Author: Texas OP Nuns

A Visit from the Master of the Order–Fr. Bruno Cadore, OP!

Today we are filled with joy as we were able to spend a short but spiritually enriching time with the Master of the Order–the head of the international Order of Preachers, or as we are better known, the Dominicans!

Fr. Ed Ruane, OP and Fr. Bruno Cadore, OP on either side of Sr. Mary John, our prioress–and oh yes, all the rest of the community, too!

We are so grateful that Fr. Bruno and Fr. Ed were able to stop at our monastery for this visit, on their way from Houston and to Irving, TX as part of Fr. Bruno\’s visitation of the Southern Dominican Province. It only lasted about an hour and a half, but it was quite a time! We asked many questions and received Fr. Bruno\’s thoughtful (and thought-provoking) responses.
Sr. Mary John welcomes Fr. Bruno and Fr. Ed
Fr. Bruno considers a sister\’s question…
A close-up of Fr. Bruno
All the sisters gathered in the community room to hear Fr. Bruno speak–and it was wonderful!
Fr. Bruno has a nine-year term as Master, and since he was elected in 2010 he still has a few years to go. We hope and pray his travels will bring him back to Lufkin sometime!

A Fantastic Fourth of July

In the United States, we celebrate our independence on July 4 every year, and in the Monastery, this means a special picnic day! We always continue to pray the entire Liturgy of the Hours and keep adoration on picnic days, but instead of working we fill in the time with fun, games and extra recreation.
We began our day with prayers and Mass, followed by the solemn raising of the flag.
After the flags were raised, we all sang patriotic songs and said the Pledge of Allegiance.
Whew! It was pretty hot outside so several sisters went back inside to play an intense game of Sequence.
Meanwhile, some of the sisters played beanbag Tic-Tac-Toe. This was Sr. Irma\’s first Fourth of July in the United States (you may recall she is visiting us from Mexico)! Other sisters just enjoyed sitting around and talking while they enjoyed a rare privilege: snacks outside mealtime!
In the cool of the evening some of the sisters went for a ride on our golf cart. 
Of course, we had to stop and pay a visit to St. Dominic at his shrine in the woods!
It was truly a fantastic Fourth of July and we all went to bed that evening tired but happy, refreshed and ready to return to work this morning!

Peter, Paul and Dominic

St. Dominic was not one to speak much about his inner spiritual life, but there is possible evidence that on a few rare occasions he confided some experiences to a companion. One such event was the vision of Saints Peter and Paul, which probably occurred in 1217 while St. Dominic was in Rome. The chronicler tells us that while Dominic was at prayer, he saw Peter and Paul coming toward him. Peter gave him a staff and Paul handed him a book, and they said, \”Go and preach, for God has chosen you for this ministry.\” The vision continues with a scene of Dominic\’s sons, the friars preachers, \”scattered throughout the world, going off two by two to preach to the people the word of God.\” According to the historian M.-H. Vicaire, OP, Peter and Paul are symbols of the Roman Church. Peter\’s staff is the official sign of God\’s messenger, while the book Paul gives Dominic represents doctrine. In this vision, Dominic received his inspiration: first, \”to make his order coextensive with the world\”, receiving his message directly from Rome; second, to separate preaching from defense of the faith, and finally, that his brothers might be allowed to preach in every diocese in the world. (cf. Vicaire p. 230) Dominic may not have had an imaginative vision as portrayed above, but something certainly happened with God\’s grace, and inspired him as he founded  the Dominican Order. May Saints Peter and Paul continue to inspire us today as we strive to preach the word of God to all peoples!

Sr. Mary John\’s Feast Day Celebration

We observe Sr. Mary John\’s official feast day on December 27 (because her patron is St. John the Evangelist) but we celebrate her feast day at another time not so close to Christmas! This year the date we chose was June 23, vigil of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.
We had a really fun filled day, beginning with a festive song and dance in honor of Sr. Mary John.

Sr. Irma plays the drum while Sr. Mary Margaret unrolls the feast day banner! In the background you can see Sr. Mary John greeting the sisters.
We played a variety of fun games in the morning. All of them were centered around finding treasure, so we had two different kinds of scavenger hunts! It was really enjoyable and designed so that everyone could participate in some way. One of the hunts was made a little more complex because each team had to solve a riddle before going to find the item in question. For example: 
With arms outstretched
Young face serene
Beneath his feet 
Find something green.
It was our statue of the Infant Jesus, of course!

 There were many such fun clues to ordinary things around the house.

Sr. Bernadette Marie, Sr. Irma, and Sr. Mary Rose having a good time!

In the afternoon Sr. Mary John opened her many gifts, mostly handmade by the sisters, which will be used for a future bazaar or raffle–who knows?? 
 Sr. Mary John seemed pleased with everything!
In the evening, we had a delightful trip around the world via DVDs of various exotic locales. We were entertained in between segments by our sisters, who performed lively dances typical of some of the countries we visited. In all, a wonderful day! Thanks to all the sisters who worked so hard to prepare everything, the community who participated so enthusiastically, and thanks to Sr. Mary John for being a great prioress!

Sacred Heart of Jesus 2012

Grant, we pray, almighty God, 
that we, who glory in the Heart of your beloved Son
and recall the wonders of his love for us, 
may be made worthy to receive 
an overflowing measure of grace 
from that fount of heavenly gifts. 
–Collect for the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus 
Today is a feast celebrating God\’s love for us, as well as our love for God, expressed through the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The \”heart\” is a symbol which stands for the totality of what God is–a symbol we can perhaps more easily identify with, because trying to wrap your mind around God in all his glory is basically impossible! The Sacred Heart is shown surrounded by flames to indicate the intensity and purity of God\’s love. And the thorns remind us of what Jesus suffered for us, because he loves us so much. Today let\’s try to return that love which God gives us so freely, not only through prayer and worship but also through love for our neighbors.

Corpus Christi 2012

Corpus Christi is the solemnity when we especially honor the sacred Body and Blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, truly present in the Eucharist. It is a special feast for us here at the monastery because we have adoration of the Blessed Sacrament every day–we have a great devotion to this sacred mystery. In honor of this great feast we would like to remember the traditional hymns of Corpus Christi, which were written (the words, not the music) by our own Dominican brother, St. Thomas Aquinas.
St. Thomas had a great devotion to the Blessed Sacrament. Pope Urban IV asked him to compose the Office for what was, in the 13th century, the new feast of Corpus Christi, and the hymns are still sung today (often in shortened versions) by Catholics and Protestants alike. These hymns include the Sequence for the Mass (Lauda, Sion), and several other hymns: Pange, Lingua, Verbum Supernum, and Sacris Solemniis. Many of these hymns are best known for their concluding verses, which are often used at Benediction–like Tantum Ergo and O Salutaris Hostia. And most of us are probably familiar with Panis Angelicus! Today, consider taking a moment to thank God for His continued presence among us in the Blessed Sacrament. Truly the bread of angels has been given to us!