Monastery happenings...

Our annual Corpus Christi procession is drawing near. All are invited to attend! 

   For those of you who live in the area please tell your family and friends. This Sunday, June 14th will begin our Forty Hours devotions with Holy Mass at 8 a.m. followed by Eucharistic adoration throughout the day, culminating in an outdoor Eucharistic Procession within a Holy Hour beginning at 7 p.m.  We will also have Eucharistic adoration all day following our 7 a.m. Mass on Monday and Tuesday.  These days also will end with a Holy Hour at 7 p.m.  Msgr. Powers will preach a rousing sermon each evening. 

    This would be a wonderful way to prepare for the Year for Priests which will begin the following Friday, June 19th - the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. 

    Speaking of priests, a dear friend of ours has started a blog entitled Journey of a Young Priest. I know you will like it. He tells of daily life as a missionary in Jamaica and how his community lives out the Passionist charism. Tell your friends about it...especially any young men who are discerning a vocation to live the Consecrated Life.

   More great news...Loving congratulations to the two newly ordained priests of our Owensboro, KY diocese - Fr. Daniel Dillard and Fr. Josh McCarty. Their ordination is a great consolation and joy to our community as we have known them for many years and have been praying for them while they were in the seminary. Congratulations to their family and friends as well. Let us give praise and thanks to God and pray for their happy perseverance. 

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    On a more humorous note, last evening Sister Therese Marie was showing off the head of our new scarecrow.  We hope it will keep the deer away too!

    Sisters playing Liverpool Rummy last evening at recreation...thought you'd like to see one more photo of postulant Shannon.  Come Friday, June 26th she will be vested in the power of Christ's passion through the holy habit. It has been about 20 months since we had a "white-veil" around here. It will be a wonderful sight!

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    Here is a bit more information on the Passionist Affiliate program that I promised you: 

    Affiliates are Catholic laywomen who, while not becoming professed religious, live within the monastery, sharing our spirituality and assisting us through works of service both within and outside of the cloister.  Our monastery may have only two Affiliates.  Christie's first commitment was made after successfully completing an initial 3-month period of life within our cloistered community. 

    After participating in the Passionist Oblate formation program since 2003, Christie made her Act of Oblation in 2005.  During her time as a Passionist Oblate, she received the call to become even more closely associated with our monastery.  When she made her formal request, we decided to make use of an indult granted by the Holy See in the1980's and communicated to us by Fr. Fabiano Giorgini, C.P. to have "Oblates" who live within the cloister in service of the monastery.  Father Fabiano (R.I.P.)  is lovingly called by our community, "our second founder" because of his leadership in the Vatican II revision of our Rule and Constitutions.  Most Rev. Paul M. Boyle, C.P. (R.I.P.) assisted us in drawing up the guidelines for the Affiliate program.

   One more "news item"...I hope you enjoy this lengthy post as Sponsa Christi will be out of the office until the end of June. Please God, the next post will be about the Vestition of our postulant and I will reveal to you her new name...

   Until then...may the Passion of Christ and the Sorrows of Mary be ever in our hearts!