Yikes! It has been too long since I shared a glimpse in our monastic life... We are all beginning to get used to having a new mother superior. The funniest story of late...Sister Catherine Marie and I were out running an errand. While waiting in line, I proceeded to introduce myself by saying, "I'm Mother Catherine Marie."  Sr. Catherine Marie looked at me and said, "No, you're not."  I looked at her...mystified...I couldn't figure out what I had said wrong.

Anyway...here is a fun explanation of our celebration of Independence day back on July 4th, written by one of the novices...I hope as I get more adjusted to this new office that my blog posts won't be so late!  Enjoy!

Oh beautiful, for cloudy skies, for driving sheets of rain...

America, America, God shed His grace on thee…If He sheds half as much grace as rain He shed this Independence day, our Nation will be blessed indeed!

The weather this Gaudeamus Day morning, in the 80s with about 420% humidity, posed an extra challenge to the two new grilling sisters. Mother John Mary, who has done the grilling for the past several years, passed the job on to Sr. Cecilia Maria and Sr. Rose Marie this year. Undaunted by the torrential rain, they set up the charcoal grill under the aluminum awning at one end of the Monastery. It took nearly an hour to get the coals to light, but lots of lighter fluid, help from grilling expert Christie, and fervent prayers, the valiant sisters succeeded in igniting the damp coal, and did a marvelous job preparing hotdogs, hamburgers, and grilled toast and garlic cloves just in time for Midday Prayer and Dinner.

After a delicious dinner, and a penitential dessert of dirt and worms, several sisters took advantage of the beautiful weather for some time outdoors. Changing into ‘outdoor’ habits, the group took a leisurely stroll in the rain. To top off the splashy, sloshy, soak-to-the-skin afternoon, they returned to the monastery to make s’mores over the smoldering grill.

Thanks be to God for a beautiful day of celebrating the precious gift of our freedom. May He continue to shower down His grace and mercy in on our Nation.