Summer Hiatus

It's been a couple months since I posted anything.  I didn't intentionally take a summer hiatus...it was lack of inspiration...or pure laziness.   It's not that it has been a really dull summer; although some may wonder if ANYTHING exciting ever happens in a contemplative, semi-cloistered monastery located conveniently next to no-where.  

We had a lovely college student volunteer for most of the summer here in Clyde.  She was the best volunteer ever!  She also happens to be my niece Sarah (not surprising that she was the best ever, then).  She is going to be a senior at Benedictine College in Atchison, KS this fall.  You can read her story here at  student volunteers.  She decided that hanging out with the sisters would be more exciting than assembling sandwiches at the local Subway where she has spent other less than exciting summers.   I must say, at her age I think volunteering at a convent would have been the last thing I would have wanted to do.  I wanted to go work in Yellowstone Nat'l Park during my college summers, which I never did do!

Just this past Tuesday we had another woman cross the threshold of our monastery chapel to enter our postulancy.   We have the ritual at our Noon Prayer and it began by having Arana  knock on the chapel doors while we awaited her coming in.   (If anyone was going to cut and run, that would be the time to do so because she is out there by herself...nobody ever has, though :)

Sr. Cheryl, Assistant Prioress General and Sr. Lynn, formation director, officially welcomed her into the postulancy during the ceremony.  Arana brings Cajun cooking skills to our midwest monastery which will be something new for our meat and potatoes type of community.   But, we do have other sisters among our newer entrants who like 'hot' food with a kick to it.

We also hosted a week-long monastic experience here in July.  "Listen with the Ear of your Heart" was our theme.   The attendees received input on - Why pray the Psalms?, Lectio Divina, Centering Prayer, Discernment, Life in Formation and heard great vocation stories.

One highlight when guests come to our abode is to take them out for ice cream 10 miles away to the nearest ice cream stand.  That might not sound so exciting but the local town of Clyde has a population of 82 and Baskin Robbins is 45 miles away!  

One can also get fried gizzards at this
ice cream stand, but I generally pass on that
option.  I would say both Dairy Queen and
Baskin Robbins would have a hard time matching
up with that!!!!  

Postulant Rosa enjoying a cone as it
quickly melts and starts to drip.