I have been waiting for May 1st - the Memorial of St. Joseph the Worker - to share with you this little reflection by Sr. Mary Andrea.

I come from a family of carpenters who have always highly valued working together. In building houses each person in the construction crew had his own responsibility, everything from being foreman to measuring and cutting, to picking up trash. When it came to our families’ homes, even we women and children had our own parts to play – cooking meals, sweeping up sawdust, and keeping the smallest children safe. At times, it could seem as though we were not doing much worthwhile for the completion of the house, but each part needed to be done.

Coming to live in St. Joseph’s Monastery (the patron saint of carpenters) with this background, the image of "building the kingdom of God" has come to mean so much to me. It is when my duties do not seem that important that I most need to remember that it is the Kingdom of God (not my kingdom) that I have come to "build". I do not need to know how or why my duties are needed, but only to know that they are needed because the ‘Foreman’ (Who is also my Spouse), Jesus Christ, chooses to need them done by me.

Sister with her parents on the day of her First Profession in October 2007. Special thanks to Dave and Carol for taking their day off to come and clear our Stations of the Cross trail. Up until a few days ago it was still quite devastated from the ice storm damage. May the Lord reward you abundantly!