Texas OP Nuns

Sr. Mary Margaret’s Feast Day!

Sr. Mary Margaret’s actual feast day is January 18–but that is so close to Christmas and Epiphany that we usually celebrate either around the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross (her mystery) or St. Margaret Mary Alacoque. This year were celebrated on October 14 and 15. It was grand!

Sr. Mary Margaret in front of her groaning feast day table

We started the day with a traditional feast day song. This is usually a melody we all know with new lyrics written by one of the sisters.

Singing the song…

…and still singing (it was long!).

After the song, each of us came to greet Sister and wish her a happy and blessed feast day.

Following all this, we began playing games. We had a number of games involving plastic cups, dice, and playing cards. It may sound funny but they were games everyone could participate in, no matter what their age or condition.

Picking up a die…harder than it looks!

Concentrating…

If you managed to pick up a die, you had to stack it on top of another! Only two teams managed this.

We also had a game where we had to flip the cups upside down. They had to land standing up, which was quite a trick. On the right you can see the cups in mid-flip.

Sister Miriam (on the right) did really well as usual!

After the games, it was time for prayers and our noon meal. Sister Cook made all Sr. Mary Margaret’s favorites, including homemade lemon meringue pie…yum!

We enjoyed our festive meal in the community room. Since we were not in the refectory, we were allowed to talk–and talk we did!

Dinner was followed by the inevitable dishes and a nap for many. In the afternoon, following prayers, we returned to the community room for a sweet treat from Dairy Queen.

Finally, it was time for the opening of the gifts. Sr. Mary Margaret received a lot of homemade gifts–maybe some will be featured in our next raffle.

Baby blanket

Cat

Shawls and a bag

Man’s vest–started by Sr. Miriam and finished by Sr. Carmen Gloria

Hair accessories

A new way to wear your veil, modeled by Dominic’s Angels

Painting

Embroidered tablecloth

Cross-stitched cross

Sister also received a book version of this blog–handy for the sisters who don’t use the Internet and also good for the archives.

The decorations in the community room made us feel like we were on vacation!

In the evening, the novitiate performed an aerobic dance routine for us–made us tired just watching them! Then Sr. Mary Therese organized karaoke! Most of us had never done it before but we had a great time. Several sisters were put into teams of two, and three sisters were judges. The songs were all family friendly and ones we knew, although if you didn’t feel you knew a song you were allowed to choose another.

Sr. Mary Therese demonstrates karaoke.

Sr. Maria and Sr. Mary Thomas attempted to sing “The Rainbow Connection” from “The Muppet Movie”

We finished the celebration on Sunday with a screening of the movie “Mrs. Harris Goes To Paris”. This was the more recent version–not the TV movie (for those who remember it!). It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed seeing how the characters changed over the course of the story. We had a little free time after the movie, so we watched some Hungarian folk dances in honor of our Hungarian prioress. All together, a lovely weekend. We are so grateful for everything Sr. Mary Margaret does for us!

Fall Picnic Day!

We had our annual Fall Picnic this weekend! When we have a picnic, we still sing the entire Divine Office and pray the Rosary and keep our times of Eucharistic adoration–we just don’t work (except for doing some dishes). But that makes for a great holiday!

We always begin the picnic with an official flag raising. Sr. Mary Pauline thought she might try to pose as Lady Liberty!

It was such a beautiful, cool fall day, some of us decided to go for a long walk. On picnic days we are allowed to go outside the main part of the enclosure and wander through the wild woods. This year, things looked a little different! We recently had a company harvest some of our trees. We do this about every 15-20 years, and the company returns in the spring after they harvest to plant new trees. This was all good and necessary, but as we walked, parts of the forest now resembled a desert wasteland.

You can still see the tire marks from the machines that harvested the trees!

Some of the younger trees remained untouched.

Ah…this is more like it!

Postulant Sarah reclining on some rejected trees

And we joined her for this photo op!

Beyond the stack of downed trees, the woods appeared, wild and beautiful again

It was a fun and relaxing day for everyone, and so delightfully cool! We started this tradition of a fall picnic when we realized our summer picnic (held around the 4th of July) comes at a time when it is too hot to go outside and walk around or play games. Sometimes it’s still hot even in October, but this year the weather cooperated!

May you be blessed with abundant peace, this fall and always.

Sr. Mary Christine and the Novice Directresses Meeting

Sr. Mary Christine, our Novice Directress, recently returned from a meeting held at Corpus Christi Monastery, Bronx, NY. She met several other novice directresses from other monasteries, had discussions, and shared ideas.

Sr. Mary Christine tells her story while the other nuns listen, working on handwork

Lots to tell!

The novices missed Sr. Mary Christine a lot, even though they had Sr. Marie Augustine to watch over them and the rest of the community to keep them company. They made this beautiful sign to welcome her home:

The novices carried it as a banner to meet Sister’s car as it came up from the gate to the house, and then hung it outside the novitiate.

Our Constitutions permit meetings of this kind to be held, especially in monasteries of our Order, so that the nuns can exchange ideas and mutually benefit both from expert speakers and from discussions among themselves. We are glad Sr. Mary Christine had this opportunity, but we really missed her, and we’re happy she’s back home again!

A New Chaplain

Yes! And he is Fr. R.B Williams, O.P.

Father is a member of our Southern Province of Dominican friars. He hails from Nachitoches, LA, which is interestingly enough not all that far from Lufkin. (Nacogodoches, TX, its twin city, is only about a half hour drive from us.) So Father would often stop by the monastery for a fraternal visit on his way to or from home. He has also given us classes and conducted a retreat for us.

Father has had many jobs in the province, including novice master, prior, pastor, and chaplain at college Newman Centers. In fact, his previous assignment was with the campus ministry at Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX.

Father is a true Dominican–very itinerant, traveling around giving retreats and classes and preaching and visiting his many friends throughout the country. He also publishes online reflections called “RBWords”, which can be found at rbwords.com. We encourage you to check them out!

We feel truly blessed to have Father R.B. with us. We hope you’ll stay a while, Father!

We feel safer with Father around, too!

Ridin’ the (Monastic) Range

Fr. Reginald Baconin had something else on his Texas bucket list…he wanted the chance to ride a horse! He already had two cowboy hats (no boots, yet) so he was raring to go. Our workman David has a lot of horse connections and one warm Sunday evening in August, a horse appeared at the monastery!

David Bomer, our workman, with his daughter Rebecca, and her husband Jaime and their horse.

Fr. Reginald was thrilled! He mounted, and rode around the front driveway of our monastery.

Ride em, cowboy!

Most of us looked on with delighted enjoyment as Father put the horse through its paces.

Gradually, we lost our shyness and began to make friends with the horse.

He was just a big sweetheart really.

And some sisters decided to try riding the horse themselves!

Sr. Mary Giuse

Sr. Mary Rose

Sr. Mary Christine, our novice mistress, rounds up the novitiate sisters.

Sr. Mary Rose, Sr. Mary Jeremiah, Fr. Reginald, and Sr. Mary Margaret

In case you’re wondering–yes, David brought the horse inside the enclosure so we could visit with it. Who would have ever thought a horse would visit us, and even give rides!

Just a couple of days after this momentous event, Fr. Reginald had to leave us and return to his home province of Toulouse in France. But before he left, we gave him a Texas-sized sendoff–including his own honorary Texas citizenship and a Texas passport so he can return someday.

Don’t leave home without them!

In fact, Fr. Reginald is already planning to return to East Texas next summer, when he will preach a mission at one of our local parishes. We look forward to seeing him again. His father will retire in about five years, and Fr. Reginald hopes to bring him to East Texas to experience all the wonders of the Piney Woods. (They’re also planning to see the Alamo and some other Texas sites, naturally.)

We are always happy to welcome Dominican visitors–indeed all visitors–to our monastery for prayer, for Mass, and for silent adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. We cannot guarantee a horseback ride, however!

But will she take a new name??

On July 29–the feast of St. Martha–Sr. Maria Goretti began her novitiate with our community. Some of you may be aware that Sister had been a member of our community many years before, and left to join a Franciscan order. We’re happy that she came back! Everyone assumed she would keep the name “Sister Maria Goretti” since she has had it for so long (both here and elsewhere). To our surprise, a box and slips of paper were set out with it a sign: “Guess Sister’s New Name”. What?? Sr. Mary Margaret only smiled mysteriously.

The clothing was held in the morning, in our chapter hall. Since Sister was changing into our Dominican habit from her Franciscan habit, we did the full ceremony.

Sister Maria Goretti answers the questions put to her.

After being vested in the habit, the new veil is deftly slipped on to replace the old one.

Just a little adjustment needed…Perfect!

Sister is vested in the cappa, which we wear during the Triduum and for certain ceremonies (like this one–but today only Sr. Mary Christine and Sr. Mary Margaret are wearing it)..

Finally, after greeting the community, the great moment came.

“In the Order of Preachers, your name will be: Sr. Maria of Jesus.”

We all cheered with relief and joy and a little confusion. The new Sr. Maria quickly explained that she plans to keep St. Maria Goretti as her patroness, but decided to drop the “Goretti” because people often assume it’s her last name. Sr. Maria’s last name is Italian but it is nothing like Goretti! Following this, we read the guesses the Sisters had submitted, and had a good laugh to get ready for dinner.

Yummy Louisiana style shrimp gumbo for dinner!

After dinner we had our traditional party in the novitiate. Sr. Marie Augustine made an assortment of delicious cookies, and tea was served as well. We all enjoyed recreating together, and watching Sr. Maria open her many gifts.

Can I wear these socks with my habit?

We are blessed to have Sr. Maria back with us as a member of our community. Please continue to keep Sister–and all our novitiate sisters–in your prayers as they progress through their time of formation!

Sr. Mary Christine, Sr. Maria, and Sr. Mary Margaret

Summer Roundup

Hey, all y’all! It’s been a long time since we’ve had a chance to catch our breath and write something for this blog! Today we have some time so we’re bringing you a good old Texas roundup of some of the various events that have made our summer exciting (and busy).

Not long after Sr. Mary Veronica’s jubilee celebration, we welcomed Fr. Reginald Baconin, O.P. to our monastery for a couple of months.

Fr. Reginald comes from the province of Toulouse in France, but has been studying in Rome at the Angelicum. He is working on two licentiates at the same time–one on Trinitarian theology and one on Islamology. He speaks English beautifully, with almost no accent, and we were delighted to have him celebrate Mass for us–and give us some classes.

At the end of June, we had a farewell recreation with Fr. Ian.

Sr. Martin Marie crocheted this classic-looking scarf for him, which he was happy to receive.

We also gave him a Dominican coffee mug:

We are sad to see Fr. Ian leave, but know he is needed at his new assignment, which is much more challenging than the one he had here. We are proud of Father for finishing his doctorate and getting his degree. Hopefully he will come back someday, to give classes or even a retreat!

On June 30, Sarah Larmore entered as a postulant.

Sr. Mary Pauline, Sr. Mary Christine, Sr. Marie Augustine, Sarah, Michelle, and Sr. Maria Goretti

Sarah could hardly wait to begin her life as a cloistered contemplative nun!

On July 1, we had our 4th of July picnic. We like to have our picnic celebration on Satursdays if possible.

Here we are, all decked out for the traditional flag raising after Midmorning Prayer.

We had a joyful day of food, fun, games, conversation, and patriotic fervor.

As is our custom on the Fourth of July, we sang “My Country ’tis of Thee” from the Summit Choirbook at Vespers. While we were all filled with love for our nation, Fr, Reginald (joining us for Vespers in the outside chapel) was perplexed. He asked us later, “Why did you sing ‘God Save The King’ to celebrate July 4?”

And as it happens, July 4 is Fr. Reginald’s birthday! We had a special recreation with him that night.

Fr. Reginald has been a big Texas fan for many years, thanks to his father’s love for John Wayne movies (especially “The Alamo”), and various people in our community took him on many Texas adventures, including visits to a Native American reservation, Nacogdoches TX (the oldest town in Texas), the San Jacinto battlefield, and, yes, the Alamo! He bought this hat for himself soon after his arrival, but we had some gifts for him, too–especially this one:

A T-shirt that proudly proclaims, “Texas–Bigger than France”! He loves it!

A few days later we had a visit from our Southern Province novices. We’re happy to say all five of them made profession! Please pray for them, and for the upcoming novitiate class.

We have even more news to share with you, but this is enough for now. We plan to post the rest of the recent news soon. For now, we hope you enjoy this glimpse inside the boring and monotonous life of the cloister! (And yes, we always keep our prayer schedule–even on holidays.)