Blessed Christmastide to you and yours! Well here it is, the second day of 2014 A.D. I hope you are receiving all the special graces of this holy season.

Christmas Eve brought some unusual guests to our community recreation. The parable of the 5 Wise Virgins was brought to life with the addition of our Blessed Mother's appearance at right!

They had unusual gifts for us and the pitchers at right held, not oil for lanterns, but batteries for LED lanterns!

Mother Catherine Marie - ever the practical mother and mistress of our monastery - purchased a LED vintage lantern for each sister to have on hand during power outages. These lanterns will be much safer than leaving lit candles in various rooms throughout the monastery when it is pitch dark.

Proceeding to chapel at the end of recreation.

Here we are singing the ancient Latin hymn "Alma Redemptoris Mater" having just placed the Holy Infant in his crib hours before Midnight Mass was to begin.

Celebrate the feast of Christmas every day, even every moment in the interior temple of your spirit, remaining like a baby in the bosom of the heavenly Father, where you will be reborn each moment in the Divine Word, Jesus Christ.

- St. Paul of the Cross

Celebrate the feast of Christmas every day, even every moment in the interior temple of your spirit, remaining like a baby in the bosom of the heavenly Father, where you will be reborn each moment in the Divine Word, Jesus Christ.” - See more at: http://www.integratedcatholiclife.org/2013/12/daily-catholic-quote-from-st-paul-of-the-cross-2/#sthash.a8yMNL2x.dpuf