We do not quite know whether to greet you from Mt. St. Francis or Harpersville Road; or perhaps we greet you from two places since our hearts are resident both here in our home of almost forty-five years, and on our hill in New Kent County where site work is well underway, and bids are out for the construction of our new monastery. Indeed, we passed a longed-for milestone when the first mound of earth was moved, the first patch of underbrush cleared, and the first tree stump uprooted. Only a few days ago, a little group of Poor Clares saw, with their own eyes, Mt. St. Francis in this first phase of transformation. We savored the moment, so long in coming, and counted all the months and years of waiting and planning as seed-sowing in bright preparation for what is happening now.
We realize that this point of arrival is but a point of departure as well. The mode of building, as it progresses, places us also into the mode of packing. Again we see new goals, setting our sights on the day when an occupancy permit is given us and the relocation is complete. Life is movement, even when rooted in the two thousand year old tradition of the Church and the almost eight hundred year old tradition of our Franciscan Order. Life is pilgrimage. Life means change without loss of identity. Life means straining forward toward smaller human goals that merge into the rushing stream that brings us to our eternal goal.
All of this captures our awareness even as we sort through the fine details of floor plans, door and window scheduling, the machinery of bidding and value engineering, and the ever present need to press on with fund raising. All of this is very complicated when compared to our simple and focused life of prayer. It is the usual rhythm of the Liturgy of the Hours and private prayer, filling day and night with the presence of God that continues to keep us gathered in spite of the varied demands that building involves.
We shared with you the joy of our groundbreaking ceremonies in our Spring newsletter. Before that there was the decision on the part of the diocese not to purchase our property here in Newport News. Subsequently Avantis Realtors posted a FOR SALE sign at the edge of our property, and we entrusted St. Joseph, our universal patron, with yet another task!
Lent is always a most special time for us. Each Wednesday, ten Poor Clares who follow their Mother Clare with light step, practiced a dance of the Passion which was "prayed" by the entire community on Palm Sunday. It was during Lent's solemnity of the Annunciation, that our new Book of the Gospels was first carried in our entrance procession at Mass and used to proclaim the Good News.
We thank our regular chapel friends for contributing to this exquisite gift. Our Sister Colette provided us with a unique preparation for the Paschal Triduum by researching and helping us experience the meaningful Jewish Seder Banquet, the context in which the Lord Jesus gave us His Body and Blood for food and drink. All was so carefully prepared, from the four glasses of wine to the bitter herbs to the place setting for the Prophet Elijah.
Then the Sacred Triduum over-spilled upon Bright Monday, April 16th, when our Sister Maria Grace had her own passover from noviceship to being bonded to the Paschal Christ in first vows. Profession of a novice is a transformation we all await. In the context of the Eucharistic Sacrifice this little lamb of God was offered with the full exuberance befitting the Season and the gift. What is more precious than the gift of a vocation? For two of us, this ceremony was seen for the very first time. Novice Sister Marie Emmanuel is hopefully preparing for her own bonding to Christ, and our youngest member, Postulant Carolyn, who entered on the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, will already be half-way through her postulancy on the feast of Our Mother St. Clare.
Our call to prayer was stretched to its catholic and apostolic horizons during our Holy Father's recent pastoral visits to Greece, Syria, and then the Ukraine. May the seeds of his humility and great holiness flourish in the hearts of many in those regions and in our hearts as well. The apostolic Nuncio to Syria, Archbishop Diego Causero, will be our celebrant for our morning Masses for several days this month. His yearly visits to our area and our monastery help us to feel more directly
the heartbeat of the Church. Our intercessory prayers were suddenly directed to a very unexpected close-range focus the evening of June 26. Having our prayer accompanied by sirens is not unusual for us, but the intensity of the alarm as we ended Compline (night prayer) soon led us to our front windows. For the next two hours we prayed and witnessed the complete destruction by arson of the Church of the Nazarene directly across Harpersville Road. Our solidarity with Pastor Kriner and his congregation is shared by many, and their great faith is a counter-witness to the evil in the world.
We mentioned fund raising above and we return to it now. Our jubilant passing under the arches of a new phase, that of construction, means that funds are flowing out before reaching the watermark of our need. We continue to seek new avenues of assistance, and at the same time we, to quote the rule of our Mother St. Clare, "make known our needs with confidence" to you who have stood beside us and continue to walk with us on this journey to our promised land. No help is insignificant to us, and nothing goes unnoticed by us. But even more your giving in faith is rewarded by our Father in Heaven, Giver of all Good Gifts.
Even if we call on Him only from the depths of the heart,
Our unspoken word always reaches God,
and God always hears.
St. Clement of Alexandria
