The First & Second Stations of the Cross

The prayer of the Stations of the Cross for Vocations from the USCCB:

ALL: Gracious God, Each of us is called to discipleship with Your Son Jesus through the sacrament of Baptism. We are sent to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus, to share the good News of God’s saving love. Hear our prayer as we ponder the redemptive vocation of Jesus who continues to call men and women to walk in His way, renewing His Church and caring for His people. We give You thanks for the mystery of every vocation and we pray for all who have answered Your call. Send forth Your Holy Spirit upon the faithful and enkindle in them the fire of Your love, drawing many young men and women to dedicate themselves with an undivided heart to the love of Christ and His Kingdom. Amen.



These outdoor, tile-mosaic Stations of the Cross were designed
by our own Artist Sisters of the Monastery.

THE FIRST STATION: PILATE CONDEMNS JESUS TO DIE

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

V: Consider how Jesus Christ, after being scourged and crowned with thorns, was unjustly condemned by Pilate to die on the cross.

R: Jesus, we ask that You call young men and women today to publicly accept Your invitation to follow You in spite of what others may think or say. Give to them a passion for reaching out through Your love to the needs of Your brothers and sisters.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be…)

Through her heart, His sorrow sharing / All His bitter anguish bearing 
Now at length the sword has passed



These outdoor, tile-mosaic Stations of the Cross were designed
by our own Artist Sisters of the Monastery.

THE SECOND STATION: JESUS ACCEPTS HIS CROSS

V: We adore You, O Christ, and we praise You.

R: Because, by Your holy cross, You have redeemed the world.

V: Consider Jesus as He walked this road with the cross on His shoulders, thinking of us, and offering to His Father in our behalf, the death He was about to suffer.

R: Jesus, help those You call to see in the cross the symbol of union with You. Give to them the zeal and talent to minister to those who are burdened with pain, sorrow, confusion and alienation. Let them see that in the cross is life.

(Our Father, Hail Mary, Glory be...)

O, how sad and sore depressed / Was that Mother highly blessed
of the sole Begotten One

A Prayer for Pope Francis

A Prayer for Pope Francis

O God, shepherd and ruler of all the faithful,
look favorably on your servant Francis,
whom you have set at the head of your Church as her shepherd;

Grant, we pray, that by word and example
he may be of service to those over whom he presides
so that, together with the flock entrusted to his care,
he may come to everlasting life.

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
 who lives and reigns with you in the
unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.

Habemus Papam! Pope Francis!

Greetings,

When Pope Francis stepped out on the balcony to greet the gathered congregation in Vatican City, he spoke from the heart to his new diocese. The Vatican Today news agency for the city has already translated the Holy Father's "First Words" for us...

Brothers and sisters good evening.

You all know that the duty of the Conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone almost to the ends of the earth to get him… but here we are. I thank you for the welcome that has come from the diocesan community of Rome.

First of all I would like to say a prayer pray for our Bishop Emeritus Benedict XVI. Let us all pray together for him, that the Lord will bless him and that our Lady will protect him.

Our Father… Hail Mary… Glory to the Father…

And now let us begin this journey, the Bishop and the people, this journey of the Church of Rome which presides in charity over all the Churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another. Let us pray for the whole world that there might be a great sense of brotherhood. My hope is that this journey of the Church that we begin today, together with the help of my Cardinal Vicar, may be fruitful for the evangelization of this beautiful city.

And now I would like to give the blessing. But first I want to ask you a favour. Before the Bishop blesses the people I ask that you would pray to the Lord to bless me – the prayer of the people for their Bishop. Let us say this prayer – your prayer for me – in silence.

[The Protodeacon announced that all those who received the blessing, either in person or by radio, television or by the new means of communication receive the plenary indulgence in the form established by the Church. He prayed that Almighty God protect and guard the Pope so that he may lead the Church for many years to come, and that he would grant peace to the Church throughout the world. Immediately afterwards Pope Francis gave his first blessing Urbi et Orbi – To the City and to the World. The approximate English translation follows.]

 I will now give my blessing to you and to the whole world, to all men and women of good will.

May the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, in whose power and authority we have confidence, intercede on our behalf to the Lord. Response: Amen.

Through the prayers and merits of the Blessed Mary ever-virgin, of Blessed Michael the Archangel, of Blessed John the Baptist, and of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, and of all the saints, may Almighty God have mercy on you, and with your sins forgiven, may Jesus Christ lead you into everlasting life.
Response: Amen.

May the Almighty and merciful Lord grant you indulgence, absolution, and remission of all your sins, time for a true and fruitful penance, an always repentant heart and amendment of life, the grace and consolation of the Holy Spirit, and final perseverance in good works. Response: Amen.

And may the blessing of Almighty God, + the Father, + the Son, and + the Holy Spirit, descend on you and remain with you always. Response: Amen.

Brothers and sisters, I am leaving you. Thank you for your welcome. Pray for me and I will be with you again soon... We will see one another soon.

Tomorrow I want to go to pray to the Madonna, that she may protect Rome.

Good night and sleep well!

Lenten Springtime

Greetings,

The work of Lent continues in the quiet of the monastery.  The sisters gather in silence before our morning prayer of Lauds and celebration of the Eucharist.  Following the guidance of Benedict throughout our observance, we continue the day in work and service to each other and the Church.  We are called to bring our Lenten awareness to our paperwork and classrooms, to our cleaning and cooking, and even to our laughter and leisure together. 

We continue to share our simple abstinence and fasting during these days of Lent.  Our Wednesday soups and meat free Fridays are easy but powerful reminders to continue to pray.  The sisters serving away from the monastery also share in our fasting and abstaining; however, they might not have the addition offering of giving up Wednesday's fresh pies from the monastery bakery.

This year's Lent has included blizzard and sleet, thunderstorms, and brilliant sunshine, but Lent is a reminder of springtime, a time to prepare for new life in our hearts and souls.  This year it includes new life for the Church in the election of the Pope.  After Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI's resignation on February 28th, we began to pray for the Cardinals in their preparation for the Conclave.  Please join us in this prayer as they begin the work of the Spirit on this Tuesday, March 12th.

O God, Shepherd of us all,
we pray for the descent of the Holy Spirit
upon the Cardinals who will meet in conclave
to elect the next Vicar of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May the hearts of our Cardinals
be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit,
beyond any human judgment,
freeing them to elect the candidate
who will guide the Church at this time in history.

In your mercy grant your Church a shepherd
who will walk in your ways
and whose watchful care
will bring us your blessing.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Amen

The Feast of Saint Scholastica

Greetings,

Today, Benedictines celebrate Saint Scholastica, sister of Saint Benedict and abbess.  While the celebration is more quiet on this Fifth Sunday before Lent begins, her story of deep love for her brother and for God is still an inspiration in our monastic lives.  All we know of her comes from this retelling of her miraculous love by Saint Gregory the Great.  In his writing, Gregory the Great is 'teaching' a young disciples named Peter about the life, miracles, and teachings of Saint Benedict...

Book II of the Dialogues: The Life of Saint Benedict: Chapter 33
GREGORY: Who is there, Peter, in this world, that is in greater favor with God than St. Paul? Three times he petitioned our Lord to be delivered from the thorn of the flesh, and yet he did not obtain his petition. Speaking of that, I must tell you how there was one thing which the venerable father Benedict would have liked to do, but he could not.

His sister, named Scholastica, was dedicated from her infancy to our Lord. Once a year she came to visit her brother. The man of God went to her not far from the gate of his monastery, at a place that belonged to the Abbey. It was there he would entertain her. Once upon a time she came to visit according to her custom, and her venerable brother with his monks went there to meet her.


The upper chapel at Subiaco, Italy features
a full fresco of Scholastica and Benedict's
meeting and the beginning of the storm.

They spent the whole day in the praises of God and spiritual talk, and when it was almost night, they dined together. As they were yet sitting at the table, talking of devout matters, it began to get dark. The holy Nun, his sister, entreated him to stay there all night that they might spend it in discoursing of the joys of heaven. By no persuasion, however, would he agree to that, saying that he might not by any means stay all night outside of his Abbey.At that time, the sky was so clear that no cloud was to be seen. The Nun, hearing this denial of her brother, joined her hands together, laid them on the table, bowed her head on her hands, and prayed to almighty God. 

Lifting her head from the table, there fell suddenly such a tempest of lightning and thundering, and such abundance of rain, that neither venerable Benedict, nor his monks that were with him, could put their heads out of doors. The holy Nun, having rested her head on her hands, poured forth such a flood of tears on the table, that she transformed the clear air to a watery sky. 

After the end of her devotions, that storm of rain followed; her prayer and the rain so met together, that as she lifted up her head from the table, the thunder began.  So it was that in one and the very same instant that she lifted up her head, she brought down the rain.



A fresco in Subiaco, Italy showing Scholastica
after praying for Benedict to stay through the night.

 The man of God, seeing that he could not, in the midst of such thunder and lightning and great abundance of rain return to his Abbey, began to be heavy and to complain to his sister, saying: "God forgive you, what have you done?" She answered him, "I desired you to stay, and you would not hear me; I have desired it of our good Lord, and he has granted my petition. Therefore if you can now depart, in God's name return to your monastery, and leave me here alone."

But the good father, not being able to leave, tarried there against his will where before he would not have stayed willingly. By that means, they watched all night and with spiritual and heavenly talk mutually comforted one another. 

 

Therefore, by this we see, as I said before, that he would have had one thing, but he could not effect it.  For if we know the venerable man's mind, there is no question but that he would have had the same fair weather to have continued as it was when he left his monastery.  He found, however, that a miracle prevented his desire. A miracle that, by the power of almighty God, a woman's prayers had wrought. Is it not a thing to be marveled at, that a woman, who for a long time had not seen her brother, might do more in that instance than he could? She realized, according to the saying of St. John, "God is charity" [1 John 4:8]. Therefore, as is right, she who loved more, did more.

PETER: I confess that I am wonderfully pleased with what you tell me.

Book II of the Dialogues: The Life of Saint Benedict: Chapter 34: 


A fresco of the death of Scholastica
in the Chapel at Subiaco, Italy.

GREGORY: The next day the venerable woman returned to her monastery, and the man of God to his abbey. Three days later, standing in his cell, and lifting up his eyes to heaven, he beheld the soul of his sister (which was departed from her body) ascend into heaven in the likeness of a dove.

Rejoicing much to see her great glory, with hymns and praise he gave thanks to almighty God, and imparted the news of her death to his monks.  He sent them presently to bring her corpse to his Abbey, to have it buried in that grave which he had provided for himself. By this means it fell out that, as their souls were always one in God while they lived, so their bodies continued together after their deaths.

Blessings,

The Celebration of Consecrated Life!

Greetings,

Saturday marked the celebration of Consecrated Life in the Church.  It coincides with the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple; reminding us of our own consecration to living for the Light and sharing that Light throughout our life of community, prayer, and service to the Church.

Winter Gardening...

Greetings,

Since the groundhog has predicted an early spring, it is time to begin considering the monastery garden on this wintery February day.  We asked Sister Gardener to share some reflections about our summer bounty while the earth is still blanketed with winter's ice and snow and she has some time to spare.

Monastery gardens have been part of Benedictine tradition since the time of Benedict when he called for his communities to be self-sustaining.

Therefore the sisters should be occupied at certain times in manual labor...From Easter until the end of October, when they come out from Prime in the morning let them labor at whatever is necessary until about the fourth hour...they themselves do the work of gathering the harvest, let them not be discontented; for then are they truly monastics when they live by the labor of their hands, as did our Fathers and the Apostles. Let all things be done with moderation, however, for the sake of the faint-hearted. RB 48

Our monastery's current garden is short of an acre but includes a wide variety of vegetables, herbs, tubers, and gourds. Sister Gardener has nurtured the gardens, orchard, and grounds for 27 years. During that time, she has come to understand that "...true gardeners never cease to garden, not even in their sleep, because gardening is not just something they do. It is how they live" (Guroian). she leads a merry group of summer sister gardeners (school teachers home for the summer) through seasons of planting, watering, weeding, and praying that God makes the garden grow.  The work calls us to humility, for all we do cannot change mother nature's gifts or God's blessings.

The summer of 2012 was very dry, windy, and downright temper-mental. Sister Gardener reported that the total produce from the gardens to the sisters' table was 4,362 pounds, down over 5,300 pounds from the previous year. However, in the midst of the dust and bugs the fruits from garden brought many sweet treats to the monastery.

The garden sisters picked 107 pounds of cherries, 293 pounds of apricots, and 134 boxes of apples! These were then lovingly pitted, trimmed, and pared by other sisters for pies, sauces, and breakfast breads! The most anticipated produce in the monastery is the long awaited tomato. This year the gardeners brought in almost 1,700 pounds of herloom, purple, green zebra, and traditional bright red tomatoes for salads, sauces, and BLT's. Sister Gardener's personal favorite among her carefully tended greens are the cucumbers she often nibbles right from the vines and brines into lightly pickled bread and butter pickles; however, turnips are not likely to grace our garden again.

Called by God to care for the Earth and tend it, Sister Gardener offers this poem and prayer from Dame Julian of Norwish as we wait for this next season of growing...

Be a gardener.

Dig and ditch,

toil and sweat,

and turn the earth upside down

and water the plants in time.

Continue this labor

and make sweet floods to run

and noble and abundant fruits to spring.

Take this food and drink

and carry it to God

as your true worship.

Blessings,