We left the basilica and headed out to the reception. We were stopped by a kindly nun on the narrow road confined by a low and sturdy stone wall like you might find in Ireland (in fact. the Irish who were with us remarked that it was about time they saw a stone wall in the United States) in front of the villa. She informed us that we would have to park down the street and that a shuttle would bring us up the reception.
The bus dropped us off on the sprawling lawns, dotted with enormous trees and three giant white tents just a tad smaller than circus tents. The sisters were busy with preparations and we were escorted into the villa, owned by the Knights of Columbus and which is used to host retreats by the sisters. Despite the enormous space allocated for the event, it was quite packed with the Sisters of Life, other religious orders of women and men, priests, family, and well wishers.
The sisters were expert in feeding a lot of people quickly. It must be one of their charisms.
We sat at tables on white chairs and feasted and talked with the many people there. Then later, standing on the lawn, I heard a jazz band start playing. I thought they were Okay until I turned around and saw that I could not see them. They were entirely hidden by the bushes. It was not owing the the hight of the bushes for they were short, but that the musicians were under 10 years of age AND AMAZING.
They stood on the front porch of the villa which was designed a little bit like a stage. The villa originally belonged to a famous, 19th century playwright whose name escapes me at the moment. He used to put on plays there and today it was being used as a stage.
We returned the next day for Mass in the villa chapel and for brunch beneath the tents once again. The stage was set up again and talented members of the families of the women who took their vows the day before entertained us with singing, dancing, instrumental recitals, and stories.
Then it was time for us to leave and say goodbye. The day was not over for the Sisters however. Later in the afternoon they would gather to hear what their new assignments were going to be and they were quite excited. We retreated back to the hotel and spent the remainder of the evening (after a hardy nap) teaching the Irish how to play cards.
I didn’t give up on the blog. I didn’t do something so mundane as to run away.
But I did go on an adventure.
Last Friday I got up, had Mass, packed up the car, and took off for Connecticut, a state to which I’d never been. Along the way I picked up Fr. Peter (you remember him?)
and we set off toward the rising sun to witness something I’d never seen before.
St. Clare in Lyndhurst (where this blog was conceived) was the home of a lovely young lady named Brigid. It was also the my last parish assignment and the home parish of Fr. Peter. Brigid had determined that religious life was the life for her and after some searching decided to become one of the Sisters of Life in New York. After years of formation, last Saturday she was to take her final vows and we went to witness and celebrate with her.
Fr. Bline and Fr. Kulway both from the Diocese of Cleveland. Fr. Bline's first assignment was St. Clare.
Along the way we picked up two seminarians from Ireland who have been in Cleveland studying over the summer. One’s name is Fergle (and I have no idea how to spell his name.) He was the, how shall I say it? Active one. Loads of fun but terrible at cards. Stephano was the quiet, deep voiced (sane) one. They flew in to CT and took them the rest of the way.
So it was that on Saturday morning we put on our French cuffs, shined our shoes, and piled into the Buick for the journey to St. John’s Basilica. I was unprepared.
The place was jammed! There were people and cars everywhere. It looked like the children’s Mass at Christmas except much more orderly. As we walked along people would ask, “Where are you from?” to which I would proudly replay, “Cleveland” thinking that would get lots of “Ahs” and “Oohs” but instead I was greeted with, “Oh. And with which sister are you associated?”
I had naively assumed that our friend would be the ONLY one taking her final vows. It did not occur to me that there would six! And now that I think about it, that must be the more regular occurrence as 10 years ago there were only 40 some nuns and now there were over 100.
We vested in the basement and then came upstairs only to be recruited to sit in folding chairs on the immaculate lawn of the rectory to hear confessions. As the hour approached, we were herded into processional lines and walked up the mountain of stairs to the doors and entered the basilica to the heavenly voices of the nuns and a few token males in the choir mixing their voices with the pipe organ and congregation.
The Mass was presided over by Bishop John J. O’Hara, Auxiliary Bishop of New York. I was unfamiliar with him and I don’t know why because his homily knocked my socks off. He knew exactly how to get the congregation whipped up and excited about God and the great work that was happening that day. He also admitted that he had never done a profession before and was a bit nervous to get the ceremony correct. But he was aided by expert Masters of Ceremonies whose abilities I greatly admire. I have seen some MCs flap around the sanctuary like agitated ducks, flapping and quacking. But this celebration was done with taste and decorum.
The ceremony itself was remarkably similar to that of the ordination of priesthood. The nuns were called forward one by one, knelt before their Mother Superior, stated their vows and the Mother would accept the vows. I had an ideal seat and could see their faces as they knelt at the altar rail waiting for their turn to come forward. The faces read everything from contemplation of the seriousness of the event to an overjoyed, “Let’s do it!” radiance.
Each of them then came forward and signed their vows which were placed on the altar followed by the entire order greeting each new sister with a formal hug, smile, and word of encouragement that was not unlike, after having been ordained, all the priests filing past the new priests and laying hands on them.
At the end, the Mother Superior thanked everyone who was present. I was excited that the former papal nuncio Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano was in attendance. The list of thanks was long but Cleveland got the most shout outs! Thanks to the people from Cleveland who have supported the order. Thanks to those from Cleveland who have supplied so much music over the years. Thanks to the Irish seminarians who are studying this summer in Cleveland. Thanks to (my buddies) the nuns from Christ the Bridegroom Monastery who made the trip in from Cleveland.
From left to right, me, Stephano, Sisters for Christ the Bridegroom Monastery in Burton, OH, Fergle, Fr. Kovacina.
But the longest, sustained applause was of course for the new sisters. After we processed down the mountain of steps we saw the newly professed having their picture taken with Mother and the Bishop. The sun was merciless but all of the nuns (even those all in black) seemed to take in stride. I, however, was a total wimp and so we made our way to the car and the car’s air-conditioning to begin to unpack what we had been a part of and to look forward with great anticipation the reception.
Picture taken immediately after the Mass. Sr. Brigid is the furthest left next to the bishop.
FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "You say grace before meals. All right. But I say grace before the play and the opera, and grace before sketching, painting, swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing dancing; and grace before I dip pen in ink." G. K. Chesterton
QUOTE II: "The way to love anything is to realise that it might be lost." David Fagerberg in Gilbert Magazine
IN OTHER NEWS:
This is awesome. Draw a stickman. Thanks M. W. for sending it in. Have fun with this.
This is eight and half minutes but very worth it! Thanks for sending it in!
There are a couple of messages that a friend of mine, Sr. Brigid (Sister of Life!) sent in for me to post to you. Here they are:
"For those coming to the March for Life Ralley in Washington D. C. you are all invited to you come visit our You and Me Exhibit that we hosted at WYD in Spain this year. It is a multimedia exhibit which draws you into an encounter with six people who are faced with challenging situations in their lives and the freedom and joy they find in making that choice to sacrifice for love. We will be hosting it at the JPII Shrine (which was the JPII Cultural Center) Friday through Sunday." More information here. Sister has recommended that you preregister which you can do on their website here.
She also wrote this great news: "I hear your friend Dawn is getting ready to publish a new book... Mother wrote the forward. I believe the book will be a great source of healing for many. Praise God!" Here is more information on Dawn Eden's new book. Long time AA friends know that Dawn was instrumental in the start of this blog which will be five years old this February. Congratualtions Dawn. You may see advance praise for this book and order it here.
This was also sent in: "I wanted to share with you that the Franciscan Sisters TOR are now on facebook for all of you who are on there! Please like the page and share it with your friends! The sisters will be using this as a way to share photos, news and updates from the community with those who are on facebook!' This is the address: http://www.facebook.com/FranciscanSistersTOR
From the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter, "YouTube videos created and produced by students at Archbishop Hoban High School in Akron and Lake Catholic High School in Mentor tell the stories of people who are part of newly merged parishes along with stories of church properties which have been sold and are now being reused." See more here.
Lastly but not least(ly?) here is a list of the Pope's intentions for the year 2012:
The Pope's entire list of prayer intentions for 2013 is as follows:
January
General: That during this “Year of Faith” Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and joyfully bear witness to the gift of faith in Him.
Missionary: That the Christian communities of the Middle East, which frequently suffer discrimination, may receive the strength of fidelity and perseverance of the Holy Spirit.
February
General: That migrant families, in particular mothers, may be sustained and accompanied in their difficulties.
Missionary: That peoples experiencing war and conflicts may be the protagonists in the building of a future of peace.
March
General: That respect for nature will grow, with the awareness that all creation is the work of God entrusted to human responsibility.
Missionary: That bishops, priests and deacons may be tireless proclaimers of the Gospel to the ends of the earth.
April
General: That the prayerful and public celebration of the faith may be a source of life for the faithful.
Missionary: That the particular Churches in mission territories may be a sign and instrument of hope and resurrection.
May
General: That those who administer justice will always act with integrity and upright conscience.
Missionary: That seminarians, especially from mission Churches, may always be pastors according to the heart of Christ, fully devoted to the proclamation of the Gospel.
June
General: That a culture of dialogue, listening and reciprocal respect may prevail among the nations.
Missionary: That in the areas where the influx of secularization is strongest, Christian communities may learn to effectively promote a new evangelization.
July
General: That the World Youth Day taking place in Brazil may encourage all young Christians to become disciples and missionaries of the Gospel.
Missionary: That throughout the Asian continent, doors may be opened to the messengers of the Gospel.
August
General: That parents and teachers may help the new generations to grow up with a upright conscience and a consistent life.
Missionary: That the particular Churches of the African continent, faithful to the Gospel proclamation, may promote the building of peace and justice.
September
General: That the men and women of our time, often immersed in noise, may resdiscover the value of silence and learn to listen to the voice of God and their brothers and sisters.
Missionary: That Christians who suffer persecution in numerous regions of the world may be prophets of the love of Christ by their testimony.
October
General: That those who feel weary from the heaviness of life, and even long for its end, may sense the closeness of God’s love.
Missionary: That the celebration of World Missions Day may make all Christians aware that they are not only recipients but also proclaimers of the Word of God.
November
General: That priests experiencing difficulties may be comforted in their sufferings, sustained in the doubts and confirmed in their fidelity.
Missionary: That the Churches of Latin America may send missionaries to other Churches as a result of the continental mission.
December
General: That children who are victims of abandonment and of every form of violence may find the love and protection they need.
Missionary: That Christians, enlightened by the light of the incarnate Word, may prepare humanity for the coming of the Savior.
FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: “Anything you need more and more of is not working.” Author unknown
QUOTE II: “It is the most personal that finally becomes the most universal.” Tayard DeChardan
IN OTHER NEWS:
Ed sent this in from Unequally Yoked - "An athiest girl picks a fight with her Christian boyfriend." It is interesting.
From the Diocese of Cleveland Enewsletter: "The FEST in Wickliffe, Ohio is one of those rare moments when your entire family can not only be gathered as one, but can also be strengthened and inspired to live out their faith. FEST 2011 is the eleventh FEST held on the grounds of the Center for Pastoral Leadership and has brought hundreds of thousands of families together over the past decade. What makes the FEST truly special and unique is its ability to span across generations with something for everyone in the family.Here is the story of how the FEST has impacted one such family, The Yaughers."
Did you know that there is an approved Marian Apparition in the U.S.? P did! Here is a link to the story.
Fr. O sent in this "Shakespearean Who's On First." Love it.
A sister friend - a Sister of Life came to visit here at St. Sebastian this weekend. She said to let women know about their retreat schedule. I always listen to sister so here is a link to their site.
FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND: "Christ did not teach and suffer in order that we should become more cautious of our own happiness." C. S. Lewis
IN OTHER NEWS:
Sr. Brigid Ancilla Marie who recently joined the Sisters of Life in New York from this parish wrote to say that the sisters will be at World Youth Day. To that end they have a new website that they are trying to spread around. Check out Lovelifelink.org.
Frank sent this game in. To tell the truth it involves blowing up things so I don't know that it is the best game to have on this site, but I did find myself playing it for a spell. "Here's your chance to fire one of the military's sophisticated cannons." WARNING: ADDICTION LEVEL MEDIUM.
QUIZ: This last part I really, really apoligize for. I hope it does not cause you to stop reading Adam's Ale but I can't seem to stop myself. Perhaps later I will wish I would have.
1. To what Lenten song does this first picture refer?
2. According to our hymnals (Jouneysongs) this second picture is verse 3 of the above song. 3. This last picture refers to an old Lenten hymn. And again I am sorry. Answers tomorrow.
Have you ever walked down the street and noticed a policeman, fireman, doctor, or even a priest? You probably noticed them because of what they were wearing. What I find most disheartening is what you TYPICALLY don’t see while walking on the streets are habited nuns. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure there are some nuns roaming about, however, you would never know. I thought nuns, like priests, are supposed to be a visual representation to the world, show they are married to the Church, and are giving up their life to serve it. It marks their life as a living witness and shows their detachment from vanity and greed. I, along with many others, believe that nuns should wear the full habit.
A while back, at the recommendation of my parish priest, I went on a “Where Are You Going” retreat that the diocese was putting on. The retreat up was at the seminary and I felt very uncertain about going, as this would be a step in the right direction for discernment of a religious vocation. I still went, afraid as I was, and put myself into the unknown. While there, we had the chance to talk to some of the sisters, habited and non-habited. Sitting down at the table, I chatted with some non-habited nuns. They told me they were Dominicans I was excited and let them know that I would be heading off to Nashville to visit the Dominicans there. (The Nashville Dominicans are a habited order.) Once I opened my mouth they got up from the table and vanished. My reaction was one of dismay and hurt. Are you kidding me, because I mentioned the name of another order that wore habits I was unworthy of their attention?
After they vanished, I wanted to run and start questioning them. What made them not want to wear the habit? Were they ashamed? Did they think they were giving up too much of themselves? If so, I guess they didn’t realize what it meant have a religious vocation. I believe if you had this type of vocation you would take pride in the spirit of your order and what you have been called to do and want to make that known to the world. Wearing the habit is a sacrifice, to be recognized as a spouse of Christ, to be connected to tradition, to humility, and to a life centered on Christ.
I had a friend that just received the habit from The Sisters of Life. She had sent a letter and told me about receiving the habit and her experience wearing it. She said receiving the habit was one of the best moments of her life. She exclaimed how beautiful and how much deeper she was drawn into Christ’s warm embrace. AMAZING!! She said the first time she wore the habit while in the Bronx, where her order is located; she received some of the weirdest stares. At first she mentioned that it was a bit uncomfortable, she was not sure how to even move in it and of course it made daily work much different. But what I gathered from her letter was that she embraced the habitat as a new piece of her, a visual piece that gave no questions about what she was doing with her life. She didn’t need to tell people what she believed or what she did; they could see it first hand.
I am a firm believer in the fact that part of the reason younger girls are not joining religious orders is that many of the orders are not wearing a habit. If you take a look at thriving orders, they are all wearing habits, they live in community, and have taken the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. At a time when the entire world is in chaos, young adult women are finding solace in these vows and in an order that upholds a tradition. Most of the new orders springing up do not have a common chrism, they do not live in community, and they do not wear a habit. It angers me when I hear that the Church traditions are not important to these new orders. I often wonder if they feel that by organizing a new order that is more lenient and to their liking they will bring in more vocations. If that is the case, what are they giving up, what does the act of laying ones live down for Christ mean to them? It apparently means little to nothing. Not that these orders aren’t doing good things and helping people, but this is not what an order should be, it should be sacrifice and discipline. Mary, Mother of the Eucharist is a newer order that has girls knocking down their doors to enter. They are a great order that is centered on their vows, wears a habit, lives in community, and cares greatly. However, if you know anything about their history, you will find that they branched off from the Nashville Dominicans who have been around for hundreds of years. This I believe is an exception to the rule of new orders. I feel there is much work to be done with newer orders examining their place in the world and if the Church is really calling for more orders to spring up instead of valuing the orders that we have now.
I hope and pray that with the new Bishop in the Cleveland diocese, he will reaffirm the tradition that the Church upholds and put some focus on women’s religious orders. There are a vast number of girls looking to answer God’s call and would like to stay in the Cleveland diocese, yet they feel they won’t find a home. Please pray for the increase of vocations for orders that are staying close to their roots of poverty, chastity, and obedience.
There is a guest blogger today. You may remember Bridget of the Sisters of Life who was in the MTV video reported here recently, she was in town for a week to visit her family. This June she will be taking on the habit as a novice. While she was in town she graciously gave some of her prescious time to visit with me and jumped at the chance to say a couple of words to you via Adam's Ale. If you have any comments for her, I will copy them and send them in the mail (as the sisters do not have an internet connection!)
Here is her letter to you:
Just a year ago, I was sitting in my spiritual director’s office. I was in the depths of discernment, and when I say depths I mean deep dark places of confusion, uncertainty and doubt. If you have ever discerned any vocation or even asked God what His will is for something, I’m sure you have been in a similar place. (Aside: God wants us to trust Him totally because that is from where our greatest joy will come as He allows us to be emptied of everything so that He is all we have to cling to, as we realize His steadfast love and mercy). I had already applied to the Sisters of Life, and was awaiting a response from the Sisters. This particular day I was pouring out all the reasons I couldn’t be a Sister…
Giving up my dream of being a doctor, missing my family, not playing volleyball, not being around to watch my brother and sister grow up, not being around as my nephew grows up, being afraid of a forever commitment, asking my family to sacrifice as I go, not being present to my friends etc…
After listening intently to the list, a list he had heard many times from me, my Spiritual director simply and matter of factly asked… “ Is He worth it?”
Is He worth it? Is Christ who was calling me to Himself worth it? Is He worth the sacrifice of family and friends? Is He who came to us in a stable worth my stepping out into the unknown and unheard of? Is He who was stripped of His clothes worth my putting on blue and white forever? Is He who cared so little about money that He gave the money bag to Judas worth me renouncing all personal ownership and making a vow of poverty? Is He who was nailed to the Cross for me worth my nailing my heart to the Cross with His? Is He who gave me life worth my giving my life back to Him? Is He who called the children to Himself worth giving up marriage and bearing my own children? Is He worth it? It is a simple question and requires a simple answer with astronomical implications.
The truth is, He IS worth it. He who is Love Himself came to us, to become one with us. He came to us so that our humanity might be lifted up into his divinity, both now here on earth and eternally. He who knew more deeply the pain the pain of separation from His heavenly Father and His dear Mother, He who knew He was calling His mother to a pierced heart, called Her anyway. And He exalted Her also. He who is love Himself, who pours Himself out to us continuously through the Eucharist. He who humbles Himself to come into our Hearts at every Mass, will bring us the greatest peace and joy when we surrender our hearts to His will and His Love. He will never be out done in generosity and so when we give our Hearts He will give us 100 fold in return. Mt 19:29
After being with the Sisters of Life for nine months and in preparing to enter the novitiate, I have come to know beyond the theoretical, through the intimate encounter with Christ who is my love and the source of all I am, that when I fall into His arms, despite the pain of sacrifice, He will guide me and lead me and take care of all my loved ones. He will shower His grace into my heart and bring me joy and peace than I could have never imagined. We were worth His dying, we were worth His thinking us into existence. He who is the omnipotent, ruler of the universe and intimately gentle lover of our souls is worth all we can give to Him.
Here is the idea: You will take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. For much of the time you will give up your family. You will also give up by your own free choice husband and children. You will give up your closet of clothes and all the stuff with which you have surrounded yourself. You will give up control over your finances. You will be told what to wear (and you most likely will make it) and what to eat and where to live. You will have a life devoted to prayer and love of God and service of His people. You will be a radical in a power, pleasure, and sensory driven nation. You will stand against everything that your nation cherishes. You will become a counter-cultural icon. You will not blend in to the background. You will be sought out. You will be so odd that people will want to take pictures of you. You will have great power in doing everyday things, a power that you will mostly not be aware of nor know what it is accomplishing. Your work will produce fruits that you may never know of. Some people will hate the very sight of you, others will weep to be in your presence.
Who in their right mind would want this life? Hell would have to freeze over before anybody chose this kind of life. Right?
Maybe it has.
Here is the video of the Sister of Life that aired on MTV featuring Bridget who is originally of this parish. Her mother sincerely apologizes to those who suffered through horrendous programming in order to see it.
FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND – “Truth means having an openness to reality as it is, not as we would like it to be.” Bishop Edward O’Donell
QUOTE II– “You can’t destroy the Catholic Church. The clergy have been trying to destroy it 1800 years and they’re not getting anywhere.” Napoleon
IN OTHER NEWS:
Turn on your T.V.s (How often do you read that on this blog?) Tuesday (today) MTV will finally be airing the segment about the Sisters of Life. One of the young women of our parish has joined the Sisters of Life and was interviewed for an MTV news segment. She sends word back to Ohio through her mother that the five minute segment will run throughout the day. You may remember an earlier post about the two women who worked in this project who are now volunteering with the sisters.
Here is another video of the sisters that is quite interesting. The sister from our parish is not in it, but it is still worth a gander (and it’s not even Sunday.)
The Diocese of Cleveland E-News Letter reports that The Catholic League is the nation’s largest Catholic civil rights organization.
Did you know that average age for priests ordained in the United States is thirty-five years old and one out of four of them are foreign born?
AND FINALLY!
The Diocese of Cleveland proudly announces the ordination of four men to the priesthood this coming Sunday! Please keep these men and all of the newly ordained across our country in your prayers as they prepare to serve.
FINDING TRUTH WHEREVER IT MAY BE FOUND - "Love that is hopeless, that cannot end in marriage, does one of two things; either it degrades or it exalts. It leaves its mark always, but that mark need not be a stain." - Mary Roberts Rineheart
IN OTHER NEWS:
You may remember an earlier post about the young lady from Saint Clare who joined the Sisters of Life in New York this year and was interviewed for a show on MTV. Well, as of yet we still do not have an air date though word is that its production is finished. However another interesting tidbit of news has emerged from this episode. Apparently the two women who worked on the segment (did the interviewing and the filming) were so impressed that they decided to start volunteering with the order. Is that cool or what?
I was sitting in the loft of the church and noticed the reflection of the windows in the light fixtures. I just thought it was neat and wanted to share it with you. Pictured is Saint Mary and Saint Clare.
An update from the postulant from St. Clare who is joining the Sisters of Life in New York: She appreciates any prayers that may have been offered for her interview with MTV. The taping was for a news segment that will air sometime in April. She asked that our prayers may help people who see the segment "know that there is a God who made them and has a plan, a purpose, [and] a dream for them in their lives."
Those of you who mentioned such things will like to know that she and her fellow postulants are currently in the process of sewing their own habits. It turns out that none of them had ever sewn before so I hope that doesn't bode poorly for what they will look like once the don them! One more quote from her general letter, "It was also amazing because it was time to ponder our external transformation that will happen in June that will reflect the internal transformation that is happening through formation. One of the most awesome realizations is that it is a sign to the world and myself of the eternal, we are all made for something more, for that glorious union with Christ which real. More simply put, it is a sign that God is alive and well; a sign of hope."
WOW!
Now that I am the last person to report on such things, (I am just now getting together a group of people to with whom to study it) here is a link to take you to the exhortation that came from Rome concerning the Eucharist, "Sacramentum Caritatis". Enjoy!
The bus dropped us off on the sprawling lawns, dotted with enormous trees and three giant white tents just a tad smaller than circus tents. The sisters were busy with preparations and we were escorted into the villa, owned by the Knights of Columbus and which is used to host retreats by the sisters. Despite the enormous space allocated for the event, it was quite packed with the Sisters of Life, other religious orders of women and men, priests, family, and well wishers. 
