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.

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