Greetings,It is our monastery's custom for the sisters to take a week of retreat each year. This week many of our sisters are retreating with lessons on our Monastic Mystics: Saints Hildegard of Bingen, Mechtild of Magdeburg, Gertrude the Great, Julian of Norwich, and Thomas Merton. During this time of seeking peace, the monastery sisters will fill-in for the retreat sisters house charges, share breakfast and dinner in silence, and in many little ways, hold their retreat sisters up in prayer.
Seeking Christ's gift of forgiveness in the Sacrament of Reconciliation is also a part of each retreat for the sisters at the monastery. It begins with a communal prayer including the chanting of Psalm 103, an Epistle from Paul, and Litany of Repentance. However, the most meaningful part (according to your poor scribe) is when the sisters seek the forgiveness of each other.
The Prioress calls us to this action; the two choirs stand and face each other...
Choir One bows to their sisters across the aisle and says, "Bless me, Sisters, and forgive me for my failure to love and support you as Christ would have me do." Choir Two stretches their hands out over their bowed sisters and responds, "We forgive you and ask God's mercy and pardon for you." After Choir Two bows in seeking forgiveness and is blessed by their sisters, our Prioress leads us in the Lord's Prayer and finally calls us to a Sign of Peace. This peace is shared among the sisters through making the Sign of the Cross on her forehead as we say, "May the Peace of Christ be with you. Amen."
After this communal prayer of forgiveness, our monastery Chaplain and a few priests from the local churches retire to quiet confessionals and corners in the Chapel to hear the confessions and offer the peace and forgiveness of Christ's Absolution.
And the quiet of retreat continues...please pray for us as we continue to pray for you.
Blessings,
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