Sr Mary Ana of the Divine Mercy

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

[orapronobis]

Absolutely radiant!

[Jennifer]

Thank you for sharing this lovely photograph of a radiant Sr. Mary Ana as she stands with you.

God Bless you all at Summit

[vee]

Congratulations to her!

As I was looking through the photos I noticed some of the Sisters were wearing their mantles and some were not and Im curious as to why the discrepancy.

[Swami Mommy]

How do you girls always manage to keep your habits so crisp looking?  If I wore that much fabric I'd be a wrinkled mess within a half hour LOL!

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

2 hours ago, vee said:

Congratulations to her!

As I was looking through the photos I noticed some of the Sisters were wearing their mantles and some were not and Im curious as to why the discrepancy.

Only the prioress and novice mistress wear their cappas for clothing and profession ceremonies.

2 hours ago, Swami Mommy said:

How do you girls always manage to keep your habits so crisp looking?  If I wore that much fabric I'd be a wrinkled mess within a half hour LOL!

Are you kidding! Right now Sr. Mary Ana is the only one who is wearing a clean and crisp looking habit and that won't last! :-)
Compared to the Sisters from Nashville and Ann Arbor our habits don't look that great! You just can't tell by the photos!

[Makarioi]

I agree with OPN, how radiant!! The two of you look wonderful, then again, so does the all of Summit!! It's nice that Sr Aisline arrived in time to witness to the Ceremony. Congratulations!!

[AuthorOfMyLife]

3 hours ago, Sr Mary Catharine OP said:

Only the prioress and novice mistress wear their cappas for clothing and profession ceremonies.

Are you kidding! Right now Sr. Mary Ana is the only one who is wearing a clean and crisp looking habit and that won't last! :-)
Compared to the Sisters from Nashville and Ann Arbor our habits don't look that great! You just can't tell by the photos!

Ha ha! I love that idea, though! Lived-in habits! There is a delightful section in Mother Mary Francis' "A Right To Be Merry" (she was a Poor Clare and you know how they are about poverty) where she described the sisters making habits from various fabrics, and sometimes having the fabric fall apart WHILE the habit was being worn! One of the aspects of contemplative / cloistered life (actually, religious life in general!) that I feel attracted to is the practice of appreciating material things and using them to their fullest.

Back to the topic, though, Sr. Mary Ana looks so happy! God bless her! Out of curiosity, is "Ana" for St. Anne?

I also have to say that I really enjoy your newsletters. I love the pictures and the happy smiles, and I love your creativity. Thank you for sharing them with us!

[Swami Mommy]

Sorry to obsess about your habit, but isn't it terribly hot to wear in the summer?  I wear short-sleeved, summer T shirts even in the winter (and I live in Buffalo, NY which is noted for bitterly cold and snowy winters!) and I even have a fan going in my bedroom at night during the winter because I'm always so warm. I would be such a hot, sweaty mess in all those layers of clothing!  (I love your habit though. It's lovely.) 

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

Yes it is hot and for some of us it is hot even in the winter! After 45 one wants to wear the thinnest summer habit all the time! Actually, it is having the head covered all the time that creates a "personal summer!"

You kinda just accept it and offer it up and don't think too much about it!

[Sr Mary Catharine OP]

http://summitdominicans.org/blog/2015/12/8/c2ofhvfhi0mdb0titmbipozcqy3mu3

more photos and the text of Sr. Mary Martin's sermon.

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

What a wonderful week for the Community! A new postulant and a newly-clothed novice! 

I expect the joy for the Community is not only for spiritual things, but for practical things, as well. This is your busiest time of year in the Cloister Shoppe, and although no one has told me this, I wouldn't be surprised if, at least until the 17th when the Cloister Shoppe closes until January, Sister Aisling and Sister Mary Ana will be kept very busy there, since the Novitiate are the primary soap and candle Sisters.

When I learned that Sister Aisling entered on the evening of the 6th instead of the 7th, I saw that meant she was entering on the feast day of St. Ambrose. Although I have heard of St. Ambrose, I confess my ignorance about him, so looked him up. Not that this is the most important thing about St. Ambrose, but it turned out that, along with St. Bernard, St. Ambrose is the patron saint of candle makers! Perhaps the Community has another future master candle maker. Or, even if Sister Aisling has other gifts, perhaps the fact that the Community honored St. Ambrose by having a postulant enter on his feast day means that he will give extra blessings (and in time, more room!) to the Community's candle making enterprise.

Then, after the 17th, Sister Aisling and Sister Mary Ana will likely be kept busy in another way. If I remember past Summit Dominican blogs correctly, the Novitiate is responsible for decorating the recreation room of the Professed Sisters. (Forgive me if I've got this wrong.) The more pairs of hands the better! I'm looking forward to the pictures! (I'm too exhausted to decorate my house for Christmas, so I am very happy that others get to enjoy Christmas decorations. One pleasure for me is that the Sisters in the convent directly across the street from my house decorate the outside of their convent, so the view outside my front windows is lovely and reminds me of the season.)

All of this, along with the singing of the LOTH, which of course comes first. What a joyful, but busy time to enter Religious Life. I suspect that there will be times that Sister Aisling feels that working full-time as a nurse was easier--not that I expect she will regret her decision!

I love reading about all of Summit's celebrations of the Christmas feast. Forgive me for asking, but as you are celebrating, will you take a moment to remember those of us (and I know there are far more of us than most people realize) who will be completely alone for the holidays. For me, the holidays are a lonely time because most people are very busy with their own families. I realized yesterday that although I will talk to people on the phone (and post here), there is a good chance I will not see another human being in person until after New Year's. I will confess this is at least partly my own choice--there are parties offered for people who have no where else to go--but when I am too physically exhausted to even do a load of washing so I have clothes to wear, it is very hard for me to keep up the "social graces." Also, for me, being in the midst of strangers is often much lonelier than being by myself with my cat. Right now, I don't have the emotional strength to give very much to others and that makes me sad. Advent and the Christmas feast are supposed to be a time of hope, and that is in very short supply in my house this year.

BTW: It is VERY hard to write this. God has been pushing me VERY hard to try to break my stubborn pride and teach me humility--to admit to others what is really going on in my life. He is pushing me so that the only one left I have to trust is God, and I will have no other choice but to "give in" and have faith in Him. In past years, I just kept quiet, and did whatever I could to get through these next few weeks without mentioning it to others. I apologize for hijacking your joyous thread with my concerns. But reading about your celebrations and joy on the Summit blog reminds me that God does provide, if only I would trust Him enough. I wanted you to know that the Summit blog does far more than educate discerners about the Religous Life.

[marigold]

Good for you, Iggy! Speaking just for myself, the 'hijack' is absolutely fine! I always read your long, thoughtful posts with care, and I see the heart of gold that shines through. God, in his far-seeing wisdom, does let us suffer. There is no getting around it. I have had my fair share of loneliness, in various ways, all my life. Right now there is the loneliness of trying to be in three places at once - if I could, I would ship you over to one of my 'families' to be the golden heart of their Christmas that they wish me to be, and I just don't have the generosity for! We are all in this together - I think of you often and pray for you, so you are not forgotten even if you are alone.

[IgnatiusofLoyola]

1 hour ago, marigold said:

Good for you, Iggy! Speaking just for myself, the 'hijack' is absolutely fine! I always read your long, thoughtful posts with care, and I see the heart of gold that shines through. God, in his far-seeing wisdom, does let us suffer. There is no getting around it. I have had my fair share of loneliness, in various ways, all my life. Right now there is the loneliness of trying to be in three places at once - if I could, I would ship you over to one of my 'families' to be the golden heart of their Christmas that they wish me to be, and I just don't have the generosity for! We are all in this together - I think of you often and pray for you, so you are not forgotten even if you are alone.

Thank-you! You don't know how much it means to have you say that, because you are one of the people I most respect on Phatmass.

I am very ashamed that God had to allow me to experience my present state of illness and depression and loneliness in order to teach me to be a better person. About 10 years ago, when I was first getting seriously ill, but still working, I participated in a study at a local university about the effects of chronic fatigue syndrome. (Side note: I hate that name, because it sounds like laziness. There is a proposal from a study group in the U.S. to rename the disease SEID (Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease) which is a much better description, and might mean I wouldn't have to explain to virtually every caregiver I meet (including doctors) that unlike almost every other disease, increasing physical exercise beyond certain low levels/types of exercise does not help, but in fact, makes the disease worse.) I filled out a questionnaire and one question was, "Has your illness made you a better person?" At the time, I laughed, and thought this was absurd.

Then a couple of years later I FINALLY realized something that I SHOULD have realized in my 20's, but while I was a very fast learner intellectually, I am a a VERY slow learner emotionally. It made me very ashamed. I finally realized that all my life I had been smug at being intellectually gifted, I felt superior to others, I prided myself on being self-sufficient. It wasn't overt things that I was doing, but small things that could hurt just as badly. Without realizing it, I had been judgemental --if someone didn't think the way I did they must be wrong or intellectually inferior. No, I didn't steal from anyone or physically hurt people, but worse, I was completely blind to the effect of the things I said and did on people's feelings and self-confidence. The sin of PRIDE can be just as serious a weapon as a physical weapon perhaps because the impact can be much more subtle, and is definitely far more widespread. 

Pope Francis was SO wise in making this the year of Mercy. This year is about both trusting and accepting God's mercy to us as pitiful creatures, but also showing mercy and understanding and RESPECT to others. "Understanding" doesn't have to mean agreement, but instead giving other humans the respect of listening and trying to understand their situation. I find it ironic sometimes when I read Catholic criticisms of Pope Francis, when I, a non-Catholic, think Pope Francis is "da bomb." In his words and actions Pope Francis "gets" the very difficult balance of what Jesus did. Jesus didn't compromise on the most important of God's teachings, but yet simultaneously was able to truly love and show mercy to all those he met--whether they met God's "rules" or not. Jesus didn't get mad very often, but when he did, he got mad at the Pharisees, who were SO proud of themselves and the ways they obeyed God's laws, but judged others they felt had "failed." It reminds me so much of how today's society, including many Catholics, fail to show love and mercy to those who don't meet their standards, and are so judgemental of those they have have decided have "failed." And, like I used to be (and I still am far too often), the "Pharisees" of both Jesus' time and today are clueless to the effect their words and actions have on others--in fact, they think they are being helpful and doing what Jesus asked.

I desperately need God's mercy right now. I didn't earn it and I don't deserve it. And, I find it very hard to trust in God's mercy, so his desperately need his help with that, too. I'm learning that sometimes very proud and stubborn people like me only turn to God when they are desperate. I desperately need your prayers, and I will do my best to pray for you, too. I've finally figured out that maybe one of my "jobs" right now, because I'm stuck lying on my couch all day, is to pray for others. I'm not convinced my prayers are that effective, but I'm starting to make a "prayer list" anyway.

Last, I ask your forgiveness for hijacking this thread, although to me there is a relationship between the thread and my too-long post. Sister Aisling and Sister Mary Ana, and the whole Summit Dominican Community are generous enough to share their lives even with non-Catholics like me, and remind me every day that God DOES answer prayer and bring joy, but also that that joy more often than not comes after long waits, hard work, and suffering, whether physical or emotional. In fact, the joy is sweeter and more appreciated because of this.

I'll try to shut up now.

[Mags]

1 hour ago, IgnatiusofLoyola said:

Thank-you! You don't know how much it means to have you say that, because you are one of the people I most respect on Phatmass.

I am very ashamed that God had to allow me to experience my present state of illness and depression and loneliness in order to teach me to be a better person. About 10 years ago, when I was first getting seriously ill, but still working, I participated in a study at a local university about the effects of chronic fatigue syndrome. (Side note: I hate that name, because it sounds like laziness. There is a proposal from a study group in the U.S. to rename the disease SEID (Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease) which is a much better description, and might mean I wouldn't have to explain to virtually every caregiver I meet (including doctors) that unlike almost every other disease, increasing physical exercise beyond certain low levels/types of exercise does not help, but in fact, makes the disease worse.) I filled out a questionnaire and one question was, "Has your illness made you a better person?" At the time, I laughed, and thought this was absurd.

Then a couple of years later I FINALLY realized something that I SHOULD have realized in my 20's, but while I was a very fast learner intellectually, I am a a VERY slow learner emotionally. It made me very ashamed. I finally realized that all my life I had been smug at being intellectually gifted, I felt superior to others, I prided myself on being self-sufficient. It wasn't overt things that I was doing, but small things that could hurt just as badly. Without realizing it, I had been judgemental --if someone didn't think the way I did they must be wrong or intellectually inferior. No, I didn't steal from anyone or physically hurt people, but worse, I was completely blind to the effect of the things I said and did on people's feelings and self-confidence. The sin of PRIDE can be just as serious a weapon as a physical weapon perhaps because the impact can be much more subtle, and is definitely far more widespread. 

Pope Francis was SO wise in making this the year of Mercy. This year is about both trusting and accepting God's mercy to us as pitiful creatures, but also showing mercy and understanding and RESPECT to others. "Understanding" doesn't have to mean agreement, but instead giving other humans the respect of listening and trying to understand their situation. I find it ironic sometimes when I read Catholic criticisms of Pope Francis, when I, a non-Catholic, think Pope Francis is "da bomb." In his words and actions Pope Francis "gets" the very difficult balance of what Jesus did. Jesus didn't compromise on the most important of God's teachings, but yet simultaneously was able to truly love and show mercy to all those he met--whether they met God's "rules" or not. Jesus didn't get mad very often, but when he did, he got mad at the Pharisees, who were SO proud of themselves and the ways they obeyed God's laws, but judged others they felt had "failed." It reminds me so much of how today's society, including many Catholics, fail to show love and mercy to those who don't meet their standards, and are so judgemental of those they have have decided have "failed." And, like I used to be (and I still am far too often), the "Pharisees" of both Jesus' time and today are clueless to the effect their words and actions have on others--in fact, they think they are being helpful and doing what Jesus asked.

I desperately need God's mercy right now. I didn't earn it and I don't deserve it. And, I find it very hard to trust in God's mercy, so his desperately need his help with that, too. I'm learning that sometimes very proud and stubborn people like me only turn to God when they are desperate. I desperately need your prayers, and I will do my best to pray for you, too. I've finally figured out that maybe one of my "jobs" right now, because I'm stuck lying on my couch all day, is to pray for others. I'm not convinced my prayers are that effective, but I'm starting to make a "prayer list" anyway.

Last, I ask your forgiveness for hijacking this thread, although to me there is a relationship between the thread and my too-long post. Sister Aisling and Sister Mary Ana, and the whole Summit Dominican Community are generous enough to share their lives even with non-Catholics like me, and remind me every day that God DOES answer prayer and bring joy, but also that that joy more often than not comes after long waits, hard work, and suffering, whether physical or emotional. In fact, the joy is sweeter and more appreciated because of this.

I'll try to shut up now.

Please, don't "shut up" . What you have written is something which we all could learn from. You are very much in my prayers Iggy.