Saint John - He Saw and He Believed

He saw and he believed. St. John saw an empty tomb and burial cloths rolled up and folded; he believed the mysterious words of his Master, “on the third day he will rise again”. St. John did not need to see Jesus. It was enough that his body was no longer in the tomb.

In the same way, Simeon, years earlier, had been satisfied at seeing and holding in his arms a tiny baby: “Now Lord you can let your servant can go in peace. Your word has been fulfilled.” Simeon did not need to see the child advance in wisdom, age and favor to carry out his saving mission. It was enough that he had come into the world to fulfill the promises so long awaited. Simeon died and waited among the just. How glad he must have been when Jesus triumphantly threw open the gates of heaven: “I knew it was just small a matter of time!”

John had waited those three days with Mary who knew how to believe the impossible with God. “Three days, we will see him again. It is just small a matter of time.” They did see Him. We see a figure in a nativity scene, but we believe that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we too shall see his glory when the time comes. 

Merry Christmas!

Thank you to all of our family, friends, and benefactors who make our lives merry and bright, and for your continued generous giving of time, talent, and treasure in support of our Dominican cloistered life.

. We are especially remembering you today in our prayers and thanksgiving.

He's Almost Here! Prepare the Way!

Only a couple more days! We’re busily preparing to welcome and celebrate the coming of our Infant King! As we countdown, we are remembering you in our Christmas novena. We joyfully invite you to join us for Vigil Office and Midnight Mass.

A Day For Those Who Pray

Today we remember an event passed down to us through tradition – the presentation of the Virgin Mary in the Temple. The stories passed down through tradition reflect the earliest years of Mary’s life were much like Samuel’s of the Old Testament. Anne and Joachim were childless, which was a sign of disgrace in that culture. They prayed to God and He answered their prayer by giving them Mary. At the age of three, Mary’s parents, Anne and Joachim, took Mary and presented her to God at the Temple, where she remained until (or shortly before) her betrothal to Joseph.

Artists have long painted this scene with a joyful Mary climbing the fifteen steps to the temple, where the high priest waits in astonishment at her mature demeanor for such a little child – her footsteps are graceful and sure and she doesn’t look back. It is also said she danced with joy in God’s presence once she reached the top. Her parents see her off at the bottom of the steps, faces full of joy and gratitude for their child, yet laced with sorrow at the parting.

Today is also the day dedicated by the Church to celebrate World Day of Cloistered Life, an ecclesial event for all Catholics to commemorate the hidden lives of cloistered and monastic religious. Like Mary, cloistered religious have left all to dwell in the house of God and seek His face on behalf of His people. Some wonderful ways to honor the event include prayer (participating in a novena, offering up Masses, etc.), encouragement (writing letters to contemplative communities, visiting them, calling to thank them, etc.), and giving material support (financial and in-kind donations).

A few years ago at a general audience in St. Peter’s Square, Pope Francis reminded the Church, “Let us give thanks to the Lord for the powerful testimony of cloistered life.” He also urged the faithful to lend their spiritual and material support to these brothers and sisters of ours “so that they can carry out their important mission.” Our community is grateful for all of you who have so generously supported us with the generous giving of prayers, time, talents, and treasure. We humbly ask for your continued support, as you help make possible the life we live for the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Deo gratias!

Prayer in Support of the Cloistered Life

Eternal Father, We praise and thank you for those sisters and brothers who have embraced the gift of the cloistered and monastic life. Their prayerful presence is indispensable to the Church’s life and mission, and is the foundation of the New Evangelization. As we celebrate World day of Cloistered life, let us honor the holiness and glory of the Blessed Virgin. May she, who was presented in the Temple, intercede so that many young people might dedicate themselves entirely to Your divine service by hidden lives of contemplative prayer and selfless sacrifice. May all of us be mindful of the spiritual and material needs of those who commit their lives to seeking God by fixing their gaze on those things which are eternal. We ask this through Our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen.

Seeking Happiness...Did You Miss It?

Father Pius Pietrzyk, O.P. of the Province of Saint Joseph.

On Saturday, October 13th, a group of young women from around the Bay Area (and beyond) gathered here at the monastery for our second Janua Caeli Retreat Day. Father Pius Pietrzyk, OP of the Province of Saint Joseph spoke on our quest for happiness and how we can truly find happiness as we live a life of prayer and virtue, and how to go about it with the demands of life today.

Mass, praying the Divine Office with the nuns and times for silent prayer before the Blessed Sacrament filled out the day, as well as opportunities for confession and short one-on-one conferences.

Sister Joseph Marie, O.P. welcoming the Janua Caeli retreatants and introducing Father Pius Pietrzyk, O.P.

As a fun break after lunch, some of the novitiate sisters spent recreation with the retreatants creating a little art and talking.

A big thank you to Father Pius and for our retreatants, and for those that prayed for these young women and all involved in providing the retreat day. May God richly bless you with abundant graces!

If you missed this retreat day, don’t miss the next one! Visit our Retreats at the Monastery page to learn more about our next Janua Caeli and Come-and-See Days, or contact Sister Joseph Marie, O.P.

Celebrating the vocation of Saint Francis...

Take a coffee break with Sister Joseph Marie! Happy feast of Saint Francis!

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 5: The Labor Day Week Finale!

Each year around Labor Day, we have the privilege and joy of extending hospitality to one of our Dominican friars, Father Luke Buckles, O.P., before he returns to the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome, where he is a professor of theology. This year, as part of his visit, we were treated to a two-session seminar on Dominican and Carmelite mystics. Father wove together insights from St. Catherine of Siena, St. Thomas Aquinas, St. Therese of Lisieux, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. John of the Cross. One common thread that emerged was the unity of life bestowed by grace in the lives of the mystics. Each of these Doctors of the Church experienced a profound sense of God’s presence at every moment and in every circumstance, whether sacred or mundane.

While we make think that mysticism is too lofty for everyday life, Father reminded us of a few lessons from these great saints: St. Teresa of Avila taught her sisters that prayer is never interrupted by charity. If one is called out of choir to help a sister in need, there is no break in one’s prayerful union with the Lord. St. Therese of Lisieux found heaven in doing little, mundane tasks, such as picking up a pen from the floor, with great love for God and neighbor. St. Catherine of Siena is famous for her discovery of the “interior cell,” in which she constantly dwelt with God even in the midst of a crowd.

And to quote another Dominican, Meister Eckhart, we are challenged: “Don’t go around doing holy things. Make everything you do holy!”

How We Spent Our Summer, Part 4: A Nun Run!

“So, um, how old do you have to be before you can enter your monastery?” asked a wide-eyed thirteen year-old girl from the other side of the parlor. She gave voice to the query of many a young girl during the annual “nun run” from the Archdiocese of Portland, most of whom were between the ages of thirteen and eighteen.

Nuns in every stage of their monastic journey participated in answering questions, and contributing their own stories and insights during this exchange. By the end of the weekend, the girls will have met Carmelites, Benedictines, Dominicans both active and contemplative, and other consecrated religious in the greater Northwest region. We were happy to be able to host such a lovely group of possible vocations in the Church.

Preparing for a Houseful...

of novice mistresses! This weekend, novice mistresses from across North America will be arriving at our monastery for the 2018 Annual Meeting of Novice Mistresses organized by the North American Association of Dominican Monasteries. Each year, a different monastery hosts the meeting and this year we have the privilege. So, our sisters have been eagerly preparing for the arrival of our guests!

One of the responsibilities of the Association is to provide means of collaboration, formation and support to the member monasteries. The annual meeting of novice mistresses is aimed at providing a forum for the novice mistresses to have a time of renewal, opportunities to learn new tools to meet the challenges of initial formation, and to build relationships between the formators.

Please keep our novices mistresses in your prayers this week as the gather together and then return to their home monasteries.