Deo Gratias! Our first Come and See: Virtual Retreat
Despite the difficult times in which we live, and in particular the radical changing of our interpersonal interactions due to COVID, all around us God is opening new windows of grace. This past weekend, we virtually hosted an energetic group of young women for our first Come and See: Virtual Retreat, and the weekend is a testament to God’s goodness.
Despite the difficult times in which we live, and in particular the radical changing of our interpersonal interactions due to COVID, all around us God is opening new windows of grace. This past weekend, we virtually hosted an energetic group of young women for our first Come and See: Virtual Retreat, and the weekend is a testament to God’s goodness.
From across the U.S., almost 20 young women responded to God’s invitation to spend the weekend in prayer and communion with Him, learning more about cloistered Dominican life, and interacting with our community and fellow discerners. The Virtual Retreat followed the flow our our regular day, so those attending were able to be with us virtually for Mass, the Divine Office and periods of adoration. Our retreat preacher was Father Thomas Aquinas Pickett, O.P., a friar of the Western Dominican Province currently assigned to Blessed Sacrament Church in Seattle, Washington. The conferences offered included two talks by Father Thomas Aquinas - one on Dominican Spirituality and a second on how to discern vocation with guidance from St. Thomas Aquinas, focusing on the virtues one needs to properly discern! And over the weekend, there was time for questions, vocation stories, and conversation with the community.
We are grateful for the young women who were with us for the Virtual Retreat and ask that you join us in continuing to keep them in prayer. We are also deeply grateful for Father Thomas Aquinas, our chaplain Father Reginald Martin, O.P., and all those who offered advice, support, and prayers as we hosted our first Come and See: Virtual Retreat. Thank you and God bless you!
And if you are (or someone you know is) a single, Catholic young woman who has been feeling a call to look closer at religious life, we invite you to check out our January Come and See: Virtual Retreat.
Five Takeaways from our January Come-and-See
Did you miss our January Come and See Day? While we can’t share everything about the day in one blog post, here are five takeaway-points given to us by our speakers: Father John Marie Bingham, O.P., Sister Mary Isabel of the Angels, O.P. and Brother Athanasius Thompson, O.P.
Did you miss our January Come and See Day? While we can’t share everything about the day in one blog post, here are five takeaway-points given to us by our speakers: Father John Marie Bingham, O.P., Sister Mary Isabel of the Angels, O.P. and Brother Athanasius Thompson, O.P.
Before we can say “yes” to God’s will, we must lay a foundation of trusting in Him. Father John Marie advised the young women present to pray frequently, “Jesus, I trust in you.” Only when we trust in God’s goodness and love toward us can we also have the courage to do His will when he calls us to act.
A few of our sisters sitting in on Father John Marie’s talk.
Before we can tell God, ‘yes, I will follow your will’,
we have to trust Him
and that His will is for us to be truly happy.
The fact that you are here, that you took the step of coming today,
is proof of your trust in Him and His goodness and love for you.Father John Marie Bingham, O.P.
Saint Dominic modeled for his sons and daughters a life of Gospel simplicity and nobility. How do we live this in our own lives? Father John Marie offered and explained five steps: earnestly ask God for mercy; sit at His feet and listen to Him; live as He lived; do what He did - go to the cross; and then go and preach the Gospel.
God will sustain our efforts in our given vocation. Whatever vocation God is calling you to, only His grace and strength will make it possible for you to be fruitful in it. All we have to do is receive the grace and respond with our “yes” - He will take care of the rest.
Religious life is a school of perfection. In other words, perfection is not a requirement for entering religious life - it is by living religious life in cooperation with God’s grace that we are made perfect.
Brother speaks on Dominican life.
As Dominicans, we participate in a rich spiritual and intellectual tradition for the mission of salvation of souls as part of the Dominican family. Sister Mary Isabel and Brother Athanasius shared about Dominican contemplative life, including how and why Dominicans stress community/common life and study. Dominican intellectual life is aimed at knowing God so we may love Him more; Dominican community/common life mirrors the Church in that the Dominican Order is truly a body with many parts.
I felt a great connection to the community and sisters, the prayer,
and description of life here. I would love to be in touch more about “what next”
- what I can or should do to continue discerning and learning…Come and See Day Participant
Our deepest gratitude to Father John Marie, Brother Athanasius, and to all those who kept us, and the young women in attendance, in prayer. Please continue to offer your prayers for them (and us!) as they continue seeking God's will for their lives.
Our next Come and See Day is Saturday, July 18th and we already have young women registering. If you or someone you know has put off taking the next step in discerning God’s will, say a prayer of trust and make a commitment today to simply “Come and See!” For more information about our Come and Say Days, and our Janua Caeli Retreat Days, or to register for either event, visit Retreat Days on our website.
Is He Calling You?
At the beginning of the New Year, the Church also steps into the “ordinary time” of the Liturgical year. In the Gospel of this first day of this ordinary time, we see our Lord began his ministry and gave his very first homily: “This is the time of fulfillment…
Happy 2020!
At the beginning of the New Year, the Church also steps into the “Ordinary Time” of the Liturgical Year. In the Gospel of this first day of this Ordinary Time, we see our Lord began his ministry and gave his very first homily: “This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the Gospel.” (Mark. 1:15)
Jesus was not a lone ranger. No! To help him with the preaching mission, Jesus began calling the first disciples after spending days in prayer and being baptized for the mission. We are told that as Jesus passed by the Sea of Galilee, he called Simon and his brother Andrew. And Peter and Andrew “abandoned their nets and followed him” (Mark 1:18). Going a little further, Jesus called James and John and they “left their father Zebedee in the boat along with the hired men and followed him” (Mark 1:20).
These men were busily engaged in their profession and helping their families at the prosperous trade of fishing. Yet when Jesus called, they immediately left everything and everyone behind to follow him. Why? They certainly were neither poor nor desperate. On the contrary, they seemed to have given up A LOT!
These disciples were able to (immediately) give up all the good things in life because their deepest desire was for God and God alone. When Jesus called them, the disciples sincerely and humbly acknowledged their thirst for God and accepted Jesus’ invitation. By doing so, they allowed God to fill them more than they could ever imagine…His very self. Peter affirmed this happiness later on when Jesus gave his disciples a chance to leave him: “Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.” (John 6:68)
Is He calling you? Have courage and respond! There are still rooms available and time to register for our Come and See Day this Saturday, January 18th; visit our Upcoming Events page for more information and to register.
Rev. John Marie Bingham, O.P.
Our participants will be given tools to help them discerning vocations, and opportunities to meet the nuns and those who are also discerning their vocations. Our guest speakers are Rev. John Marie Bingham, O.P., vocation director of the Western Dominican Province and Brother Athanasius Thompson, O.P. of the Western Dominican Province.
Please pray for our speakers and the young women who will be coming to our monastery discernment day this Saturday, January 18th and for all those who are called to share more intimately in the preaching mission of Jesus Christ.
Young Women Gather at the Monastery for our July Come and See Day
Last Saturday, we hosted our July Come-and-See Day, packed with prayer, information on vocations and the life of a Dominican nun, and more! The day began with Mass and Terce (Midmorning Prayer of the Divine Office). The celebrant, homilist and guest speaker for the day was Father David Schunk, STL of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
Last Saturday, our monastery received a group of young women traveling from different parts of the country to attend our July Come-and-See Day as part of their vocation discernment. The day began with Mass and Terce (Midmorning Prayer of the Divine Office). The celebrant, homilist and guest speaker for the day was Father David Schunk, STL of the Archdiocese of San Francisco.
During his conference following Mass, he spoke about every Christian’s baptismal call to holiness and how religious life deepens that call in a special way. He stressed that discernment begins in relationship with God. “To know your mission, you must know your identity, who you truly are, and you can only know that in relationship with God.” He went on to offer reassurance for those who may not feel “good enough” for a particular calling. “He doesn’t call the qualified - He qualifies the called.” Father Schunk is currently serving as Assistant Vice-Rector and Formation Advisor at the Pontifical North American College in Rome.
The second guest speaker was Brother Patrick Rooney, O.P., student brother of the Western Dominican Province, who spoke on aspects of Dominican spirituality. “Contemplation is a union of mind with God, made possible only by His grace.” He went on, “true happiness is in giving yourself away to another as a gift and holding nothing back.”
Sister Mary Isabel, O.P., our subprioress, spoke to the group about the monastic vocation. “If you remember nothing else from my talk, remember that the monastic life is, at its heart, a calling to profound friendship with God.”
Our Come and See Days offer young women an opportunity to taste a bit of Dominican monastic life. They are planned around the community’s regular schedule of prayer, work/class and recreation. Thus, the young women in attendance experience the ebb and flow of the Divine Office, personal prayer and adoration, as well as recreation with the community and hearing a few of the nuns’ vocation stories.
Our deepest gratitude to Father David Schunk, Brother Patrick Rooney, and to all those who kept us, and the young women in attendance, in prayer. Please continue to offer your prayers for them (and us!) as they continue seeking God's will for their lives. Deo gratias!
They Came and Saw!
Last Saturday, we had a wonderful group of young women join us for a Come and See Day.
Last Saturday, we had a wonderful group of young women join us for a Come and See Day. Our guest speaker was Rev. Br. Andy Opsahl, O.P. of the Western Dominican Province, who gave two engaging presentations on growing in virtue and the blessings (as well as challenges) of religious life. The day was also filled with liturgy, prayer, and opportunities to meet and speak with the sisters. A big thank you to Brother Andy and all of you for your prayers and support, and especially for the young women who took this step in their discernment of God’s will for their lives. Please continue to keep them in prayer.
If you missed this Come and See Day, make plans now to come to the next one in July!
Gratitude for a Great Come-and-See Day!
Last Saturday, we hosted our July Come-and-See Day, packed with prayer, information on vocations and the life of a Dominican nun, and more!
Last Saturday, we hosted our July Come-and-See Day, packed with prayer, information on vocations and the life of a Dominican nun, and more! The day began with Mass and Terce (Midmorning Prayer of the Divine Office), then a wonderful talk given by Father Michael Carey, O.P. of the Western Dominican Province, who shared with us his vocation story and steps for discerning God's call in your life.
Other talks were given by Sister Joseph Marie, O.P., our vocations directress and novice mistress, a few of our novitiate sisters, as well as a time of sharing with the community. And the entire day flowed around the continual prayer of the Divine Office and adoration.
Our deepest gratitude to Father Michael Carey and to all those who kept us, and the young women in attendance, in prayer. Please continue to offer your prayers for them (and us!) as they continue seeking God's will for their lives. Deo gratias!
