Dakota "Horizons" and Daniel's Cantical

Greetings,

The Cantical of Daniel calls upon all of Creation to bless and praise the Lord.

"Sun and moon, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever...
...Nights and days, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.
... Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.
Let the earth bless the Lord,
praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.
Everything growing on earth, bless the Lord;
praise and exalt him above all forever.
(Daniel 3: 62-63, 71-76)

 This photography artist's images illustrates how the plains, prairies, farms, and Badlands of South Dakota praise the Lord...

Blessings,

Monastery Mystery Six Revealed

Greetings,

This beautifully carved wall-hung clock now presides over our meetings and celebrations in the Chapter Room.   I cannot find the origin of this clock, but I had a marvelous time seeking out it's history. 

Interviewing our elders seemed the best way of determining this history of this mystery item.  One sister, a wisdom figure and former prioress, believes it might have been given to the monastery in the 1920's as a gift.  The earliest she can remember others referring to it was the late 20's or very early 30's.  After consulting with a few other elders at the card table, they all believed it had hung in the main hallway of the original monastery by the front entrance. 

The sisters also agreed that it was a treasured item from the beginning.  The wood-carved exterior was always dusted and polished to a rich shine.  The winding of the clock was (and still is) done by hand; Sister Peter, the monastery's resident clock-tinker and Jane-of-all-trades was the only one to wind it for decades.

After the monastery's front buildings were rebuilt at the end of the 1990's, the clock was restored to a place of honor in the Chapter Room.

Blessings,

The Feast of the Sacred Heart



This Sacred Heart of Jesus mosaic blesses us from the
walls of the Monastery Chapter room.  It was designed
by one of our own artisan sisters and created (at the time)
by each sister placing a tile of the mosaic.

 Happy Feastday!

Today, we celebrate our monastery's patronal feast on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. We will begin our celebration with the Liturgy of the Hours at Lauds and Mass in Chapel; the Psalms and antiphons all echoing reminders of the Christ's great love for us poured out through his Sacred Heart.

"Let us love one another with fervent love, endure one another's infirmities; patiently serve and obey one another, and prefer nothing whatever to Christ." ~ Vespers Antiphon

We end our celebration of our feast with an act of dedication to the Sacred Heart at Vespers:

God of all creation, and God of our hearts, on this feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we remember the love with which you first loved us.  We remember the gift of your Son, Jesus Christ who brings us to birth and feeds us with the blood and water flowing from his side, pierced on the cross. 
Inspired by the Spirit of Love, we desire to give our hearts to you, and to make the heart of Jesus our own.  Through his most Sacred Heart we consecrate to you our monastery, the life and work of each member of this community, and our beloved sick.  We ask you to receive this offering, which we make through Christ, in the power of the Holy Spirit, one with you forever and ever.  Amen. 

Coinciding with our feast, all of our Benedictine family has gathered at the monastery for our spring Community Days and Chapter meeting. Please keep us in your prayers as we celebrate and discern throughout this weekend.  Three times a year the prioress calls us all from postulant to diamond jubilarian to meet and discuss the needs of the community.  St. Benedict explains the reason for this in chapter three of The Rule of Benedict. 

Whenever any important business has to be done in the monastery, let the Abbot call together the whole community and state the matter to be acted upon. Then, having heard the brethren's advice, let him turn the matter over in his own mind and do what he shall judge to be most expedient. The reason we have said that all should be called for counsel is that the Lord often reveals to the younger what is best.

Let the brethren give their advice with all the deference required by humility, and not presume stubbornly to defend their opinions; but let the decision rather depend on the Abbot's judgment, and all submit to whatever he shall decide for their welfare.

Blessings,

Monastery Mystery Six-and-a-half

Greetings,

Even the postulant was stumped after searching the monastery high and low for connections to the first photo! 

However, I am willing to add another detail from our mystery item that highlights it's beauty and grace. 

I'll even give you a hint to look up in the Rule of Benedict:  RB43: 1 and RB 47: 1 might keep you from getting lost on the tour.  If you're ready to offer your best guess, simply click on the comments below to "LIKE" us on Facebook to add your guess there.

Blessings,

Celebrating the End of Advent

Greetings,

Last night we began our celebration of Sr. DeChantal's life with a wake service at vespers.  Already, the altar was dressed in preparation for her funeral today.  At lauds we continued our prayer for Sister and all who loved her, and it was noticed that many of the sisters had already dressed in preparation for her funeral later this morning.  Yes, they were wearing the proscribed black jacket and dress or skirt, but it was the prevalence of purple that was most noticeable. 

Sister enjoyed the color purple.  After changing out of the habit, her closet became a veritable rainbow of purple and violet.  This morning at lauds, many of the sisters were remembering and celebrating Sister and wearing purple beneath their jacket or in their skirt.  Nature also joined the celebration.  The wild phlox that grows on the bluffs of our monastery hill burst into full bloom this week.  Sister Sacristan has gathered them up to beautiful bouquets in the sanctuary and around the altar.

All this purple, the color of Advent, to commemorate her 104 years and to honor her over 80 years of monastic profession.  We celebrate with her the end of her long Advent and the joy of her life with Christ.

Blessings,

Monastery Mystery Six

Greetings,

A return to Ordinary Time also brings a return of the monastery mystery tour!  This detail from our mystery item only shows a small part of it's beauty and grace.  While no one is quite sure about the age or provenance of this item, it has been an important part of our monastery for over a century.  It may not be seen every day, but its preservation was important during our 1998 renovations.  Hmmm...I wonder what it could be?

If you have a guess or want another photo to offer information, just drop us a note in the comments below or on our Facebook page!

Blessings,

Coming Home for the Summer

Greetings,

While a majority of our sisters live at the monastery, we do have a some sisters who serve in schools or parishes and have the summers "free".  A sprinkling of our sisters who minister in South Dakota and Nebraska are prepping and packing to come home and serve with our sisters at the monastery throughout the summer. 

Those few days between the end of school and arriving at home are joyful but busy.  They are filled with preparing the convents for a quiet summer.  For most of the sisters on mission, that includes cleaning and opening up their own rooms for possible family, friends, or sister-guests who might come to visit those sisters who stay at the convent throughout the whole year.  The sisters preparing to return home to the monastery also need to sort through their washing and packing to decide what might be needed for their summer at home.  The teacher sisters for example often leave their classroom clothes at the convent in favor of the garden and cleaning clothes for their summer ministries. 

As they arrive back at the monastery, the sisters are greeted with hugs and help as they open up the trunk of the car and then quickly asked if they are free that night for helping out with dishes.  Summer isn't footloose, but a time for serving the needs of the family at home in the monastery.  The sisters who return home for the summer join in helping out around the house in a variety of ways:  gardening, guest department, bakery, chapel decoration and cleaning, dishes, kitchen and produce preparation, and wherever else their gifts are directed.  Busy?  Sometimes.  But it is a wonderful time for reconnecting with our sisters and focusing on our Benedictine life.

Blessings,