Bethlehem Monastery of Poor Clares

Christmas, 2011

  You make the clouds your chariot and walk on the wings of the wind.

Dear Friends,

              The big news around here was going to be our “Come and See” day that we announced in our last mailing.  We had a good response to the flyer we sent out and were very pleased with the earnestness of the young women who came.  In fact, we have had a couple more since then, as some groups couldn’t make it in August.  It was a joy to welcome these young people, so intent on discerning the will of God in their lives.  Holy Mother Clare certainly recognized in each of them the spirit that led her in her own search for the Way she was to follow. Then other things started happening.  Our very first earthquake, for instance.  Many of you shared that one with us.  Actually, it was over before most of us realized what that rumble meant and what exactly was shaking the house.  Thanks be to God, we had no apparent damage – just a little fright for those of us who had never experienced one – which included a couple of workmen doing routine maintenance on our cooling system that day!

We had just about gotten our nerves back together when Irene blew in. And blew, and blew.  We had to smile during our midnight office of Matins as the wind roared around the cupola over the sanctuary and rains lashed the walls. For the first psalm that night read: “Above the rains you build your dwelling.  You make the clouds your chariot and walk on the wings of the wind.”  However, we had another reason for smiling that weekend:  the Missionary Image of Our Lady of Guadalupe was paying us a visit, arriving early Saturday morning, August 27, just before the storm broke. She remained with us until the following Monday.  We knew that, cradled in her arms, we had nothing to fear and all would be well at the end.  True, like many of you, we were without telephone and without power 7 full days – our longest outage here on Mt. St. Francis to date. So we had a great share in the situation of many here in Virginia and elsewhere.  Fortunately, big Brother Generator came through again, roaring away to keep our well and our refrigerators going as well as furnishing power to various outlets from which we could channel it to sewing machines and computers.  We have very much to be grateful for, because, other than several trees coming down and a couple outdoor shrines being blown over, there was so little damage done on our property.

September turned out to have a number of adventures of its own.  Its greatest happened on September 13, when we held our triennial community elections at which the Holy Spirit gave us a new Abbess, Mother Mary Therese, a new Vicaress, Mother Mary Clare, and a new Councilor, Sister Francis Maria. As is usual in any new term of office, all our own positions have been reviewed and each has received some new graces of working while retaining others.  In all things, each of us in a very real sense has had opportunity for starting afresh from Christ in the power of His blessed Holy Spirit.  And a new page has been turned in the life of your sisters here on Mount Saint Francis.

That new page was to hold its own share of adventures, however.  Towards the end of the month – September 29th to be exact – a big lightning storm burst upon our area.  At first, we didn’t think any damage had been done, even though a particularly large bolt or two had cracked right above our heads (well, it sounded like it did!)  A few hours later we discovered our well had been knocked out.  Fortunately, there was enough water in our basement storage tanks to get us through the hours until repairs could be made, we thought.  The well company discovered that the motor and pump and their controlling electrical panel had to be replaced.  After a full afternoon working to do just that, the repairmen discovered to their dismay that the new electrical panel they had brought for the new motor and pump refused to work in its new position.  The poor man who had to tell us about it looked really “down”, but promised they’d return first thing in the morning with another panel.  Which meant they just about had to start all over again.  Now, how were we going to get water for the interim?  All the water in the pressure tanks for the house was used up.  However, as some of you know, we have a big white water storage tank next to the well and that tank is connected to our fire protection system.  There are several thousand gallons in there... We decided to access it.  How? We brought all our metal laundry tubs, our large plastic storage bins, and assorted buckets out to the kitchen lawn adjacent to the big fire pump and attached a hose to the place where the water comes out during test runs.  At a given signal, we triggered the big engine and behold!  Water gushing with force enough to replicate Moses’ striking of the rock!  With sisters racing to keep the containers coming—and the hose under control-- it was quite exciting out there.  When enough had been procured, the sisters outside signaled the sister stationed inside to push the stop button.  Which she did.  When all was quiet and the situation could be assessed in relative calm, it was noticed that the alarms that usually go off during this operation—ah--didn’t.  No horns blaring, no strobe lights flashing.  A confirmation that our fire panel had also been blasted by at least one well-placed lightning bolt. The only other indication of this had been the declaration on its display board that we had 132 troubles on the system! At this writing, all has been put right again, including the trouble that showed up in our generator just a few days after all these happenings! (A couple small fuses had to be replaced inside and the transfer switch reset.)

November opened with that blaze of glory special to All Saints Day when we are gathered into that great crowd of saints and angels keeping festival in God’s holy city.  It is the feastday of the victory of our God in the lives of so many millions of every time and place, followed by All Souls’ Day, when we remember those whose victory has been won, but who still need a bit more preparation before entering the wedding hall.  November is the month when our thoughts are turned to the last things and the reminder that ours is a future as big as God’s love.  For the church year ends with that great cry of “Christus vincit! Christ has conquered!”  And in Him, we all shall conquer, too. 

November will close with the beginning of a new church year and the retelling of the story ever ancient, ever new.  This particular closing will also mark the opening of the new translation of the Roman Missal, to which we have all been looking forward.  It will be a great event in the life of the Church – one that happens perhaps once or twice in a lifetime.  Another great event in the Church, and most particularly in the little church of our community, will be the investiture of our Postulant Kimberly on December 12th, the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas and especially of our own monastic Church.  On that day, she will receive our Poor Clare habit and a new name.  Mother has said it is one we will never be able to guess!  Stay tuned to the next issue of this illustrious missive to find out what it is.

Then just a little farther down the road --- Oh!  Look!  Do you see it?  That streak of light along the horizon ... and it seems to be growing!  800 years ago our Mother Saint Clare saw that same Light and exclaimed:

“O marvelous humility!  O astonishing poverty!

The King of angels,

the Lord of heaven and earth,

is laid in a manger!”

See, the darkness is over, and the real light begins to shine.

Come, let us adore Him!

Our Massesat Christmas

December 25                  Midnight Mass                   12:00 a.m.

                                    Christmas Morning                  9:00 a.m.

January 1                         New Year’s Day                  8:00 a.m.