A Musical Visit

As the Sisters from the Association Council were leaving us, we welcomed another Nun from a Dominican Monastery in Guadalajara, Mexico. Sister Leticia, OP, was in Albuquerque, New Mexico, visiting her mother who recently had surgery. She wanted to stop by for a visit since we are the closest Dominican monastery to them. She brought with her a lovely statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe with vigil lights. You can see it on the TV tray in front of Sister Leticia and our prioress, Sister Maria Guadalupe.

Sister had previously spent three years in the United States, so her English was fairly good. All the Sisters could understand her. The past few years she has been studying music. The evening before her return to Mexico Sister wanted to serenade us. She played a few solos on the violin and piano, but also played with the two others Sisters from “South of the Border”.

Tet — the Year of the Dog

We celebrated the Lunar New Year on the evening of the First Sunday of Lent. Normally Lent is not a celebratory time for us with treats. But in the Liturgical calendar, the Sundays of Lent are not strictly considered Lent. This is because every Sunday is a “little Easter” commemorating the Resurrection.

First step is to pick up some snacks of Vietnamese treats: young coconut (we had some home made this year), jack fruit, lotus seeds, sesame seed cakes, ginger candy, nuts  (peanuts or cashews), and good old American popcorn. Then we take a “lucky envelope” off of our special yellow Vietnamese tree.

Sr. Mary Therese reads us the character traits of “dog” people.
You can see our Vietnamese tree and the red envelopes behind her

We then enjoy a beautiful dance, usually performed by the Sisters in the Novitiate. This year they carried candles in each hand and it was very beautiful. Sometimes they use umbrellas or hats or other objects.

The envelope contains real money given us by friends and relatives. With the money we were able to “buy” tickets to play the various games. Each year the games are different because they are made up to fit the theme of the New Year. But the last game is always the same, and the most difficult.

We have a large (6 inch square) “die” with animals on the 6 sides. After the cube is thrown up in the air and crashes, if our tickets match the animal on top, we win. Finally, with our accumulated tickets we redeem them for prizes.

Association Council Meeting

We had the joy and privilege of hosting the annual Council meeting of our North American Association of Dominican Monasteries on February 19-23. They members came from all points of the USA and Canada–New Jersey and New York, California, Vancouver, Canada.

left to right: Sr. Mary Jeremiah (TX); Sr. Mary Catharine (NJ); Sr. Maria Christine (CA); Fr. Walter Wagner (NY); Sr. Marie Tersidis (Van, BC); Sr. Mary Rose (TX)

Monday of the First Week Of Lent

From the Gospel:

“Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers or sisters of mine, you did for Me.” (Mt 25:40)
Every human being is a special creation and gift of God, no matter their size, ability or circumstances. When the most vulnerable and defenseless are harmed, no one is safe. Do we want to know why there are school shootings and heinous crimes?
We need only look into our hearts. Is there any resentment or anger, even a little impatience with others. Look at our society —  violence and using other people as objects/things are rampant. Lent is the time to root these out.
Offer a Hail Mary for the safety and protection of all human life and those most vulnerable in our society.
“Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus. Holy Mary, Mother of God, prayer for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.”

Friday after Ash Wednesday

From today\’s Gospel:

“The days will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast.” (Mt 9:15)
Jesus is the Bridegroom of every soul. How do we treat him? Fasting is not about punishing ourselves, but opening ourselves up to the needs of others. Fasting need not be a 30-day marathon on bread and water. Depending upon your circumstances, it can be as simple as eating 1 piece of candy instead of 3, or 1/2 a piece of pie rather than the entire piece. These are little things everyone can do without attracting much notice.
Consider fasting today in some way or abstaining from a favorite activity, and pray that you will always be obedient to God\’s will.

Ash Wednesday & St. Valentine

Today is a “God-incidence”. It is Ash Wednesday (the beginning of the season of penance and self-denial) and also St. Valentine\’s Day (a day to share loving thoughts).

Some people think they are an “odd couple”, contradictions. But not really. They go perfectly together. In fact, a loving Heart is our Goal for Lent. Union with the pierced Heart of Jesus Christ Who died on the Cross for us sinners, the entire human race, is the purpose of our lives. Jesus offers us His Heart every day in Holy Communion. His love is faithful and enduring. Trust Him with your heart.

Each year the Dominican Family in the Southern USA Province offer a short reflection for every day of Lent. Today’s is by Fr. Philip Neri Powell and is very powerful . Please check it out HERE.

It’s Lent!

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of our 40-day pilgrimage to Easter–the Resurrection of Jesus and our own small resurrection to a new and deeper Christian life.


The first act is to receive the ashes on your forehead (or on top of your head, as in Italy), made from last year\’s palms, to remind us of our mortality, frailty, and dependence upon God.

Lent is a special liturgical season of discipline, purification, self-sacrifice, to help us grow in holiness and union with God, to grow in love and patience and generosity with everyone we meet.

As you begin this Lent, ask the Holy Spirit to guide you. The 3 Great Works of Lent are Prayer, Fasting, Almsgiving, taken from our Jewish roots. It is best to do one practice from each category: prayer, fasting or self-denial, almsgiving or mercy. Below are a few suggestions of practices you can choose from, or ask the Lord for special ones. 


PRAYER –
  • Say a morning offering first thing in the morning (even before getting out of bed).
  • Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet every day.
  • Read a chapter or two of Scripture each day and try to memorize a verse (repeat it throughout the day).
  • Go to daily Mass, if possible.
  • Add 10 minutes of silent prayer to your day.
  • Pray the Stations of the Cross each Friday.
  • Pray the rosary each day.
  • Pray for each person with whom you come in contact.
  • Spend 10 minutes prayerfully thinking about the Scriptures for the day\’s Mass.

FASTING –

  • Give up TV and movies, including online.
  • Give up salt, pepper, and condiments.
  • Give up eating between meals.
  • Give up social media.
  • Avoid phone use after 8 p.m.
  • Only get news from a printed source.
  • Give up listening to recorded music.
  • Give up taking pictures.
  • Give up the snooze button.

ALMSGIVING – 
  • Serve the poor once a week at a soup kitchen.
  • Give away some of your nice clothes to those in need.
  • Donate 10% of your income to the poor.
  • Write one letter of gratitude to a different person each day.
  • Give kind attention to one lonely or isolated person each day.
  • Whenever you start to say something negative, say something positive instead.
  • Visit the elderly or sick once a week

(The above bullet suggestions are courtesy of the Nashville Dominican Sisters)