Merry Christmas and Blessed Epiphany to you all! The grass may be green outside our chapel, but it’s definitely Christmas inside and in our hearts. We want to share some of our joy with you through the hymn that we sing at Compline every night until the Baptism of the Lord. If you’d like to sing along, the lyrics are below.

+ Lyrics

Of the Father's love begotten
'ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,
He the Source, the ending He,
of the things that are, that have been,
and that future years shall see,
evermore and evermore.

This is He whom seers in old time
chanted of with one accord,
whom the voices of the prophets
promised in their faithful word;
now He shines, the long-expected;
let creation praise its Lord,
evermore and evermore.

Christ, to thee, with God the Father,
and, O Holy Ghost, to thee,
hymn and chant and high thanksgiving
and unwearied praises be,
honor, glory, and dominion
and eternal victory,
evermore and evermore!

Wherever you are, wherever this Christmas season finds you, please be assured of our prayers for you and your loved ones throughout this season and in the upcoming year.

God bless,
your sisters at Queen of Peace Monastery

P.S. If you haven’t already viewed it, our community’s most recent newsletter went “live” in mid-December and is available in English and French:

Sr. Marie Thomas LawrieJanuary 3, 2021Christmas, liturgy

Happy Pentecost!

Dear friends,

Happy Pentecost! After a week of retreat with lots of sun (and sisters gardening), the Holy Spirit seemed to descend outdoors in the form of a gentle rain, making all things new and green.

We’ve posted this before, but think it’s worth a repeat—here is a fr. Andé Gouzes O.P. piece celebrating the Holy Spirit, God’s love and breath.

As we all know, breathing is essential to our life as humans. Taking a deep breath can help us relax, enjoy a beautiful day, enter more deeply into prayer. Conversely, not breathing fully can make us feel anxious, panicked and tense. Especially this year, when the idea of being near to another person and their breath may cause fear or alarm rather than a sense of consolation, it is interesting to reflect on verses in Scripture that recall God’s nearness to us in this way (e.g. Genesis 2:7, Ezekiel 37:1-14, John 20:19-22). He in whom we “live, and move, and have our being” (Acts 17:28) is closer to us than our own breath—and, just as every breath we take nourishes our heart and body with oxygen, “God’s love poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit who is given to us” (Romans 5:5) can continuously nourish us with the quiet peace and hope of His Presence.

Stay well, dear friends. We continue to pray with you and for you.

Sr. Marie Thomas LawrieMay 31, 2020Pentecost, liturgy

April 27 - "Christ is risen, alleluia!"

Happy Easter, dear friends! May the joy of the risen Christ be with you all. Just like St. Mary Magdalene, one of the patron saints of the Order of Preachers, let us go and tell our brothers and sisters that our Lord is risen from the dead, because His “love is as strong as death, Passion fierce as the grave” (Song 8:6).

We hope that you had a beautiful celebration of Christ’s Pasch, and are grateful for those who were able to join us throughout the Triduum. Don’t forget—Easter is not “over”, but is really just beginning! Every day this week, we celebrate Easter Sunday all over again, with the same Divine Office and the Gloria at Mass. After the Octave, we keep celebrating the Resurrection until Ascension and Pentecost. And, of course, every Sunday throughout the year is the day of our Lord’s Resurrection. Alleluia!

Here are just a few pictures from our monastery’s celebration of Holy Week.

Palm Sunday

We go forward in procession with branches, carrying cedar boughs cut from the forest just outside our chapel door.

Good Friday

The office of Tenebrae at Matins and Lauds, and the veneration of the Holy Cross at three o’clock.
In the Dominican tradition, each sister who is able approaches the Cross with a series of prostrations, finishing with a venia (a profound act of humility and reverence) as she kisses the Cross. The Cross remains, with burning candles, until after Compline.

Holy Saturday

Like Good Friday, our morning begins with the office of Tenebrae at Matins and Lauds. After each psalm or reading, a candle is extinguished, symbolizing the increasing darkness as Christ enters His Passion and tomb. After the solemn intercessions, the final candle is carried out of the church and the office ends in total darkness. Here, a sister is chanting the end of the Lamentations of the Prophet Jeremiah, calling us to return to God for mercy.

Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday

Our Easter Vigil begins between our chapel and the forest, just before midnight. The Paschal candle is blessed and lit from the Paschal fire, and the coals for the Vigil’s incense are taken directly from the flames. Our chaplain carries the light into the church, symbolizing the light and hope of Christ’s Resurrection.

After seven readings and seven psalms or canticles proclaimed in almost total darkness, the lights are lit, the Gloria is sung and the bells are rung for the first time since the beginning of Lent! After a Pauline reading and the Gospel, the liturgy of the Eucharist begins. In Greek, eucharistia means thanksgiving, and on this night, we give thanks more than ever that “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him may not be lost but may have eternal life" (Jn 3:16).