O Tannenbaum!

On the Fourth Sunday of Advent, a week before Christmas, a group of Sisters bundled up, piled into the pickup truck, and slipped and slid over the snow to find a couple of trees for our Christmas festivities.

Across the snowy field and into the trees...

Heading up a north-facing slope in search of a Douglas Fir.

"Does anybody see a good one?"  "Look! Over there!"

"Are we sure this is the one we want?"

The descent from the mountain.

Wishing everyone a joyful, grace-filled, and merry Christmas Season!

Making Benedictine Connections Around the World

We were happy to welcome a fellow Benedictine Nun from Down Under for several weeks this spring. Sr. Hilda, OSB, from Jamberoo Abbey in New South Wales, Australia, made the long journey to little ol' Virginia Dale for a personal retreat. While here she got a glimpse of our picturesque landscape, and even had the opportunity to make a field trip to Laramie, Wyoming -- famous the world over from Westerns. On her departure, Sr. Hilda was so kind as to praise our liturgical life and hospitality, and started on her long journey home refreshed and renewed in body, soul, and spirit.

Since snow does not fall in the region of her home monastery, she was especially appreciative of our several April snowstorms, and took advantage of the opportunity to build a snowman and practice throwing snowballs -- at rocks, fortunately, not at us. Indeed, perhaps we had such a snowy April just because of her prayers!

Our Australian visitor loved standing out in the white stuff falling out of the sky.

New Novices at the Abbey

On Good Shepherd Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, April 17, 2016, Postulant Brandi completed her year as a postulant and was given the habit of a Benedictine novice. For the period of her two-year novitiate she'll be known by her full baptismal name,  Sr. Brandi Lynn.

Sunday, April 17. Mother Maria Michael and Sr. Maria Columba (who celebrates the anniversary of her final commitment to our Abbey on this day) gather around the Good Shepherd with new novice Sr. Brandi Lynn.

The ceremony of clothing took place after Lauds on a very snowy morning. The weather had disrupted the travel plans of many, including our large weekend retreat group from Loveland, and the new novices parents, who had planned to fly in from St. Louis for the occasion. The result was a quiet and prayerful day, which has its own beauties.

Sr. Brandi Lynn joins Sr. Ann and Sr. Catherine, who have been novices since October, 2014, and also Sr. Catherine Marie, who was clothed on February 2, 2016. It is seldom that a relatively small community such as ours can boast of four novice Sisters; we are grateful for this unmerited blessing.