A Feast Before the Fast!

Greetings,

Today we celebrate with laughter and joy, a sweet treat with coffee, and a community party of cards and camaraderie! The celebration of Mardi Gras in our Benedictine family has ranged from costumes and skits to card games and bingo; throughout it all, has been the joy of the exuberant gathering before the solemnity of our Lent.

 This year, the sisters are also remembering the needs of others in our Mardi Gras. They are gathering personal care items (tooth brushes and paste, etc.) to donate to the student nurses of Mount Marty College before they travel to the South Dakota Rosebud Native American Reservation for their annual missionary service.

A prayer of Mardi Gras joy in preparing for Lent...

Blessed are you, Lord God of all creation,
for it is from your goodness that we have this day
to celebrate on the threshold of the Season of Lent.
Tomorrow we will fast and abstain from meat.
Today we feast.

We thank you for the abundance of gifts you shower upon us.
We thank you especially for one another.
As we give you thanks,
we are mindful of those who have so much less than we do.
As we share these wonderful gifts together,
we commit ourselves to greater generosity toward those

who need our support.

Prepare us for tomorrow.

Tasting the fullness of what we have today,
let us experience some hunger tomorrow.
May our fasting make us more alert
and may it heighten our consciousness
so that we might be ready to hear your Word
and respond to your call.

As our feasting fills us with gratitude

so may our fasting and abstinence hollow out in us
a place for deeper desires
and an attentiveness to hear the cry of the poor.
May our self-denial turn our hearts to you
and give us a new freedom for
generous service to others.

We ask you these graces

with our hearts full of delight
and stirring with readiness for the journey ahead.
We ask them with confidence
in the name of Jesus the Lord.

From: Creighton University

Blessings,

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.

In Thanksgiving for the Holiday Fair!

Greetings,

Today, we share a song of praise and thanksgiving
from our Sr. Francine in the gift shop...

On Sunday Week II of our Psalmody, we recite from Daniel "moon and stars, praise the Lord."
I think our praise after the Holiday Fair would sound like this:

Gardeners and apple pickers; praise the Lord for abundance,
Jelly and jam makers; praise the Lord for taste buds,
Knitter and crocheters; praise the Lord in patterns,
Seamstresses and needle pointers; praise the Lord in stitches,
Glass workers and jewelry makers; praise the Lord in designs and light,
Card and candle makers; praise the Lord with words and wax,
Plant growers; praise the Lord in greenery,
Bread, bun, and noodle makers; praise the Lord with aroma and appetites,
Greeters and sellers; praise the Lord with hospitality,
Hospitality bakers; praise the Lord with mouth-watering treats,
Benedictine Sisters of Sacred Heart Monastery and Monk of Assumption Abbey;
praise the Lord with the gifts He has freely given each of us.
Amen! Alleluia!

Our sisters from the gift shop have some amazing numbers to share.

523 Loaves of Bread & Muffins

56 Plates of Squash Buns

25 Rose Petals

88 Bags of Nun-Better Noodles

36 Containers of Sunflower Brittle

541 Jars of Jams, Jellies & Pickles

876 Pieces of Work & Plants created by our Monastic Artisans

27 Sisters Shared Their Homemade Hospitality Treats

We have been blessed in many ways by the countless people who touch our lives. Guests from near and far joined us on Saturday, October 25th: South Dakota, Nebraska, Iowa...and even...Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Kansas, Minnesota, and even Virginia! Thank you for all who shared their gifts of time, talent, and treasure to support our International Student Sisters.

Vocations Awareness Week!

Greetings!

This week the Catholic Church invites us to celebrate the gift and call of vocations within the Church.

Sunday evening, we began our Vocation Awareness Week with a very 'punny' supper with our sisters.  The supper included: 'Priestly' pork chops, 'Diaconate' dumplings, 'Sisterly' sauerkarut, a 'Generous Singles' salad bar, 'Brotherly' bites of ice cream, and even 'Married Life' morsels of cookies.

The evening continued with our monthly Eucharistic Adoration for Vocations.  The sisters invited students from Mount Marty College and local parishioners to join us. Our silent Adoration before the Lord was only broken by Scripture readings and theological reflections every half-hour.

The sisters found new table decorations when we gathered for lunch on Monday.  The Vocations Awareness folk had created table tents with vocation themed conversation topics and ideas for each table of sisters.

Tuesday evening we gathered with our Mount Marty Student prayer partners.  The evening began with prayer that our hearts be open to God's Call.  At the end of our prayer together, the Sisters their hands in blessing over the Student Prayer Partners "May God bless you with open minds, joyful hearts and loving companions as you listen to the Lord in your lives."  Then the students extended their hands in bless and prayed, "May God bless you with peace and joy as you prayerfully listen and live the Benedictine way of life."  After prayer, the evening continued with time for the sisters and their prayer partners to visit, play, and maybe have a treat too.

We will continue you uphold you in prayer as this week of Vocations Awareness continues.

GOD OUR FATHER, 

we thank you for calling men and women
to serve in your Son's kingdom
as priests, deacons, and consecrated persons.   Send your Holy Spirit to help others to respond generously and courageously to your call. 
May our community of faith
support vocations of sacrificial love
in our youth and young adults.  
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, forever and ever.  ~Amen