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.