...and some long overdue thank you's to my amazing family!

This is, finally, my last post here, scheduled to post itself on Monday morning (as I start Office of Readings with the sisters) after I'm gone. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it works!)

It's Multitude Monday...and about time that I took some space on this blog to say "Thank You" to the people who who have been the deepest source of inspiration, the greatest loves in my life, no matter what: My family.

Apart from God, no one knows me better than you. We have been through so much together...

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Mommy and Daddy,
thank you for teaching me how to pray and how important prayer is. You have always invited me and the others to holiness by example as much as by word, if not more.
Thank you for all the very important little things you did to make my life beautiful... for singing to me when I was a baby, for throwing me in the air, for tipping my mattress up at night (the best good-night routine ever!), for cleaning up (and teaching me how to clean up) my messes (physical and spiritual!) over the years.
Thank you for being there to listen and help me all the time, even (especially) during all the years when if I rarely took proper advantage of your help or listened to you!
Thank you for all of the sacrifices you make for me and our family to keep us healthy, happy, and holy. It really has been a grace, a great grace from God to have grown up in this family, in this household.

J,
I know I've already said this, but I'll say it again, it bears repeating, because it is just so true...thank you for being the best big brother ever! For the laughs, for the lessons, for the love. To take just one moment, or rather some of the best moments of my childhood, I'll never forget the joy of playing on the swing set during the summer listening to the Maple Leaf club's amazingly beautiful music. So much fun! And that pretty much sums up our life, doesn't it, only the goodness in you goes deeper than just plain fun. Being your sister makes holiness more fun than anything else I know! Thank you!

G,
thank you for putting up with me when I was (hopefully this only pertains to the past tense) an annoying little sister all those years. Following you around at the barn was fun, even if it didn't turn out to be my thing, and it meant a lot to me to have you as my prefect and my captain during my freshman year of highschool. I always looked up to you when we were growing up together, and still have so many reasons to admire you today. Good luck with all of your cooking adventures, and thank you for "following" me.

F,
thank you for being the best 'big' sister ever! (I don't remember when I started calling you my big sister, but I'll never forget all the ways that you have been, sort of.) For all of your the advice that I took, for better or for worse (always for better in the long run!), for your zany stories that amuse me to no end (they are just stories, right?!), for all the times we spent just talking about life...you're the best. And I mean it! I Love you, Little Lee Lee Lotta!

S,
what did you do to my cute little brother?(sorry, just had to ask that!) I am so proud of you, and it is such a joy to see you excel at everything, from academics, to running and swimming, and building upside-down ball tower tracks out of K'nex...thank you especially for bringing me to Compline these last few weeks, I owe you for that! ...all in all, life with you has been an amazing adventure...Godspeed!

D, last of all...
(Gretta: "Why am I always last?"//Uncle Max: "Because you are the most important!"-The Sound of Music)
I love you, love you, love you so much. Every minute we spent together was a real blessing, from our morning walks to church to our evening walks down by the bay. Thank you for talking with me, listening to me, and putting up with my occasional need to quiz you on the saint of the day! You are an absolutely beautiful young lady, and you have taught me so much over the years, about faith, life, and love. I am going to miss you so much, but look forward to your visits at the convent. I love you!

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And to everyone else in my family: Grandparents, Aunts, Uncles, Cousins...thank you for all the good times in PA, NY, FL, RI, or wherever the good Lord has brought us together over the years (though I think I've covered all the bases, I hope..oh, wait...D.C./MD/CT/NJ should be on that list, too!) We have had so much fun together, and I am incredibly grateful for all of your love, encouragement, generosity and prayers.

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To all of the above, I am living in the convent because I love God and I love you.
In Christ, I am yours forever...


Love and prayers always from your unworthy daughter/sister/granddaughter/niece/cousin,

Mary

Two more quotes before I go...

from a reflection on Martha and Mary:

“The external world is inclined to consider itself the real world; it accepts the inner realm as a remote, somewhat degenerate addition in which the weakling takes refuge when he can go no further. One day the correction will be made. What is now silent will be clearly evident as the stronger thing; what is now hidden as the decisive. The heart will prove itself mightier than the hand, a man’s essence weightier than his works. But things will not be entirely right until both worlds meet and blend. Then as much of the extrinsic will remain as is justified by the intrinsic; the rest will fall away. Only that will be received into the new creation which the spirit upholds as true.” (Guardini, Romano. The Lord, p. 228)      

This is how I hope to cross the threshold this afternoon, by the grace of God...                 

“So with no regrets and a heart filled with joy, I walked through the Catholic monastery enclosure door...With a heart overflowing with gratitude I gave myself forever to the Lord.”

(from Sr. Mary Mannes O.P.’s vocation story in Vocation in Black and White, p. 14...Sr. Mary Mannes is one of the sisters at my convent)

Thank you, Goodbye and Godspeed to all (well, almost...)

On this day, I am upheld by the grace of God and the prayers and good will of many souls.

Truly my life and vocation are a tremendous grace, 

and I could not be faithful to it all without the help of your prayers and encouragement.

I offered my Holy Communion this morning for the intentions of all.

All my prayers, works, joys, and sufferings are for the intentions of Jesus' Sacred Heart;

If I live for Him, I live for you, too. 

He loves you and desires all your good.

There will be two more posts on this blog, scheduled to appear after I go,

one today, and one on Monday.

Then, I will be quiet and hidden. I promise.

In the meantime, 

Jesus, Mary, Joseph, we love you, save souls!

St. Dominic, Pray for us!

 St. Benedict, Pray for us!

My Jesus, I trust in You!

(image sources are linked directly to the images)

When I wasn't looking...

...16 of my Dominican Brothers at the House of Studies were installed as Lectors on (or around?) September 18th. (Pictures are here...starting in the second row.) May they persevere in their vocations to serve God as sons of St. Dominic!

Hopefully in the future my sisters will keep me more up-to-date on the Friars' news than I have kept myself!

Also, Br. Peter Martyr Joseph posted an article about today's feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on the Vocations Blog.

Our Lady of the Rosary

source

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary,

and my last full day at home.

Here is a quote from a Benedictine monk, which a friend sent me a few years ago on the Rosary and which I have never quite forgotten (my emphasis in bold): 

"Be not afraid of distractions, provided you are willing to struggle against them.  Our heavenly Mother understands so well our weakness, our tired feelings, our weariness at times.  Hail Mary's multiplied never displease her. She appreciates your murmurings of faith, hope, and love. Do your best. But, never give up your beads. To carry them on your person . . . is that not as if you were saying them all day, all night secretly? 

 Keep them, at times, especially in time of trial, in the hollow of your hand. That is to clasp Mary's hand."

out of curiosity, I just googled the first line, and (as I suspected) found a longer version on Vultus Christi. 

Go there for the rest of it!

P.S. The Dominican Friars have redesigned their website (I thought I was lost for a minute!), and just posted a brief note for today's feast here.

Your prayer intentions?

As a nun once said to me, recalling her own entrance into the convent and Profession days,
"Jesus can't refuse the prayers of a soul when she gives herself completely to Him."

This may not be my last post here, but today I want to say thank you, dear readers,
for taking the time to stop by to read my poor words.
On Saturday, I am entering the convent to begin my postulancy.
My vocation is to pray for all souls: my family, priests, seminarians, and all my friends
--that includes you, whoever, wherever you are.

On Saturday morning, I will receive Holy Communion for all of your intentions,
and in the afternoon I will carry you all in my heart
as I cross the threshold of the door that can only be opened by love.

If you have any specific intentions you would like me to bring to prayer,
please leave them in the comment box,
or just leave your name/nickname and I will remember your intentions....

Thank you again for everything, and please pray for me, too!

In Christ,

Mary

update: doing some housekeeping type stuff, the comment boxes are now closed. Sorry. But I will pray for all you readers of my blog and your intentions anyway. 

Blessed Raymund of Capua

source

Today is the feast of Blessed Raymund of Capua.

He was St. Catherine of Siena's spiritual director
and the 23rd Master of the Order of Preachers.

 Br. Raymund O.P. has written a beautiful article
about his patron and Catherine of Siena...
Go check it out at the Dominicana blog--it's wonderful!

"Never forget the graces of God!"
 -St. Catherine of Siena

All this is love, love's gifts.

This is my last Multitude Monday post.

On Saturday afternoon, I will pass through the door that only Love can open...and my life as the littlest daughter of St. Dominic will begin.

In the meantime, there is so much to be grateful for here and now...just noticing the little moments of grace every day...

...starting new, for the last time (here, anyway), in no particular order...

1. he came back to get me for Compline
2. Gregorian Salve, oh, how I'll miss it, though the Dominican Salve already holds a place in my heart, too.
3. singing O Lumen in the dark on the way home, followed by the De Profundis.
4. I have a place to call home and a family that loves me
5. Sister time watching Theresa of the Andes together and thinking about the separation we will have to endure as I answer God's call to be a cloistered nun
6. Brother time building the best K'nex ball tower ever; I couldn't have done it without him 
7. the astounding generosity of a friend giving me her favorite icon 
8. I was able to go to confession (finally, and just in time to prepare for my entrance!)
9. Adoration for more than an hour on Friday
10.  hugs, hugs, and more hugs
11. sunset Vespers by the bay
12. the beautiful moon, waxing again
13. my oldest brother, still the best big brother ever
14. the humility that comes from reading through old teacher's comments from high school, just reminding me where I've come from
15. beautiful plans of my friends from college, working on Organization for Life projects
16. other vocation stories
17. Dominicana articles making me think every day (and reminding me to pray for my Dominican brothers!)
18. a holy priest's homilies podcasted!
19. week of holy feastdays, especially St. Francis of Assisi tomorrow, Bl. Raymund of Capua on Wednesday, and Our Lady of the Rosary on Friday.
20. the grace to keep on praying
21. these words from today's Office of Readings: "pray earnestly and frequently, not offering long and wearisome prayers, but praying often, and with perseverance." (Saint Ambrose)

for these, and the untold gifts that I've noticed moment by moment but forgotten now...

my sweet Jesus, I thank You!  

And I join the Gratitude Community at A Holy Experience today for the last time
 

 

Blessed be God forever, forever Amen!

One day at a time...

Pope Benedict XVI on St. Therese of Lisieux

Short and sweet...well worth three minutes today!

 St. Therese of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, pray for us!