J is for Jesus

This month's spotlight on St. Francis de Sales is from the pen of our faithful portress, Sister Mary Immaculata. If anyone is an example of "Live + Jesus" it is our very own "SMI" -- as she signs her initials. Sister is known for her gentleness and her fidelity to our life of prayer. While she is minding the phone and the door, Sister makes rosaries, prepares correspondence and does a myriad of other tasks. Sister takes phone calls from people requesting prayers and asking us to pray for special intentions. She is such a warm and gentle presence on the phone that we suspect some of our family and friends call just to talk to Sister Immaculata! She writes:

Live + Jesus!

What a blessing to belong to the Order founded by St. Francis de Sales! I love, admire and am grateful to him for these reasons (and lots more!).

St. Francis de Sales was gentle, kind and so approachable. He was always willing to listen to and to advise all: the lowly and the lofty, the saint and the sinner, the humble person and the nobleman.

Who would not admire one so persevering in his combat against heresy. And did you ever consider the number and content of his letters; so full of understanding, wisdom and as practical and fresh now as then?

Lastly, I am eternally grateful for the grace to be received into the Visitation Order , when other orders wanted only the physically strong and robust. God is good! Thank you, dear father, Francis de Sales!

God be praised!

Renewal of Vows

Today we share a bit of our history and a little taste of our tradition. As is the custom of our Order, we renew our Vows during Mass each year on the 21st of November. In addition, each sister writes and signs her vows in our vow book (each year, every year!) This vow book dates to 1816, when our monastery replaced our first vow book because it was too small! Every sister who has made profession in our house has signed this book. If a sister happens to be visiting on the Feast of the Presentation, she signs our book on the guest page. Our Vow Book is a rich piece of our history and we are very fortunate that it was preserved from harm during our 1993 fire when our intrepid archivist, pictured below, went back into the burning building to retrieve the book!

The Vow Book is enshrined in our chapel, on the west wall, between the stained glass pictures of the Visitation and the giving of the constitutions to St. Jane de Chantal. Below is a close-up of a sister's page in the book, dating from the late 19th century.

"Grant, O Jesus, holy and sweet love of our souls, that the year in which each Sister shall inscribe her oblation in this book may be a year of sanctification for her; the day, a day of salvation, the hour an hour of lasting benediction."

From the three wishes of St. Francis de Sales written into the front of every monastery's Vow Book.

A Quiet Memorial

As we celebrate the thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, we whisper a quiet "Happy Feast Day" to our Blessed Martyrs of Spain. Blessed Maria Gabriela Hinojosa and her six companions were martyred in 1936 during the civil war in Spain. In his 1998 homily at their beatification, the late Pope John Paul II prayed that they may draw to Visitation houses "may vocations who will follow the sweet and gentle spirit of Saint Francis de Sales and Saint Jane de Chantal." And so we continue his prayer for vocations as we invoke them daily at the end of morning prayer. Below is a prayer to obtain favors -- for private use only -- approved by the bishop of Madrid. Please join us in asking for the intercession of our Holy Sisters of Spain!

"Most loving Heart of Jesus! You have willed to choose, in Your beloved Visitation, seven Sisters who have had the happiness of shedding their blood and giving their life for You. Deign to glorify Your servants by hearing our prayers and granting us the grace we ask of you though their intercession, if it be for Your greater glory and the good of our souls. Amen."

Recite three Gloria Patri in honor of the Holy Trinity.

Sacred Heart of Jesus,

I place my trust in You!

The End of Ordinary Time

As we draw closer to the end of the Liturgical year, the Solemnity of Christ the King, the Feast of St. Andrew and the beginning of Advent, it seems a good moment to examine the "ordinary." St. Francis de Sales, as many saints before him and many after, believed that the most direct route to holiness was a daily faithfulness to the ordinary tasks required by each person's state in life. And so, Ordinary Time can be a reminder for us that even the "ordinary" moments of our Liturgical year can be lived with extraordinary fidelity and devotion.

Fifty-five years before being elected Pope and one year before being ordained a priest, Angelo Roncalli wrote the following on 29th January, the former date of the Feast of St. Francis de Sales:

"Today was a perfect feast, I spent it in the company of Saint Francis de Sales, gentlest of saints. What a magnificent figure of a man, priest and bishop! If I were like him, I would not mind even if they were to make me pope! . . . My life, so the Lord tells me, must be a perfect copy of that of Saint Francis de Sales, if I wish to bear good fruit. There is nothing extraordinary in me or in my behavior, except my way of doing ordinary things -- 'all ordinary things but done in no ordinary way.' "

Winding Down

With just three weeks remaining in Ordinary Time, we are reminded, in today's Gospel, to keep our eyes fixed on the kingdom of heaven. In the longer form of today's Gospel, when Jesus is confronted by the Sadducees who, not believing in the resurrection of the body, ask a technical question about a seemingly-unlikely scenario, he directs their attention (and ours) elsewhere. Instead of entering into a discussion about the proper heavenly spouse of a woman who was seven times a widow, Jesus reminds us that heaven is altogether unlike our earthly life. We know very little about what the resurrection of our earthly bodies will be like, but we do know that the Lord promises a share in his resurrection to those who share in his cross.

There may be another lesson that lies hidden in today's Gospel. In addition to theme of the resurrection, perhaps the theme of "redirection" might speak to us as well. Sometimes we find ourselves in conversations which are difficult, as Jesus was in his confrontation with the Sadducees. Perhaps we sense that the person who has questioned us is less curious about what we believe and more interested in exposing it for the purpose of belittling it. We may have no evidence of this, but sometimes our soul can be disturbed by a challenging confrontation and we may feel threatened. Let us follow the example of Jesus and not be discouraged; let us point the discussion (and those who have challenged us) toward the promise that awaits us.

"Take good care not to fall into any discouragement when you are murmured at or criticized. I assure you that the business of finding fault is very easy and that of doing better very difficult."

St. Francis de Sales

Bravissima!

Many readers may have been aware of this, as the AP press release came out a couple of weeks ago. Yesterday it made the cover of the PRINT version of the "Washington Post." Tempting as it is to begin a social commentary, the power of this story speaks for itself (and brings a ray of hope!) We've attached several links.

Washington Post Article (Funny thing about it, the page "aborted" twice while uploading. Coincidence?)

Newsbuster's positive commentary on Vargas' Post article

Her Uncle has a blog and he posted about her.

God be praised!

A Humble Soul

Although he is only an "optional memorial" today's commemoration of St. Martin de Porres could not have had a more appropriate Gospel. St. Martin truly sought the lowest and most humble work available to him. He began his association with the Dominicans as a servant when he was a young boy. At age 24, thirteen years later, he made his religious profession as a brother.

Among the sick for whom he cared in the Dominican Monastery's infirmary were stray cats and dogs and, if legend serves us well, other (less-popular) small mammals. The on-line greeting card service sponsored by the Franciscans has a rodent (cartoon) card in honor of dear St. Martin, who also happens to be a patron for those bothered by uninvited rats and mice. Scroll down to see the entire card -- it is a very sweet card, emphasizing the good works of this humble saint.

"Humility and generosity are so closely joined and united to one another that they never are and can never be separated. There are persons who deceive themselves by a false and foolish humility which prevents them from looking at the real good which God has planted in them. In this they are quite wrong, for the gifts which God has bestowed on us ought to be recognized, esteemed and highly honored."

St. Francis de Sales

Trick or Treat!

Travel with us for 2 and a half minutes! As promised, we have a little video account of the Visi Vocation Van's trip to the Franciscan University of Steubenville. We gratefully acknowledge the use of free music and sound effects thanks to PacDV.

You may also find this video on YouTube.

Fair Play

This post hails from Stuebenville, Ohio -- the city of Murals. Readers can rest assured (as can our community) that the "Visi Vocation Van" arrived at the Super 8 last night with all passengers and cargo intact -- Deo Gratias. Last night we paid a visit to the 24-hour Eucharistic Adoration chapel of St. Mary of the Angels. Outside the chapel, Sister Rose found a beautiful nativity scene which is located near the tomb of the unborn child -- a very moving outdoor oratory.

Sister also discovered that our modest accommodations include wireless Internet service -- so we can share a few photos of our adventure along the way!

At 6.30am Mass, we were delighted (but not surprised) to find a chapel full of students and visiting religious. The Vocations Fair began at setting up at 9.00, welcomed students at 11.00 and ended a little after 5.00. Below is a picture of our table.

There were many interesting exhibits at the fair. The Salesians, (not picture in the photo, located directly to our left) were giving away yo-yos and the Benedictine monks of St. Vincent's Archabbey were spinning yarn (in addition to recruiting vocations!)

After the fair ended a number of vocation directors and students gathered for Adoration in the Chapel of St. Mary of the Angels. We should have a short video with highlights from the fair posted sometime next week. Stay tuned to see Sister Rosemarie try her hand at a yo-yo!

I is for Infectious

This month's spotlight on St. Francis de Sales is from the pen (er, keyboard!) of our Sister Maureen de Chantal. One could say that Salesian Spirituality is infectious ... and anyone who spends any time with Sister Maureen is bound to discover this!

Forty years ago, I was a student here at Visitation. Back then, I knew that St. Jane de Chantal and St. Francis de Sales had founded the Order, but there was little or nothing taught about Salesian spirituality in any formal way. The spirit of our Founders as well as the Visitation charism were both something that we “caught” from the example of the sisters. Their lives demonstrated a love of God and a gentle love for each of us, and we were grateful. At that time one of my teachers gave me a holy card with a quote from St. Francis de Sales on it:

"Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow. The same Everlasting Father who takes care of you today, will take care of you tomorrow, and every day. He will either shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at peace, then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations."

Thirty-two years after graduating from Georgetown Visitation, I returned, this time as a postulant. Last December I made my solemn vows. I know much more about St. Francis de Sales now, and I try to live his practical spirituality every day: Live in the present moment, be aware of the presence of God in my every day ordinary life, offer Him each moment and action in my life. And I share it – with love- with my students.

May God be Praised!

Mass Exodus!

On Thursday morning, we will have a double-departure. Several sisters will be headed to our Federation Meeting just outside of Wheeling, WV and our Sister Rosemarie and Sister Anne E will head to the Franciscan University of Steubenville for their annual vocations fair. As usual, our artwork does not accurately represent all details; we must admit that our "Visi Vocation Van" does not have our monogram on the side ... but readers can be certain that, true to the picture, Sister Rosemarie will be doing a lot of praying in the car -- especially if Sister Anne E is behind the wheel.

To learn more about the FUS Vocation Fair, click here for their press release.

Feast of St. Margaret Mary

Setting up the Choir for the Great Feast!

On 27th December 1673 St. Margaret Mary had an unusually quiet day in the infirmary, where she worked as an aide. With a little more time than usual on her hands, she slipped into the Chapel to pray before the Blessed Sacrament. It was then that Our Lord blessed her with her first revelation of His Most Sacred Heart.

In her own words, she tells us:

"And so once, when I was before the Blessed Sacrament and had more leisure than usual, for the duties given me left very little, I found myself surrounded by this divine presence, but so powerfully that I forgot where I was and who I was, and I abandoned myself to this divine Spirit, surrendering my heart to the power of His love."

Very few of us are privileged to have such experiences of the Lord (at least on this side of eternity!) but all of us are invited to seek him as earnestly as St. Margaret Mary did. Perhaps one of the most significant aspects about this first revelation is that St. Margaret Mary had a few extra minutes on her hands and sought to spend them with the Lord. There are so many different things which vie for our moments of free time. Let us follow the example of St. Margaret Mary and direct our spare moments -- of mind and heart -- to His Most Sacred Heart.

It's Not Easy Being Green

....but it's good!

Today has been designated "blog-action" day, to raise awareness about caring for the environment. We're not usually into the changing tides of trendy-blogging, but "green" is a worthy cause which is important to those of us who strive to live simply and waste as little as possible. This past Thursday our school celebrated Founders' Day and in her talk about "Thoughtful Concern for Others," Sister Mary Berchmans spoke about becoming more "green" in our daily life around school. At the first mention of it, a round of applause began.

A plug for Sister Mary Berchmans' "green-credibility": just about every memo or announcement that Sister posts on the monastery bulletin board is printed on the back of a recycled piece of paper. Sometimes the information on the back is more interesting than the information on the front (just kidding!) Sister used to use the back of the school bulletin for printer paper, but since the school bulletin went "green" last year, there are very few paper copies to be had. Please join us (and 15,000 other blogs) in encouraging others to talk about (and pray for) the preservation of the environment.

Make Straight the Way of the Lord

It may seem early for an Advent theme, but some among us are making "straight paths" even amid the mild fall that we are experiencing here in Washington DC. Sister Rosemarie has been hard at work using leftover bricks to build a path in leading up to the statue of Our Lady in the monastery garden. In the far right hand corner, Nicholas the dog, takes a break from "snoopervising" and enjoys a warm fall morning.

As Sister Rosemarie builds a "path" to Mary, it is welcome reminder for us -- during this month of October -- that approaching the Lord through his Virgin Mother is a powerful way to pray. Our dear sister may be a long time finishing her path to Mary (at least until she finds a masonry saw to tidy up the edges of her bricklaying) but the rest of us can approach Our Lady instantly in moments of trial and moments of joy as we pray for the grace to be as faithful to the will of God as she was.

"Let us then, have recourse to Mary, and as her little children, cast ourselves into her bosom with perfect confidence; at all times and on all occasions let us invoke her maternal love, and strive to imitate her virtues."

St. Francis de Sales

Every-birdie Gets a Blessing

On October 4th, Msgr. Duffy came 1/2 hour early for Mass so that he could bless the monastery menagerie. Sister Leonie Therese, our faithful sacristan also doubles as zoo keeper for our furry and feathered friends who live in the wardrobe (sewing room). Above, Horace the hamster inspects the ceramic animals surrounding the statue of St. Francis (who was enthroned on an ironing board for the occasion!)

Prior to the blessing, all those present sang "All Creatures of Our God and King." Pictured above are Mother Philomena and Nicholas (sporting his breast-cancer awareness collar), Sister Leonie, holding Lorenzo and Valentino and Catherine holding Horace. Father blessed the furry creatures (and nearly bathed one of the bipeds trying to sprinkle holy water on an escaping hamster) first and then the four birds (three monastery birds and one who is a boarder for a friend of the community who is in the process of moving). Below, Catherine enjoys a moment with Horace (who was not exactly amused that the blessing took place during his nightly sleep!)

An Attractive Falsehood

It would seem, judging from the experiences of the young women with whom we are privileged to work -- and the rapidly-progressing technological world around us -- that there is a very attractive falsehood (read: lie) being offered by popular culture. The falsehood, which can appear under many forms, is this: if you keep all your options open (for as long as possible) you can shape a life which will be free of suffering and sacrifice.

Today's Gospel poses a sharp contrast to this tempting offer. Most folks who have lived long enough to make a few "real-life" decisions have learned that every decisive choice which is made entails closing other doors and excluding other opportunities. Choosing one college means excluding the possibility of attending other colleges. Getting married to one person means not marrying another person. Choosing to pursue a career in one field excludes other career options. Following Jesus closely means working constantly to change behaviors which are contrary to the Gospel virtues. Today's Gospel reminds us that there is no life of joy that does not have suffering and sacrifice as part of its daily drama.

The missing link, it would seem, between the empty lie that society offers -- a life of no suffering and no pain -- and the Gospel call to follow the Lord is joy. When we are happy with the choices we have made those things which may be marked as "sufferings" are far less burdensome when considered in light of an abiding joy. Most parents acknowledge that the joy of having children requires many sacrifices on their part; those same, however, parents also agree that the joys of raising children far outweigh the sacrifices they have made. And so it is with those who have left behind former ways to follow the Lord. The "painless" life the world wants to offer is a life of indecision; opportunities never seized are joys never experienced. The abiding joy that the Lord offers comes at a price, a dear price, but the joy is out of this world!

"The virtue of cheerfulness requires that we should contribute to holy and temperate joy . . . which may serve as a consolation and recreation to our neighbor so as not to annoy him with our knit brows and melancholy faces."

St. Francis de Sales

Stopping Traffic

Last week some of our sisters stopped traffic on 35th Street. The sight of a few nuns (one with a camera) gathering on street corner caused cars to stop before arriving at the P Street stop sign. One car even stopped long enough to stick a cell phone out the window to take a picture of the group!

Our Sister Archivist teaches a formation class on the history of our community as well as the (inseparable) history of the Catholic Church in the country. Last week she conducted a walking tour of the streets in our immediate vicinity. Among the architectural notes and historical accounts, sister unveiled a mystery about metal images on some houses in our neighborhood. Due to the devastating risk of rapidly-spreading fire, associations formed in the 18th century to respond to this. Homeowners paid a fee to belong to a "Fire Association" and they displayed the insignia of their association on the outside of their house. When a fire broke out, it was evident from the metal symbol which fire association could be expected to respond. Many houses in our neighborhood still bear these historic symbols.

Just down the street from us are two connected houses, each of which belonged to a different association.

Above is a close-up of a fire association insignia. Some plaques even have pictures of hoses on them. Considering how many times our walls have been ravaged by fire, one would think that we might have belonged to every fire association that existed!

H is for Hospitality

This month we feature our infirmarian, Sister Anne Francis, who describes (and lives!) one of her favorite "little virtues" of St. Francis de Sales: hospitality. (If you are a new reader and are not familiar with our monthly spotlight on St. Francis de Sales click here to read our February entry.)

When arriving in the infirmary, one is greeted as though she is the only person in need of help. Sister Anne Francis manages many details from bandaging wounds and dispensing medicine to making appointments and filing records. Amid her many duties in the infirmary, Sister is always gracious and hospitable to each visitor who arrives. The lettered sentence (circled in red) is a Scripture verse which could very well be the motto of the infirmary:

Sister shares her thoughts on hospitality as one of the most important "little virtues" that we can cultivate. This virtue touches our daily life because our love of our God and our love of our neighbor cannot be separated. She explains that it helps us to empty ourselves of our preoccupations and to make room for our neighbor.

"Because our neighbor is in the image and likeness of God, created in order to communicate with the Divine Goodness, to participate in His grace and to enjoy His glory."

St. Francis de Sales

The Second Coming of Chris

No, that's not a typo in the title. This is yet another little incident in the "Life is Never Boring in the Monastery" category.

We've had a great many workmen around the monastery lately who have been trying to finish up items on our punch list. (If you are a new reader and you don't know about our renovation, click here, here, here and here to read some past posts about the exciting improvements to our monastery's interior.)

One of the most important details about the daily arrival of workmen is where they will be working in the monastery and at what time. (There's nothing like trying to do your spiritual reading in your room and having a workman arrive with a ladder and a drill and a constantly-ringing cell phone!) Each evening, when Mother gives out the obedience, announcing any events for the coming day there is often a notice about which workmen we can expect in the monastery for the coming day. This past Monday, Sister Mary Maintenance was in a bit of a hurry when she typed out the list of workmen. After listing a few subcontractors, the notice read, "Christ from Whiting Turner will be arriving at 7.30am to supervise the work being done in the basement and the attic." Before Mother read the announcement she said, "Sisters, I have wonderful news for you! You'll never guess who Whiting Turner is sending tomorrow!!"

As you might be able to guess, the young man pictured above is Chris and he's been the project engineer on site for the last few weeks. When Chris arrived here on Tuesday morning, he was greeted with a few chuckles and a bit of teasing and he's been a great sport -- to say nothing of being a great supervisor.

St. Francis de Sales on the coming of Christ into Jerusalem:

"All were moved at his coming. . . .His gentleness and humility captivated their hearts."

Contemporaries

Born just 25 years apart, St. Francis de Sales and St. Robert Bellarmine were contemporaries. When St. Francis de Sales was being examined for suitability as coadjutor to Bishop de Granier, St. Robert Bellarmine was a one of the examiners who posed 35 theological questions for the young provost to answer. Their paths crossed again when St. Robert helped St. Francis de Sales obtain official approbation for our Order!

In addition to celebrating the Memorial of St. Robert Bellarmine, we celebrate today the Feast day of our Sister Mary Roberta. When not teaching her homeroom to sing in rounds or shelving library books, Sister Roberta can be found assisting in the business office.

Sister must be opening an envelope that contains a donation -- surely it must not be a bill!

Night Prayer

September 9th is the anniversary of the death of our founding sister and the first superior of this house, Mother Josephine Teresa ("Alice") Lalor. Each year, we celebrate Night Prayer in our crypt where she is buried. We tried to capture (discreetly) a taste of this in a little video. The crypt does not lend itself for good movie making hence, the lighting, sound and overall quality of the video leave a great deal to be desired. Nevertheless, this 90 second video provides a little window into this very beautiful annual tradition.

First Day Photos

On Wednesday we shared how a local PEPCO power outage caused us to have our first (unofficial and unplanned) emergency evacuation. Since it was the first day of school, students had not yet been assigned their fire drill groups and, instead, assembled as one large group. Thanks to our staff of our publications office (who never leave the building without a camera -- even in case of an emergency!) we have a couple of nifty photos to share. Above, the large group assembles and enjoys a few moments of down time following the reading of the daily bulletin (which would have taken place in homeroom had the power outage not precluded it.) Below, a happy group of freshman sport their name tags and some bright smiles.

A word from St. Francis de Sales on the abandonment to God's will in moments of crisis (written during his spiritual crisis at age 19):

"Whatever may happen, O God, you who hold all things in your hand, whose ways are justice and truth, whatever you may have decreed concerning me . . . I will love you always, O Lord, at least in this life, if it is not given to me to love you in eternity!"

First Day Fiasco

Sister Anne Francis captures students' attention during homeroom in St. Joe's hall.

We really should use the Blogger labels ... but since we don't, we'll guess that this is the fourth or fifth post that could be considered part of the "Life in the Monastery is Never Boring"category:

Our first day of school began with the usual excitement and anticipation (and anxiety); all was "normal" until 10 minutes before homeroom (9.30am) when our neighborhood experienced a power outage. Students and faculty were instructed to assemble on the lawn and await instructions. Students assembled efficiently and quietly for announcements and a make-shift "homeroom bulletin" ... a homeroom of 450 or so!

After a delightful half-hour "break" students and faculty were dismissed and encouraged to return to their emergency-lighted classrooms for third period. Within a half-hour of returning to class, the power was restored.

Neither faculty nor students regretted the welcome -- albeit unexpected -- "down time" during the first day of school.

Make-over Complete!

Two weeks ago we showed the "Mary Make-over" in progress. Yesterday, the final product was unveiled at breakfast. The statue is so beautiful that the pictures (almost) speak for themselves.

The newly refinished statue.

A view of our refectory with Our Lady at the helm.

Mary's newly refinished crown.

If we stand still long enough -- some of us might get a "make-over" too!

Tolle Lege

Today we celebrate the Memorial of St. Augustine. Our Sister Jacqueline is a big fan of his and she shares here her love of this great doctor of the Church:

The influence of St. Augustine could be significant in our society today because he lived in a culture that is very similar to ours: there was much affluent, people were worldly, educated, and the pursuit for power was rampant. Every piece of this brilliant young man fit well into the lavish world of the Roman Empire into which he was born. And then the love of Jesus, though his mother's enormous and continual prayer, broke through to him and St. Augustine met the Lord. With all his erudition and his expansive personality, his circle of influence was huge. The number those who were affected by his conversion was proportionate to the great number of friends whose company he enjoyed.

The story of his falling in love with Jesus Christ -- his "Confessions" -- has been vital in the faith journey of many other seekers through the ages whose lives needed to be anchored in the love of Jesus Christ. When St. Augustine was converted, it was a stunning moment, he heard a voice in the garden: "Take and Read" ... and upon taking up the Scriptures, he was seized by writings of St. Paul.

Two quotations from his "Confessions" -- are but the tip of the iceberg!

"Look on me, Lord Jesus, and love me. Let me love you with my whole being as one set on fire by you."

"I sought a way, God, to gain the strength which I needed to enjoy you but I did not find it until I embraced the mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who is above all God, blessed forever. He was calling me and saying, 'I am the way of truth. I am the life.'"

When a choosing a rule for our Order, it is no accident that St. Francis de Sales chose the Rule of St. Augustine. He was touched by St. Augustine's deep love of Jesus Christ and he set that intimate personal love as the fabric of our way of life as Visitandines.

"Abide steadfastly in your determination to cling simply to God trusting in His eternal love for you."

St. Francis de Sales

"G" is for Gracious

In this month's spotlight on St. Francis de Sales, Mother Philomena shares warm memories about an Oblate of St. Francis de Sales whose life and work exemplified the virtues so esteemed by Our Holy Founder.

Father Joseph F. Power, OSFS, founded the DeSales Resource Center in 1980 and served as its director until his untimely death in 2002. In 1982 the Resource Center sponsored the first annual Salesian Conference; the annual conference, having just celebrated its 25th year, now bears his name. Father Power's gracious and humble presence was an open invitation for both the scholarly and the interested to ask for his help.

At the 1985 Salesian Conference in Allentown, PA, Father Power spoke about the teachings of St. Francis de Sales. We share here a few spiritual nuggets from Father's presentation:

"Follow your heart in prayer."

"Present and represent your poverty to God."

"Pray as you can, not as you can't."

"When you lack time, call on Him in your heart."

Queenship of Mary

Today, as we mark the Octave day of the Assumption, we commemorate Mary's coronation as Queen of Heaven. In doing so, we share a few thoughts from our late (and great) Pope John Paul II:

"In Mary shines forth God's sublime and surprising tenderness for the entire human race; in her, humanity regains its former beauty and the divine plan is revealed to be stronger than evil, capable of offering ever new possibilities of life and salvation. What great horizons are opened by this mystery! To the women of our time, who search -- sometimes intensely -- for their authentic dignity, she who is 'all beautiful' shows the great possibilities of the feminine genius when it is imbued with grace."

Stay tuned for updated pictures of the "Mary make-over." Coming soon!

The Journey of a Solemnity

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of our Holy Mother Saint Jane de Chantal. Poor St. Jane has had her feast transferred more times than one might imagine. She was originally celebrated on 21 August (her death date and the birthday of St. Francis de Sales). When Pope St. Pius X was canonized, she was moved to 12 December. Most of the rest of the Church outside of North America currently celebrates her feast in December. In dioceses of North America, when Our Lady of Guadalupe was elevated to a Feast, St. Jane de Chantal was suppressed. Our sisters in the United States petitioned the bishops to reinstate the feast. After a few different dates were discussed, 18 August was selected for its proximity to her death anniversary.

In addition to a Solemnity for our community, we mark the birthday of Mother Philomena and the Feastday of Sister Maureen de Chantal. The "feasting" began with pancakes for breakfast (thanks to the early birds who were rattling around in the kitchen before dawn) and will continue throughout the day.

"In all your good works you should unite yourself to the will of God's good pleasure, and in your faults and imperfections, you should unite yourself to His permissive will gently, quietly, and with peace of mind."
St. Jane de Chantal

Mary Make-over

The statue of Our Lady that resides in our refectory is receiving a custom make-over. Our sacristan, Sister Leonie Therese, sporting her green floral apron, and our postulant, Catherine, wearing a more demure ensemble, are shown applying a second coat of white paint. Rumor has it that there will be some new finishing touches applied to her crown. Stay tuned for more pictures!

"Honor, venerate and respect with special love the holy and glorious Virgin Mary, who being the Mother of Jesus Christ our Brother, is also in truth our very mother."

St. Francis de Sales

Terrorist in the Family

No, this is not about Father Cloriviere -- who really was a terrorist -- who is buried in our crypt (we'll have to write about him sometime!) This is about our very own, sweet and innocent Sister Jacqueline. (We do not use the "labels" provided by this new version of blogger ... but if we did, this post would be in the "life-in-the-monastery-is-never-boring" category.)

It all began as a normal day. Last Thursday, Sister Jacqueline and four other sisters went to the airport to travel to Minneapolis-St. Paul for our annual Salesian conference. When she attempted to check her luggage at curb-side checking, she was informed that she was under surveillance. Inside the terminal the woman at the check-in desk printed a letter from Homeland Security informing her that she was on a "list" and that she would have to be cleared when she returned from her trip. Needless to say, she was in a state of mild shock. Sister, however, was very happy to see security measures in place (especially as a resident of Washington DC) and, although alarmed, she was not irritated by this inconvenience.

Amazingly, when she arrived in Minnesota, she learned that her very own nephew (with whom she shares her last name) had the same experience when he last traveled. Could it be that the Burke family history has a spotted past? Perhaps. William Burke of 19th century England was noted for procuring cadavers for medical students -- hence the word "burke" (in the dictionary) means to "smother someone" (the means by which this distinguished Burke created his cadavers!)

Sister Jacqueline is known for giving bone-crushing hugs but we are happy to report that we have not had any casualties at home!

Pilgrimage!

We didn't wear shells around our necks, but we might have wished we had fans around them, as the temperature hit a mid-day high of 104F. Despite yesterday's oppressive weather, our Archivist, Sister Mada-anne led a small group on her "Southern Maryland Tour" of our monastery's roots in the United States.

We began with a visit to the Carmelites at Port Tobacco. Charles Neale, brother of Leonard Neale, brought them to the Maryland in 1790. The first few months of their foundation, they spent at Neale family estate, Chandler's Hope, just a short distance from their current location in Port Tobacco. We are pictured below with some of their community in their library. Click here to learn more about this delightful community.

Our next stop was St. Ignatius Church, where we attended 12noon Mass and enjoyed our picnic lunch in the (air conditioned) dining room of their manor house. Click here to learn more about St. Thomas Manor. Manor houses were built when it was illegal for Catholic Churches to be open to the public in the state of Maryland. The "house" was private but it permitted one to gain entrance into the Church or Chapel attached to it.

Below is a view of the cemetery at St. Thomas Manor. Among the early Catholic families buried there including members of the Neale family, the Digges family, and the Matthews family, one will find a large memorial to the Jesuits who came over on the Ark and the Dove in 1641.

Our last stop -- for prayer, quiet and a history lesson -- was St. Francis Xavier Church in nearby Newtown. Below, Catherine exits the Church as we begin our journey home.

Small and Modest

Small and modest -- that's the tomato. A very humble "first fruit" of our garden. (To be accurate, the lettuce and cucumbers have been arriving for weeks, but they're fresh tomatoes which delight both the cook and the rest of the community!) At risk of abusing the patience of our readers, we share a couple more garden shots:

"Tiger Tom" is an heirloom variety. This plant was "born" in our second floor storage room (since the former room for seed-starting is now an electrical closet!) This was Tom's baby picture from our previous "Garden Babies" post.

It wouldn't be fair to say that the "Tom" is the only modest one in the picture. Mother Philomena, former biology teacher, examines Tom's unique stripes.

Support natural family planting: grow open pollinated varieties!

Hidden Treasure

Today's Gospel about the merchant in search of fine pearls and the man who finds the hidden treasure point our souls toward the Kingdom of God. They remind us of the inestimable riches awaiting those who heed carefully the Gospel message.

A short excerpt from the Exhortations of St. Jane de Chantal calls our minds and hearts to a similar posture of responding to the Lord:

"To have chosen Jesus for the only object of your love,

is to have promised that your hearts shall have no other affections

than to please Him, to love and serve Him,

and that all your desires shall be for Jesus,

all your solicitudes for Jesus,

all your thoughts for Jesus,

in a word, all your soul and all your facilities for Jesus alone,

Whom, of your pure, unrestrained and free will,

you have chosen for the only Spouse of your hearts,

and the sole object of your love."

For those who have changed their lives after encountering the Lord, He, indeed, is the pearl of great price.

Feline Feature!

There have been two "purrfectly" amazing stories about cats in the media recently. If you have not already seen them, do follow the links; they are wonderful stories.

1. A man accidentally locked his cat in a room with two ducklings and when he realized this, he opened the door to find that his cat had adopted the ducklings. Click here for the story.


2. Oscar the cat has been more accurate than doctors and nurses in "sensing" when patients in "his" hospice care unit are about to die. Click here for the story.

F is for Father

This month's spotlight on St. Francis de Sales features our Sister Jacqueline who writes about three important men in her life ... and the "man in the middle" is St. Francis de Sales.

Sister's introduction to St. Francis de Sales came through her father, the late John Burke, Sr. who is the "first man" she credits with nourishing her spiritual life. Her father began attending daily Mass at the Visitation Monastery in St. Paul, Minnesota following the untimely death of her four-year-old brother James. Mr. Burke's attendance at daily Mass both inspired his daughter and led others -- mostly neighbors -- to follow his example. Several people returned to the Church and the sacraments thanks to Mr. Burke's witness. Little did he realize it, but his seat in the Monastery chapel found him right under a window of St. Francis de Sales. Just as St. Francis de Sales watched over Mr. Burke so the Sisters of the Visitation watched over his four daughters who were their students.

Our dear Sister Jacqueline began school at the Visitation at age five. Sister describes her life prior to the convent as one teeming with social events, parties and boys. From her bedroom window she could see the bell tower of the monastery and she reports that the tower was a meaningful -- if not "nagging" -- presence during those years. In the summer after her junior year after a visiting to a missionary community, Sister suspected that the Lord was calling her to what was in her front yard. So, she promptly went to the convent to meet with the superior Mother Jane Margaret Cullinan and confided her vocation to her. Mother told her to come back in a year and she enjoyed a carefree last year of high school: dances, parties and boyfriends galore. (Not altogether unlike her namesake, Sister Jacqueline Favre, one of St. Jane de Chantal's two companions in the foundation of our order.)

St. Francis de Sales, whom she came to know more intimately after entering the monastery was the first saint she "met" who really spoke to her. The miracle and grace of that relationship, Sister adds, is that he continues to be the saint of her life. He is the "man in the middle" as he was introduced to her by her Father and his devotion to daily Mass at the Monastery. The "third man" who has been an important companion for Sister joined the journey during her last years of novitiate: St. Augustine. She was first introduced to him in a reading of his Confessions and he has been a welcome companion ever since.

We share here one of Sister's favorite quotation from each of these three men.

"To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; to seek him the greatest adventure; to find him, the greatest human achievement."

St. Augustine

----
"Abide steadfastly in your determination to cling simply to God trusting in his eternal love for you."

St. Francis de Sales
----
"Stick with him (Jesus), kid and you'll wear diamonds."

John Burke, Sr.

Those of us who are privileged to live with Sister Jacqueline all know how closely she clings to the Lord and we're sure that her father is right ... the Lord will have a crown of diamonds awaiting her and their luster will be out of this world!

On the Virtue of Gentleness

In Thursday's Gospel we heard Jesus invite us to imitate him who is "meek and humble of heart." And in today's Gospel we hear the words of prophet Isaiah describe the promised Messiah as one who will carry out his mission in gentleness: "He will not contend or cry out, / nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets. / A bruised reed he will not break, / a smoldering wick he will not quench . . ."

It is quite possible to be generous and self-sacrificing without being kind and gentle. St. Francis de Sales had a great deal to say about even-tempered gentleness and the importance of practicing all virtues in a spirit of gentleness and kindness. In a letter to one of our early Mothers, he wrote the following, which serves as a "gentle reminder" to all of us!

"Almost everyone finds some virtues easy to practice and others harder, and everyone extols the virtue which they find easy and tried to exaggerate the difficulty of the others. . . . An even temper, gentleness and sweetness are more rare than perfect chastity but no less desirable for that. I command these virtues to you, my very dear daughter, because the flame of good example depends on them as on oil in lamp; nothing edifies others more than a loving good temper."

Garden Party

The last few rainstorms we've had brought about a growth spurt for many of our flowering (and fruiting friends) in the garden -- to say nothing of the weeds! Sister Mada-anne visits the vegetable patch snips a few herbs in the process.

Sister checks out the growth of the watermelon -- called "termelon" for short. Click here to see its baby picture.

Some of the tomato plants are growing so vigorously that they needed extra support. (If there are a few 'stop signs' around campus missing their poles, they can be found in the garden!)

Last but not least, Sister snips some lavender and anise for a window arrangement in the Archive Office.

Homespun Humor

Today the Church celebrates the feast of St. Henry, an 11th Century king (duke, then emperor) of Bavaria. While we do not have a particular devotion to St. Henry, his wife happens to be a household name in our monastery. ??!!

St. Henry was married to St. Cunegunda. There are several different accounts associated with the name "St. Cunegunda" -- sometimes spelled with a "K" and sometimes with a double "n." The wife of St. Henry is also sometimes confused with St. Kinga, the patroness of Poland whose name, in English is sometimes represented as "Cunegunda." For some reason, however, the name "Cunegunda" is used in our community when we anticipate a sister's first vows and the giving of her religious name. Although we do not have any "Sister Mary Cunegundas" in our cemetery, we often tease the soon-to-be-professed that "Sister Mary Cunegunda" would make a nice name -- second only, perhaps to Sister Mary Quodvultdeus.

Little is known about the saintly wife of "Good King Henry" but sources indicate that both she and her husband were devout and prayerful people who showed generosity to the poor -- a worthy reason to be remembered (and to be a household name!)

Daily Diversions

In our community we have a rule of thumb regarding unplanned and unassigned works - for lack of a better explanation: "An act of charity is anything that takes less than 5 minutes." Note: the "five minute" time frame varies between three minutes and fifteen minutes, depending upon who is asked! If we are asked to do something that would take longer than "an act of charity" or which might preclude one of our daily responsibilities, it is appropriate for us to get permission. This rule of thumb is not to limit our generosity in responding to the needs of our sisters, but to protect, in a sense, the time needed for the chores or works assigned to each of us.

In today's Gospel, Jesus is "interrupted" by a man whose daughter has just died. Jesus responds promtly and immediately follows the official to his home -- while pausing along the way to encourage the woman who was healed by the touch of his cloak (a drive-by miracle?). In the exchange between Jesus and the official we see an example of Jesus' willingess to be interrupted and to respond to the needs of those around him.

Perhaps for us a big challenge is not only responding to the needs of those around us -- and especially the unforeseen requests that may come our way -- but responding in a way that does not betray our inconvenience. Sometimes we genuinely want to help someone who asks us but other times, perhaps, we want to help someone only becuase we know it is the right thing to do. In the case of the latter we can be tempted to communicate our frustration at being interrupted. If this pitfall seems familiar, we might take heart and listen to the timeless advice of St. Francis de Sales in his conference on obedience which he gave to our early sisters. His words speak not only to the one who is asked to do an act of charity but to the one who has asked:

"Supposing, however, that a sister should ask us to do something, and that we, being taken by surprise, should show some repugnance to doing it, the sister must not take umbrage, nor even seem to notice it; neither must she beg us not to do what she had asked, for it is not in our power to prevent our color, our eyes, our behavior, from betraying the struggle going on within us, even while our reason consents to do the thing; for these are messengers who come unsummoned, and who, even when we bid them to depart, seldom do anything of the sort. Why, then, should this sister be unwilling to let me do what she had asked, simply because I show some repugnance to doing it? She ought to be glad that I should gain this profit for my soul."

One Year Later

"Come, let us worship the Lord, all things live for him."

Invitatory from the Office of the Dead

Today we commemorate the fist anniversary of death of our dear Sister Anne Marie. When a sister dies, we celebrate the Office of the Dead in her honor -- usually the day after she has died. We again celebrate the Office of the Dead for a sister on the first anniversary of her death. In addition to marking the death of a sister, a pope or our local archbishop, the Office of the Dead is sung on All Souls' Day, 2 November, every year.

Every year after her first anniversary, sister will be remembered as part of our necrology. We commemorate the deaths of the sisters who have lived and died in our community at Morning Prayer (or sometimes Evening Prayer).

Our local readers will all be familiar with these remarks, but for the benefit of others, we share here a few of Sister Anne Marie's ten famous words of wisdom. They are featured on the poster which helped her to raise money when the Chapel needed to be restored after the fire of 1993:

"Never tell your age, or they'll put you on a shelf; besides, a woman who will tell her age can't keep a secret."

"Moderation in all things . . . including moderation."

"Never volunteer dearie, you'll get the job for life."

(Actually, Sister Anne Marie would qualify this even further, telling our sisters in formation that an act of charity done three times becomes an obligation!)

"The answer is no. Now, what's the question, Sister?"