Tag: golden jubilee

Sr. Mary Margaret’s Golden Jubilee

This year we celebrated our prioress Sr. Mary Margaret’s Golden Jubilee of profession. We had several days of celebrations in which our monastery, the Lufkin community, and her family came together to celebrate Sr. Mary Margaret’s monastic life and all that she’s done for us.

First, the nuns celebrated her jubilee with a community feast day full of gifts, treats, and special performances.

We began the day by gathering in our decorated community room to sing a special jubilee song to Sr. Mary Margaret.

Then we all gave her a special greeting.

The morning’s program was a funny skit about Sr. Mary Margaret’s life before she entered the convent, with the nuns playing her and members of her family.

Sr. Mary Margaret enjoyed the “This Is Your Life” skit!

Then we gathered around to enjoy Sr. Mary Margaret opening her gifts. Most of them were handmade by us, and we couldn’t wait to show her what we had done.

Sr. Mary Margaret opening a gift from the nuns.

Sr. Mary Christine enjoys a hat and scarf set made for the Jubilee.

Sr. Mary Margaret received a special Papal Blessing for her Golden Jubilee.

After gifts, we all ate a special meal in the community room. In the afternoon, we watched a montage of pictures of Sr. Mary Margaret’s life, especially her life in the monastery.

In the evening, we gathered back in the community room for another special program, this one about her life in the monastery and all that she’s done for the community. She’s had a very busy fifty years!

A few weeks later, we held another celebration for her family and friends of the Monastery with her Jubilee Mass. She happily renewed her vows. There is a video of the Mass here.

Fr. R.B. Williams, O.P., Auxiliary Bishop Eduardo Nevares of Phoenix, and Fr. Ron Foshage, M.S., concelebrated the Jubilee Mass.

Our local Knights of Columbus served at the Mass.

Sr. Mary Margaret had so many visitors that we had to open up our side of the chapel to let everyone have a seat.

The special meal was provided by our friend Doug Russell and his friends, who also generously set up an eating area in the front of the Monastery so that there was room for all of our visitors.

We had a delicious meal, straight from the grill.

After the meal, we all met in the parlor to greet all of the guests. Sr. Mary Margaret has made many friends during her over fifty years in Lufkin.

What made the day particularly special was that it was the first time her whole family was able to be together in decades.

Sr. Mary Margaret with her siblings Jim, Sherry, and Mike.

We all had a wonderful time and it was a perfect way to celebrate Sr. Mary Margaret’s monastic life and our appreciation for all she’s done for us.

Remembering Sister Mary Sybillina

Sister Mary Sybillina was a special person in so many ways. She was the last of our founding sisters who came to Lufkin from the Monastery of the Blessed Sacrament in Detroit (now in Farmington Hills, MI). She was a hard worker and kept most of her jobs until she was around 90! She had a great sense of humor, often making us laugh with her dry witticisms and quirky jokes.

So, we present here a retrospective of Sr. Mary Sybillina in photographs.

Sister as a postulant, 1945
Sister in a relaxed moment on the porch at the “old house” (first monastery building right on Lotus Lane–our present monastery is “up the hill” via an access road).

 

Sister Mary Sybillina at work in the laundry. We still use this extractor! (They don’t make them like the used to…)
Sister was a great reader! In addition to the local newspaper, she never missed reading L\’Osservatore Romano (news from the Vatican) and Origins (Church news and transcripts of talks by various people). She read all kinds of books, too.
Sister was an avid canasta player, almost right up until she died. No one who ever played canasta with Sister could accuse her of mental decline!
Celebrating her Golden Jubilee of Profession
One of the last pictures of Sister Mary Sybillina, seen here relaxing on the infirmary deck with Sister Mary Veronica.

Eternal rest grant to her, O Lord,and let perpetual light shine upon her. May her soul, and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.