Throughout the beautiful days of the Alabama autumn, we have celebrated many solemn liturgical feastdays, planted pansies, visited with family members coming from afar, and carried on the many duties of our daily life. If you were listening hard enough, off and on, you would hear a whirring and snipping sound coming from the sewing room. There, in the glow of the fluorescent lights, the Sisters have been slowly but consistently at work sewing new habits. The Dominican habit that we wear marks us as daughters of St. Dominic and spouses of Christ. As one Sisters loves to say, “This is our wedding dress that we get to wear every day of our lives!” When the final seam has been sewn and the final thread snipped, we will gather the new habits to be washed, ironed and made ready to wear for Christmas. “Behold, the Bridegroom cometh!”
On June 10th, we had the great joy of celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of the entrance anniversary of our Sister Mary Joseph of the Infant Jesus, O.P. Sister grew up in Nashville, the “Athens of the South,” and was taught by the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, founded by St. Katharine Drexel. Sister remembers how she and the other school children wrote a letter each year, thanking Mother Katharine for the wonderful education they were receiving. She also remembers gathering the other little girls at recess time to “play nun.” After graduating from high school, she won a full scholarship to Xavier University, but even the lively college social life could not drown out the Lord’s invitation to be His spouse. She stopped by our recently founded monastery in Marbury on her spring break, and was immediately charmed by the holiness and gentleness of our Foundress, Mother Mary Dominic of the Rosary. Sister returned to enter on June 10th, 1947, and over the past 75 years has served the community in many capacities: as chantress, bursar, novice mistress, photographer, plumber, electrician helper, and as prioress and sub-prioress. Her gracious and lovely notes are legendary.
Sister’s cousin, Bishop Joseph Perry, and her sister and niece came to offer Sister their congratulations on July 22nd. In his homily for the Jubilee Mass, Bishop Perry reflected on how beautiful and honorable is Sister’s life-long fidelity to her vocation. Sister Mary Joseph is a wonderful example to each of us of the value and joy of a life dedicated unreservedly to God. (You can also read this well-done article about Sister’s Jubilee in the Tennessee Register.)
As nuns devoted to the Perpetual Rosary, we were especially delighted to receive a visit this October from Father Lawrence Lew, O.P., who is the Promoter of the Rosary for the whole Order of Preachers. What a joy to have Father celebrate Holy Mass and to speak with him about his work in the Order and the Church, and especially to hear how the Rosary continues to bear abundant fruit worldwide. He presented us with a copy of his recent book, Praying the Rosary with Sacred Art: Mysteries Made Visible, which blends Father’s beautiful photography with his meditations on the mysteries. We appreciate and share his zeal for preaching the Holy Rosary. May praying Our Lady’s decades may bring many souls to God in these troubled times.
Although this year’s garden didn’t amount to much, last year’s butternut squash seeds thrown on the compost pile grew into several plants which produced a bountiful harvest—at least 30 large squash. Just as the Sisters were eyeing these and imagining the possibilities for monastic meals, our workman brought us (literally) a wheelbarrow full of large orange pumpkins and acorn squash. What to do with two 20-lb French pumpkins? Roast them whole (or nearly) and turn them into gallons of pumpkin soup and a giant Thanksgiving pumpkin pie! No Pilgrims were more thankful than we for all the blessings, squash and otherwise, that the Lord showers on us in so many different ways.
One of our Advent hymns begins: Wake, awake, for night is flying, / The watchmen on the heights are crying; / Awake, Jerusalem, arise! The joyful tone of this penitential season of Advent is no reason to forget that Jesus came that the “valleys may be exalted and every mountain and hill shall be made low.” In this season when we beg the Prince of Peace for the conversion of hearts in order to bring peace to this world, we want to remember that the “waking” of our own conversion begins first in our own hearts.
May our gracious Infant King grant you many blessings and peace of heart this Christmas and always.
Mother Mary of the Precious Blood, O.P. and Sisters