Undoer of Knots

Friends, I am asking for a favor. I try not to get all preachy up in here, but we really need to start praying. Our world desperately needs peace. ISIS in Iraq and Syria is particularly terrifying,but there is also the Gaza strip, the Ebola outbreak and countless other world and local problems.

The causes for these problems are deep and complicated. I'll leave the debating and intelligent commentary to more qualified people. But, I am asking you to pray with me.

My family has a great devotion to the Undoer of Knots. We have brought her some pretty big knots... some of our own and those of our friends and extended family... and we have seen first hand how quick she is to intervene. I pray to Our Lady Undoer of Knots each morning for all sorts of intentions... that Novice or Sister that's driving me crazy, my friend's dad in the hospital, another friend with cancer, financial situations, shoulder injuries... and she answers. Powerfully.

Please, join me in praying each day for peace in the world (especially in the Middle East) through the intercession of Our Lady Undoer of Knots. Don Bosco said, "Trust in Mary, Help of Christians and you will see what miracles are." The Undoer of Knots may be a different title, but it is the same Mary. The same loving Mother that can't stand to see her children in pain. Let's storm heaven and get some big miracles.

Below is an article about the devotion to Our Lady, Undoer of Knots from the September issue of the Word Among Us. It gives you some background and includes a beautiful prayer at the end.

Let's pray and expect miracles!!

1 down, 11 to go!

Today marks one month since my entrance into the Novitiate. Normally, I don't celebrate month-aversaries, but this year is unlike any other year.

For the Salesian Sisters, the Novitiate is two years long. The first year is called the Canonical year. In simple terms that means that Canon Law dictates that I don't spend time outside of the Novitiate for 365 days.

Are you on lock down? Does this mean that you never leave the building? Won't you go crazy?

Calm down. We are not chained to our desks. We leave the Novitiate for lots of things: classes, trips to the grocery store, outings to Dairy Queen, teaching Religious Education classes, the usual. And (gasp) they even let us go places by ourselves! But, we don't spend the night away from the Novitiate.

So, the clock is ticking. 365 days of intensity. 12 months. And I've already made it through 1. Woo! Piece of cake. So far.


In this short span of one month, God's grace is already at work.

* We are taking Theology and Philosophy classes at a small college for women religious. It really is a beautiful place, and Sisters from all over the world come to study there. The classes are great, but there is also the added perk of awesome food at the cafeteria and an unlimited supply of coffee. You know how much coffee means to me.

* I had a homework assignment written, stapled, and in my binder to turn in 3 days, 3 DAYS, before it was due. And that was not just a one time event... I've done that for 3 different assignments! If you know anything about my study habits in college, you know that this is nothing short of a miracle.

* We have beautiful grounds (remember - middle of nowhere country) and I like to go outside to take walks, pray the rosary, or have some alone time. On more than one occasion, I have found myself stopping to get on my hand and knees to pull weeds. Of my own free will. Ask my mother. This is monumental, people.

* There is ice cream in this house ALL THE TIME. I have even turned it down once or twice.

And today, we received our copy of the Constitutions of the Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians. They were composed by Don Bosco himself (with minor changes over the years) and contain our rule of life. We will spend the next two years studying them closely and allowing them to sink into our hearts as we prepare (God-willing) to become FMA.

You are in my prayers!!

New Novices!

From left to right: Sr. Karen (USA Provincial), me, Sr. Kristen, Sr. Joanne (Directress of Novices), Sr. April C, Sr. April H, Sr. Elizabeth (Canadian Provincial)

This is our first photo after our entrance to the Novitiate! The retreat was beautiful and refreshing. Yesterday was a crazy day, but in the midst of it all I was overwhelmed with love and peace. I could tangibly feel the presence of Mary with us throughout the day - and I definitely felt all of your love and prayers!!

More updates to come...

A new home!

Welcome to the Sacred Heart Novitiate in Newton, NJ!

From left to right: Sacred Heart Chapel (with the cross), Novitiate (small white building where our rooms are), Cottage (house where the Sisters live and we do most of our daily living). More pictures of the grounds will come in another post.

Hello my dear friends! Please accept my apologies for my lack of updates. I don't really have a good excuse other than life is always super busy. I would like to tell you that I will do a better job from now on, but that is probably not the truth. So, please forgive me and be patient with me. =)

As most of you know, I have left beautiful California and I am back in New Jersey. I am not living in the same house that I was in before - I am about an hour away in a small town called Newton, NJ. We live on the grounds of a retreat center run by our Sisters - and believe me, it is the perfect place for a retreat! We are really in the middle of nowhere country. This is the kind of place where you see bears, turkey families, plenty of deer, and the stars are bright and beautiful at night. It is the ideal location to spend lots of time in prayer and discernment.

Moving to this new house now means that I am moving from being a Postulant to becoming a Novice. Today we will begin a one week silent retreat. At the end of the retreat, Saturday August 2nd, there will be a ceremony to mark our official entrance into the Novitiate. From that point on, I will be known as Sr. Katie. Wild! At this point I have still not taken any vows and I'm not wearing a veil or habit. However, my uniform changes from blue to gray. This is exciting stuff.

God willing, I will spend the next two years here in a time of deeper study and prayer. We will take some Philosophy and Theology classes and we'll study our vows and Constitutions. We will teach some religious education classes and help with retreats to prepare students for First Communion and Confirmation, but the majority of our time will be spent in study and prayer. This is serious business, folks.

The best way to get a hold of me is probably e-mail (flan.katie@gmail.com) or Facebook - but it may take me a couple days to get back to you. If you need to reach me right away, feel free to call. I promise, the Sisters don't bite. And as always, you can send me good old snail mail.

Address: 
20 Old Swartswood Rd.
Newton, NJ 07860

Phone Number:
973-383-2620

Please know that during this next week I will hold each of you close in prayer - and please pray for me!!

From California to the New York Island

...Well, really it's New Jersey. But that just doesn't sound the same.

Here's a quick update on my life. I have finished my time in California. I'm currently home visiting my family. In a few days, I'll fly back to New Jersey to begin my preparation for the Novitiate. I'll be living in Newton, NJ (aka: middle of nowhere country with bears and other wildlife) for the next two years. This house is about an hour from the house I lived in when I was in New Jersey before. This summer we'll be helping out with camp and getting ourselves settled in our new home. On August 2, we will have our official entrance into the Novitiate and I receive the title of Sister. Yep. This is the big leagues now, people.

Leaving California was extremely bittersweet. It is exciting to be back on the East coast with all of "our" Sisters and to be taking another step forward. But, it was also really hard to leave beautiful California and our even more beautiful Sisters and parish community.

There is really no way that I can adequately put the past year into words. But, I would like to give you a quick introduction to each of the amazing women I lived with. They welcomed us into their home and made us a true part of the family. They were our guides, mentors, and friends. So, here is a quick insight into our beautiful Bellflower Community!

Sr. Kathleen
The economer of the house, constantly begging for a puppy, gardener extraordinaire, ready to talk to anyone and everyone for hours at a time, always up for a cup of coffee, heart full of compassion.

Sr. Rita
Crazy old Italian, likes to hit people with her cane - out of love, of course - captivates a group of 20 8th graders the way no one else can, won't stop working no matter how much you try to make her.

Sr. Lupe
Seamstress for the Province, quiet worker bee, hilarious one-liners that come out of nowhere, hears you mention that you like or want something once and then looks for ways to find or make it for you.

Sr. TA
Math wizard, super chef, lover of all good food - especially fried chicken, can turn anything into art, can make anyone buy anything because it's "for the kids" or for the "elderly Sisters", knows how to spice up any food or job.

Sr. Marie
School Principal, Church History teacher, PhD, spent 20 years teaching in Rome, cooks the best steak ever,  wears her Chacos all day every day, wrote three books - in Italian.

Sr. Sandra
Our beloved formator, everyone's favorite Sister, fearless leader, gentle guide, tells it like it is, proud mom photographer, pretty much the best.

Sr. Cesira
95 years old, a Salesian celebrity, Italian teacher, amazing poet,
"Nothing works and everything hurts, but I don't feel old."

Sr. Tuyet
Our Assistant, Vietnamese, learning English, loves jokes and pranks, laughs all the time,
loves Mary and Vocations a lot, a lot

Sr. Carmen
Director of Religious Education, super organized, intense work ethic, tiny, hilarious, walks around singing a song about Santa Clause all year long

Monica
Our lay volunteer, often mistaken for a Postulant even though she doesn't wear a uniform, amazing artist, her family is the Kentucky version of the Von Trapps

Sr. Lulu
Stronger than 10 men, hardest worker and best cleaner you will ever meet, great friend and patient teacher, when she's not working you will find her in the chapel.

God with Us

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Today we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord. Since it is the official closing of the Christmas season, I thought that I would finally share some of my reflections on the coming of sweet little baby Jesus.

"Behold the Virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall name him Emmanuel, which means 'God is with us'." Matthew 1:23

I spent a great deal of time reflecting on this idea of "God with us". I've heard it a million times. God is with us. Not above us, or below us. Not ahead of us or watching from a distance. God is with us. Right next to us. Step by step. Sometimes He carries us. Sometimes He drags us. Sometimes He pushes us. But He is always right there.

I love this imagery. It is very comforting to hear that God is always with us. However, during this Advent and Christmas season I really had to ask myself if I actually live like "God is with us". The answer is, I don't. Instead, I live like God is sitting on the sideline or chilling in his recliner watching everything unfold. When I need Him, I can run to Him for help - and He will come. But otherwise, I live like He's somewhere over there while I'm over here putting on a good show.

I began this Advent thinking that I was really going to prepare my heart for Christ. I wanted to clear out all the crap that keeps me from God in order to create an open, empty space for Him to dwell. It was a beautiful sentiment, but it didn't get me very far. My thinking was completely backward. I had this vision of cleaning up my heart and soul, getting everything in line and perfect, and then inviting Christ in. Friends, it does not work that way. I couldn't clean up anything on my own. I tried (very hard) to make things better and I miserably failed. Over and over again.

God is with us.

This Christmas I learned that God does not want to wait until things are nice and neat enough for Him to enter into our hearts. We can't do the cleaning and repairs on our own. God wants to be with us. He wants to enter right into the center of our mess. He wants to sit in it with us and sort it out. He wants to be the one to encourage us when we're tired. He wants to help us throw away what we don't need. He wants to be the one to give us a little kick when we are dragging our feet. He wants to gently help us to see the beautiful treasures that are hidden in the back corners behind fear and doubt. He wants to be with us.

We don't make things perfect and then invite Christ in. 

We invite Christ in, and work with Him as He makes all things new.