her very own wrinkle-busting exercises. The skit was written and directed by our Sister Archivist, costumed by our Sister Refectorian; it starred almost all 20 nuns, one postulant and our visiting retreatant. The opening song was penned by our Sister Organist and some of the more unusual (and un-monastic) props were procured thanks to our faithful friends and benefactors. We hope you enjoy a 5 minute visit to our recreation last Sunday evening.

Hoof Tracks

2010-11-04T05:12:00.000-04:00

There is usually a mixed feeling of relief and frustration when, at long last, we find someone for whom we have been searching. We feel relieved because our search is over and we have been safely united with the object of our quest. We do, however, at times feel a surge of frustration: perhaps a misunderstanding or miscommunication necessitated the "search" in the first place; maybe we did not anticipate having to circle the airport 50 times before finding our party for pick-up; and dare we muse about how we ever managed to "find" people in the dark ages, before the advent of cell phones? Surely, most of us have experienced this angst-ridden relief at finding the person for whom we were looking.

We know for sure that there were no GPS tracking devices embedded in the hooves of the sheep we hear about in today's Gospel. The shepherd who left 99 sheep unattended did not have a ETA and a cheerful voice offering to "recalculate" every time he took a wrong turn in search of his wandering ungulate. One can only imagine the frustration in the heart of this good shepherd as he searched for his missing mammal. Of the many lessons and truths hidden in this parable, perhaps one of the most striking is the manner in which the lost sheep was treated. The searching shepherd -- if he felt any frustration -- did not show the least bit of annoyance. He does not merely pick up and carry home the lost sheep; rather, "he sets it on his shoulders with great joy."

We might expect a proud parent to set a child on his shoulders when the celebrated offspring has done something meritorious. Getting lost is hardly a behavior which parents seek to reinforce (with good reason!) Principles of good parenting aside, the lesson for us, perhaps, is the gentleness with which the straying sheep was treated. How easy it is to be unkind to those who have inconvenienced us. How quickly we can forget the mercies shown to us by the Lord! How do we treat those in our lives who have strayed: from us, from the Church, from virtue, from a spouse, from family? The next time we have an opportunity to show our frustration or unleash our vexation, let us ask for the grace to imitate the good shepherd in today's parable and, with joy, bend our shoulders to carry the burden of a lost soul.

"You will catch more flies with a spoonful of honey than a barrel of vinegar."

St. Francis de Sales

A Centenarian Among Us

2010-10-31T05:07:00.000-04:00

Pictured above is our dear Sister Mary Raphael signing her vows in our vow book on 21 November 2009. This year, when she signs the vow book she will be 100 years and 21 days old. Mass this morning will be offered for Sister's intentions and our Sunday "parishioners" will be treated to a 100-rose bouquet adorning the altar; the flowers were was sent to Sister by a former pupil of hers in Parkersburg, WV. Mass programs all have an insert telling readers a bit about this quiet and humble (but ever-so witty) sister. Below, we share it with our readers:

Lucille Catherine Speer, the daughter of Elvader and Stella Stoddard Speer, was born October 31, 1910 in a rural area near McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania. Her father was a farmer and a tax collector and like many families of that area, the family held membership in the Presbyterian Church.

After attending Crafton public schools, she graduated from the then teacher's college which is now Indiana University of Pennsylvania. While a college student, she became a member of the Catholic Church in 1930.

For two years in the early 1930s, she was a relief worker for Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. A coworker there told her about a teaching position that was available at De Sales Heights Academy in Parkersburg, West Virginia, an academy founded in 1864 by Visitation Sisters from Georgetown and Frederick. On August 15, 1938, Miss Speer entered the Parkersburg Visitation community, making her final vows in 1943. As Sister Mary Raphael, she began a long career at De Sales Heights that included teaching English, Mathematics and religion as well as being librarian, assistant principal, principal and superior of the community. In 1941 and 1942, she received an MA in educational Administration from the Catholic University of America, an accomplishment unique for a Visitation Sister in those pre-Vatican II times. Another special remembrance she has is of accompanying a group of De Sales students on a four-week trip in Europe for which they received a credit in the study of world cultures.

When De Sales Heights closed its doors in the early 1990s and the sisters were received into other Visitation communities. Sister Mary Raphael and Sister Mary Immaculata Janz were welcomed here at Georgetown Visitation in 1992.

Beginning on October 20th, Founder's Day, when the Georgetown Visitation students and faculty presented a special cake to Sister Mary Raphael, we have been celebrating a milestone that in 2010 is still a rarity, even though she assures us that "We all age at the same rate of speed..."

Other famous quotations from Sister include: "Well ..." (spoken calmly and deeply.) When asked if she would like something else to eat: "I believe that I feel quite satisfied." And when Mother Mary Berchmans offers to push her chariot for her she responds with: "Mother, you have bigger fish to fry."

Living Rosary 2010

2010-10-28T05:02:00.004-04:00

The Spiritual Life Committee of our Parents' Association organized our annual "Living Rosary" yesterday evening. Normally, the event takes place in our student quadrangle but weather conditions made the Chapel a better choice for the location of this year's tribute to Our Lady.

Mothers and students gathered in the student dining room at 6pm for some lip-smacking good chili and homemade cookies. At 7pm students, parents, faculty and sisters gathered in the front hall where each one received a lighted taper and a rose. As the procession entered the Chapel, each participant placed her rose in a vase at the foot of Our Lady and commended to her heart a special intention.

The group prayed the Joyful Mysteries with a different special intention announced at the beginning of each mystery. Despite the weather conditions and change of plans, the event was seamlessly well-executed. For more pictures, visit our Facebook page's photo album.

An Obstructed View

2010-10-24T05:33:00.001-04:00

In a Broadway theater, an obstructed view seat is usually a very economical way to see a show. In our earthly pilgrimage, an obstructed view can be very expensive!

Today's Gospel reminds us that our own observations can often be very, very far from accurate --even when it seems that we have all the information needed to make a sound judgment. As certain as we may be that we have a complete picture of a situation, we can never make a correct judgment unless we know the heart of the person whose actions we are tempted to judge.

How often are we tempted to take offense at the words or actions of another and sometimes we even allow it to affect our own actions and reactions? How many of these times have we been wrong about the intention of the "offending party?" Our "judgment" may cause us to change our behavior, become less solicitous, less generous, less friendly and it may well be the case that since we did not know the heart of our neighbor, our judgment was incorrect.

The publican's heart was so very clearly disposed to the Lord's mercy that he was justified. We can never know, on this side of eternity, how the Lord sees the hearts of our neighbors. We can, however, strive to remember how incomplete a picture we have from our own vantage point and, with God's grace, we can starve the temptation to make a judgment on the actions or words of our neighbor.

"The Pharisee looked upon the publican as a great sinner . . . but how mistaken he was, inasmuch as the condemned publican was even then justified! If God's Mercy is so great, that one single moment is sufficient for it to justify and save a man, what assurance have we that he who yesterday was a sinner is the same today?"

St. Francis de Sales

Looking Ahead

2010-10-20T05:05:00.000-04:00

At the end of this month, on Halloween day, we will be having a very special celebration as our dear Sister Mary Raphael turns 100. We hesitate to say that she is 100 "years old" because there is nothing "old" about Sister except her age. In fact, when asked about her up-coming milestone, Sister has been heard to remark, "We all age at the same rate of speed." True, indeed!

They may not be ready for a game of "Monopoly" or "Sorry" but these handsome "Barker Brothers" are always ready for a game of tug-of-war with each other or with the closest obliging biped. They donned their Halloween costume a couple weeks early so as to be eligible for our school newspaper's costumed-dog contest. Readers can rest assured that will be sporting their handsome scrubs and helping our dear Sister Raphael ring in her 100th year on Halloween day.

Stay tuned for pictures of our dear Sister Raphael's birthday party as well as our handsome canine couple!