A Birthday Gift From Mary!
On this beautiful and joyous feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we’re pleased to announce the result our prioral election held this morning!
On this beautiful and joyous feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we’re pleased to announce the result our prioral election held this morning! Sister Maria Christine of the Cross, O.P. was postulated to a third term as Prioress of our monastery. The postulation was confirmed by our regular superior, the Very Reverend Mark Padrez, O.P., Vicar for the Master of the Order.
According to our Dominican Constitutions, the community chapter elects our prioress for a three-year term. A current prioress may be elected to a second consecutive term; but for a third consecutive term, the election must be confirmed by the Master of the Order, which may be done in the person of the Vicar.
Following a prioral election, the newly elected prioress and the community prayerfully discern the coming three-year term; this is also the time when all work assignments (charges) in the monastery will be formally assigned for the next three years. As the prioress and community discern, the professed sister currently assigned to a given charge may be directed to continue in that charge, or it may be assigned to another professed sister. This is one way the nuns practice itinerancy, as we hold our work with open hands and willing hearts. This change of charges allows the nuns to learn new things, and to discover hidden talents and graces given by God in ourselves and our sisters.
Please keep Sister Maria Christine and our community in your prayers as we discern God's will and implement changes in the upcoming months. May our Lady bless us and keep us faithful in our life of contemplative prayer and sacrifice.
Deo Gratias!
How We Spent Our Summer Vacation, Part Two: A Visit From the Archbishop
On August 11, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco made his annual visit to our monastery. After celebrating Mass with us, we welcomed him inside the cloister for conversation and a walk around our grounds.
Part One may be found here.
On August 11, Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone of the Archdiocese of San Francisco made his annual visit to our monastery. After celebrating Mass with us, we welcomed him inside the cloister for conversation and a walk around our grounds.
We were eager to learn His Excellency’s ministry is flourishing with the growth of St. Patrick’s Seminary nearby, and with his unique initiative to restore the beauty of Gregorian chant in parishes through the new Benedict XVI Institute for Sacred Music and Divine Worship. Chant camps for children are now being offered, and inmates at the San Quentin state prison have formed a serious schola. Incredibly, the chants are being sung unaccompanied—an extraordinary musical feat in our modern times.
During our walk around the grounds, he seemed particularly impressed with the new brick patio and gazebo installed by the novitiate, and with our overgrown prickly pear cactus, which prompted some nostalgia from his boyhood. And we learned some tips for how to pick the fruit without getting pricked! We are fortunate to have such a holy and dynamic shepherd for our Archdiocese.
Have You Met...
Sister Joseph Marie, O.P. is our vocations directress and coordinator for our Janua Caeli Retreat Days. She's passionate about helping young women grow in their relationship with God and discern His gift of their vocation, whatever that may be.
Sister Joseph Marie, O.P. is our vocations directress and coordinator for our Janua Caeli Retreat Days. She's passionate about helping young women grow in their relationship with God and discern His gift of their vocation, whatever that may be.
A welcome from Sister Joseph Marie, O.P. on our vocations page.
If you are, or you know, a young woman who would like to grow more deeply in relationship with God (and other young women of like mind), check out our next Janua Caeli Retreat Day on Saturday, October 13th! You can find out more and register online at our website. Have additional questions? Contact Sister Joseph Marie!
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."
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
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!
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!
Final Days to Register for July’s Come and See!
We’re finalizing preparations for our Saturday, July 21st Come and See Day and if you’ve ever had questions about how to know what to do to follow God’s will, you won’t want to miss it!
We’re finalizing preparations for our Saturday, July 21st Come and See Day and if you’ve ever had questions about how to know what to do to follow God’s will, you won’t want to miss it! Our guest celebrant and speaker is Father Michael Carey, O.P. of the Western Dominican Province. He is currently an associate professor at St. Patrick’s Seminary in Menlo Park, California and chair of the Moral Theology Department (for those not familiar with the different branches of theology, our faith teaches us our goal [eternal happiness with God in heaven]; moral theology is concerned about the human actions necessary to get us there).
The day of retreat will also include talks, Eucharistic Adoration, Mass and the Divine Office prayed with the Dominican nuns, and more!
Father Michael Carey is a native of Chicago, Illinois. Later, his family moved to Arizona where he graduated from Arizona State University. That same year he entered the Order of Preachers (Dominicans). Continuing his education, he received a law degree from Boalt Hall, University of California, Berkeley, and a Doctor of Sacred Theology degree from the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas (The Angelicum) in Rome. For many years he has done specialized, itinerant preaching throughout the United States and was chaplain to the cloistered Dominican Nuns in Hollywood, California. As well as teaching at colleges and universities through the U.S.
To learn more or to register, contact Sister Joseph Marie, O.P. or visit the Upcoming Events page on our website.
New Priests Forever!
On the day of their vows, and for our clerical brothers, their ordination, we continue our day of work and prayer, but with an eye on the clock as we pray and consider…”Ah, the Mass is beginning…right about now the liturgy of the Word will end…now, they are a priest…” And our hearts fill once again with joy and gratitude to God…
Father Thomas Aquinas Pickett, O.P. before his first Mass of Thanksgiving.
On Saturday, June 23rd, we had the great blessing of sharing in the First Mass of Thanksgiving celebrated by newly ordained Father Thomas Aquinas Pickett, O.P. of the Western Dominican Province. The homilist was Father Anselm Ramelow, O.P. and there were many friends and family in attendance. The Mass, a votive mass in honor of Our Lady, Seat of Wisdom, began at 1:30 p.m. and was followed by blessings given by Father Thomas Aquinas and a reception in our parlor, with a cake specially made for the occasion by our novitiate sisters.
This was the first Mass of Thanksgiving offered in our chapel by our newly ordained brothers. The following day, Sunday June 24th, we were truly blessed to have newly ordained Father Henry Stephan, O.P. of the Eastern Dominican Province celebrate Mass and give us his blessing.
Then, Thursday, June 28th, we were joined by newly ordained Father Brad Elliot, O.P. of the Western Dominican Province, who offered a Mass of Thanksgiving and gave us each a blessing. We eagerly look forward to the rest of our newly ordained brothers offering Masses of Thanksgiving throughout the next couple months, as their schedules permit.
The Order of Preachers is unique among religious orders in that the different Dominican members – friars, nuns, apostolic sisters, and laity – are bound together by mission and fraternal communion. Our mission is the salvation of souls; one means is our preaching, which is not simply teaching the precepts of the faith. It is a preaching of reconciliation with God and one another, a partaking in the ministry of the word and sacrament, which is a priestly office. As nuns, through our life of praise, prayer and penance, we are called to exemplify this reconciliation and support the active preaching and sacramental ministry of our friars and the rest of the Dominican family.
On the day of their vows, and for our clerical brothers, their ordination, we continue our day of work and prayer, but with an eye on the clock as we pray and consider…”Ah, the Mass is beginning…right about now the liturgy of the Word will end…now, they are a priest…” And our hearts fill once again with joy and gratitude to God, and we commune with our Lady and savor the taste of what she must have experienced in her relationships with the apostles and the ever-growing Church.
We are given a great gift to be able to communicate our thoughts and feelings into words. But there are some things that run so deeply, so profoundly, that even words fail and so they must be said with silence, the speech of God. Te Deum laudámus!
‘Tis the Season…for Ordinations!
During the months of May and June, our holy Mother Church is blessed with the witness of many of our brothers and sisters who profess first and final profession of religious vows, along with those who are being ordained to the Sacrament of Holy Orders: the diaconate; priesthood; and Episcopal.
The Dominicans in the U.S. are also blessed to have Brothers being ordained in different Provinces this summer. Among them, the Western Dominican Province will have four Brothers ordained to the priesthood at St. Dominic Church in San Francisco at 2:00 PM on Friday, June 22nd, through the Imposition of Hands and the Prayer of Ordination by The Most Reverend Robert Christian, OP, the new Auxiliary Bishop of San Francisco who was recently ordained to the Episcopal. You’re invited to join the Dominican family and Holy Mother Church in praising God for his loving mercy on this blessed day!
From left to right: Rev. Brother Thomas Aquinas Pickett, OP; Rev. Brother Pius Youn, O.P. Rev. Brother Christopher Wetzel, O.P.; Rev. Brother Bradley Thomas Elliott, O.P.
Each of the newly ordained will come to our monastery after their Ordination and celebrate a Mass of Thanksgiving with us. One of them, Reverend-to-be Thomas Aquinas Pickett, O.P. will celebrate his very first Mass at our monastery this Saturday, June 23rd at 1:30 PM and will give his priestly blessing to all who attend the Mass.
You’re invited to come and share our joy!
Corpus Christi Sunday at the Monastery
Last week on Corpus Christi Sunday, we had the joy and privilege of celebrating our patronal feast with then Bishop-elect, now newly ordained Bishop Robert Christian, O.P., along with many of our Dominican brothers, sisters, laity, and friends and family.
Last week on Corpus Christi Sunday, we had the joy and privilege of celebrating our patronal feast with then Bishop-elect, now newly ordained Bishop Robert Christian, O.P., along with many of our Dominican brothers, sisters, laity, and friends and family. Bishop Robert was the principal celebrant and homilist for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, which was followed by a Eucharistic procession and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament for adoration by the faithful.
In his homily, Bishop Robert Christian expounded on the beauty and profundity of the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist as expressed in the sequence for the Mass of Corpus Christi, “Lauda Sion.” Quoting from the Sequence, “Each severed outward token, doth the very whole contain,” he went on to explain, “We are not receiving hundreds of Christs this morning, we are receiving the totality of the one Christ. There’s real communion here.”
Bishop Robert Christian, was Father Robert Christian and student master for the friars of the Western Dominican Province when he accepted our invitation to be our celebrant and homilist for our feast. Prior to his assignment as Student Master, he was a professor and vice dean at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum), a Dominican institution in the heart of Rome. Upon the announcement of his appointment as an auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Francisco, we were delighted for him and the local Church; he was ordained bishop in San Francisco the Tuesday following Corpus Christi Sunday.
We are extremely grateful to all of our friends and family, and our Dominican family – friars, apostolic sisters, and laity – who joined us to celebrate this beautiful day. You are all in our prayers. Please join us too in keeping our new auxiliary bishop Robert Christian OP, with all our bishops, in prayer. May God bless him and keep him, and may his ministry bear abundant fruit for the kingdom of God!
