We've Gone Public!

[Feankie]

So, being a cheese-a-holic I've got to know what Maltese cheese is?  Being a Dame of Malta it's most important for me to get to the bottom of this :)))))))  And....during the Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Good Help this coming week here in Wisconsin, the Dames and Knights from elsewhere in the U.S. always insist on stopping at a cheese factory and practically buy them out.  They just couldn't understand why I didn't buy any,,,,,,duh......I live here and can get the good stuff at the corner or farmer's markets.  Perhaps I could surprise them with a factoid regarding Maltese cheese!  I still can't believe how much cheese 70 some people bought last year....and we'll have about a 150 Pilgrims this year.  Good for our state's economy, I think.

[Spem in alium]

19 hours ago, Francis Clare said:

So, being a cheese-a-holic I've got to know what Maltese cheese is?  Being a Dame of Malta it's most important for me to get to the bottom of this :)))))))  And....during the Pilgrimage to Our Lady of Good Help this coming week here in Wisconsin, the Dames and Knights from elsewhere in the U.S. always insist on stopping at a cheese factory and practically buy them out.  They just couldn't understand why I didn't buy any,,,,,,duh......I live here and can get the good stuff at the corner or farmer's markets.  Perhaps I could surprise them with a factoid regarding Maltese cheese!  I still can't believe how much cheese 70 some people bought last year....and we'll have about a 150 Pilgrims this year.  Good for our state's economy, I think.

Malta makes its own variant of ricotta (rikotta in Maltese), but the most popular Maltese cheese is called "gbejniet" (single: gbejna). It's usually made of sheep's milk and you can get it fresh or dried (the most popular dried variety here is peppered). I prefer the fresh ones; you can eat on bread or in soup, or just on their own. Should be a requirement of the Order's postulancy period that you try gbejniet  

Had a great day doing some nature/mountain walks with one of my sisters. Our diocese hosted a beautiful event this evening called "World Youth Day In-Sync". Mass was celebrated at the same time as the final WYD Mass in Krakow, and afterwards everyone was invited to the parish hall for food, music, and testimonies from past WYD pilgrims and from our new bishop (who stayed the whole time with us). 

 

[Spem in alium]

Funny post-Mass moment: my sister introduced me to a parishioner using my Russian name. I am not Russian, but she is Belarusian and sometimes calls me by my Russian name/diminutive. She did it so quickly and casually! I just told her it's still my name so no worries. We laughed so much afterwards. 

Edited August 1, 2016 by Spem in alium

[Spem in alium]

On 7/27/2016 at 5:26 AM, Pax17 said:

Sister Spem, next week you must tell us more about the Polish and Filipino food...sounds like an interesting combination with a variety of flavors.

Well, it wasn't at all what I thought! The dinner they served was a bread roll with a sausage, some onion and pulled pork, lettuce and tomato. The Polish and Filipino food was more of a dessert: Filipino sticky rice, coconut buns, and Polish paczki and makowiec (poppyseed cake, which is pretty much my favourite). They actually ran out of dinner supplies as more people came than expected, so they had to order pizzas!

I got to talk to our bishop again (I first met him a couple of weeks ago). He was very kind and remembered me, and put his hand on my head in blessing.

Edited August 1, 2016 by Spem in alium

[NadaTeTurbe]

The "Saint of the Day" in my catholic newspaper is Bl. Marie Stella and her companions. martyrs, and members of the congregation of the sisters of the holy family of Nazareth, killed by the Gestapo. Happy feast day ! 

[Spem in alium]

22 hours ago, NadaTeTurbe said:

The "Saint of the Day" in my catholic newspaper is Bl. Marie Stella and her companions. martyrs, and members of the congregation of the sisters of the holy family of Nazareth, killed by the Gestapo. Happy feast day ! 

Thank you so much! The liturgical celebration is Sep 4 but we still remember our blessed martyrs on the day of their death.

 

[Spem in alium]

Today is the solemnity of St Mary of the Cross MacKillop, Australia's first canonised saint. Some of my earliest memories are learning about her. My grandmother had two books about her and one was about her life as a young girl. I still remember very clearly a story about St Mary, as a seven year-old, walking a long way with her mother and when her mother got tired Mary told her to lean on her shoulder. It amazed me back then (I was probably around the age of seven myself) and still amazes me now. She had a very difficult life and her courage and faith are so remarkable.

One of our sisters in Rome died today at 67. I have very good memories of her when I was there last year. She was so kind to me. Please pray for her soul and for her community.

Edited August 8, 2016 by Spem in alium

[Spem in alium]

So on Sunday I got so excited because the choir sang this at Mass during reception of Communion. All five verses. It's seriously one of the best hymns I've heard; in a good range and with meaningful and appropriate lyrics for Mass. I was so joyful!!

[Spem in alium]

One week left here before I move back to my former convent. It will be a joyful but difficult time. Please pray for me.

[Spem in alium]

Our superior has now returned from her home visit...independence day is over!  Though we are consoled by the wonderful goodies she brought us  ...and simply by her presence. I don't know her very well, as she's been away for most of the time I've been here, but she's so easy to be with and she really comes across as being genuinely interested in you and what you have to say. I am sorry I won't get to spend more time with her (I am leaving on Saturday), but am grateful for what it has been so far.

 

[Spem in alium]

Just one more day and then I'm back living at my former convent. My heart is happy but torn (if that makes any sense).

I spent a killer 8-hour day in aged care today. It's really draining work, but there is joy in every day.

We had a party today and I danced with some of our residents.

One lady, who is Polish, asked me if I speak Polish. When I told her I didn't speak very well, she told me that she doesn't either.

Then another lady asked me where she had come from, where she is now, and where she will go next. I spent about ten minutes trying to understand what she was meaning before gathering that she simply wanted to know the name of the wing she lived in. Oh dear!

This work has taught me even more that I am very shy. Every week I need to push myself, and I am slowly becoming more confident. I think it just takes time.

[Antigonos]

Spem, it took me years to learn how to really talk to patients.  So often, they are really asking something entirely different from the overt question they seem to be asking.  

[Spem in alium]

I always try to remember that I am meant to be meeting them at their level. I can see that, as much as is possible, I need to rid myself of my own preconceptions and stereotyping, or at least leave them at the door. The aged care I work in is ethnic-specific, so this really fed my shyness and anxiety (I was afraid of going and talking to new people as I wasn't sure they would understand me). I had had very little experience with people with dementia, but had heard stories about people with dementia being violent, aggressive, and very unpredictable. I got such a reality check when I started pushing myself more and forcing myself to take initiative. I can see that the residents simply want to feel cared about. They are so grateful if I simply stop for a few minutes to ask how they are or hold their hand - touch can speak more than words a lot of the time. Even a person with very deep dementia can sense that you care by your touch and voice. Sometimes I'll go up and talk to someone I don't know, or haven't had much contact with, and I think that this time last year I never would have done that. This truly is God's grace.

[Spem in alium]

Yesterday I arrived back at my "home convent". It was a nice day and my superior had cooked a lunch for me. In the evening I spent two hours assisting her in the kitchen. I'm still learning to cook so it helps me to observe and I try to be of help when I can. Plus we get along well so it was a very friendly time. I also got the opportunity to share with her my personal experiences of my time away, things I had learned about myself and community living.

The most touching moment was coming home to find a letter from my grandfather on my desk, thanking me for a Father's Day card I sent him (here we celebrate FD in September). He is generally quite emotionally reserved, due to his upbringing and culture, but his words were so tender. Although I know he loves me, it's the first time (at least that I can recall) that he's ever expressed that in words. I wasn't expecting or looking for that so it blew me away.  Another gift from God, I think.

[Spem in alium]

Yesterday I went to watch TV for a little while with my superior, just to relax. While we were watching, she asked me a question about tears and why I think people cry. It turned into a one-and-a-half hour discussion  A beautiful time of sharing and openness. I was stunned that she would want to have a discussion with me like this - she wanted my opinions, but also shared some private things about herself too - but it was really a joy to be with her.

Edited September 11, 2016 by Spem in alium