Did You Know?

Did you know that the engineer who supervised the Building of the Brooklyn Bridge is an alumna of our school?

Emily Roebling was the wife of Washington Roebling, son of John Augustus Roebling. The elder Roebling was the engineer whose design to build a suspension bridge of the East River, connecting Manhattan to Brooklyn, was a response to the bill passed by the New York state legislature in 1866, which sought to address the recent population growth in Brooklyn.

John Roebling died of tetanus in 1869, after injuring his foot in an accident on the Brooklyn Ferry (where was OSHA back then??!!) Washington Roebling was named chief engineer after his father's death. In 1872, eleven years before the bridge was open for traffic, Washington Roebling was stricken with caisson disease, a common affliction of those who work in highly-pressurized environments. For the remainder of the project Emily Warren Roebling met daily with the workers and delivered messages from her ailing husband. She had a keen understanding of the work which was taking place and became well-respected among engineers and laborers alike. When it was suggested that her husband, due to his illness, be removed as chief engineer, Emily addressed the American Association of Civil Engineers on behalf of her husband and won their support for his continued leadership. On opening day, Emily Roebling rode across the bridge with President Chester Arthur. One must wonder if they were charged the 1 cent toll?!

In a recent trip to New York, attending the Catholic Thrive conference, Sister Mary Snapshot was lucky enough to stay with our Sisters in Brooklyn and to be one of the 140,000 cars that cross the 14,000 ton bridge each day. If you've never been across this architectural masterpiece, do enjoy a one-minute trip in the below video. While there are no nuns featured in the video, there is an awfully cute bird who was very unafraid of bipeds. Sister Mary Snapshot found him on a detour through Hyde Park.

It might interest readers to know that in 1984 a bike lane was added and that over 1,000 bikers and close to 2,000 pedestrians cross the bridge daily.

Duc in Altum

It's hard to read today's Gospel and to resist the temptation to write a dialogue for St. Peter. Here is Peter, tired - and probably frustrated - after a night of unsuccessful fishing and he's washing his nets when Our Lord tells him to cast his nets once more. Most of us, tired after hours of unsuccessful work, might not respond so readily to a suggestion to return to our task. We might be tempted to respond, "Are you kidding? I've had no luck all night! What makes you think that things will be different if I cast my nets now?" This is a natural (and rather logical) response.

Today's Gospel has served as a fertile metaphor for evangelization as well as for vocation ministry. And men and women involved in these fields find rich meaning in today's Gospel text. For the rest of us Christians, however, who might not be actively engaged in either of these good works, it seems that the key to today's Gospel is how Peter's fate changes when he casts his net at Our Lord's command. We may not always find our ships sinking with an abundance of fish but if we commend all our work to the Lord, we cannot be far from His grace. Sometimes we are asked to return to something which was unfruitful -- like Peter's fishing. At times, it may seem pointless to return to a project, a relationship or a task which seemed, to us, to be hopeless. When, however, it is clear that the Lord is inviting us to revisit a fruitless venture, we can trust that He will bless our willingness, as He blessed Peter's alacrity in today's Gospel. Our fidelity may not always be rewarded as visibly as Peter's catch of fish, but we trust that it is our faithful response for which we are responsible, not the outcome of the fishing trip!

"For we are commanded to have great care in what appertains to God's glory and to our charge, but we are not bound to, or responsible for, the [outcome of the] event, because it is not in our power."
St. Francis de Sales

Unwelcome Words

Have you ever walked into a room -- perhaps at work or at school -- and felt uncomfortable because the conversation seemed to stop at your arrival? It's even more uncomfortable when this happens in our own family! How our Lord, in today's Gospel, must have felt when the angry crowd, murmuring about his parentage, drove him out of the town.

We cannot avoid the humiliations that come our way in daily life. Sometimes we may be tempted to say to ourselves, "If only I hadn't said that" or "I wish I hadn't done this" but most of the time we cannot control the circumstances which befall us. If we were in Jesus' sandals in today's Gospel, we might be tempted to say, "Gee, if only I hadn't read from the book of Isaiah!" To say this is to miss the point of the Gospel. When we try earnestly to align our lives with the will of God for us, rejection and temptation are bound to find us. Jesus, in fulfilling the Father's will, incurred the anger, the jealousy and the resentment of many. We will not be able to escape similar experiences when we walk in his footsteps, but we can be consoled that every emotion we will experience has already passed through the Divine Heart of our Lord.

"There are many people who say to Our Lord: 'I give myself wholly to You without reserve.'; but there are very few who actually practice this self-abandonment, which is nothing else but the acceptance . . . of all the events which may befall us just as they arrive by the order of God's Providence; affliction equally with consolation, sickness as health, poverty as riches, contempt as honor, shame as glory."
St. Francis de Sales

All's Quiet on the Blogging Front

With 27 visiting sisters from five of our other monasteries, we've been a bit busy here in Georgetown. We have delighted in the opportunity to see so many friends -- old and new -- but it hasn't left us much time for push-button publishing. Above, sisters gather to make sandwiches for supper on Sunday night.

At the sandwich making party, our own Mother Mary Berchmans and Sister Margaret Mary of our monastery in St. Louis taste the cranberry-cream cheese spread which the sandwich makers put on the turkey sandwiches. ... and the verdict?

Delicious!

It is always exciting, when we have guests ... but this time we had some extra excitement. On Monday night, just after most of the sisters went to bed, we had a (false) fire alarm. A late-night fire drill with firemen arriving from several different companies provided an unplanned pajama party as we tried to spread the word that it was a false alarm. As much as we love excitement, we pray that the rest of the time with our guests is exciting in a more "peaceful" way.

Our Lady and St. Bernard

We couldn't have chosen a better day to erect the new statue of Our Lady of the Eucharist in our monastery garden. Last year the brick path (which ends at the statue) was put in and we had to wait until we were able to find (and ultimately build) a pedestal large enough for this beautiful statue.

St. Bernard had a great devotion to Our Lady. So well known was this devotion that Dante had St. Bernard act as his guide in canto 31 of his "Paradiso" as he shows the glory of the Blessed Mother. In addition to his many sermons and letters, St. Bernard also penned a beautiful commentary on the first two chapters of The Song of Songs. In his work, "On the Love of God" (De amore Dei), he asks how, as creatures, we can possibly love God as well as He loves us. He punctuates the discussion with this thought: "Nothing is lacking where everything is given." Perhaps that is the 12th century way of saying "Do the best you can!"

St. Francis de Sales on St. Bernard:

"For as the glorious St. Bernard says: 'It is written in particular of man that he never continueth in the same state; he necessarily either goes forward or returns backward. All run indeed but one obtains the prize, so run that you may obtain. Who is the prize but Jesus Christ? And how can you take hold on him if you follow him not? But if you follow him you will march and run continually, for he never stayed, but continued his course of love and obedience until death and the death of the cross.' Go then, says St. Bernard; go, I say with him; go and admit no other bounds than those of life, and as long as it remains run after this Savior. But run ardently and swiftly: for what better will you be for following him, if you be not so happy as to take hold of him!"

Charlie's Hearty Tomatoes!

This summer's vegetable garden has an overachieving variety which stands head and shoulders above its neighbors -- literally and figuratively. In addition to our usual Red Brandywine beefsteak tomatoes, we tried the Mortgage Lifter, a well-known name in heirloom tomatoes. This fruit has an interesting history: Mr. Marshall Byles of Logan, WV who was known as "Radiator Charlie" because he was an automobile mechanic, cross-bred the biggest and best-tasting tomatoes he could find. Gradually, after hand pollinating generations of plants and selecting the characteristics most desirable to him, Radiator Charlie ended up with a large red beefsteak tomato that grows in groups of three on a vigorous plant. In the 1940's these sought-after seedlings were sold for $1 a plant. Over several summers, Radiator Charlie sold enough plants to pay off his mortgage, hence the moniker of this summer delight. In 1985, Mr. Byles sold his seeds to the Southern Seed Saver's Exchange, from whom they can be purchased today. To hear an explanation of this plant's history as well as clips from an audio interview between Radiator Charlie and his grandson, Ed Martin click here.

Unlike some heirloom varieties, the Mortgage Lifter shows no signs of catfacing or blossom end rot, and it appears to be very disease resistant. Our monastery might just have found a new favorite tomato!

New Date, New Book!

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of our Holy Mother, Saint Jane de Chantal. For the first time, we are celebrating on this date. For more information on the "movement" of the feast, click here. This post is a bit of a shameless promotion for our new 400th Anniversary book. Both our Mother Mary Berchmans and Sister Mada-anne contributed to the book. Readers should feel free to order a copy of this book since we have a sufficient number of copies on hand.

All kidding aside about our "new book," our "new feast" date is a welcome opportunity to celebrate a woman whose life as a wife, widow, mother, religious foundress and sister was marked by a deep faith in the loving providence of Our Lord. If you haven't read a great deal about St. Jane, one of the best biographies was just recently republished; Written by Elisabeth Stopp, a British Salesisan scholar, it is an engaging read which is both realistic and inspiring.

Today's celebration will include a 9am Mass, a festive meal (read: ice cream for dessert) and, very likely, some extra recreation and merry-making!

"Have great courage and you will see the glory of God increasing like the glow of a beautiful dawn!"
Antiphon for the Feast
First Vespers

Annecy Video

In late June we welcomed Mother Mary Berchmans back from our school's pilgrimage to Annecy. Here we share a few minutes of the pictures she took during the trip. Among the different places that the group visited were our monastery in Marclaz (where they enjoyed some ice cream!) and our Monastery of Annecy as well as the Gallery House, site of the first Visitation community and the de Sales castle at Thorens. Do enjoy a "virtual pilgrimage" with 30 of our faculty and staff ... and Mother's deft hand at capturing the highlights!

Upcoming Event!

This is an upcoming event that is not just for locals! Our school's Nolan Performing Arts Center is one of seven locations around the country which will be hosting the 27th annual Salesian Conference. This year, to mark the 400th anniversary of the publication of St. Francis de Sales' "Introduction to the Devout Life." The day begins at 9am with a light breakfast and concludes with Mass. The program includes three presentations on Salesian spirituality and affords opportunity for discussion and fellowship. The presentations will be live in Wilmington, DE and will be simulcast in the following locations: Washington DC, Wilmington, NC, Sylvania, OH, St. Louis, MO, St. Paul, MN and Ft. Myer's, FL (registration closed in FL). If you live near one of these locations and would like more information, visit the DeSales Resource Center homepage for more information.

Each Stage of the Journey

We hear in today's first reading about the cloud and fire which marked the Lord's presence to the Israelites at "each stage of their journey." These words are the final words in the book of Exodus; it is a fitting conclusion for a book whose title means, literally, "the road out." The Israelites undertook their journey in light of the Lord's guidance. They watched for the cloud to lift in order to proceed and when the cloud did not lift, they stayed in place.

It may strike us today as silly to think of stopping and waiting -- during a long journey -- when proceeding consistently would seem to ensure a more expeditious arrival. We might, however, learn something from the attentiveness of the Israelites. Sometimes we get stuck in traffic and are frustrated as to why we are held up on our way. Perhaps we are planning a trip with our family and the dates we desire are not convenient. We may never know, on this side of eternity, what troubles the Lord spares us or what delights he prepares for us as he permits our own "plans" to be subject to circumstances which are beyond our control. If we begin each day, each task, each event, each "stage" of our journey with a prayer to God, dedicating our work and our rest, our praying and playing and our every effort to His glory, we will be less likely to see "stopping and waiting" as a nuisance. We may not get a cloud by day and a fire by night to guide us, but we will have the assurance that every moment of our day is offered as a prayer to our loving God.

Here we share a prayer of St. Francis de Sales which he used to consecrate his daily life to the Lord. To this day Visitation Sisters, Oblates of St. Francis de Sales and their friends, alumnae and alumni -- and many other members of the Salesian family -- begin their days with this prayer.

"My God, I give you this day. I offer you, now, all of the good that I shall do and I promise to accept, for love of you, all of the difficulty that I shall meet. Help me to conduct myself during this day in a manner pleasing to you. Amen."
St. Francis de Sales' "Direction of Intention"

Service and Sisterhood

Last week some of our sisters helped to cook for the students participating in the week-long service program called "Vistory." (Despite what it looks like, it's not a compound of "Visitation" and "History" ... it's an acronym that includes some of the following words: Visitation, service, responsive, youth, etc., and Sister Mary Blogger can't quite put all the words together in the correct order!) Above, some of the students pose with sisters in the parking lot: a mid-point between the gym (sleeping quarters) and the student dining room (the feedbox). The week-long program focuses on service, Salesian spirituality and sisterhood.

Above, students install drywall at DC's Habitat for Humanity site. Below, a group of "Vistorians" flexes their muscles after some intense walking on an afternoon scavenger hunt. We were sorry to see our Vistory visitors leave us, but we look forward to staying in touch with them until the next Vistory service week. Next stop for Vistory: St. Paul, MN.

"The essence of prayer is not to be found in always being on our knees but in keeping our wills clearly united to God's will in all events. The soul which holds itself ready and open to yield itself obediently on any occasion ... can do this even while sweeping the floor." (or installing dry wall!)
St. Francis de Sales

Beyond Bondage

Today's first reading provides a wonderful metaphor for the spiritual life: Moses trusted the Lord and risked losing the "status quo" -- staying in Egypt as slaves -- for an opportunity to pursue freedom from slavery. In our own lives, we sometimes need to move beyond what has become "routine" in order to grow in virtue.

One can almost hear the Israelites clamoring as "they complained to Moses,'Were there no burial places in Egypt that you had to bring us out here to die in the desert? Why did you do this to us? Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Did we not tell you this in Egypt, when we said, 'Leave us alone. Let us serve the Egyptians’? Far better for us to be the slaves of the Egyptians than to die in the desert.'" The Israelites would have preferred to stay in bondage as slaves of the Egyptians than to risk the life they knew in order to pursue freedom.

Perhaps there is some area in our own lives where we are reluctant to change what is "comfortable." Maybe there is a coworker or fellow parishioner whose company we find tiresome or irritating. It may be comfortable to avoid his company on a regular basis. We may have developed a habit of successfully avoiding this person. We might, however, consider risking our comfort to reach out in charity to someone we would much prefer to avoid. If what is "comfortable" does not lead us toward virtue, we must be on our guard that it does not tempt us to be uncharitable to our neighbors. These little daily opportunities may seem small compared to the plight of the Israelites; on the contrary, they are not small when we consider the long-lasting effects of remaining "comfortable" when virtue may be calling us forth.

When we leave behind our comfort and trust the in the Lord's providence, may we hear Moses' words in our hearts: "Fear not! Stand your ground, and you will see the victory the LORD will win for you today."

"A trifling inaccuracy, a little hastiness in word or action, some small excess in mirth, in dress, in gaiety, may not be very important, if these are heeded immediately and swept out as spiritual cobwebs;—but if they are permitted to linger in the heart, or, worse still, if we take pleasure in them and indulge them, our honey will soon be spoilt, and the hive of our conscience will be cumbered and damaged. But I ask again, how can a generous heart take delight in anything it knows to be displeasing to its God, or wish to do what offends Him?"

St. Francis de Sales

Vistory Visitors

This week our campus hosts 49 students -- 33 from our other Visitation schools -- who, together with some of our own students, spend a week doing Christian service in Washington DC. Above, our Sister Mary de Sales prepares Tuesday's supper with visiting Sister Sharon Elizabeth from our monastery in Toledo. We've been a little quiet on the push-button publishing front ... making meatballs is hard work!

While the students are here on campus, they sleep on the floor of our gymnasium and spend their evenings doing activities which complement their service with "sisterhood and spirituality." They pray and play, have discussion groups, large group activities and relax together. Above is an aerial shot of their tie-dyed tee-shirts. We'll chalk that up to a "sisterhood" activity!

Family Reunion

Perhaps the waiting area outside the pearly gates will have movies, scenes from the bible, -- as only heaven could have witnessed them -- for the souls waiting to be called to judgment. And maybe -- one can only dream -- there will be a marquis that reads: "Genesis 43-45. " If there is, this blogger will be waiting in the front row for the feature presentation!

If you've never read the entirety of the "family reunion" in Genesis, it's worth starting in chapter 43. If you have time, you can go all the way back to chapter 37 when Joseph is 17 years old or -- better still -- to chapter 30, where Joseph is born; he is the first of Jacob's two sons born to Rachel. (Rachel later died after giving birth to Benjamin, Joseph's brother.)

Today's first reading, of necessity, edits out a great deal of the story of Joseph's reunion with his brothers and -- most poignantly -- with his brother Benjamin. It is well worth a read through the previous chapter(s) -- a Hollywood screenwriter would be hard-pressed to find a better script for a family drama: sibling rivalry, deception, abandonment, an unlikely rise to power, and forgiveness ... to name just a few themes! Treat yourself to a read ... or view this 9 minute clip, courtesy of You Tube.

Vermiculture and Leftover Veggies

A couple of years ago, we decided to add "cold composting" to our already fruitful process of outdoor composting. In the hallway just off the porch we have been hosting a "worm chalet" where hundreds (and probably thousands) of Redworms (red wigglers) live. Unlike the worms found in the gardens and woodlands of North America, these earthworms are not earthmovers they are composting worms. They eat leftover (cooked) vegetables, leftover rice and pasta, coffee grounds and tea bags and -- since everyone needs fiber in their diet -- shredded paper and cardboard, too. After several months of eating and digesting, the worms produce "black gold" ... know in gardening shops as "worm castings" and, more descriptively as "worm poop." Ever few months it is necessary to separate the worms from their castings and locate them in a tray of fresh "food-n-fiber." Above, Sister Philomena sorts through a pile of worm castings.

South American Redworms are not nearly as big as their North American cousins, so a mature worm does not look impressively big -- but they sure do work hard!

Above is a tray ready for some worms. In the center looks like the leftovers from mashed carrots and around the carrots are paper shreddings from the business office shredding machine. After the worms are deposited in the tray and before the "chalet" roof is placed on top, a little peat moss is sprinkled on top to absorb any excess moisture.

A few months later, the above tray is ready for sorting. The worms have worked hard: eat, sleep, digest, have baby-worms, eat, sleep, digest, have baby-worms. We realize that an apiary might be a more "Salesian" hobby, given St. Francis de Sales' fondness for bees ... but it might be important to note that earthworms have 5 hearts. St. Francis de Sales, had he known that, would no doubt have had some spiritual metaphors concerning our hard-working wigglers!

Don't Eat the Flowers!

As promised, a few posts ago, we are delighted to share some pictures of the non-edible (and very beautiful) plantings that our sisters have been tending this summer. Above is a close-up of flowers in a pot which will decorate the path leading up to our soon-to-arrive statue of Our Lady.

At the crossroads of the paths in the garden are splashes of color such as the group pictured above. Sister Mary Blogger couldn't begin to name all the beautiful flowers which are springing up, but she sure does enjoy the variety of colors and sizes.

Sister Mary Flower-Gardener has designed a "prairie planting" with some beautiful and delicate additions. Enlarged to the left of the photo is "Gaura" and to the right of the photo a desert flower which requires little water. The magnolia tree in the right side of the photo provides shade for St. Joseph and gainful employment for many a sister looking to help in the garden!

"The Church is a garden patterned with unlimited flowers"
St. Francis de Sales

Welcome Home Ma Mere

After a grace-filled week in Annecy with faculty and staff from our school, Mother is home. Yippie! Mother captured many highlights from her trip with a digital camera -- her first foray into the world of digital photography. We share here a couple of her best shots.

In addition to making friends with our sisters in the Annecy Visitation, Mother brought home a "friend:" sweet little Francois, the white clown-doll made by Sister Gabrielle. To the right of Mother is Sister Margaret Mary, one of the English-speaking sisters in Annecy.

The one-week pilgrimage covered many places sacred to our Holy Founders and the early mothers of our Order. On their last evening in Annecy, the group took a boat ride around lake Annecy. Buildings might be renovated and restored but the elements of nature remain unchanged. One can only wonder how many similar sunsets over the foothills of the Alps inspired St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal with a deep sense of God's presence in all of creation.

Stay tuned for an "album" of Mother's photos on the Monastery's FB page.

Be a Fan!

As some of our astute readers have noticed, a Facebook badge went up in our sidebar this week. Georgetown Visitation Monastery now has a page on FB where readers can access our Mass schedule for the month -- even without having a FB account. A simple listing of the days of the month and the times of Mass is located on our "information" tab. Since our daily Mass schedule does change upon occasion, locals can check the FB schedule for an up-to-date listing of daily Mass for the month.

To see events (such as our soon-to-be-posted "Annual 4th of July Family and Friends BBQ Bash") and to RSVP to them, one needs an account on FB. Those readers with FB accounts can also become "Fans" of the monastery. Wonder what St. Francis de Sales would make of all this "social networking" ... he'd probably make good use of it if he were around today!

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we begin the Year of the Priest. Pope Benedict declared this special time of prayer and celebration so as to encourage priests in their pursuit of spiritual perfection. Below is a minute and a half newsflash about this Jubilee year which begins today. Click here to read the Holy Father's letter to priests. Let us commend our clergy to the Most Sacred Heart of Our Lord by our prayers and our actions. At at time when many of our clergy are over-extended in their efforts to meet the needs of the faithful, let us find ways to show our gratitude and support.

"Yes, truly, ... divine love being seated upon our Savior's Heart as upon his royal throne, beholds by the cleft of his pierced side all the hearts of the sons of men: for this Heart being the King of hearts keeps his eyes ever fixed upon hearts."

St. Francis de Sales

Corpus Christi

We were blessed with beautiful weather for the Solemnity of Corpus Christi: a warm day with very low humidity and a light breeze! We share with our readers a few moments of the celebration of Corpus Christi in a three and a half minute video below. Among the highlights not captured on camera was an anecdote in Father's homily. He shared a moving experience from his time as a transitional deacon when he prepared second graders for first holy communion. After carefully explaining all the vestments and sacred objects he asked the second graders what they would tell a non-Christian friend who might "peek" into a Catholic Church and ask "What's going on in there?" A little boy raised his hand and answered, "It's not a 'WHAT' it's a 'WHO!'" From the lips of babes.

One detail we forgot to take into account, as we were planning for Corpus Christi, was our dog. We forgot to tell Nicholas, our faithful watch dog, that the procession would travel along the monastery porch. He seemed a bit startled to see so many "strangers" in his territory. We did not edit out his contribution to the procession. He came in -- right on cue -- as the porch door opened and the procession began. You'll notice that after a few gentle reminders from sisters, he decided that we were a safe bunch up on the porch. Many thanks to all who contributed and participated in yesterday's celebration!