Sheltering-in-Place? Join Mary in the Upper Room

No doubt about it, we are living in painful and surreal times. As sheltering-in-place has become the “new normal”, some things in life have been forgone, others put on hold. But one thing that can and should grow and flourish is our faith and spiritual life. You are invited to join Mary in the upper room for a day of retreat, right where you are, as you are!

Wherever you are in life, whatever you’ve got going on, take a pause on Saturday May 30th to recenter and refuel. Bring your stresses, your worries, your shelter-in-place hair. Come as you are to live more authentically and fully.

Mary’s Retreat is a free one-day Catholic virtual retreat for young women (but all ages and men are welcome to register for the talks), taking place on Saturday, May 30th from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

We are created with beauty and potential, yet our world pressures us to fit a mold of perfection. Let’s set aside a Saturday to do something different, allow ourselves to be unfinished, and walk with each other towards greater wholeness as women.

The speakers include Sister Joseph Marie, O.P. of our community. Her talk is “Living Your Fiat” - “we all want to joyfully say YES to God. But how do we know His plan when we are faced with an overwhelming number of seemingly good choices in life? Sister Joseph Marie will share with you some principles to help you know God’s will and give you a few tools and examples for making wise decisions.” Other talks include: Mary, A Model for Discovering Our Feminine Identity; Superpowers from the Holy Spirit; God’s Plan for Healing; and What Women Saints Can Teach Us.

Plan to spend the day before Pentecost with Mary in the upper room in prayer and fellowship with other young women, right where you are, as you are. Visit Mary’s Retreat for more details and register today!

They Came and Saw!

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!

Before the rush of the holidays, take a retreat day!

It’s already October and the holiday season is right around the corner - what better way to prepare than by taking a day of retreat! Janua Caeli are days of retreat for single Catholic women between the ages of 18-38 who desire to live more faithfully as Catholic women in today’s culture. Our next Janua Caeli Retreat Day is Saturday, October 13th and our retreat master is Father Pius Pietrzyk, OP. The day of retreat will include talks, Eucharistic Adoration, Mass and the Divine Office prayed with the Dominican nuns, and more!

Father Pius is a friar of the Eastern Dominican Province and serves as Chair of the Pastoral Studies Department and Assistant Professor of Pastoral Studies of Saint Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California. He holds a BA in English and Philosophy from the University of Arizona and a JD from The Law School at the University of Chicago. In 2002, Father Pius entered the Dominican Order and his studies eventually led him to the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome. In 2016, Fr. Pius was appointed a missionary of mercy by His Holiness, Pope Francis.

Don’t miss this opportunity to join other like-minded young women and grow in your relationship with Jesus through Mary! For more information and to register, visit our website.

How We Spent Our Summer Vacation! Part One: A Prophet-able Retreat

September already?!  For most that means school is back in full swing, complete with extra-curricular activities, and a busy work schedule.  And for many students, that first assignment is to write a report, or share with the class "How I Spent My Summer Vacation."

As for our community, our last blog post was published at the end of July (yikes!) and entitled, "Into the Desert!" as we began our annual retreat.  Some of you may have begun to wonder whether we got lost there!  So, here is the first of our report, "How Nuns Spend a Summer Vacation."

A Prophet-able Retreat

We had our annual retreat from July 26 to August 2 with Fr. Michael Carey, O.P. as our retreat master. He gave us thought-provoking homilies and morning reflections from the daily Mass readings, which focused on the prophet Jeremiah; in the afternoon, his reflections were on the life of Moses, whose relationship with God stands out as a model of the Christian life. 

Thank you for your prayers for our community, particularly during our retreat.  We came out of it renewed and refreshed, with new insights to continue our own journey and adventure with the Lord.

Into the Desert!

Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while...

- Jesus

Beginning today, our community is taking our annual eight-day retreat.  Please keep us in prayer as we enter more deeply into the desert with Him.  Rest assured, we are keeping you all in prayer as well!

Did you miss it? Recap of Janua Caeli

Our first Janua Caeli Retreat Day was on April 21st and our theme for was Fullness of Grace: How to Receive an Overabundance of God’s Gifts.  Our retreat master was Rev. Quan Tran, priest for the Diocese of Orange in California and founder of Fullness of Grace, a ministry aimed at helping Catholics and other Christians grow in their spiritual life by better understanding supernatural grace, and how to gain an abundance of God's gifts by imitating the qualities of the Blessed Virgin Mary. 

The day of the retreat included talks, Eucharistic Adoration,  Confessions, Benediction, Mass and the Divine Office prayed with the Dominican nuns.  Our novitiate sisters also joined the young women in the parlor during afternoon recreation for an art project.  Most of the young women had never done much art, but were surprised at their own hidden talents uncovered through the simple watercolor project the sisters showed them and all had fun – it ranked as one of the top three moments of the retreat day.

Here's a bit more of what our retreatants had to say at the end of the day:

"I liked best the helpful information to live out grace in the secular world..."

"Father Tran shared much insight about developing our spiritual life.  I liked best the 12 essential dispositions needed to receive the fullness of God's grace."

"God is so good to have inspired you to hold this Janua Caeli Retreat Day.  Thank you!"

"A few words to describe this retreat to someone else?  Contemplative, informative, unique, peaceful..."

"I really appreciated how we were integrated into the sisters' prayer schedule - a very close second was the recreation time with the sisters.  Thank you!"

A big thank you to Father Tran, the young women who attended and to all those whose prayers and support helped make this retreat day possible.  And if you missed this Janua Caeli, don't miss the next one in October!  Invite a friend and register!