Dear friends,
Happy solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of Mary!
As we celebrate this joyful day, we just wanted to let you know that our Winter newsletter is now online, in English and French. If you're a subscriber, your copy should be arriving soon via the post.
God bless.
On the Feast of Christ the King, November 20, it was our great joy to celebrate the clothing of Mica in the habit of the Dominican Order! She received the religious name Sr. Marie Angelica of the Incarnation, a variation on her full baptismal name. The beautiful clothing ceremony in our Chapter hall was followed by the Sunday Eucharist, and a festive meal. It was a day of great joy for all. The reception of the habit marks the beginning of novitiate, which lasts two years and is a time of deeper spiritual formation in Dominican monastic life.
Another recent joy for our community was welcoming the Master of the Dominican Order, fr. Gerard Timoner III, for two days in October. He was accompanied by his assistants frs. Alain Arnould and Juan Manuel Hernández O.P. We had a wonderful time of sharing together, and heard of many of the joys and challenges of our brothers and sisters around the world. Our brothers joined us for the liturgy (and even the dishes!), and in between we showed them around our monastery’s forest, gardens and workshops. We continue to carry our brothers and sisters in prayer, especially in places such as the Ukraine and Nicaragua which are suffering so much from violence and conflict.
As November unfolds, our monastery’s work begins to shift indoors. After two snows, and several heavy frosts, the garden beds are tucked in for the winter under their blankets of fallen leaves. The sturdier vegetables, however, are still going strong, and we look forward to eating them well into December.
Finally, our latest entrant is settling in well and quickly becoming accustomed to Dominican life. It might be a while before the bestowal of religious name and mystery, but this new arrival is already dressed as a Dominican (one might say it’s a natural). Living in our infirmary, this quiet and gentle member of our community provides some extra companionship for our infirm sisters, and has already mastered monastic silence (again, one might say that it’s natural). Without further ado, we will let this smallest member of our community introduce himself:
On the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, our dear Sister Imelda Marie of the Resurrection made her first profession as a Nun of the Order of Preachers. The ceremony took place during the Eucharistic celebration presided by Fr. Guy Rivard OP, vicar of Queen of Peace Monastery and in the presence of members of her immediate family. After the proclamation of the Gospel the prioress asked Sister Imelda Marie; “What do you seek?” and she responded, “God’s mercy and yours”. After Fr. Guy’s homely, Sr. Imelda Marie joyously pronounced her profession of vows for three years. Please pray for sister as she continues to follow Jesus in Dominican monastic life for the next three years.
