Praised be Jesus Christ! Boy, how time has flown since we were last in touch! Sr M Blogger says a major mea culpa for her tardiness!
I have to say there are so many fabulous things about religious life. We hear so many negative things and see so many ‘less then desirable'(and often exaggerated)images portrayed by the secular media about the religious life. And I think one of the most misconstrued ideas is that when you join religious life, or enter the seminary you leave your heart out of it, that you’re only part of a person. Nothing could be further from the truth. I can attest to that first hand. For of all the blessings of being a Spouse of the Lord, the best, aside from ‘living in His House and dwelling in His courts’, is the GREAT love I have received and tried in my own poor way to return to all the wonderful people Our Lord has placed in my path. How enriched my own poor heart has been from the many variety of people I have encountered, most especially my other sisters and Friars, to all their families, to the many priest’s and seminarians that I can honestly call FAMILY. Truly, he has broadened these little boundries of my own heart and filled it beyond capacity.May He be praised! Above you can meet two members of our ‘extended family’ on a recent trip to the Grand Canyon(I’ve been there several times and it always leaves me speechless!!!). Sr Esther Marie, Dcn. Mark, of the diocese of Washington DC, Sr Augustine, Fr Robert Reddy, a diocesan priest and great and faithful friend from Toronto, Canada and filling out the line is our own Sr Jeanette. Dcn. and Father’s visit overlapped and neither of them had seen the Canyon…so it was time for a road trip. Please keep Dcn. mark in your prayers as he will be ordained to the holy priesthood this June 2008.
Yes, here they are! Busy and using all their talents for the glory of God. Come and have a sneak peak into one of the architect meetings at Our Lady of Solitude. Sr St Paul is pictured with Carlos and Fatima, both from SSPW Architects. Today we all walked through the chapel(via the computer of course. It’s so beautiful!) Things are moving swiftly, and we are looking to have our groundbreaking in October, with construction starting in Jan or Feb ’08. Sr Fidelis is busy working on the update for the ‘Dreams to Reality’ page on the website, so please keep posted. There’s just SO much to show you all. We thank our friends at SSPW and the Longo’s for their hard work and love. And we thank you too, our family, for your faithful support and prayers. Be assured of our prayers for you and your loved ones before Our Eucharistic Lord.
Until next time, may Jesus be all your joy. In the Heart of Mary, Sr M Blogger
JMJ
I love the blog!!!! I have spent some time in Hancville, Al. at OLAM, and I was wondering if ya’ll alternate jobs each year as do the nuns there? Thanks!
I was wondering if all of you are extern sisters? Are the newly professed also extern sisters? Since you must work so much with people outside the cloister,are you going to be an extern order only?
Thank-you for the lovely web-site.
Lisa
WOW! You have a blog! Too cool. This is Michelle Therese in Scotland but of all the zillions of folk you probably hear from I can’t expect you to know me haha! Have a wonderful and most blessed day! God bless!
In Christ and Our Lady,
Michelle Therese
I went and checked out your new “Dreams to Reality” webpage. Very nice! I really liked the way you present the crucifix corpus christi plans then followed with the finished artwork overlaid in the same space (though that is just one of many examples). Very artistic.
On your blog; Thank-you for letting the world know that religious life is still a family life and a very beautiful one. I hope and pray that more people will come to understand this.
God bless!
Monica Cunneen (Australia)
Dear Sisters: Praise God you have chosen a medieval-type monastery! I’m so glad you’re not building any of these ugly churches (modern) which fail to raise the mind and heart to God through beautiful architecture.
As for your sculptor: you clearly have another Michelangelo there!
God bless you and Mary keep you-
Kathy
It’s amazing to see how God works . . .who would have thought that this great monastery would rise so quickly from the desert. God must will it.
Well done Sister M.Blogger on all the panorama and other cool tech-things since I was last here.
You are (all) in my prayers. It’s only a local call from here of course!
Margaret of the sea of galilee, Isreal
Dear Sisters,
I love the blog! It’s great to keep up with you all.
I want to thank you so much for your vocations! God bless, always.
Colette Soileau
I just had to mention as I was looking around the site and the news letter. I just think everything is so well put together. It is not stuffy but like somebody or somebodies are really having fun with all the fantastic creative tools that are out there. The colors and text and general layout is really well done.
There is this one picture with the sister and the flowers on her eyes that cracked me up, actually that totally cheered me up after a rough day.
Good Job!!!
Love the blog sisters! Can’t wait to read more about your life and progress on your project. God bless.
Dearest Sister,
I know that this blog was written last year but I have just gotten some extra time to read through your older blogs.
I must say how much I love how you addressed the view of the public on religious life. I know for a fact that you never leave your heart out of it for it takes heart, love, and great trust in Jesus to enter into a religious order. I have every intention to become a Poor Clare but the wait shall be a while because I am only 16. I am certain that you would never leave your heart behind though because my heart is full of love for Jesus and Mary and without my heart with me when I start my time of postulancy I would never be able to serve Jesus in the dearest way I know how. All I want is to be with our most beloved Lord and without my heart (& Fr. John Lankeit and Fr.Billy Kosco) I probably would never have found my way to desiring a life so beautiful and amazing.