Thursday, January 30, 2020

What Are You Seeking?






Here’s another ‘shout out’ for our next Come and See Discernment Weekend!  Would you believe it is only 6 weeks away?  So it’s not too early to make your plans to be with us – and I have already heard from some of you! 

Remember that there is no charge for the weekend.  You are only responsible for your transportation.  If you are travelling by plane, please make arrangements to fly into Gerald R. Ford Airport (GRR) – Grand Rapids, Michigan.  Submit your flight information to me and one of the Sisters (most probably me) will drive you to/from our Motherhouse. 

Below are a couple of links: one that provides you with more information and the other is the registration link. 

Information:

To register:

Are you discerning Religious Life?
Do you wish to speak with someone about your discernment?

Call us!  Visit us!  Email us!
Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids
2025 Fulton Street East
Grand Rapids, MI 49503

Come and See - Spring Break 2020


Friday, December 20, 2019

Merry Christmas!



December 17 – 23 O Antiphons: I love Advent!  I enjoy celebrating/praying the “O Antiphons” at Marywood.  We gather every night for Vespers and sing the prophesies, chant the psalms, reflect on a preaching from a member in the community, followed by the Magnificat.  An impressive group of people join us each night regardless of the very cold weather we’ve been having.  Apparently, the O Antiphons is enjoyed by many others too! 😊
The O Antiphons, also known as “The Great ‘O’s” are Magnificat used at Vespers of the last seven days of Advent in Western Christian traditions. They are also used as the Alleluia Verses on the same days in the post-1970 form of the Catholic Mass.
They are referred to as the "O Antiphons" because the title of each one begins with the vocative particle "O". Each antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture. They are:
·         17 December: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
·         18 December: O Adonai (O Lord)
·         19 December: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
·         20 December: O Clavis David (O Key of David)
·         21 December: O Oriens (O Dayspring)
·         22 December: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)
·         23 December: O Emmanuel (O God is With Us)

The first letters of the titles, from last to first, appear to form a Latin acrostic which translates to "Tomorrow, I will be [there]", mirroring the theme of the antiphons.  "According to Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose. If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one - Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia - the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, "Tomorrow, I will come". Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us, Tomorrow, I will come. So the O Antiphons not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation, but bring it to a joyful conclusion.

Merry Christmas!

One week from today we will be well into the Christmas Season – celebrating the Second Day of Christmas!  I want to take this time to wish each of you a safe and Blessed Christmas.  I hope you get to spend it with family and loved ones.  May the New Year guide you in your discernment to God’s Dream for you!  Count on my continued prayers for you!



Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Advent and Other (International Celebrations


Advent and Other (International) Celebrations at the Motherhouse
You know that saying, “Time flies when you’re having fun”?  Well, my brother says, “Time flies when you’re old.”  As for me I must be both having fun and getting old!  Here we are already 10 days into Advent – Happy Advent!  – and feeling (falling) behind or catching up.  …but all is good!
The month of December seems to quickly get filled up with all sort of events.  Fortunately, the Church has Advent, a time of awareness of the true Reason for the Season and can pull us from the commercialized hustle and bustle of Black Friday sales and shopping crowds.  
We, of course, celebrate the Advent Season with the Church here at Marywood, but we also celebrate each of the following Feast Days one way or another.  As I was gathered information and a summary on each one of these, I noticed how international these are.   Below is a brief summary of December Feast Days (Source: Wikipedia):
December 6 – Feast of St Nicholas:

Very little is known about the historical Saint Nicholas. The earliest accounts of his life were written centuries after his death and contain many legendary elaborations. He is said to have been born in the Greek seaport of Patara, Lycia in Asia Minor to wealthy Christian parents.  In one of the earliest attested and most famous incidents from his life, he is said to have rescued three girls from being forced into prostitution by dropping a sack of gold coins through the window of their house each night for three nights so their father could pay a dowry for each of them.  We left our shoes out on the Eve of the Feast of St Nicholas and we were not disappointed, as we each received a nice treat! 😊
December 8 – Feast of the Immaculate Conception: In 2008 we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the Blessed Virgin’s apparitions at Lourdes, France where she identified herself to St. Bernadette as the Immaculate Conception. In 2004 we observed the 150th anniversary of Blessed Pope Pius IX’s solemn definition of this dogma on December 8, 1854.  Because December 8th fell on a Sunday this year, the Feast was celebrated on Monday, December 9th.

December 9 – Feast of Saint Juan Diego: Saint Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, also known as Juan Diego (1474–1548), a native of Mexico, is the first Roman Catholic indigenous saint from the Americas.  He is said to have been granted an apparition of the Virgin Mary on four separate occasions in December 1531 at the hill of Tepeyac, then a rural area but now within the borders of Mexico City.  Juan Diego was beatified in 1990 and canonized in 2002. As mentioned above, this year the Feast of the Immaculate Conception took precedence.
December 12 – Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe: If you do not know the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, she appeared to Juan Diego in Mexico in 1531, and this is the only apparition of Mary in which she has left an image of her appearance on his tilma (a cloak made of cactus fiber). Similar cloths tested have become ruined by the local moist and salty air in a period of 10 years. The original image is in Mexico City.  I was blessed to have the opportunity to visit her at the Basílica in 1980.  There are several books written about Our Lady of GuadalupeWe will have ‘Las Mañanitas’ at Aquinata Hall in St Catherine of Siena Chapel this Thursday, December 12th following by Liturgy of the Eucharist.

December 16 – 24 Posadas: Las Posadas is a novena (nine days of religious observance)
celebrated chiefly in Latin America, Mexico, Guatemala, Cuba, and by many Hispanics in the United States  Beginning 16 December and ending 24 December, two people dress up as Mary and Joseph. Certain houses are designated to be an "inn" (thus the name "Posada"). The head of the procession will have a candle inside a paper lampshade. At each house, the resident responds by singing a song and Mary and Joseph are finally recognized and allowed to enter. Once the "innkeepers" let them in, the group of guests come into the home and kneel around the Nativity scene to pray (typically, the Rosary).  Latin American countries have continued to celebrate this holiday to this day, with very few changes to the tradition.  In some places, the final location may be a church instead of a home.  The people asking for posada travel to 1 house each night for 9 nights
Earlier this month, Sr. Angelina Gonzales gave a wonderful presentation on Los Posadas at Aquinata Hall.
December 17 – 23 O Antiphons: The O Antiphons, also known as “The Great ‘O’s” are Magnificat used at Vespers of the last seven days of Advent in Western Christian traditions. They are also used as the Alleluia Verses on the same days in the post-1970 form of the Catholic Mass.
They are referred to as the "O Antiphons" because the title of each one begins with the vocative particle "O". Each antiphon is a name of Christ, one of his attributes mentioned in Scripture. They are:
·         17 December: O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
·         18 December: O Adonai (O Lord)
·         19 December: O Radix Jesse (O Root of Jesse)
·         20 December: O Clavis David (O Key of David)
·         21 December: O Oriens (O Dayspring)
·         22 December: O Rex Gentium (O King of the Nations)
·         23 December: O Emmanuel (O God is With Us)

The first letters of the titles, from last to first, appear to form a Latin acrostic which translates to "Tomorrow, I will be [there]", mirroring the theme of the antiphons.  "According to Robert Greenberg of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, the Benedictine monks arranged these antiphons with a definite purpose.

If one starts with the last title and takes the first letter of each one – Emmanuel, Rex, Oriens, Clavis, Radix, Adonai, Sapientia – the Latin words ero cras are formed, meaning, "Tomorrow, I will come". Therefore, the Lord Jesus, whose coming we have prepared for in Advent and whom we have addressed in these seven Messianic titles, now speaks to us, Tomorrow, I will come. So, the O Antiphons not only bring intensity to our Advent preparation but bring it to a joyful conclusion. At Dominican Chapel Marywood, each evening begins with a contemplative candlelight procession, then moves into the singing of hymns and psalms; the proclamation of scripture; and a reflection on the theme of each sacred evening. Join us in union with the global community, as we wait in holy anticipation.  Free to the community - all are welcome. Come to one or all evenings. For more information, go to this link:

Do you celebrate any of these with your family or at your parish?
Advent Blessings! 
Are you discerning Religious Life? 
Do you wish to speak with someone about your discernment?
Call us!  Visit us!  Email us!
Dominican Sisters ~ Grand Rapids
2025 Fulton Street East
Grand Rapids, MI 49503


Monday, September 30, 2019

El Paso Border Ministry


Greetings!  …and Happy Fall!  I love this colorful season, and already the days are getting cooler in Grand Rapids, even though bits of Summer still lingers.  Yet I read this morning that Montana is buried under a couple of feet of snow while still in the month of September!  As a fan of snow, I’m ready for Winter, but I’ll enjoy the colors of this season as we move into Winter.

Along with this e-newsletter, I’m sending one last shout-out for our upcoming “Come and See” Weekend – this Friday, October 4th – Sunday October 6th!  You may still register online by clicking on the following link:

El Paso Border Ministry

Four weeks ago today, five of us (4 Dominican Sisters and a Paulist priest) returned from our mission in El Paso.  This week the four of us will share a PowerPoint presentation with our Sisters at Aquinata Hall.  Later this month and within the next few weeks, we will share a similar presentation and conversation with the Sisters in the Congregation when they come to Marywood for congregational meetings as well as with the students at Aquinas College and a couple of parishes who have invited us to share our experience.  For me, it has been the most moving experience I have had in my many years in ministry.  Below I’m including some pictures, which are only a few of the pictures (50 slides!) I included in the PowerPoint.



Wednesday, September 11, 2019

Come and See Weekend - October 4 - 6, 2019




…here we are just a month away from the next Come and See weekend!  Remember: there is no charge for the weekend, and you can register online.  Just get yourself here!!!

The registration link is: https://dominicancenter.com/programs/come-and-see-weekend/   While I was gone, I received the first registration online! 



 

What Are You Seeking?

Here’s another ‘shout out’ for our next Come and See Discernment Weekend!   Would you believe it is only 6 weeks away?  So it’s...