A Chant to Praise God with Our Angelic Friends

This week we have the joy of honoring our Angelic Friends: the Archangels and our own Guardian Angels, to whom God has entrusted our souls to their care and guidance.

Our Holy Mother Church teaches us that God is glorified through the Angels, and by their great dignity and splendor, God shows how infinitely great He is! (from the Preface of the Mass of the Archangels)

So with these holy creatures of God, let us together chant a psalm of praise. Our Sisters prepared this special video for you to join us in praising God for his love and Providential care for us…

Are we aware of the assistance of these wonderful friends? And who are they exactly?

Saint Michael the Archangel (“Who is like God?”) is a warrior against Satan and who has in his command legions of angels (Revelation 12:7-9). He is the protector of Israel (Daniel 12:1), the Church and all peoples. It is quite beneficial for us to invoke his name daily for protection from the snares of the Devil.

Saint Gabriel the Archangel (“Strength of God”) is a messenger who announces to Zechariah the birth of Saint John the Baptist, and to the Blessed Virgin Mary the birth of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 1:5-38). Remember to ask him for help each time we greet Our Lady with his words “Hail, full of grace.”

Saint Raphael (“Medicine of God,” “God’s Remedy,” or “God Heals”) is the Archangel who cares for Tobias ( on his journey Tobit 5-12). Don’t forget to ask for his help daily as we travel through this life on earth. He is the patron of travelers, of purity, of happy meetings, and of thanks, praise and prayer, among others!

Each of us also have a Guardian Angel to protect and guide us during our life pilgrimage. Let us be attentive and obedience to the guidance of our Guardian Angel. Why? Because our Guardian Angel is in heaven and always look upon the Face of God and knows God’s will for our life (Matthew 18:10).

Let us praise God unceasingly and thank our Guardian Angel and all these wonderful Angelic Friends daily for their angelic service!

O most holy angel of God, appointed by God to be my guardian, I give you thanks for all the benefits which you have ever bestowed on me in body and in soul. I praise and glorify you that you condescended to assist me with such patient fidelity, and to defend me against all the assaults of my enemies. Blessed be the hour in which you were assigned me for my guardian, my defender and my patron. In acknowledgement and return for all your loving ministries to me, I offer you the infinitely precious and noble heart of Jesus, and firmly purpose to obey you henceforward, and most faithfully to serve my God. Amen.

-Saint Gertrude’s Guardian Angel Prayer

Deo Gratias!

Icons of Saint Michael the Archangel and Saint Gabriel the Archangel written by our Sister Amata Marie of Divine Mercy, O.P.

Westward Bound - From New York to San Francisco

“On the 29th of May 1921, it being the Sunday within the octave of the feast of Corpus Christi, five choir sisters - Mother Mary of the Rosary, Very Reverend Mother Prioress, Mother Mary Emmanuel, Reverend Mother Subprioress, Mother Mary of the Immaculate Heart, Sister Mary Agnes, and Sister Mary of the Visitation - two lay sisters - Sister Mary Rose and Sister Mary Thomas - and Sister Mary Benedict, touriere and natural sister of Sister Mary Rose, set out to found in San Francisco a new monastery with perpetual exposition and adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament…”

Monastery Chronicles - Archives
Corpus Christi Monastery, Menlo Park, California

Though our foundation date is May 29, 1921, the day our foundresses left their monastery in New York for California, the first record of the possibility of making a foundation in California goes all the way back to a letter dated March 26, 1906, written by Minnie Parrott of San Mateo, California to her cousin Julia, known in the Order as Mother Mary of Jesus, O.P., a nun at Corpus Christi Monastery in Hunt’s Point (Bronx), New York:

It was only on Saturday that I saw Archbishop Riordan, and obtained his views with regard to your making a foundation in San Francisco, for the present his responsibilities are all that he can meet, but he asked me to beg you to write directly to him, making thus a direct application…

Unfortunately, on April 18, 1906, less than a month after this letter was written, disaster struck San Francisco - a major earthquake followed by fire, which destroyed much of the city and left it reeling. A new monastic foundation would have to wait for the time being.

In December 1907, Father Arthur Laurence McMahon, O.P. arrived in San Francisco. A friar of the Eastern Dominican Province, he was appointed as vicar general for the congregation of Dominican friars on the West Coast. In 1912, when the congregation was elevated to a province, he was named the first prior provincial of the Western Dominican Province. In a letter from him to our foundress, Mother Mary of the Rosary, O.P. in 1928, he summarized what happened between his arrival in San Francisco in 1907 and October 1916 concerning the possibility of a new foundation of Dominican nuns:

Very Rev. Arthur Laurence McMahon, O.P., S.T.M. - Dominicana 27:3 — Fall 1942

Dear Mother Mary of the Rosary,

With this I shall hand you, to be copied for your archives, the letters that I received from Rev. Mother Mary of Mercy from November 1916 to May 1921…

I have refreshed my memory by reading the correspondence. One of my most earnest desires and purposes when I came to the west, at the end of December 1907, was to make a foundation in Seattle and to make it in honor of the Blessed Sacrament. In less than a year all arrangements for the foundation were made…

It may have been in the first year 1908, or perhaps it was in 1909 - I think it was in the former, that I had thought of a foundation of our Nuns devoted to perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. My mind was filled with a purpose of doing all I could to honor our Lord in the Eucharist, of promoting devotion to the Blessed Sacrament of thus making reparation for the neglect and failings of the Congregation of California and bring blessings upon it..

There was an annual Eucharistic Conference in October 1916 where a paper on devotion to the Blessed Sacrament was read and discussed. Archbishop Hanna who presided mentioned that he had hoped that in the city or diocese there would be a community of nuns who would keep perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. Father McMahon seized the opportunity to have the Dominican nuns come to the Bay Area. He had a discussion with the Newark Community and was referred to the Hunt’s Point community.

In the correspondence that began in 1916, it is clear that the Dominican nuns of Hunt’s Point were willing to begin a new foundation in San Francisco, and Archbishop Hanna and Father McMahon were eager to have them, but there was the problem of housing and economic support. The local church was still burdened with rebuilding and assisting those in need after the earthquake and fire and any new foundation would be required to have their own benefactors and prospects for being financially independent of the local church.

Yet, Divine Providence always makes way to see His will accomplished, and eventually the nuns did receive the support they needed from their friend, a kind San Francisco woman, who knew the community at Hunt’s Point from her visits to New York. In a letter dated July 8, 1920, she wrote to Mother Mary of Mercy:

I do wish your community could come here - some months ago, a friend of mine who had been in Europe spoke of having heard that perpetual adoration might be brought here and established in the lower part of San Francisco where there is nothing Catholic to attract the many stenographers, etc.

Caricature of Most Rev. Edward J. Hanna, D. D., Archbishop of San Francisco by G. A. Bronstrup - Bronstrup, G. A., and Associates (1918) Club Men in Caricature, San Francisco, Public Domain

A letter to Mother Mary of Mercy from Father McMahon, also in September 1920:

You have received the Archbishop’s letter, and so you know that you may come and make the foundation that has been so long desired. I had hoped that we might have it for the seventh centenary of the confirmation of the Order, earlier hopes having been in vain; but it seems to have been reserved for the seventh centenary of the death of Saint Dominic.

Our Founding Community of Eight

When a young woman enters a cloister, it is for the purpose of devoting herself solely to seeking the face of God within a hidden life. As a Dominican nun, she does this not only for God’s glory and her own salvation, but also as part of the Order’s mission of saving souls. In their "fiat” to God’s will, during the short months leading up to May 29, 1921, the nuns of Corpus Christi Monastery finished with haste the many preparations necessary for this small group to leave their cloister in New York and head west by train to begin a new foundation in what must have seemed like almost another world.

What are some of the joys, challenges and heartaches these women consecrated to God faced as they took this step of faith and devotion? During our Centennial Jubilee year, we will be sharing with you more of the historical treasures in our archives about our own foundation and the early years of our monastery.

Eternal Rest, Grant Unto Her, O Lord

We commend our sister to your prayers.

Sister Maura of the Holy Spirit, O.P. passed into eternal life on February 8, 2021, during her 98th year of earthly life and her 71st year of religious profession. You may read her vocation story here.

Eternal rest, grant unto her, O Lord; and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace.

Assumption Anticipation: A New Postulant to Arrive!

After waiting longer than anticipated due to the COVID-19 outbreak, we are finally able to welcome our newest postulant-to-be on Saturday, the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary!

The time of postulancy is a time of committed discernment. Before entering the monastery as a postulant, a young woman has already spent more than a year getting to know the community (and the community, her). She has completed her aspirancy period, which requires a month-long stay inside the enclosure. She has now given up most of her possessions, her car, her apartment, and her job, because she has been led by God to believe this really could be the vocation He has called her, and the community has affirmed this possibility by accepting her application to the postulancy. But no formal commitment has yet been made, nor even a commitment to enter into a formal commitment. Rather, the postulancy is a time of learning more about what that commitment will entail, with the joys and crosses of religious life and observance of the Rule and the Constitutions of the Nuns of the Order of Preachers.

A calling to the cloistered life is a mystery, that is, it requires faith to see its beauty and importance. How wonderful it is to be called to give unceasing praise to God in the liturgy, seven times a day on behalf of all the faithful, to seek the face of God for the salvation of souls! God doesn’t call everyone to this path to love, but for those He does call and who respond generously, He gives abundantly more in return.

Will you join us in praying for our postulant-to-be as she also makes her last preparations to enter, as well as praying for her family and loved ones. And please too remember all those God is calling to take the next step of faith and trust in their own vocation journeys.

Deo gratias!

Beautiful Preaching: Fra Angelico, the Arts and Iconography

To preach the Gospel, words are not always necessary. Today we remember a Dominican friar who remains one of the most renowned artists of all times: Blessed John of Fiesole, more popularly known as Fra Angelico. Fra Angelico was known to frequently say, “If you seek to do the work of Christ, you must live with Christ.” Fra Angelico was an examplar Dominican preacher - he sought the face of God in contemplation, gave Christ his entire being and became an instrument in His hand to preach the Gospel and draw people to Himself through the beauty of his paintings and frescoes.

This too is the way for the nuns of the Order of Preachers. And as each individual is given charisms for the building up of the Church, it is not uncommon to find monastic communities have general charisms as well, both for preaching some particular aspect of the Gospel and often to help support the community: some communities excel in gardening and the use of natural resources, some in various crafts and the production of goods, and so on. Our community has, from its beginning, had a tradition in the visual and musical arts, which has blossomed through the course of time in various ways: producing vestments and ecclesiastical linens, Gothic calligraphy and illuminating manuscripts, fine artwork, photography and digital design, and most recently iconography.

Last fall, our community had an extraordinary opportunity to begin learning an ancient form of prayer and preaching: iconography. Several of our younger sisters have had a desire to learn more about iconography (writing icons) and iconology (the study of icons) and, through the workings of Divine Providence and the generous support of benefactors, several sisters in our community spent a week in an intensive icon retreat with iconographer Kristina Sadley of Prophecy Designs Icons and an affiliate instructor for the Prosopon School of Iconology.

“Icon” is Greek for “image” and traditional icon writing is a prayerful discipline of hand, heart, and mind to bring forth the “Gospel in color” – every canonically written icon reveals Christ, and comes from within the iconographer and his/her prayer.

The week began with Mass, confession, and a blessing of our icon boards and our sister iconographers. Once in our “iconography studio”, we began each morning with prayer, giving glory to the Holy Trinity, asking for grace and illumination as we worked and interceding for those who would venerate the icons we were writing. Except for instructions, our time was largely spent in silence.

We quickly learned that everything in iconography has meaning and purpose – every feature, every color, every step in the process. For example, the wood of the board – a symbol of the wood of the cross; the whiteness of the board – purity and light. Our first step was to trace the image of our icon onto the board using carbon paper, then, once traced, we etched into the white gesso layers with a stylus so our lines would not be lost as we began to apply clay, gold and pigments. This parallels our own life when we receive the Gospel – lightly at first, but when we cooperate with God’s grace, He etches His Word into our hearts.

The next step was also profoundly meaningful to many of us – applying the clay bole and the goldleaf for the icon’s halo. The clay bole represents our humanity. The gold represents God’s glory and divinity. To have the gold adhere properly to the clay, the iconographer must get very close to the clay, with goldleaf piece ready in hand, and breathe deeply but gently on the clay to warm it, reminding the iconographer that God breathed life into Adam. After two or three breaths, the gold is quickly applied and pressed gently onto the warmed clay, and the iconographer moves to the next small section of the halo to begin again. Once the gold is applied, the first color is applied to the board – a bright red line is added to encircle the halo – the blood of Christ and the white has now been broken open into color.

So by now you may be asking, “which icons did the sisters write?” Mary? Jesus? A festal scene? You may be surprised (as we were) to learn we had no choice about our first icon – we would all be writing Saint Michael. But then, Kristina explained why: iconography, as prayer, is a battle – it is spiritual warfare in a profound way. And so we begin with Saint Michael, who is prince of heaven and our help in spiritual battles against the devil. Saint Michael reminds us, “who is like God?” He helps us keep right perspective in humility and our eyes Christ. It is also for these reasons that an iconographer does not part with his or her first icon.

Our first icon completed, our new iconographers are making plans to begin writing their second icon, Saint Gabriel. As Saint Michael helps us grow in humility and clear out the sins and blocks in our hearts and lives to God’s grace, Saint Gabriel brings the Good News and helps us fill our souls with God’s goodness, truth, and beauty.

We give thanks to Kristina and our benefactors whose generosity opened the door for us to this ancient method of prayer and visual preaching of the Gospel. May Fra Angelico intercede for all artists and those who use visual means to promote the goodness, truth and beauty of the Gospel. Saint Michael, Saint Gabriel and Fra Angelico, pray for us!

Want to learn more about assisting our arts and iconography studio or other opportunities to support our cloistered Dominican life? Email us or visit our website. Thank you and God bless!

The beginning of the icon retreat

Celebrating 25 Years, a Bride of Christ (and a New Book)!

There’s nothing like celebrating a first profession: the youthful joy and excitement of the bride-to-be, the busy preparations of the community as they help her prepare for the big day. In some ways, it is like a fairy tale, a divine fairy tale. But even more beautiful is to celebrate a milestone anniversary with a bride of Christ. And recently, we had the privilege of celebrating with Sister Amata Marie her 25th anniversary of profession of vows.

Sister Amata Marie comes to our community from life as an apostolic sister of the Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate Province in Houston, Texas. It was as a sister of this congregation that she first professed her religious vows. And we shared her joy as most of her classmates, as well as family and friends, were able to join us at our monastery to celebrate Mass for her jubilee. It was a truly catholic celebration as the languages heard during the Mass were three: Vietnamese, English and Latin, and elements of Vietnamese culture blended seamlessly with customs more familiar to American Catholics. Afterward, guests were treated to a sumptuous Vietnamese feast, generously hosted by Sister’s family.

A jubilee anniversary celebration reminds us of the grace that is needed daily to persevere in this, or indeed any, vocation. We all recognize souls who have stood the test of time and cooperated with this grace. They have been tried by the fire of trials and sufferings, cooled by the waters of peace and joy, and hammered and sculpted until the most beautiful forms have begun to take shape. We say begun, because as a jubilarian will be the first to say, their journey is not yet finished. But those of us who surround such souls rejoice at their example of perseverance and the fruitfulness they bring to their communities and the entire Church.

We also celebrated with Sister Amata Marie in another way: with the release of a new book, Journey of Faith and Love: Through It All God Never Fails. The book, written in both English and Vietnamese, features 26 chapters of reflections based on Sister Amata Marie’s life and experiences: from her childhood in Viet Nam and her time on a fishing boat adrift in the South China Sea as she escaped, to her life as a religious sister amidst her newfound freedom in the United States.  Sister Amata Marie shares with readers her insights as she sought deeper intimacy with our Heavenly Father, and her experiences of loss and suffering, as well as moments of great peace and joy. 

“My hope in sharing these experiences is that, as my own faith is strengthened, the faith of others may be strengthened as well,” says Sister Amata Marie. “God’s love is constantly pouring down on us every moment of our life. All we need to do is be open to receive it. Through this book, I hope that those who read these reflections will also recognize God’s constant presence in their own lives and the love God has for them personally, even if they don’t always feel it.”

Journey of Faith and Love is available in paperback on our gift shop website and in paperback and Kindle format on Amazon.

May God continue to bless and protect Sister Amata Marie and her profession class as their continue their lives of love and service as brides of Christ, and may our Beloved Savior raise up new brides to the glory of God and the proclamation of His Kingdom. Deo gratias!

Celebrating Corpus Christi Sunday

On Corpus Christi Sunday, Dominican family, friends, and benefactors gathered at the monastery to celebrate with us our patronal feast day. The festivities began with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. The principal celebrant and homilist was Father Andrew Opsahl, O.P. Father Andy is one of the newly ordained priests for the Western Dominican Province. He was joined at the altar by many of our Dominican friars, including Bishop Robert Christian, O.P., auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, and Father Stephen Maria Lopez, O.P., student master for the Western Dominican Province.

Immediately following Mass was a Eucharistic Procession and Benediction. After the beautiful and solemn celebration of the Eucharist, a reception was held in the parlor for everyone. It was a delight and joy to share this special day with all our dear ones. And it is a day that will be particularly poignant in our hearts and minds with the sudden passing of Bishop Robert Christian.

Thank you to everyone who joined us in celebrating and giving thanks for the life, love, and many graces God has poured out on us.

Come Spouse of Christ! Sister André Marie Professes First Vows

June 29th, the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, was warm and bright as our chapel filled with friends and family, here to celebrate Mass and witness Sister André Marie of Divine Mercy make her first profession of vows. The principal celebrant and homilist was Very Rev. Christopher Fadok, O.P., prior provincial of the Western Dominican Province. The main concelebrants were Rev. Johnpeter Pragasam, Rev. Thuong Nguyen, Rev. Tri Pham, and Rev. Reginald Martin, O.P.

During his homily, Father Christopher tied together the balance and beauty of the life of the Church exemplified in Saints Peter and Paul, with the balance and beauty of discerning and living the contemplative vocation.

“Bishop and missionary. Integrity and creativity. Responsibility and freedom.” Father Christopher said. He went on to say that the Church needs both to strike the right balance and thrive, as do each of us individually. “What does it take to make us stand upright and proclaim the Gospel without falling over? It is a balancing act and creates a sense of tension, but good tension. A tension that brings us joy because we know we are making progress on the way.”

Sister André Marie professed vows in the hands of our prioress Sister Maria Christine of the Cross, O.P. After Father Christopher presented Sister André Marie with the black veil of a professed nun, Sister Maria Christine was assisted by our novice mistress, Sister Joseph Marie of the Child Jesus, O.P. in changing sister’s veil from the novice white to professed black.

Following the Mass, Sister André Marie greeted family and friends in parlor for a joyful and bountiful reception. Deo gratias!

98 and Looking Great! (Psst! It's the new floor and pews!)

A photo of our community from the 1930s. Already it had grown from the very small group of nuns who first arrived in San Francisco in 1921.

Today our community celebrates our 98th birthday! It was on this day in 1921 that a small group of intrepid nuns left the cloister walls of their monastery in Hunt’s Point (Bronx), New York and headed west to bring Dominican cloistered life and perpetual adoration of the Blessed Sacrament to San Francisco, California.

The struggles they faced in establishing the new foundation were immense, but with the prayers and support of the bishop of San Francisco, the friars of the Western Dominican Province, local congregations of Dominican apostolic sisters and many lay men and women, the community found their cleft in the rocks of the West Coast and thrived.

While the area surrounding the monastery has transformed from cattle and farmland into suburbia and tech companies, some things have remained the same: the prayers and support of our Archbishop and local Church, our Dominican brothers and sisters, and the laity, who were are proud to consider our friends and family.

Installation of the new flooring! Here you can see the last of the old tile flooring.

The new floor before the chapel chairs were put back (awaiting replacement by the new pews).

Installation of the new pews!

One such friend of the monastery recently reminded us of these ties that remain through time. One day last summer, we received an offer from a gentleman to help us with new flooring and pews in our chapel! His grandfather had attended daily Mass at our monastery, until his death a few years ago. This man, who was born and raised in Menlo Park and saw how many people regularly attend Mass at our monastery on Sundays, decided to offer this project in dedication to his grandparents.

After consideration by the community we gratefully accepted his offer. For one week during November, our public chapel was turned upside down to install the new commercial grade flooring over the old asbestos tile. Then, over Lent, the chapel chairs began to “disappear” as they found new homes. Right before Holy Week, the new pews arrived and were installed. We are so grateful for the generosity of this benefactor and were even more excited that the floor was in before Advent and Christmas and the pews before Holy Week and Easter!

Thank you to all our brothers and sisters, friends and family who support our cloistered Dominican life. Be assured you remain always in our daily thoughts and prayers. Deo gratias!

Eternal Rest, Grant Unto Her, O Lord

We commend our sister to your prayers.