On January 27 during our usual morning Mass, Sr. Mary Therese of the Divine Mercy, O.P., renewed her vow of obedience for one year.
Sisters in temporary vows have to make these vows first for three years and then renew their vows each year for three more years. This is Sr. Mary Therese’s second time to renew for one year. Thus, she is beginning her fifth year of temporary vows.
Actually, Dominicans only take one vow, that of obedience, but it encompasses the other two evangelical counsels–poverty and chastity. The sister makes her profession in the hands of the prioress (as seen above), a traditional gesture dating back to the early days of the Order and 13th century ways.
Please continue to pray for Sister as she takes another big step forward in her monastic journey!
Since we usually wrap Christmas presents to go under the tree prior to the big holiday, we thought this could be our “unwrapping”–showing you all what’s been hiding under the paper!
We were blessed to receive special visits from two sets of people–Santa and Mrs. Claus on December 23, and a bunch of Santa’s elves a few days before that.
Santa and Mrs. Claus also brought along their parish priest, to remind us of the reason for the seasonThe incredibly generous elves who brought special gifts for each sister! Thank you so much!
On Christmas Day, we had our traditional Christmas dinner cooked by the faithful Knights of Columbus. We are so grateful to the Knights for all they do for us–as one of the sisters said, “They are our Knights in shining armor!”
The grillCooking–a family experience for all of usRecreating with the Knights and their families before dinnerWe love to see all the young families and children“Picking up” our delicious Christmas meal–steak, baked potatoes, green bean casserole, salad, rolls…Sister Mary Christine’s amazing Jell-O creation
After dinner and a good nap, we came to the community room to open the community gifts (lots of puzzles, treats, and various and sundry useful items) as well as a personal gift for each sister.
Opening the elves’ gifts…“I’m sure they’ll fit you, Sister!”
We have creches set up all over the monastery. Here are a few of them:
RefectoryGate ParlorInfirmary
On December 29, the bishop of Tyler, our own Bishop Joseph Strickland, came to say Mass for us. Our chaplain, Fr. Ian, concelebrated with him.
Bishop Strickland chose to commemorate St. Thomas Becket–very appropriate for a bishop
After Mass, we visited with the bishop and Fr. Ian, then all had dinner together in the community room. We had a great time!
It’s truly been a blessed Advent and Christmas season! We pray you continue to enjoy this beautiful season, and we wish you a very Happy New Year 2022!
Most people don’t consider Lufkin, TX a crossroads in America–but it sure does seem like we get a lot of visitors! And we’re delighted to have them! Recently, these two sisters from the Dominicans Sisters of St. Cecilia, based in Nashville, TN, stopped by for a brief visit. They’re vocation directresses for the community, and they were busy driving to various spots in Texas to promote vocations. They promised to spread the word about us, too, which we appreciate. We’re always struck by the similarities in our habits–only the veil is noticeably different.
May God bless the Nashville Dominicans with many good and holy vocations, and may He send some our way, too!
Dominican Life on Lotus Lane 