last days

Wednesday June 4th was spent with the Nuns who are under our province’s jurisdiction. Fr. Gregory welcomed “our Sisters” [left to right]: Srs. Edith from Covington, Kateri from Sioux City, Donna from Piedmont, Angel Teresa from New Caney and Teresita from San Antonio. Sr. Therese from Little Rock was unable to come. We first shared what’s going on at the chapter and invited each to give a report on her community. Vocaton promotion was our first priority.

Covington: We were blessed during the time of Katrina with having our brothers from New Orleans here for a semester, and to help us clean up after the initial damage. Fr. Sam gave wonderful talks during his stay with us --very formative. Mary Catherine transferred to San Antonio, and Joan transferred from Little Rock. Fides made solemn profession 21-May-06 & Grace on 03-Jun-07. Anna Maria made 1st profession 08-Sep-06 & Gabrielle professed 05-May-07.

LittleRock: Greatest need is new life in our community. Blessed with close relationship with our Fathers.

New Caney: Our community celebrates 50 years of our foundation this year. With great emotion, voice choked, Sr. Angel Teresa acknowledged “an enormous debt of gratitude to San Antonio Carmel and our friars in helping us survive a crisis in our history.” LifeAwareness retreat was a help. MaryAnne was present at career day at St Thomas University and a day for high school seniors in vocation promotion. After a few visits, young women are invited to come inside the cloister for a live-in. Theresa Margaret came from Savannah Dec 28, 2007. We had difficulty finding a chaplain this triennium, but last March 28, Msgr Paul Procella retired to be our chaplain. Friars can help us as extraordinary confessor, with talks and retreats, homilies, and pooling efforts for vocational promotion. Dinosaurs moving into neighborhood: Dino Park planned.

Piedmont: The medium age of our community is 58. This triemmium we have celebrated one diamond (60) jubilee, one golden & one silver. Two became US citizens: Agatha and Maria. Villa Teresa invited over for Juan de Bono’s conferences on Elizabeth of Trinity which we hosted. We replaced our roof in Feb '08, and it was destroyed by a hail storm in March. Difficulty finding priests for Mass. We are developing a formation team to help the novice mistress. Elder Care concern to take care of Sisters at home with help. Our Fathers help by their visits. We want them available for special liturgies. Continue the Marylake formative program. Help foster vocations to friars and nuns, perhaps we could make a collaborative effort in this. We signed up for vocation day in Stubenville. We need to go where the vocations are.

San Antonio: We are grateful to our friars. We feel the relationship between the nuns and the friars here is as it should be. We have two Sisters in formation: Mary Catherine and Teresa Guadalupe a novice from Guadalajara. In July a woman from Puerto Rico will enter as postulant. All three are in their 30s. This is a big help as our membership is much older than that. Maria was received in 1970, so we have a big vocational gap. Hospice helps with Stella. Monthly day of recollection with Blessed Sacrament. Goals: vocation promotion, program for formators, deepen own community life and life of prayer. We want the friars to continue offering retreats for us in Spanish and in English. DVD’s of conferences could be made available. OCDS might help with this.

Sioux City: We’re a young community in a small city of 85,000. We have ten nuns. Our foundress Agnes 90, is still with us. We distribute altar breads and have a regular chaplain. We just received a postulant, the daughter of two OCDS members; she’s 21 years old. Medium age of community is 50. Vocation committee appointed, 4 nuns including novice. We made a vocational DVD, and have a procession to empty cells in our novitiate to pray for vocations. Happy to participate in Formators workshop. There’s something special about formation workshop in our province at Marylake. Goals: complete remodeling of choir and grill, plan something for St Paul year. We’re a diverse community; we work hard to have open expression of ideas. Provincial was there when we had to deal with a difficult situation.

Fr. Stephen asked if possible to have vocational requirements of each convent to help us direct prospects: age range, etc. to have perhaps in catalogue. Plan in such a way that dates when nuns will be out will not overlap with Association meetings, workshops, etc. Witchita nuns call themselves OCD. Our theological reflection is a ten year project initiated by the General Camillo with about 4 more to go.

The chapter finished up loose ends on Thursday the 5th, following the golden jubilee Mass for Fr. Jenaro on Wednesday evening in the Basilica. Cornish hens were prepared and tables decorated in the refectory afterwards. Father Ralph preached telling the story of Jenaro’s impatient encounter with some gypsies who showed up at Dallas’ cathedral on Ash Wednesday. They came up at Communion time. When Jenaro held up the host, after the “Cuerpo de Cristo,” they replied, “Not that! The other thing!” Jenaro told them he distributed ashes at the end of Mass. So they came up again after Mass, but stuck out their tongue as if they would be receiving Holy Communion. Jenaro, now exasperated with these unchurched gypsies, gave no furhter explanation. He simply put the ashes on their tongue.

After Mass, a banquet was held for all. The two Luises brought out the finest liquor.

The Chapter ended on Friday morning, the 9th. The chapter of 2008 came to a close at 10:00 am.