May you attain full knowledge
of God’s will through perfect wisdom and spiritual insight. Then you will
lead a life worthy of the Lord and pleasing to him in every way. You will
multiply good works of every sort and grow in the knowledge of God.
(Colossians 1:9b-10)
Dear Friends,
As we began 2010, we saw the need
to not only build a monastery but more importantly the building up of our
monastic life. Sharon Colby, our friend and a Donor Relations and Event
Manager, joined us for two days of, “Balancing It All,” – our monastic life,
fund raising projects and building. The above quote from Colossians was
our opening prayer and expressed the desire of our hearts. The sessions
gave each sister the opportunity to share her concerns and dreams for our
community as we begin our new life in Gobernador. This quote is also our
dream for each of you, that this monastery in the desert will be a site of
inspiration and encouragement where you may find peace, serenity and an
openness to the fullness of life.
PRESENTATION OF THE LORD-FEB
2ND was the 20th anniversary of our
founding and also the 5th anniversary of Solemn vows of Sister Mary Fisher,
Sister Hilda Tuyuc and myself, the transfer of vows of Mother Julianne Allen
and the 4th anniversary of Solemn vows of Sister Elizabeth Tran. A small
group of brave friends who were not afraid of the snow and mud joined us. The
celebration began in the Refectory (dining room) with the traditional blessing
of candles on this feast day and then a procession to the Chapel. Open
House continued until 5:00 pm, with the serving of home made tamales and hot
chocolate and the drawing of the Raffle winners. You can check our website for the
winners.
3rd ANNUAL NOVENA TO ST. JOSEPH will begin March 10th. You will be remembered to St. Joseph, especially
all who face the challenge or fear of losing their jobs, homes, all who are
dealing with cancer and addictions - all that challenges our faith in God. We
will include the Pope’s request to pray for all priests in this Year for
Priests, along with prayers for all who died and are suffering from the Haiti
and Chile
earthquakes. May St.
Joseph bless each of your
endeavors. Photo of St. Joseph
taken from our Chapel.
COMMUNITY UPDATE - In January, it is our custom to pray the Divine Office of
Vigils privately, which is normally prayed in Chapel at 4:00 am. This
practice helps the nuns to get through the long cold, dark winter and gives us
a time to rest after Christmas and before Lent begins.
Sister Elizabeth Tran, our
Subprioress, returned after a four-month leave to help her mother in Texas with the process
of becoming a US
citizen and also helping her sister and family with immigration to the US
from Vietnam.
Mother Julianne Allen has almost completely recovered from a fall she had, but
needed dental work done before returning to us. Sister Mary Fisher spent
a time of renewal at Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery in Pecos,
NM.
Here at Gobernador, she spent three days sweeping and shoveling the snow off
the roof of our Refectory/kitchen building. She has also ordered 138
trees and bushes through the Chama State Forestry. They will be delivered
in March. The trees will be used as windbreakers and for erosion
control. Come and plant!
S. Elizabeth
painting a recent icon of Mary, "More Spacious Than the Heavens."
Mother Julianne always has time for a smile.
After a bout of the flu, Sister
Hilda Tuyuc is enjoying weaving bookmarks in her new cell. Sister Kateri
Lovato has been assisting her parents off and on. As a community we
support her and Sister Elizabeth in their time of family need. Sister
Elvira Leyva-Padilla, from Mexico,
will be completing her Observership in March. We are in the process of
seeking an I-129 petition approval for her religious visa. We have been
blessed with her talents of sewing, making rosaries, and working in the
Sacristy. Please pray for her. – In between colds, preparing
conferences, overseeing building/remodeling projects, and administrative work,
I had fun this winter learning to operate the back hoe.
S. Hilda and S. Elvira preparing for our feast,
February 2nd, The Presentation of the Lord.
S. Mary throwing a snowball as she climbs up the ladder to
shovel the snow
off the roof. On the right is a picture of S. Kateri painting a Baptismal candle.
Below, Mother Benedicta is shown operating the back hoe.
During this holy season please
join us for Mass on Saturdays and Sundays at 10 am. We also have two
guestrooms, sorry for women only, for a time of retreat during Lent.
Plans for our guest house have begun where all will be welcome! We hope
to have it up and running this summer.
May this Lenten time be a time of
growth in the knowledge of God through perfect wisdom and spiritual insight.
May you experience new life through the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Easter Joy and Peace,
Mother Benedicta Serna, OSB
Prioress
On February 2, 2010,
we celebrated the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and our 20th
year anniversary of our founding, 1990. Hope you enjoy the
pictures. Thank you to all who were here for the Mass. (Click on Winners of Anniversary Raffle)
Monastery of Our Lady of the Desert PO Box 556 Blanco, NM 87412-0556 USA