The birth of John the Baptist is one of the earliest feasts in the Church calendar, and one we celebrated this year with an extra helping of joy. In the Gospels, we read that John the Baptist leapt for joy in his mother’s womb when he heard Mary’s voice, and welcomed Jesus (Lk 1:39-44). As a community, we “leapt” for joy as we welcomed Mariel to begin her year of postulancy! Originally from the Philippines, Mariel comes to us from of Our Lady of the Mountains parish in Whistler, less than an hour away. We welcomed her in a beautiful ceremony in our Chapter hall before praying second Vespers of the feast together.

After his birth, John the Baptist would spend the rest of his life “crying out in the wilderness, ‘Prepare way of the Lord!’” (Lk 3:4). This vocation to the wilderness, and to giving one’s life as a living sign of Christ, makes the saint particularly beloved by many monastics. On this year’s feast, shortly before welcoming Mariel, we also welcomed a new icon of John the Baptist for our chapel. Painted by one of our sisters, it depicts the saint with his hands raised in prayer and longing for God. In the upper left corner, a miniature hand of Christ blesses the saint for his ministry. The ring finger of this hand is not missing, but is folded towards the palm in a traditional iconographic gesture of blessing.