Okay, so six priests is not quite an invasion, but our Passionist monastery has seen a smattering of white habited friars this summer.

Fr. Vincent Ferrer Bagan, OP stopped in for an afternoon in June while on an assignment in Kentucky. He and our Sr. Cecilia Maria were friends and classmates at St. Olaf College. They had not seen each other in over seven years, since before entering the Dominicans and Passionists, respectively, so it was a welcome reunion.

Fr. Louis Bertrand was recently began ministering at the Louisville parish which shares his name, and he made a week’s retreat in our guest house – if you are interested in making your own solitude retreat, click here

If you’re thinking that doesn’t look like Kentucky, you’re right…This picture is from when Mother John Mary and Sr. Catherine Marie caught up with our home-grown Dominican at San Clemente in Rome. But a few weeks later, Fr. Austin Litke, OP was in the Whitesville area visiting Mom, Dad, and Granny, and graciously stopped in to offer Mass for us here at St. Joseph Monastery.

Fr. Ezra Sullivan, OP, who helped Sr. Maria Faustina connect with our community, was passing through the area with his confrere, Fr. Basil Cole, OP. We were delighted to see Fr. Ezra again, and to meet Fr. Basil whose work, Christian Totality, we use in our formation program. Fr. Basil shared some beautiful thought from his studies of St. Joseph, especially about the role of “The Guardian of the Redeemer” in preparing Jesus for His Passion.

On the way to preach the annual retreat of the Fathers of Mercy, Fr. Emmerich Vogt, OP took some time out to meet our community and give us a conference on growth in prayer and the Christian life. Many of the nuns have listened to his various conference recordings, but it was wonderful to meet Father and hear his wisdom in person – he is an excellent storyteller, with an anecdote to support every point. He had us in stitches over some of his jokes, but we’ll refrain from propagating the punchlines so as not to spoil the experience if you are blessed to hear Fr. Vogt’s talks, live or recorded. A sampling can be found at his 12-Step Review apostolate online.

Be on the look-out for photos from Sr. Frances Marie's Profession day!