December to Remember

 

Merry Christmas Eve from the Postulants in California!

December is a very busy month, packed full of celebrations and preparations for sweet, little baby Jesus! Here's just a quick glimpse of how we prepare for Christmas in the convent.

 

Our chapel in the formation house. Everyone is on their journey waiting for Baby Jesus!

Advent Retreat
Every Monday we have Intercongregational Formation with several different orders in the Los Angeles area. We began Advent with a retreat with our ICF class. The day began with a presentation on the Love of God, followed by lots of quiet time for reflection. After lunch, we gathered for a Mask Activity. We paired up with another student and put plaster on our faces to make a mask. Yep.
I can't tell you that I loved the process. Rubbing Vaseline all over my face and having someone slowly cover my face, eyes, and mouth with plaster is not what I would choose to do on a Friday night to relax. Once we were blind and unable to speak, they told us to get up and walk OUTSIDE to the chapel. Are you kidding me? Thankfully, our formator warned us about this activity so that we could prepare ourselves.

Although I started out dreading this activity, it ended up being a powerful learning experience for me. I couldn't see or speak. I was completely vulnerable and dependent on the guidance and direction of our formators. I had absolutely no control and it was unnerving. When we got up to walk, I immediately reached out for the arm of my partner and we remained connected through the entire walk. It helped me to realize just how important community is - specifically during this journey of formation and discernment. Shout out to my super awesome companions who help me walk by faith every day - and to all the amazing people who have walked with me throughout my life and helped me to get to this point.

 

This is my mask. It is a little bit creepy, huh?

Religious Education Christmas Party
We had a Christmas dinner with all of the teachers in our Parish's religious education program. We ate delicious food and played a rousing game of Christmas Carol Pictionary. We ended up having to give prizes to two teams because the competition was so fierce.

Our Lady of Guadalupe
December 12th was the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The celebration began at 5am with Mariachi's, hymns honoring Our Lady, and boisterous shouts of "Viva la Virgen de Guadalupe!" accompanied by lots of clapping. Then we had Mass at 6am, followed by hot chocolate and sweets. Pretty much one of the greatest mornings ever.

School Luncheon
All of the teachers, staff, and Sisters gathered for a luncheon to celebrate Christmas. We went to local restaurant called the Elephant Room and I had a Philly Cheesesteak that was amazing. Pretty eventful day.


FMA Family Dinner
Every year, the Sisters have a gathering for all of their family members in the area. Everyone comes to the Church Hall and we eat, sing some Christmas songs, and hang out for awhile. It was really neat to meet some of the Sisters' family members - even Sisters that don't live in California anymore have family that come. It was beautiful to see everyone together, really enjoying time as one big family.

Here we are singing some carols.

Simbang Gabi at the Los Angeles Cathedral
Simbang Gabi is a Pilipino tradition for the nine days leading up to Christmas. It began as a way to gather for Mass during the Christmas Novena very early in the mornings before they had to go out to work in the fields. Today in the US, it is typically a Mass in the evening followed by refreshments and fellowship. We attended the Mass for the beginning of the Novena at the Los Angeles Cathedral. It was packed - people were lined up in the outside hallways. We managed to get seating because someone took pity on the poor Sisters standing in the back corner. Then we were invited to participate in the opening procession. The two Aprils jumped at the opportunity and processed in with a group of Deacons and Religious Women.

Confirmation Christmas Show
I teach Confirmation every Tuesday night. Our Christmas celebration included each class choosing a day from the 12 Days of Christmas and explaining the religious significance behind it. Kristen's class had the 6th day which stands for the 6 days of creation. One of her students brought in this huge panda to represent the creation of animals. You didn't think pandas really had much to do with Christmas? Well. Now you know.

 

School Christmas Show
The students of the school put on a super adorable Christmas concert. They sang a selection of the traditional Christmas favorites with a narration of the Christmas story in between. Kindergarten and First Grade were my favorite groups. They sang the loudest and proudest - and, of course looked the most adorable.

Longest Night
On December 20, in preparation for the longest night of the year, the Parish held a dinner for needy families in our area. The night began with Mass and was followed by a delicious pasta dinner prepared by the Sisters. We were all there to help serve and just spend time with the people. The Hall was packed and we probably served around 300. It was neat to see how the entire Parish came together to contribute something. Students from the school helped to cook and serve, the Boy Scouts set up and tore down tables and chairs, the Spanish children's choir provided entertainment - even the Priests got up and sang a few songs.

RES Posada
Our Religious Education program celebrated with a Christmas Posada. The students normally meet in three separate sessions because there are almost 1,ooo students. However for the Posada, everyone met at the same time. Naturally, it was organized chaos. The students gathered on the basketball courts to begin. Then they traveled across our big field singing songs, praying the rosary, and trying to find a place for Mary and Joseph to stay. When they reached our Parish Hall, they finally found a place to stay. Then they broke up into groups and went to break the 22 piñatas we had hanging around campus. After that, all the children (and their parents!) came to eat. It took us almost 2 hours, but eventually everyone was fed. I wish I had a picture of the aftermath - it looked like a monsoon ran through campus. However, many hands made for light work and we had everything cleaned up in less than an hour.

Dinner at St. Mary's
Our Sisters that live in East LA invited us over for an early Christmas dinner. We had a special Advent Evening Prayer and then had a huge feast. After dinner we played a version of musical chairs with presents. Sr. Cesira, who is 94 and almost blind won the most presents. I think it was rigged.

Christmas Concert
The different music ministries in our Parish got together to put on a concert. Somehow, the Postulants got roped into playing and singing with one of our Sisters. Then group kept growing until we had an impressive ensemble of 10 people - piano, clarinet, recorder, trumpet, ukulele, two guitars, bells, an egg, and a triangle. I "played" the bells and the tambourine. For one of our songs, we passed out instruments to the audience and asked them to play along with us. The crowd went wild. Everyone was singing, clapping, or playing. People were even dancing in the aisles. It was awesome. And in all humility I will tell you that I ROCKED that tambourine. All of the Sisters joined us for our final song. We sang a traditional Italian Carol, Tu Scendi dalle Stelle (You descended from the Stars), a beautiful song about little baby Jesus.

The night ended with the Salesian priests and brothers leading the crowd in some Spanish Carols. As everyone was standing and singing, I couldn't help but think about how much Don Bosco would have loved a night like that. Young and old together, preparing for Christmas, singing in a spirit of joy. It was really cool.


Christmas Eve has been a pretty quiet day. Everyone is doing their last minute preparations for tomorrow and taking time to slow down and invite Jesus into our lives in a special way. I will carry you all in my prayers tonight at Midnight Mass.

I'll be home in West Palm on the 26th,so I hope to see you then!

November

Friends! Do not be afraid! I am still alive! I apologize for the lack of posts (Matt Cullen), but I'll give you a super quick update on what has been going on.

November began with a trip to San Antonio, Texas. All of the sisters of the Western Province were gathering there for a meeting, so we arrived a few days early to visit a few of the schools in the area.

We hopped on the Salesian Sister mini-bus with the Aspirants of the West and drove about 4 hours from San Antonio to Laredo, Texas. We had lunch with the Sisters and met with the students for two assemblies.

We talked to the students about vocations and shared with them a little bit about what led us to the Salesian Sisters. We sang a song, put on a skit featuring Salesian Saints, and played a vocation jeopardy game. In the picture above, you see one of my fellow Postulants (April from Canada) dressed up as Mother Mazzarello for our skit. Doesn't she look good? Side note: that is a real habit that our Sisters used to wear.

Aspirants and Postulants from left to right:
Melissa, Liz, Quynh, Chelsea, Me, April C., Kristen, Krystle, April H.

The next day we visited our two schools in the San Antonio area for more assemblies, skits, and singing. Then we got to take a trip to the San Antonio Shoes factory for some shoe shopping. SAS is the nun-shoe (aka not-so-stylish) capital of the world. I couldn't bring myself to purchase any... I'm holding out as long as I can. 

The following day, all the Sisters were together for their meeting, so we (Aspirants and Postulants) got to tour San Antonio. We saw the Alamo.

And took a riverboat tour on the San Antonio river. 

We even got to see the patron of the city, our good friend Saint Anthony.

Then we saw the most amazing sight of all - a 42in pizza.

We went for lunch at a place called Big Lou's - it had been featured on Man vs. Food. 

We pretty much couldn't believe our eyes. The pizza was delicious and we ate most of it.

That night we had diner with all the sisters of the Province. We had met many of the sisters throughout our travels, but there were still many more we hadn't met. The night was a whirlwind of meeting Sisters, sharing stories, good food - and of, course singing. We performed some of the songs we have written - and the Sisters went crazy.

We flew home from Texas on a Sunday morning. Three days later, we got on a plane again to fly to Indianapolis for NCYC. The Salesian Sisters, Priests, and Brothers join together to run a mega-booth for young people to come and hang out, learn a little about the Salesians, and maybe even discuss possible vocations. There were somewhere around 23,000 people present - and we passed out 25,000 yo-yos. That alone made the trip a success.

On this trip we were able to spend time with the Aspirants of the East. All of them had come to visit at some point during the last year when we were living in New Jersey, so it was like a reunion of old friends. It was really nice to see them and to swap stories about the adventures of entering religious life.

One night we had a Mass with all of the Salesian family. Young people from our schools and parishes along with all the Priests and Religious that were there got together and it was like one big party. After mass we all had dinner together. Here are the Aspirants of the East, Postulants, and a few of the guys in formation with the Priests.

Postulants in Indianapolis

We even got to spend lots of quality time with Sr. Colleen, our vocations director. 

Also, it was freezing in Indiana.

Once again, we got home on a Sunday and three days later left for another trip. This time we drove to Corralitos, CA to visit our Sisters for Thanksgiving. The entire community (15 of us) piled into two vans and made the 6 hour drive. But, we weren't in any rush. We made a few stops, had a nice picnic lunch, and then had diner at Casa de Frutta. 

I don't really know how to describe Casa de Frutta to you. It started out as a mom and pop fruit stand on the side of the road and has grown into a restaurant, produce store, and old-town village theme park thing.

There was plenty to entertain us.

You could even pan for gold.

We celebrated Thanksgiving Day with the Sisters. Corralitos is in the hill country, middle of nowhere. The property is beautiful and the views are breathtaking. They have three dogs that patrol the property at night to keep the coyotes and other wild animals away.

If you look closely, just over the trees you can see the Bay. I forget which Bay it is, but it is the ocean and that is good enough for me.

We spent the day after Thanksgiving on a silent retreat. I could have sat outside all day - the weather was gorgeous!

So, that's the quick rundown of the month of November. Please know that I miss you all and pray for you daily! I'll be home for a quick visit right after Christmas, so let's be friends!!

The Story of my Medal

On October 11, 2013 I officially became a Postulant with the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. It was a beautiful day filled with lots of joy and love. But, not everything went exactly as planned... let me tell you the story. *Note: you will need to pay close attention to the background of most of the photos. That is where the real action is!

 

We arrived in the Church a few minutes early to prepare ourselves.

 

 

We were anxiously awaiting that moment when we would receive the symbol of our next stage of formation - new medals.

 

 

Evening prayer began, and we had to state our desire to become Postulants.



 

 

Then came the time to receive our medals. I was first.

Sr. Kathleen Taylor gave me my medal along with some beautiful words of wisdom.

(She's a big deal. Originally from Ireland, she now is on the General Council of our Institute. She lives in Rome and spends her time vising Sisters all over the world.)

 

 

I was happy.

 

 

Then, disaster struck. Look at Chelsea's face in the background.

 

 

The chain holding my beautiful new medal SNAPPED. April looked on in distress.

 

 

I played it cool and just took a moment to contemplate my options.

 

 

Then I tried to fix it. But, it was too late. The chain was beyond redemption.

So I just held it in my hands.

 

 

Then Sr. Sandra came back to her seat and we made eye contact. I showed her my medal.

 

 

She took it and tried to fix it.

 

 

Yep. Here I am without a medal. What does that even MEAN?

 

 

After a valiant effort to salvage my broken chain, Sr. Sandra realized there was no hope. So she took off her FMA cross and put my medal on her chain. Then, I had to receive my medal again.

 

 

The night was saved!

From left to right: Chelsea, April C, Me, Sr. Kathleen Taylor, April H, Kristen

 

Top Row: The Provincials of the United States and Canada
Sr. Elizabeth, Canada - Sr. Patricia, Western USA - Sr. Karen, Eastern USA

Left End: Sr. Sandra, Superior and Formator
Right End: Sr. Tuyet, Postulant Assistant

 

 



Happy Postulant Day!

We are Postulants!

Thank you for all the love and prayers! It was really beautiful knowing that we had Sisters, friends, and family praying for us all over the country - and even in Canada!

The play-by-play will come later, but for now I'll just leave you with a picture of our new Postulant medals.

The front of our medal - St. John Bosco, our founder

The back of the medal - Mary, Help of Christians,
so she will always be close to our heart

Goodbye Aspirant... Hello Postulant!

This is my last night as an Aspirant with the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians. Tomorrow during evening prayer we will receive our Postulant medals and officially begin our second stage of formation. Crazy.

Over the weekend, our Superior asked if I was ready to take this next step. I looked at her and said, "Um. I'm here and I'm doing it." Fly across the country into the unknown world of formation to live with people I don't know? Not so easy. But, I did it. And I'm glad I did. Stand up during evening prayer tomorrow and get a new medal? Piece of cake.

Please pray for us. Even though we are already here and doing the work, there's always some anxiety with moments like these.

I miss you all and wish that you could be here to pray and celebrate with me. Our ceremony will take place at 4:30pm California time, so feel free to say a few extra prayers at that time so we can be united! I'll post pictures and give you all the details soon!

Until then, you can enjoy this video of the opening song for our medal ceremony. Lord, I Need You by Matt Maher

Our Lady of the Rosary

Happy Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary!

As with any Marian Feast, today is a day that the Daughters of Mary Help of Christians really celebrate! As a special treat, we even got to go out to dinner at a fabulous Mexican restaurant. I stuffed my face (the guacamole was AMAZING), and it was well worth it.

Sometimes we have small events that shape our lives and we don't understand their significance until we are able to look back and see just how perfectly God fit everything together. This morning, I had one of those beautiful moments of clarity and I wanted to share.

July 2009:
I had not started to seriously discern religious life, but it definitely had been floating in the back of my mind for awhile. I was in Chareston, SC with Catholic Heart Workcamp. It was Sunday, the beginning of our last week of camp. I was mentally, physically, and spiritually exhausted from 5 weeks on the road. The homily during Mass was about trusting God - and it hit me hard. I realized that I spent the entire summer fighting so hard to have control and to make everything perfect - and I kept failing over and over again. I wasn't letting God take care of anything, I was struggling to do it all myself. After I received Communion, I stood in back of the auditorium praying. I told God I was sorry for being such a control freak. I told Him that I really wanted to trust Him, but that I was scared. And that's when Mary came to me. Not like *BAM* lightning from Heaven came to me - but she was there. It's very hard to put into words. I could see her in my mind, and feel her presence beside me. She was just this glowing presence, and although I didn't have a clear image of her in my head, I knew that she was young. So, Mary came to stand by me. She held out her hand and said, "I will help you trust Him." I couldn't say anything to her. But, I took her hand and we stood together.

August 2009:
I met up with a friend who has just entered the Seminary and he told me a story about how Mary literally smacked him in the face. He was sitting on his bed, praying and asking God for direction in his life. That's when the image of Mary that he had hanging on the wall above his bed fell and hit him on the head. He took it as Mary saying, "Helloooo! Let me help you!". So, he began to pray the rosary again. That day, he encouraged me to pray the rosary more regularly. Usually, when I prayed the rosary I ended up falling asleep, but I said I would give it a try. After just a few days of praying the rosary, I could feel my mind slowing down and found that spending quiet time in prayer was getting a little easier.

3 years later, I entered the convent. No one said I was a fast mover or a quick learner. :)
I always associated the Fall of 2009 as the time I really began to feel God's call strongly. But, I had never put that timing together with these two events. The point is that this is when the serious work began and Mary was right there every step of the way. Ask her to help you. She's awesome.

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, 

that never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, 

implored thy help, or sought thine intercession was left unaided.

Inspired by this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins, my mother; 

to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful. 

O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, 

but in thy mercy hear and answer me. Amen.

Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for us!

Mary, Help of Christians, Pray for us!

A Day in the Life

Friends. Life as an almost-Postulant is busy.

"What do you do all day?" you ask.  Well, let me tell you.

4:50am - Rise and Shine
(In all honesty, the alarm goes off at 4:50. About half of the time, I press snooze until 5:03)
5:30 - Meditation and Morning Prayer
6:30 - Mass
7:00 - Morning Assistance*
8:00 - Breakfast
9:00 - Class
10:30 - Class
12 - 1 - Lunch and Recess Assistance*
1 - 1:30 - Lunch
2 - Class
3:30 - Class
5 - Rosary, Evening Prayer, Spiritual Reading
6 - Dinner
7 - Recreation
8 - Exam and Good Night, Quiet study time
10 - Lights Out (Most nights, I am in my bed by 9. I'm old.)

*Assistance: The Salesian definition of assistance is basically spending time with young people. It is more than just supervising or keeping an eye on them. It is talking, playing, laughing, giving them good thoughts for the day, encouraging, noticing if they are angry/upset/happy/excited, you get the idea. We spend time with them when they first arrive at school and during their lunch and recess time outside.

Aspirant Lessons - 3

3. God is Never Outdone in Generosity

When I began to seriously discern entering Religious Life, I was paralyzed by the thought of everything that I would have to give up. My cellphone, my laptop, my car, my clothes, cute shoes, make-up, Starbucks, pedicures, naps, going out to dinner, Florida football games, being close to my family... you get the idea.

After one year in the convent, I can tell you that I don't miss a lot of the things I thought I would. My cellphone - no problemo. Clothes - ehhh, this super fashionable jumper makes getting ready at 5am really easy. Starbucks - well... I'm still a work in progress.

There are other parts of my life that are a lot harder to let go of.  I miss my friends and it is really hard to be far from my family. Sometimes, I whine to God about it. Why do you want me? This is harrrrd. Haven't I done enough? Waaaah.

But, here is the honest truth. God is never outdone in generosity. I give God just an ounce of my life, my pride, my will - and whine about it the whole time - and He blesses me abundantly. For real.

Sometimes the blessings are big (like money to help pay off my student loans or an unexpected weekend with my family in Pennsylvania) and other times they are small and simple (a surprise trip to In-N-Out Burger on a Friday afternoon or a cancelled class that frees up time for me to take a nap). Either way, God sends me reminders to say, "I know this isn't easy, but I'm going to give you exactly what you need when you need it."

That doesn't mean that life is perfect. It's not. It is still hard. But, every time I give a little piece of my heart to God, he showers me with His grace. I'm happy. God. Is. Good.

One Year Anniversay

Today marks one year since I entered the convent. I have to be honest, as I boarded the plane for New Jersey one year ago, I didn't think I could make it this far. But, that's another post for another time.

As a little reflection I wanted to share with you something that I wrote after my first visit to the Salesians. It pretty much tells you everything about why I came and why I'm still here. Thank you for all the love, support, and prayers you have given me. Keep 'em coming because I still have a long way to go! :)

********************************************************************************

April 2011
I have been on a journey. A long, difficult, and at times, very painful journey. I have spent a lot of time questioning, doubting, fighting. Most of all, I have felt empty inside. I had an ache that wouldn't rest. That wouldn't leave me alone. Eventually, I came to recognize that ache as my yearning for Christ. That piece of me that would not rest was my heart that was made for Him alone. This past weekend that restlessness was quieted for the first time since I can remember starting this journey. For the first time in a long time, I sat in front of the Eucharist and felt no surge of emotion. No numbness. No pain. No pushing. Just QUIET. Peace.

When I got on the plane to visit the Salesian Sisters this weekend, I was very uneasy. As the plane took off, I cried. I knew it then. Once I made this visit, I couldn't go back to life as I knew it, and that scared me.

Then I read this reflection on the Sunday Gospel...

 Lazarus … is all of us. That, in fact, is the point of the gospels we have been hearing the last three Sundays – three extraordinary events from the gospel of John. Three people who had an encounter with Christ. Three people whose lives were changed forever because of it.

There was the skeptical and disbelieving woman at the well – who was so stunned at how Jesus knew her, she had to go out and tell others.

There was the blind beggar who gained more than just his sight – he came to see the truth of who Jesus really was.

And there was Lazarus – literally, the walking dead, restored to life because he answered the call of his friend Jesus.

These people are more than figures on a page. They were flesh and blood. And they are you and me. Look deeper, and you’ll recognize it.

We are thirsting, like the woman at the well. Christ quenches that thirst.We are blind beggars. Christ gives us light. And – whether we realize it or not – we are Lazarus. We are trapped in a tomb – hidden in the dark and the decay and the stench, wrapped up on our own brokenness, our own sinfulness. We could be there forever.

But in the midst of that, Jesus weeps. He weeps for us – because he loves us, and has lost us. He wants to bring us back.

I am Lazarus. I have been walking around dead. Christ is calling me to a new life in Him. I encountered Him this weekend in a way that will leave me changed forever. He wants to restore my life. I simply need to hear His call, and walk towards Him.

I am so blessed.

Aspirant Lessons - 2

2. I'm Not As Holy As I Thought... And Neither Are The Sisters.
This news may be shocking and scandalizing to some of you, but I am going to tell you anyway.

I am not living with Sisters who are perfect and never commit a sin. They make mistakes, get annoyed, lose their temper, and have selfish moments... just like every other human being. The difference is, the Sisters are not willing to settle. They are acutely aware of their brokenness and frailty - and that God's merciful love and grace is their only hope. They mess up. They know it. They also know that we have a God who loves us more deeply than we can fathom and that He never tires of forgiving us. They are not perfect, but they never stop trying. Living with women who strive so diligently for holiness has made me realize just how spiritually lazy I have been. It's not that I thought I was perfect.. far from it. But when it came down to doing the really hard work of changing the things I didn't want to change, it was too much effort. I figured I had all the regular human imperfections and that God would love me anyway. But the truth is, the more you come to know and love our Lord, the more you want to be like Him. I don't want to change who I am because I think it will make God love me more. I want to grow in holiness because it will help me to more fully become the person that God created me to be... a person that (hopefully) lives and loves more like Him each day. It is not easy. I have an extremely long way to go, but I have many amazing examples to show me the way.

Light of Love

Imagine Sisters (imaginesisters.org) is a movement working to promote the beauty and joy of female religious life. They are putting out a film called Light of Love on September 8, 2013. The film features one of my FAVORITE Salesian Sisters, Sr. Mary Jackson. The crew came to film at our house in New Jersey, so you will have to watch and see if I make a cameo walking in the background somewhere. =) We got a sneak preview of a few sections of the movie, and it is beautiful! Make sure you watch... it's free and you can watch it online! Find out more at the website: http://lightoflovefilm.com/

The Queenship of Mary

Today the Church celebrates the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary. (And my brother Jimmy's birthday... Happy Birthday Jimmy!!) For our Sisters this is a special day. The official title of the Salesian Sisters is Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians (in Italian, Figlie di Maria Ausiliatrice). St. John Bosco, our founder, desired for the FMA to be a living monument of gratitude to Mary, Help of Christians. The title of Daughter was a very purposeful choice, signifying the closeness of relationship we are called to share with Mary. We are not servants, adorers, workers, or friends... we are daughters. And as daughters, today we celebrate our Mother as Queen. Pretty cool.

One of the Sisters shared a reflection on the beauty of the image of Mary, Help of Christians and how it expresses the Queenship of Mary.

1. Her Crown - It lets us know that she is Queen. It also tells us that, as her daughters, we are called to imitate the Queen. (Clearly, logic implies that this makes me a future princess. I'm ok with that.)

2. Her Scepter - The scepter shows the power of the Queen. Don Bosco said, "Trust in Mary, Help of Christians and you will see what miracles are." Like a true mother, Mary is our most powerful advocate and intercessor. In history, we see that queens often have a special influence over the king and are able to convince them of things no one else can. A famous theologian, von Balthasar, said, "A queen enjoys full power, even with regard to the king. Mary's fullness of power is expressed in her intercession for us and her mediation of graces, so that we receive all personal graces from God." This mamma bear gets what she needs for her children. :)

3. Sweet Baby Jesus - Notice the way Mary is holding Jesus. You don't often see women holding their children like that. Jesus is not clinging to Mary; he's turned out ready to wrap His arms around us. Her leg is bent like she is ready to take a step forward, and Jesus is ready to just leap into our arms. And THAT is what Mary does most for us. Ever so gently, she brings us closer to the embrace of her Son.

This is a prayer written by Don Bosco, and it has become one of my all-time favorites:

O Mary, most powerful Virgin,

great and illustrious defender of the Church,

wonderful Help of Christians,

formidable as an army in battle array,

you, who alone have over come

every heresy in the world,

in our anguish,

in our combats,

in our difficulties,

defend us from the enemy,

and, in the hour of our death,

receive our souls into Paradise.  Amen.

Mary, Help of Christians, pray for us!

Aspirant Lessons - 1

My time as an Aspirant is coming to a close (I don't technically become a Postulant until October) and it is making me feel a little reflective. It is pretty much impossible to adequately put this past year into words. So instead I've decided to share a few of the big lessons I learned. This is not an exhaustive list, but I'll spare you the messy details and just share the highlights. :)

1. Hold Your Plans Loosely
When I entered, I thought the routine of the convent would make life a little more steady and predictable than it was before. And in some ways it did. (There is ALWAYS time for prayer and I know exactly when dinner is coming.) But, pretty much every day I have done something that has made me stop and think, "Well. Never thought I'd be doing THAT today." I'd wake up each morning with my plan for the day, timing all my tasks just right so that MAYBE I could sneak a nap in. And each day God would laugh and surprise me with something completely different. Whether it was cleaning out closets, setting up teacher classrooms, picking up a food donation from a restaurant, tying ribbons on 100 teddy bears, hanging out at the pool with high school girls, sifting cereal, peeling potatoes, arranging flowers, or dancing across the stage at a national youth ministry conference - there was no telling what each day would bring. Life is unpredictable no matter where you are or what your vocation is, and these daily surprises happen to everyone. However, for some reason for the first few months in the convent they were a little harder to accept (*cough* because I wasn't in control). Then our Provincial, Sr. Karen, told us something that has become a group mantra. She told us that it's good to make our plans, that's how normal people function. But, we need to hold them loosely. If we make our plans and hold them in clenched fists, then we're resentful, annoyed, or angry when something else comes up and they have to change. But, if we hold them in open hands, then we're ready to offer them to God and to receive whatever He may have in store for that day. For the most part, the surprises, changes, and interruptions are trivial... simply tiny annoyances throughout the day. But, I'm learning that it is exactly in these small moments that we grow in obedience and holiness. If I can't choose God's will over my own in the little things, it will be nearly impossible to do it for the bigger things. Now, when those unexpected opportunities to practice God's will over our own appear, the other Aspirants and I will look at each other and just hold our hands open in front of us. Your will be done, Lord.  (And then I try my hardest to keep the interior whining to a minimum.)

The Beginning of Something New

Don't get too excited. I am not even coming close to making any promises that I will update this blog regularly. In fact, this could be my only post ever.

That being said, let's enjoy this moment while we have it!

Here is the 10 second update on my life:
I finished my first year of formation as an Aspirant with the Salesian Sisters. On August 15, I flew to California to begin my second year of formation and become a Postulant. The plan is to stay in California until next summer when we return to New Jersey to enter the Novitiate. But let's not rush things. I'm taking this journey one day (hour, moment, step) at a time.

If you had my address or phone number in New Jersey, erase them. They might put you in touch with some other cool people, but they will not help you reach me.

My new address is:
Katie Flanagan
9758 Foster Road Bellflower, CA 90706

Phone Numbers:
562-866-7938 (Formation House)
973-851-7867 (Cell Phone)
You can call whenever you would like (try to remember the time difference). If we're in class or I can't talk, I'll just call you back as soon as I can. Please make sure you leave your number because my old cell phone with all my numbers isn't working and I most likely don't have it memorized.

I miss all my peeps immensely. Please know that even though I am HORRIBLE at keeping in touch, you are on my heart and in my prayers every day! Call me so we can be friends!!

This is our adorable formation house. I live here with 4 other (soon-to-be) Postulants and one Sister. The other Sisters live next door in the Convent.

Our living room... notice the Gator blanket.

A little Marian grotto in the backyard

Our tiny chapel inside the formation house.