We Have A Novice!

Our postulant Teresa Torres received the habit at last! The ceremony was held in the chapter hall of our monastery. Above you can see Teresa receiving the habit of the nuns of the Order of Preachers from our prioress, Sr. Mary John. Sr. Mary John\’s talk at the beginning of the ceremony was so lovely we decided to post it here for all to read and enjoy:

     Once again, Teresa, you have asked for the mercy of God and of the community and already you know that is is given by both. This beautiful feast of Our Lord\’s Presentation is a particularly apt day to begin your novitiate and put on for the first time the habit of the Nuns of the Order of Preachers. Like Joseph, Mary and Jesus, you have come to present yourself to be consecrated to the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. At the same time, Jesus comes to the temple that is Teresa Torres and to the temple that is each of us here.
     Jesus was presented by his parents, his family, and you too are presented by your monastic family…It is in this family that you will, like Jesus, grow in wisdom, age and grace before God and mankind.

     In the two years of your Novitiate you will study and pray diligently to be able to give yourself generously and courageously to that same God through the vows of obedience, chastity and poverty. You will become more deeply acquainted with our Dominican charism and way of life through your classes and your daily experience of our monastic lifestyle. It will be a time to grow in the love of Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament, of Mary Immaculate, especially in her Rosary–our cherished Dominican devotion–in the love of St. Dominic our father and guide, in a special devotion to the name of Jesus, and to all the holy men and women of the Order, and particularly to pray for all our deceased brothers and sisters.
     There will, of course, be times of trials, but these can be the fuel that will intensify the fire of your love. If you are docile to your superiors, faithful to your obligations and sincere in your service of your sisters, your temple will always overflow with the life-giving waters of grace and mercy that spring from the heart of Jesus.

Teresa took the religious name \”Sister Bernadette Marie of the Sacred Heart\”. A beautiful name!