The Christmas Season Concludes: A Final Christmas Memory

Greetings,

The recent Yankton Benedictines newsletter shared stories from our Sisters' Christmases past...

Sr. Marielle remembers the musical tradition mentioned by Sr. Rosemary. The boarders at Mount Marty College and High School were also treated to this tradition which continued up through the early 1970's at MMC.  Sr. Marielle remembers that the Sisters would come to wake up the Mount Marty High School students with beautiful singing before Christmas. Sisters also signed up to go caroling at Sacred Heart Hospital to whomever was in the hospital at Christmas time.

The Christmas Season Continues: A Third Christmas Memory

Greetings,

The recent Yankton Benedictines newsletter shared stories from our Sisters' Christmases past...

Sister Bernard would play her violin and other Sister-singers would go throughout the monastery playing and singing to wake all for Christmas Midnight Mass. Sr. Rosemary remembers that, "As a candidate, I did not know of this tradition. When I woke up, I thought I must have died and gone to heaven, the music was so beautiful."

The Christmas Season Continues: Another Christmas Memory

Greetings,

The recent Yankton Benedictines newsletter shared stories from our Sisters' Christmases past...

Midnight Mass at the monastery was also a beautiful tradition. Some people in the area would plan their whole Christmas celebration around it. The chapel was so full, extra chairs often had to be set up. Sr. Angeline, who grew up in Yankton, remembers that she and other little girls in their white first communion dresses would take part in a procession before Mass. Mother Jerome carried up the statue of the baby Jesus on a white satin pillow, with the girls following with streamers. In later years, postulants in white gowns replaced the children in the procession.

The Christmas Season Continues: A Christmas Memory

Greetings,

The recent Yankton Benedictines newsletter shared stories from our Sisters' Christmases past...

Sr. Wilma remembers that Christmases were much simpler in those days as she lived through the end of the Depression during WWII and professed monastic poverty. Christmas was celebrated with a nice meal, extra fruit, and candy. The novices would draw names and make a little gift for that sister. When Sr. Wilma was out "on mission," that is, teaching in a parochial school away from Yankton, the Sisters usually stayed there during Christmas vacation. The parents of their students would bring the sisters practical gifts - like a farmer who brought them a nice ham. The Sisters might also draw names and make gifts for one another.

Christmas Day at the Monastery

Greetings,

On this Christmas Day, we offer you our prayers and blessings and invite you to take a 'virtual tour' of our monastery chapel decorated for the Christmas celebrations.  The poinsettias and greenery remind us the celebrating begins on Christmas Eve and continues through the Baptism of Our Lord.

A Christmas Blessing and Call to Prayer

Greetings,

This morning Pope Francis proclaimed his Christmas Message and Urbi et Orbi blessing to thousands of pilgrims gathered in Saint Peter's Square.  It carries an important message of our brothers and sisters in need of our love and prayer...

T'was the day before Christmas Eve...

Greetings,

Following our monastic tradition, the sisters don't begin to decorate for Christmas in their personal spaces and common rooms until after the "O Antiphons" have begun.  However, we don't decorate the refectory, Bishop Marty Memorial Chapel, or main hallways until the day before Christmas Eve. The flurry of work is made light (and a bit fun) with many helpful hands...

Wondering how it could all be done in one afternoon?  CLICK HERE!

Christmas Eve Blessings to you,

Christmas Season Liturgies

We invite you to join us in prayer throughout the Christmas Season...

Epiphany

Greetings,

All around the monastery, the wise men continue to seek the Christ Child.


Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.

For darkness shall cover the earth,
and think darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will rise upon you
and his glory will appear over you.
Nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn.

Lift up your eyes and look around;
they all gather together, they come to you; your sons and shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses' arms.

Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and rejoice,
because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you.

A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
 Isaiah 60: 1-6

Blessings,

Retreat: Seeking God, A Pause to Discern

Greetings,

If you are a young, single, Catholic woman who desires to deepen her faith and is considering the call to religious life, we invite you to discern with us.

Our Vocation Sisters and all our Benedictine family will be hosting a discernment retreat on the weekend of January 3rd.  On that Epiphany weekend, we will invite you to seek Christ along with the wise men of old.

For more information about "Seeking God: A Pause to Discern"  please contact our Sister Phyllis.  To register for the discernment weekend, please print the registration and know that our prayers are with you.

Blessings,

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God



Happy Feast Day and a Blessed New Year!

"And Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart."
Luke 2: 16-21



Christmas Day Celebrations!

Christmas Greetings!

Christmas celebrations began with the divine.  Our Lauds and Mass rang with joyful choirs.  While our morning prayer was open to all, the sisters were only joined by our chaplains.  However, our Christmas Mass filled many more of the Chapel pews with a celebration of diversity.  To the delight of all, the student sisters from Tanzania lead the procession at the offering of the gifts. Music filled with rhythmic drums played over the speakers as they danced before the gifts with khanga cloth from home tucked over their habits.  The celebration of God's Divine welcome continued as we stepped forward at the reception of the Eucharist.  The sisters began the line in variations of white, black, and red for the season.  Then our guests and visitors stepped forward; the young and old, those in Sunday best and blue jeans, the carefully-coiffed and those with green hair, little girls with brand-new sparkly Christmas clothes and their more somber grandparents. It was a wonderful celebration.

After our Christmas brunch, the monastery seemed strangely quiet in the afternoon.  A number of the sisters changed into their 'festive' Christmas best, located 'official' identification, bundled up, and carpooled caravan style down to the Federal Prison on the other side of town.  The sisters have celebrated a Christmas Mass with the men of the Federal Prison for many years.  Sister Musician-Liturgist sometimes plays at their regular Masses and coordinated a group of the residents to play the bells for the Mass with the Sisters.  Every year the little chapel space is packed for the Mass; it is a sacred time to share our welcoming the Lord into our lives and reminding them of our prayerful support of their conversion.  The hope we seek to share with the residents echos Pope Benedict the XVI's Christmas Message:

"If we believe". Here we see the power of faith! God has done everything; he has done the impossible: he was made flesh. His all-powerful love has accomplished something which surpasses all human understanding: the Infinite has become a child, has entered the human family...Yes, there is a good earth, a healthy earth, an earth freed of all selfishness and all lack of openness. In this world there is a good soil which God has prepared, that he might come to dwell among us. A dwelling place for his presence in the world. This good earth exists, and today too, in 2012, from this earth truth has sprung up! Consequently, there is hope in the world, a hope in which we can trust, even at the most difficult times and in the most difficult situations. Truth has sprung up, bringing kindness, justice and peace.

The afternoon was also time for our family Christmas party! All the sisters gathered in the Chapter room for treats, music, and laughter.  The party began with treats and a mix of Christmas Carols and songs.  The music ended with a rousing rendition of the "12 Days of Christmas"; except this year, we also had different signs for each table to wave during our part of the '12'.  Next the prioress shared the community gift, a book by the Abbot Primate (head Benedictine monk).  Finally, Sister Elves delivered the sisters' gifts from the generous members of St. Mary Church...the room filled with exclamations of joy and laughter.  Sisters continued comparing the family photos and cards that were included with many of the gifts and began to compose their 'thank yous' and 'promises of prayer' as we picked up the Chapter Room and prepared for evening Vespers.

We will continue to keep you in prayer throughout this Christmas Season!

Christmas Blessings,

Christmas Eve Events...

Greetings,

The monastery has been bustling with activity during this ONE DAY between the last Sunday of Advent and Christmas Day.  After Lauds, Mass, and breakfast, the preparations for the next day's festivities began.  The sisters divided into groups of merry elves to get all the work done.

Sister Sacristan and Sister Subprioress making final
poinsettia placement decisions while preparing Chapel.

The sisters decorating the Chapel had 'double duty' since the Advent Wreath and purple banners needed to be taken down before the white and gold Christmas banners and poinsettias could bedeck the sanctuary and pillars.  A few sisters artfully arranged a few dozen red and white poinsettias around the base of some simple evergreen trees that flank either side of our high altar while others continued to cart them in from their 'cool' storage.  Sisters with great balance tiptoed on the pews to lift down the purple and hang banners of gold with white.  Sister Sacristan was also quite busy; moving from candle to candle with new pillars and votives, refilling the little oil dedication candles, and positioning highlights of golden material around the Christmas candles.

Sisters home from mission join in the joyful work of
playing 'elf' and preparing the Christmas gifts.

 Another sister collected all the Advent table decorations from the dinning room and carried away its Advent Wreath as well.  In their place, the tables were brightened up with white table cloths, season placemats, and rose bowls filled with mini-bouquets of red and white; a Christmas Nativity scene was also displayed in the center of the dinning room.  The cooks and bakers, gift wrappers and musicians were all bustling about the monastery all morning long.  And two merry little elves carted special gifts from St. Mary Church from a small meeting room to the Chapter room where other elves were lighting the tall Christmas tree.

Bishop Martin Marty Chapel
as Christmas Vespers begins



Tonight, we will share our traditional meal of oyster stew, potato soup, and cherry pie.  Then with the quiet of December winter all around, we sing "Silent Night" with our candles lit as we statio two by two to the front of chapel and then to our pews.  The Chapel stays semi-lit with our candles as the cantor choir sings the Christmas Proclamation! This Christmas Vigil Vespers builds our anticipation the glory of our Christmas celebration tomorrow.

May Christmas Blessings be Yours,

Advent Reminders...

Greetings,

Advent reminders can be found all throughout the monastery, even these last days of preparation before Christmas.  Our Chapel is still swathed in purple simplicity with the wreath standing vigil until our Christmas Eve Vespers tomorrow night.  The widow of our Chapel gathering space still bears the message to wait in hope and anticipation.  Another Advent wreath still stands central to our monastery dinning room.  These symbols of our faith are the reminders that are expected and obvious.  However, the Advent message pervades all corners of our life at the monastery...

These chalk boards are mounted to the wall near the entrance to each floor of our bedroom area (a.k.a. dormitory).  The sisters of 4th Floor have had a gentle Advent reminder this year.  That in all ways and in all places we are to 'Prepare the way...".  The simple drawing is reminiscent of Isaiah's prophecy that "In the wilderness prepare the way of the Lord! Make straight in the wasteland a highway for our God! Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low; the rugged land shall be a plain, the rough country, a broad valley (40: 3-4).  As we walked by this Advent reminder on the way to Vespers on this final Sunday in Advent, we were reminded that there was still time to prepare, still work to be done to make ready the way of our Lord. 

Blessings,

O Emmanuel

Our chapel window depicting the Nativity.

O Emmanuel, our holy King and Giver of the Law,
the expectation of the nations,
their longed for Redeemer
and Savior:
O come, come soon to save us,
our Lord God-With-Us!

A Social Network Christmas

Grettings,

Ever wondered how the Infancy Narratives of Jesus' birth would be shared with all the social media we use today?  Take a moment ponder and pray as we prepare for the Coming of Our Savior!

Celebrate Epiphany!

Greetings,

This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. Tomorrow night at the monastery the sisters will process out of Vespers to bless the main entrance of the monastery. In the midst of a simple prayer the prioress chalks the ancient inscription above the doors "20+C+M+B+12". Sister and I will also be blessing the entrance to the Convent Apartment. A reminder that our Benedictine Hospitality is extended to all those who come through our doors.

This welcome to strangers is also reflected in my favorite reading
from the Mass on Feast...Isaiah 60: 1-6...

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!
Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

It is a joy-filled reading of the promised savior to come...Isaiah so long ago shared this vision of hope for everyone. But it is as vibrant in its promise today, we are all called to gather in the radiant light of the King. An amazing reminder that we are called to all come together
and share in the blessing of Christ.

Blessings,

A Blessed and Merry Christmas

Greetings,

I pray that we are all celebrating a Blessed and Merry Christmas!

I haven't much to share; it is just wonderful to be home at the monastery for this Christmas season. Our schedule? Well, we relax a bit to celebrate this ongoing feast; Lauds isn't until 8:30 with Mass following at 9:00. Then off to morning work and charges for those sisters who live full time here at the monastery (or their volunteers) but we can also use it as free time for visiting or some games (dominoes, cards, etc.). Today, I worked a bit on curriculum planning for next semester. After lunch and noon praise, it is the mirror of our morning time. However, I do plan to take advantage of our unusual 50 degree weather and go for a walk without needing a jacket! Finally, we gather for Vespers and supper followed by recreation.

Exciting? Nope. Fulfilling? Yup. Nothing is better than just living this daily horarium with my sisters. It's in the little moments and quiet times like these that the familial bond is strengthened. Now, I'd love to stay, but it's time to grab a quick cup of coffee and find my walking partner for a stroll and chat along our Sorrowful Way and grottoes.

Blessings on all your Christmas celebrations!