Immaculate Heart of Mary

The following hymn was sung at the opening of our prayer this morning. The words were written by our very creative Sr. Moira Quinn, OSsR. The text is very moving whether as a spoken prayer or sung to the tune of Sibelius' "Finlandia". May it bring you closer to Our Mother in Faith.

White is the Rose


White is the rose of beauty of beginnings.
Woman of joy, you heard and you believed.
You share our dreams of what the future offers;
Pray we be one: a people full of joy.
Walk with us now, our Mother and our Sister,
We follow you, our guide in times of joy.


Red is the rose of sorrows deep and lasting.
Woman of faith, you saw and you were grieved.
You share our tears when all we see is horror;
Pray we be one: a people full of faith.
Walk with us now, our Mother and our Sister,
We follow you, our guide in times of tears.


Gold is the rose of triumph unimagined.
Woman of hope, you sensed all would be well.
You shared that trust in One who came to save us;
Pray we be one: a people full of hope.
Walk with us now, our Mother and our Sister,
We follow you, our guide in times of hope.


True is the rose of wonder in God’s presence.
Woman of love, you sought Home in your heart.
You shared that grace and rest in the Beloved;
Pray we be one: a people full of love.
Walk with us now, our Mother and our Sister,
We follow you, our guide in times of grace.


Text: 11 10 11 10 11 10; Moira Quinn, OSsR © October 7, 2005
Redemptoristine Nuns of New York, Inc.
Tune: FINLANDIA by Jean Sibelius 1865-1957

The Lord is Truly Risen, Alleluia

The spendor of Christ

risen from the dead

has shone on his people

redeemed by his blood,

alleluia.

Antiphon 1, Morning Prayer of Easter, Liturgy of the Hours

How beautiful is this feast! Last night at the Easter Vigil Mass we  again were blessed by the new fire and and the baptismal water. May that fire of faith remain in our hearts and the cleansing water of baptism continually wash us, making our rough ways smooth. May we truly be the Easter People we are called to be!

The post below links to a brief slide show of photos representing the Easter Vigil experience here at our monastery. We were blessed with the presence of many friends, Marist Brothers, and four Redemptorist priests.

While the theme of this day is one of great rejoicing in the triumph of Jesus Christ over sin and death, I was reminded this morning that the victory of Christ was a process, the process we call the Paschal Mystery. That process is all of his life. It ended at the moment we call Resurrection. However, that glorious moment was preceeded by the ignominy of his trial, crucifixion and suffering death. I was reminded of this by reading the Good Friday Homily given by Brother Andrew Colqhoun of Holy Cross Monastery in nearby West Park. We have a long-standing friendship with this Anglican community. Brother Andrew's brief but deeply insightful homily reminds that it is the suffering servant Christ we are called to emulate. In our humanity we resist the call. But the dual mysteries of the Incarnation and the Resurrection will provide both power and will to follow the call. Today we rejoice along with Mary Magdalen, to find ourselves in the garden of delight, knowing that the Lord is truly risen. Alleluia!

Easter Vigil Mass 2010

Make a photo slideshow

Retreat Report

A Good Retreat is a Gift from God

Some would ask, as my mother often does, "Why would a contemplative nun have to leave her monastery for a long retreat?" Some might even ask why a lay person would choose to do such a thing when they could just take some vacation time and remain in the comfort of their home. To remain at the monastery or to stay in ones home will work but only with a healthy dose of self-discipline and focus. But the call to retreat, especially to one longer than a couple of days or a weekend, is a call to re-awaken, to renew, to dismantle the false self under the guidance of the Holy Spirit and to allow our loving God to bring you back together again both in your complexity as an individual and in your relationship with God. Getting away from the familiar, the usual stimuli and distractions, the social element is necessary for the process of abandonment of self to the work God intends to do in this graced time apart.

My recent eight days of retreat with daily spiritual direction at Linwood Spiritual Center, Rhinebeck, New York was just that kind of experience. The page below, my version of an illuminated manuscript, is a reflection of my meditation during those days. In the background behind the four scripture quotes at the bottom appears my effort at reproducing the spectacular view of the Hudson River from Linwood's beautiful grounds. 

The days leading up to my retreat had been filled with challenges- physical, mental, spiritual and relational. The time apart was perfect antidote as opportunity to just sit with God, to allow the Divine Son and the warmth of the sun above to heal and also opportunity to closely contemplate the wonder of God in every aspect of the environment. I thank God for that preparation for this Holy Week. As he did with the the daugther of Jairus, Jesus took me by the hand, bid me arise, and my spirit returned. Thanks be to God.

Entering Holy Week

Holy Week: A Sacred Season

Many years ago, in a pre-Vatican II Brooklyn parish Church, I was introduced to fine details and inner workings of Holy Week Liturgy. I was an 8th grade public school girl enamored with her CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) teacher, Sr. Mary Corita, CSJ. That year Sister decided to invite public school students to join her parish school students and participate in the children's choir which would accompany all of the liturgies of Holy Week with the traditional Latin responses set to Gregorian Chant. I was in awe of her and in awe of the privileged invitation. It was hard work to learn all of the Latin pronunciation and the tones. But I still rmember them and treasure the little book we used with all my chilidishly written pencil margin notes reminding me to go up here and down there.

That experience was a catechetical vehicle for me - creating a sudden explosion of understanding for what seemed arcane and incomprehensible rituals. Why a Eucharistic procession at Holy Thursday Mass? Why the tradition of visiting Churches on Holy Thursday. Why no consecration at Good Friday Liturgy? Why the darkness on Easter eve and the difficult way of creating a fire? Why did the priest plunge that big candle into a huge contatiner of water at Easter Vigil Mass? AND, of course, what did all those Latin prayers mean? By my participation in that choir all the questions were answered and I was invited forever into the mystery and mystical nature of the Easter Triduum.

Today, in the intimacy of the monastic setting that invitation and level of participation is repeated. Many go to monasteries for just that experience. Here is our schedule for this week should you wish to join us.

Holy Thursday - 7pm Liturgy

Adoration at the Altar of Reposition until 12 midnight

Good Friday Liturgy - 3pm

Easter Vigil Mass - 8pm

Easter Sunday Morning Mass - 11am

We will be blessed by the presence of three Redemptorist priests during the Triduum: Fr. Thomas Deely, assisgned to Mt. St. Alphonsus Retreat Center here in Esopus, Fr. Ronald Bonneau and Fr. James Gillmore who share a special mission for Hispanic Catholics in the Diocese of Metuchen, NJ.

The door at our Chapel entrance will be open well in advance of each liturgy. We welcome all who may care to join us. Let us be united in contemplation of the Paschal Mystery

With Gratitude.....

Jubilate Deo

Celebrating the 60th Jubilee

of Religious Vows

Sr. Mary Anne Reed, OSsR

Today our community rejoices with the Lord and with our Sister Mary Anne who is marking 60 years of profession in the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer. Tomorrow is the exact anniversary of her first profession of vows in 1950. Even though an American citizen she entered the Order in Toronto, Canada because there was no other Redemptoristine monastery in North America at the time. She entered in 1948 at the age of 21 when the norms of life for contemplative nuns did not allow her to ever visit her family and the country of her birth ever again. But since the Spirit works in its own way, she would find herself back in the United States less than ten years later. I marvel when I think of Sr. Mary Anne's personal history - child of the Great Depression, forward on her high school basketball team, employed in a military tank factory during World War II, entered a contemplative community in a foreign country, among a group of six making a new foundation of her Order, member of a community of contemplative nuns discerning the movement of the Spirit after the Second Vatican Council, and entering with them into 21st century - always faithful and always generous. Today, at the age of 83, she continues to enhance our liturgies with her musicianship at the organ and sees to a myriad of 'little things' that must always be seen to in an orderly household. After many years of sewing habits for Redemptorists priests and and brothers, she patiently taught me some of the intricacies of the work. Her determination and indomitable spirit inject life into our community. It is that life of faith and service which we celebrate today and for which we are grateful to God.

The following is a brief reflection written by Sr. Mary Anne for her page on our website http://www.redemptoristinenunsofnewyork.org/ . Sister is second from the right in this photo of the six founding sisters after their arrival in Esopus, New York on December 8, 1957.

In reflecting on my call to be a Redemptoristine and God’s gift to me of more then 50 years of perseverance, I am convinced of God’s special undeserved care and love for each of us – and by the way THAT is our Redemptoristines call - to become, for the world, a Living Memorial of Gods love for each of us. It is a work of a life time.

We usually do not understand all of the sign posts that God puts along our way. God asks our trust in his love and guidance. For me the Shrine of Ste. Anne de Beaupre in Quebec, its atmosphere and the people I met there were such sign posts and though some things seemed impossible or made little sense for me at the time, a young American still green behind the ears so to speak – I listened and I trusted.

I have had the privilege of seeing many changes in the church and in our contemplative religious life. It hasn’t always been easy but it has always been enriching. Perhaps my one claim to fame is to have become our best (and only) organist – I am praying for a substitute! The celebration of the Liturgy and the daily offices have always been important and so the talents I have been asked to develop is a special grace.

If you feel a call to do something special for God, listen and trust! Remember our Lord said “I am with you always – “.

Haiti - Redemptorists Accepting Donations

The Already Suffering

If we may use it as metaphor, Haiti can be described as the 'suffering heart of Jesus' in the world. In the past I have spoken of Tracy Kidder's book, Mountains Beyond Mountains. It is about Paul Farmer's incredible medical mission in the Republic of Haiti. It was my introduction to the dire poverty of the country.

Today the country has spiraled into an even deeper state of need for humanitarian assistance. I have just sent an e-mail message to our monastery in Cap-Haitien, about 70 miles north of Port-au-Prince. We hope that they will be able to respond. These contemplative nuns have always tried to be as responsive as possible to the endless need of those around them. In turn, we have tried to help them as we could.

The Redemptorist Baltimore Province has a long history of reaching out to the Redemptorists headquartered in Port-au-Prince. At this time they are receiving monetary contributions which will be funneled directly to Hait via their website where an on-line donation form is available. The Redemptorists eagerly await news of their confreres in the capital city and also of the family of one of their seminarians who is from Haiti.

National Vocation Awareness Week - January 10-16

As We Enter
the New Year

The holiday whirlwind has subsided. The last of the cookies are being consumed. Decorations will slowly start to make their way back to storage on Monday. But the liturgical season of Christmastide will not end in our monastery until Night Prayer (Compline) tomorrow evening, the official end of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Since Christmas, the Church has led us through a series of 'epiphanies', manifestations of the incarnate divinity of Jesus. The revelation of Messiah to the shepherds and the Magi, his baptism in the Jordan by John, and the miracle of the wedding feast at Cana come into play during these in-between days, links between Christmas and the return to Ordinary Time. Each of these epiphanies is experienced as on-going in our time to underscore the wondrous mystery of the Incarnation. In case we did not get it, the Church provides liturgies that place these manifestations front and center. From this we move ahead to Ordinary Time and the accounts of Jesus' ministry. None of that will matter unless we know who He was and who He is in our time.

Other News

* As a community of Redemptoristine contemplative nuns, we have made a new effort to let people know who we are. Pictured above is a newly designed small flyer featuring a photo of Sr. Maria Linda Magbiro in front of a chapel window depicting our foundress Maria Celeste Crostarosa. This flyer provides the background for a Lucite stand holding our vocation brochures in a pocket on the right. These stands have been sent to a number of large Redemptorist parishes and retreat houses of the northeast. We are grateful for the support of  our Redemptorist brothers in this effort. All of this just in time for National Vocation Awareness Week, Jan. 10-16. We also delivered a packet containing copies of VISION Vocation Magazine, vocation posters and our brochures to two local Catholic high schools.

* The Redemptorist Congregation is absorbing and adjusting to changes in leadership brought about at the General Chapter in Rome last fall. The newly elected Father General is Michael Brehl, a Canadian well-known to us. Among his elected board of consultors is Brother Jeffrey Rolle. Brother Jeffrey is from the Caribbean islands and is a member of the Baltimore Province of the Redemptorists, the province which supports us in so many ways. We congratulate and pray for our two friends as they assume great responsiblity in challenging times. We also pray for the new effort that came out of the Chapter to respond to the need for greater partnership and coordination among Redemptorists across the globe via 'conference' organizations that will cross national and provincial borders.

* Our own Order is beginning to make plans in anticipation of a General Assembly of our autonomous monasteries in the year 2011. As an order we do not have a general government with a leadership structure holding the whole body together. This factor can make our effort to respond to the same challenges effecting the Redemptorists a bit more difficult. But we hope to surmount those difficulties by our union of prayer and mutual commitment to the Redemptoristine charism.

* These days a few of us also are kept busy translating Christmas letters received from our monasteries around the world. At least we can translate those that come in French, Spanish or Italian. We depend on others for the German. These letters are read at our noon meals and are the chief means by which we keep in touch with monasteries as far flung as Haiti, Japan, Italy, and Quebec, just to name a few.

And Finally...

Our very best wishes to you for a happy, healthy and blessed New Year in 2010.

Redemptoristine Nuns' Christmas

A child is born for us.

Come, let us adore Him.

 

It is the custom of Redemptoristine Nuns to place a creche or manger scene in each "charge", that is each area which a specific sister has the responsiblity to maintain. So almost every room in the house has a spot for some type of Nativity scene. We share many of them with you in this slide show and just threw in a few other photos for good measure. May the season continue to be a blessing to you and yours.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

ADVENT EVENING at the MONASTERY

"Songs of the Beloved"

Advent music and

narration of a Christmas Novena

by Venerable Maria Celeste Crostarosa

Wednesday, December 16, 2009 at 7pm

at

Mother of Perpetual Help Monastery Chapel

of the Redemptoristine Nuns

Route 9W, Esopus

north end of the grounds of Mount St. Alphonsus

(845) 384-6533 rednuns@juno.com

http://www.redemptoristinenunsofnewyork.org/

Come and begin your Christmas Novena with us.

Adore, O my soul, in the bosom of Mary
the only begotten Son of God
who became man for love of you.

The New Liturgical Year - First Sunday of Advent

Vigilant Waiting for the Lord

Advent is the beginning fo the new Liturgical Year. It is a season of spiritual preparation, a time of hope, a time of promise, marked by eager longing for the coming of the Savior through the grace of Christmas. God-Is-With-Us (Emmanuel) even now as we remember the days of old when the prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah. What longing filled the Hearts of the Chosen People...and now that same longing to enjoy the fullness of salvation is ours. Let us pray that we may enter with ferevor into the new Church Year and with Mary sing the Praises of the Lord.

May the warm glow of our Advent candles remind us of Jesus who is the light of the world. We call upon Him whose coming we await, O Come Emmanuel..Come and save us!

Vocations, Vocations, Vocations Part II

And Then Comes Joy

Not all comments concerning posts on this blog appear here. The posts are fed directly to my page on Facebook. Yes, I have a page on Facebook - lovely for networking with family and friends but also part of vocation outreach. When these posts appear on FB, readers can enter a comment immediately. One responder to my last post concerning the realities of monastic contemplative life said, "It sounds like being a nun is hard work." Yes, indeed. But I would not be providing a total picture if I did not speak of the other end of the spectrum.

I am not accustomed to publically sharing moments of surpassing contentment or joy. Generally, I tend to be a bit suspicious of those who would seem to float perennially on a cloud of sweet marshmallow fluff and describe every detail of the experience. But is it fair, or healthy for that matter, to offer a reflection on life's realities without speaking of joy? The human desire and capacity for joy is stubborn in survival. In the wisdom of unspoiled youth, Anne Frank, reduced to hiding in an Amsterdam attic as a persecuted Jew, could write of joy in contemplative viewing of the landscape. She wrote ecstatically of shinning sun and greening trees. From this was born resilent hope for a better future.

The joys of my religious vocation flash in memory, illuminating generalized sensations and specific experiences. On Christmas Eve, 1999 I received a phone call informing  me that I had been accepted for entrance into this community. As a school librarian I could not enter until the academic year was over. I simply did not know how I would make it through that busy time. I was so eager. On the day of my entrance, July 22 (Feast of St. Mary Magdalene), I had to wait until 5pm to knock at the door of the monastery for the entrance ritual. The day stretched long and anxious. It was so good to finally be here. Days later, I remember resting during the afternoon's silent time and thinking, with a Cheshire Cat smile on my face, "I was made for this." It was pure joy, however influenced it may have been by beginner's enthusiasm. 

As a working mother, retreat presenter, parish minister, library board member, etc., etc. it was hard to find time alone, quite time for sustained contemplation, for the journey to which I was being called. In the monastery those very things are the priority. It is entirely normal to stop, to put whatever is at hand aside, to move away from it all to chapel or one's room to just 'be', to be with God. Everything is ordered to that pursuit. And that is joy.

Advent was always such a hectic time out there. I remember dreaming once that instead of it being Advent it was Lent and I was so relieved because it didn't come with all those pre-Christmas demands - shopping, gifts to buy, food to cook, and social obligations. In contrast, Advent in the monastery IS a time of silent expectation, of waiting for the great mystery of the Incarnation to be revealed; for Jesus to be born again in my heart where I can welcome him extravagently. There is pure joy in the Christmas Novena tradition. After Vepsers, in a chapel illlumined only by Advent wreath candles, I hear each sister, one by one, and then my own voice speak, "Adore, O my soul, in the bosom of Mary, the only begotten Son of God, who became man for love of you." Together we trod, in joyful expectation, the path to Bethlehem.

Our foundress, Maria Celeste Crostarosa, was a woman of her time; an effusive Neapolitan of the Baroque period. She wrote a great deal, much still not translated into modern English. Some find her reflections just too saccharine, like that of her friend St. Alphonsus Liguori. However, I found joy in her spirituality, its tremendous communication of affect, its unique insight into theology in tune with the Gospel of John. To her, Jesus declared, "If they ask you who I am, tell them I am pure love." I chose two other quotations from Mother Celeste's Dialogues for my solemn profession card seen to the left. "Consecrate yourself to the silence of pure love." and "I want you to espouse yourself to all souls and to experience the same delight which I experience in them." Indeed, for Celeste, her Beloved, her Jesus, is pure love. This is a spirituality of the loving Savior that brings joy to my heart. These writings are, for me, a treasure trove, the depths of which I will never be able to fully explore.

And community life - it is challenge and joy. Community life keeps you honest. It does not allow you to stay on the marshmallow cloud. It is the place where 'the rubber hits the road'; where you must 'put your money where your mouth is." It is the gift that keeps giving by demanding constant application to the process of one's own conversion. To be called to religous life is to be called to conversion. Conscious living leads to self-knowledge but "knowledge makes a bloody entry." Yet, as it crosses the threshold, as one moves from the dark valley of egoic struggle, the faithfulness of God is revealed and joy abounds. So too abounds "the liberty of the children of God."

When community life is alive, when everyone is 'with the program', when everyone recognizes the weakness of their own humanity, "union of hearts and mutual charity" can flourish. The Rule of Life comes alive. In the old days it was a supreme compliment to say of a sister, "She is a living Rule." The corporate community is to be a living Rule. And our Redemptoristine Rule declares that we must be "living memories" of Jesus Christ. This is the shorthand expression of our charism, lofty but very real.

There was perfect joy for me in profession of solemn vows, in total commitment. I felt so comfortable with all of the spousal imagery of the ritual. Years ago I learned that in Europe married women wore wedding rings on their right hand therefore religious with congregational roots in Europe continue, even in the USA, wear these rings on the right hand. When I received the ring of my solemn profession I deliberately held out my left hand. The ring is molded in a design called hands in faith, in common use as a wedding ring in the culture of our foundress. The ring expresses my spousal bond to the Beloved. In this country, a gold ring on the fourth finger of the left hand sends that message. For me to wear that emblem of love is perfect joy.

The last expression of joy to be shared came not in conscious mind but in a dream. Dreams are not real but they speak of the reality apprehended by our unconcious mind and can serve as correctives to the limitations of conscious thought. Dreams can speak of a deep reality to which we have been unable to give voice. In my dream I was serving as Eucharistic Minister at Mass in the monastery. I was standing beside the altar waiting for the priest to give me the Body of Christ. As I held out my hand to receive Communion, the host seemed to multiply so that even with two hands I could not contain the amount flowing into them.  What an image - overflowing Eucharist - overflowing thanksgiving - overflowing gift of Jesus - oveflowing love. That is an image of unsurpassed joy.

Vocations, Vocations, Vocations Part I

The Harvest is Plentiful

and the Laborers are Few

'Professionalese' has crept into religious life. The person in a monastery of nuns or a congregation of sisters who receives inquiries from those considering a vocation to religious life is called the 'vocation director'. The person who is responsible for the incorporation of new members into the community is called the 'formation director'. We tend these days not to speak in terms of novice mistresses giving training.

My community has entrusted me with both of these tasks. I can speak of firsthand experience as vocation director.

Concerning  formation
work, I have not been that fortunate since no one has entered our community since I took the job. However, I have gained some insight through my own experiences as postulant, novice and first professed while others were trying out their vocation here.

Religious vocations are rare and vocations to contemplative life even more so.  But I am convinced that there are mature woman out there who are hearing the invitation of God to come closer, to go deeper, to take the next step in the direction of their own longing. By mature I do not mean old. I mean women who have some education, who have life experience with people and with work, who have become conscious of their own motivations and behaviors and are willing to look at them honestly and with humilty. Mature women have experienced family life and relationships and know how much effort it takes to live in a 'community' whether at home, in the college dorm, in the workplace, in the parish or the neighborhood. Some have this maturity at 25 and some still lack it at 55. 

The women attracted to contemplative life are usually already women of prayer. They come wanting more prayer and deeper prayer. But often the realities of life consecrated to poverty, chastity and obedience are not what they anticipated. One sister here is fond of reminding, "When you choose, you lose." So there are losses. The women who come have already been on the spiritual journey for a long time. Often they have had ministries of service and/or prayer. But they believe God is calling them to go deeper. It only makes sense, I believe, that the going deeper will not happen without cost. And for each of us the 'cost' will differ, as we differ in life history, in personality type, in experience and in our relational ties outside community. And this last is a big factor for the considerable number of those with children who inquire about our life.

There are some misconceptions out there concerning contemplative life. Yes, it is a life centered on prayer - Mass, Liturgy of the Hours and personal prayer. But a considerable part of the day is also devoted to work - every kind of job you can think of that is required to keep any home clean, organized, repaired and financially solvent. Another misconception is that a contemplative monastery is the ideal place for a person who is having some sort of difficulty in dealing with the challenges of life outside; that the silence and solitude of monastic life is just what is necessary to keep them on an even keel. However, our life with God is lived in a community of people, people with whom we must interact on a daily basis in prayer, work, play and at the dining room table.

This is the life for the women who finds that she can do nothing else; that nothing else in her life makes sense; nothing else is possible, without her being anchored to her Beloved in silence and solitude lived within a likeminded and challenging community. Even if she finds the demands of charity, the subtle formation that takes place in community life at times vexing or painful, she perseveres. Then from somewhere (is it grace, perhaps) comes the willingness, the flexiblity, the painful stretching, the clinging to interior desire that makes it possible to take on  the commitment. From somewhere comes the assurance that the life in which everything is ordered to the will of God as expressed in the vows, the superior, and the community is worth everything. And truth be said, everything is just what it may require.

Please consider using the Prayer for Vocations at the top of the side bar

on a regular basis. It would be wonderful if you would mention our community

of Redemptoristines particularly in your prayer.

And one more thing, please tell others about the richness of

contemplative life and refer them to this blog and our website:

www.RedemptoristineNunsofNewYork.org

For All the Saints

Celebrating a Solemnity

All Saints' Day

This is the stained glass dome over the sanctuary of the chapel of Mount St. Aphonsus Pastoral Retreat Center. Our monastery of Mother of Perpetual Help is on the property of the Mount which opened in 1909 as the major seminary for the Baltimore Province of the Redemptorists (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer). It was transformed into a retreat house in the late 1980s. It is surrounded by hundreds of acres on the west shore of the Hudson River in Esopus, south of Kingston, NY.

Depicted here is the arrival of the soul of St. Alphonsus de Liguori, religious founder, moral theologian and Doctor of the Church, into the realm of heaven where the three persons of the Blessed Trinity and the Blessed Mother welcome him with all the angels. Below them is an array of saints; on the left martyrs and apostles and on the right well known saints like Teresa of Avila and St. Francis Xavier and also Redemptorist saints, most prominently St. Clement Hofbauer and St. Gerard Majella. Just below the dome are seen just the heads of twelve mosaic angels, each representing a virtue. It was the custom of Redemptorists and Redemptoristines to focus on one of these virtues each month of the year.

This work of art is an appropriate image for this great feast - "the saints in vast array." We all have our favorites, our patrons, our courts of last resort when the chips are down. Some may have a very particular devotion to a saint like Therese of Lisieux. Others have made a study of a saint like John of the Cross whose depths can never be fully plumbed.

But today I suggest that we think of the saints we ourselves have known, the saints we may have in our families, in our circles of friendship, in our church communities, or even in the larger culture around us. Those who have died are in the Communion of Saints. We do see and experience and benefit from the saintliness of others. We need to think about them, remember why we call them saints, what made them saints. Maybe in the thinking some of it will rub off on us. For them we owe a prayer of thanks to God. We owe thanks to the 'saints' who may live with us or befriend us or serve us in some way. The age of miracles has not passed. IF we think about it, we will remember some. If we look around we may see some in action.

Catch-up Time

Community
Retreat

God's Call to the Vows:
Evangelical Counsels
for Today's
Redemptoristine Nun

It has been much too long between posts. But contemplative monastic life demands times, short and long, when a further movement into silence and solitude is required, when it is imperative to re-visit earlier commitments, when the invitation to come apart is heard again and the response is given. For ten days stradling the end of September and the beginning of October, our community was blessed with such a time. The blessing came not only in the time set apart but in the presence of Father Philip Dabney, CSsR as our retreat director. Father Philip has served the poor and the most abandoned in a great variety of assignments for the Congregation. For fifteen years he was Vocation Director seeking out and working with young and not so young men as prospective candidates for the priesthood or brotherhood in the Alphonsian tradition of the Redemptorists. Most recently Father began a new assignment on the staff of the parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Mission Church) in Boston. That Church has now gained national reputation as the setting for the funeral of Senator Edward M. Kennedy. Father Dabney had lots to share about that occasion since he served as pointman for the media and Secret Service as they invaded Church and rectory.

Most important for us, however, was Fr. Philip's take on the vows of chastity, obedience and poverty as sources of liberation of spirit and soul for life in relationship with God and our fellow human beings. This interpretation converts poverty, chastity and obedience into invitations for all Christians: chastity as right relationship and availibility for relationship; poverty as an open-handed attitude toward things, askewing the tight grasp on things material and promoting a sharing of the abundance of God's creation; obedience as a right and free attitude toward authority and our commitments, an attitude rooted in conscious reflection and decision-making rather than blind observance of law.

Fr. Philip shared with us from the depths of his own spiritual journey and personal experience as son, brother, priest and community member. For all that he gave, we are most grateful.

A Redemptoristine Invitation

Opportunity for
Vocation Discernment
and
Spiritual Enrichment










The Redemptorist Office for Mission Advancement (ROMA) published this ad for us in the current issue of their new quarterly publication entitled "Plentiful Redemption". We are delighted with it. Thanks to all at ROMA. If you would like to received this publication go to their website www.Redemptorists.net

Our contemplative monastic cloistered community extends an invitation to women between the ages of 18 and 50 for a Monastic Experience Weekend, October 16-18, 2009. We will share our life within the monastery enclosure as an effort to promote religious vocations and also as a means of fulfilling our role in the Church as a school of prayer for the faithful. For more information call (845) 384-6533 or e-mail ContemplativeCall@hotmail.com. Do check out our website www.RedemptoristineNunsofNewYork.org

Triumph of the Cross

Though in the form of God,

Christ Jesus did not regard equality with God

something to be grasped.

Rather he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,

coming in human likeness;

and found human in appearance, he humbled himself,

becoming obedient to death, even to death on a cross.

Because of this,

God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him

the name that is above every name,

that the name of Jesus every knee should bend,

of those in heaven and on earth

and under the earth,

and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,

to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:6-11 - Triumph of the Cross

He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,

"Whoever wishes to come after me

must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,

but whoever loses his life

for my sake and that of the gospel will save it.
Mark 8: 35-35 - Sunday 24th Week of Ordinary Time (B)

Another day hardly noticed by most Catholics - an ancient feast honoring the mystery of the Cross of Christ rooted in the discovery of a relic of the true cross by St. Helena in the 3rd century.

But for many Christians, particularly for those in the Order and Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, this is a great feast of the liturgical year.

And for us Redemptoristines its significance is doubled as it is the anniversary of the death of our foundress, Maria Celeste Crostarosa, in 1755. In her colloquies with Jesus she heard these words,

"Just as I never followed my own will but only the Divine Will

and just as I espoused myself to the cross on Calvary,

so too all my chosen souls,

by embracing my cross and denying their own will,

bind themselves to the Divine Will

and unite themselves to my own Divine Delight...

Oh, with what love I embraced the cross,

loved it, desired it, and took pleasure in it - all for your love.

Likewise, those who love me

bind themselves to the cross and rest thereon,

like a spouse who rests on the nuptial bed."

Spiritual writers have spoken of the "folly of the Cross." We look upon the crucifix, that image of extreme bodily suffering, an image so gruesome that we would not likely approve of similarly horrible representations for our ordinary environment - we look upon it and cannot fathom how the Son of God, third person of the Blessed Trinity, in human flesh came to submit himself to this excruciating suffering. This is the great mystery of our redemption.

In his letter to the Philippians, Paul said that Jesus humbled himself by becoming human, like one of us. This movement, the Incarnation of Jesus in human flesh, was the beginning of his suffering, a suffering which culminated in the extreme, in his crucifixion. To be human is to suffer. This is not a 'poor me" statement. It is not the lament of a "half empty" approach to life. To be human is to experience both great ecstasy and great suffering. This is the mix with which we were gifted when we were brought to this life.

Our culture and society seem to be bent on creating endless avoidance of this reality. When Jesus told his disciples of his destiny to suffer, Peter could not accept it. Jesus not only rejected Peter's take on things but then informed him that he would not be the only one to suffer; anyone who wished to be a companion and follower of Jesus would have to do likewise. Suffering is a certainty in the human condition. Jesus is pointing to the way in which he and his followers must deal with the reality of such experiences. It is interesting within this context to consider that Jungian psychology declares that neurosis is the avoidance of legitimate suffering.

When we hear Jesus's words in the Gospel of Mark, "...Whoever loves his life will lose it" or those to Maria Celeste which direct the binding of self to the cross as a spouse is bound to the nuptial bed we cringe a bit. Is our Lord asking us to embrace suffering in a sadistic way? No. Jesus, our brother who shared our human experience in every way, asks us to embrace the reality of our human condition, to accept the suffering that is sure to come and allow it to unite us all in the human condition. To reject suffering inevitably leads us to those behaviors and choices which negate the needs of others, that bring us to seek power, to assert our superiority. And as Jung reminds, rejection of legitimate suffering, creates dis-ease and even disease in the self. Jesus calls for a healthy embrace of all that is a natural part of human experience. How wonderful to have such a brother in our human reality - the divine lover - who became one of us and taught us by his ultimate sacrifice.

Our Lay Associates Renew Their Commitment

Each September, our Lay Associates renew their commitment to the charism and spirituality of the Order of the Most Holy Redeemer and to their association with our contemplative monastic community. We are grateful for their collaboration and friendship. They meet here in the monastery on the second Sunday of each month in the afternoon to catch up with each other, to receive input from one of the sisters or a fellow associate, to pray the Office of Vespers with the community and to enjoy 'tea and conversation.' Our associates are a blessing to us. That blessing is reflected in the remarks offered at the end of the Mass by our associate Jeannie Snyder.

The Riches of Being an Associate

How good it is to share and participate in this renewal celebration of our lay associate commitment to follow the way of Jesus by making the redeeming love of God present in our daily living.

At last month's associate meeting, in my absence, I was elected to extend a few thoughts today on the "Riches of Being an Associate." Sr. Moira [coordinator of the associate program] chose this title as she gently chided me, "This is what happens when you miss a meeting!" Let this be a lesson to all of you!

After reflecting on my years as an associate and those times of just being present to the movements and charism of the Redemptoristines, I would like to mention what has caught my attention, captured my imagination, and deepened my spirituality, namely, what it means to be a contemplative living in community and what it is to make conscious contact with God.

Contemplatives are truly in love with God and live that love with each other. Contemplatives gently strive for silence of the heart - which, I believe, is a study in humility - that "perpetual stillness of the heart"...that cannot be "vexed or sore." Contemplatives believe in Living Simply, Listening Intently, and Loving Freely, so you don't need much or desire to receive much. But contemplatives do need nourishment - silence, solitude, prayer, the Eucharist. Contemplatives seek times and places to pray, to "re-quiet" even in the midst of a workaday world. Contemplatives are not afraid of the dark night; they know that in stillness they are protected by a deep, abiding love. Contemplatives know that it is o.k. not to know. Contemplatives are called to carry out God's loving will in community - as associates, not just in here, but out there too.

We are all part of various communities - yes, we are. Take a minute to think of all the communities you are part of - family, work, school, parish, volunteer, Internet, social clubs, friendship. Here we are more than a number. Being "part of" is being witness to that which is greater than ourselves; losing the "I" for the "We." We enter willingly and lovingly, doing our part. We are called to help the other. Life has become and is richer in community - in connection and relation to Christ in each of us. And in our community as Associates we are called to be a Living Witness, a Memorial of this Living Christ. Father Joseph Oppitz in his biography of Venerable Maria Celeste Crostarosa wrote, "the... community is really the locus of the loving Intent of the Father to form a community of love through the life of His Son. Community means the carrying out of this loving Will... It is an irradiating 'presence of redemption.'"Celeste herself wrote in her Rule, "... But we must go forward united together and transformed by the actions of his most holy life, with which we identify, in a way that enables us to say, as the glorious apostle of the gentiles said: 'I live, now not I, but Christ lives in me.'" This directive from our Foundress can only, it seems to me, be accomplished through conscious contact with God.

As Associates, our conscious contact has been deepened by our connection to this contemplative community. We are partners in the apostolate of prayer. Because of this conscious contact with God through prayer and meditation, we can awaken to the Living God in ourselves and in our communities. We've learned to discipline ourselves in order to create a mindful habit of prayer... "Pray always," we are told. How are we doing in love and service? We are apt to check in with Jesus, Mary and our loving Father throughout the day - praying for His will only? If we are making conscious contact, we are likely to catch our self-will running riot and turn it over to God taking ourselves out of the center of everything and putting God there instead. If we are in conscious contact with God, we engage in a nightly examen before closing our eyes. We try to see where we can be or do something different tomorrow so we don't fall short as we did today. Conscious contact asks us to make 'alone time' with God in retreat or in moments carved out of our busy days and weeks. Be still and know that I am God...Be still and know that I Am...Be still and know...Be sill. Discipline to habit only through conscious contact.

To close, I am grateful - we are grateful - for the riches of a community of contemplative consciousness. May all of the Sisters, Brothers and Fathers of the Order and the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer and their Lay Associates continue to be abundantly blessed with peace and all good, and may they continue to inspire those on the journey to God.

The Gift of Perseverance

The Gift of a Long

Faithful Religious Life

Sister Mary Theresa

of the Holy Family
nee McCaffrey

Sister of Saint Joseph

Brentwood, New York

1947 - 1961

Order of the Most Holy Redeemer

Esopus, New York

June, 1961 to the Present

Today we had the great joy of welcoming our Sr. Mary back into regular community life following her ten days of annual hermit retreat. But our joy was doubled because we also welcomed her to our celebration of the 60th jubilee of her first profession of vows, her solemn commitment to living the evangelical counsels of chastity, poverty and obedience. Sr. Mary spent the first ten years of her religious commitment in an active congregation dedicated to the education of children. In that mission she influenced the lives of many young boys, including nine who eventually became Redemptorist priests. In those good old days she taught 90 third grade boys in her very first year of teaching! She tells her own story on our website.

Sr. Mary is an anchor of prayer and faithfulness in our community. She is a great librarian. In the last few years she entered data for our 6,500 volume library collection to create our on-line catalogue. She is also a wonderful correspondent who has kind words for our benefactors and those who request our prayers for their intentions. She was a wise and generous mentor to me during my three years in first vows leading to solemn vows.

Sr. Mary gives us an example every day of perseverance in prayer and perseverance in spite of physical infirmity and pain. She is patient, gracious and ever willing to do whatever she can. She speaks frankly of her impatience with herself and the surrender required to accept assistance when it is necessary. Since all of us are growing older this is an important teaching for us all.

Sr. Mary is a gift to us. Her vocation and her perseverance in it are gift to her family, the Church and the world. We know that she is also a joy to her Spouse, of whom she strives every day to become that "living memory" which is the core of our Redemptoristine contemplative charism.

Dear Mary, Ad Multos Annos!

Day for Travelers' Blessing

Pleasures of Being

Together and

Making Something

Beautiful

In all of our prayers times together during these eight days we have made a beautiful joyful noise for the Lord. In addition, during one of the days that all eighteen of us Redemptoristines nuns from around the world spent together, we handcrafted some beautiful things for the Lord. These were reflections of of our own lives of prayer and spiritual journeys with God. Here is Sr. Maria Celeste sculpting her own piece.

This statuette is Sr. Maria Linda's image of the Samaritan Woman at the Well. This woman meets Jesus who offers her "living water."

Our own Sr. Moira, always so creative, sculpted this perfect rose.

Sr. Weena's creation captures all the action of an elephant rider in her native Thailand.

Today four of the sisters will return to Liguori, MO after receiving a travelers' blessing. It is always hard to say "Goodbye."