Christmas 2004
Bethlehem Monastery of Poor Clares

5500 Holly Fork Road, Barhamsville, Virginia 23011
(757) 566-1684 + www.poor-clares.org

Our dear Friends, near and far,

click for larger image Of His fullness we have all received, grace following on grace. Already we look back on almost a year in our new monastery. The unfamiliar has indeed become a beautiful place of sojourn and a reminder of Heaven, our true home. Our beloved enclosure, the gift of our fourth vow, has returned us to the center focus of our vocation: Christ, yesterday, today, and forever. This Advent, we enter, with our Lady, into the Heart of her Son, and so find ourselves situated, not outside the world, but at its very heart. Knowing our smallness and weakness, we place our prayer in His, and join our little "all" to His All.

It is the Year of the Eucharist, one especially welcomed by the Daughters of Clare, for part of her charism is an outstanding devotedness to the Holy Eucharist. We want to share with you a prayer, inspired by our Holy Father Pope John Paul's letter announcing the Year of the Eucharist. We pray it each Sunday, interspersing it with the rosary we pray together. May it also be a prayer that speaks for you:

Most holy Virgin Mary, who by the power of the Holy Spirit conceived the Body of Christ and carried him in your womb; gave birth to him in Bethlehem and nurtured him at your breast; listened to his teaching, and contemplated his holy Face; suffered with him in his Passion, and stood at the foot of his Cross, the altar of his sacrifice; rejoiced in the splendor of his Resurrection, thrilled in the mystery of his Ascension, and continued to recognize him in the Breaking of the Bread, be present to us and to believers the world over as, in communion with our Holy Father, John Paul II, we lovingly celebrate this Year of the Eucharist.

Be present, Mary, Woman of the Eucharist, to the priests of the Church who, each day, repeat the words of consecration;that they may be heralds of the miracle of love that they hold in their hands, the Body of Christ, fruit of your womb; that they may celebrate Holy Mass each day with the joy and fervor of their first Mass, and willingly spend time in prayer before the Tabernacle.

Be present, Mary, Servant of the Lord, to the deacons of the Church, to her lectors, her acolytes, and her extraordinary ministers of Communion, that they may grow in awareness of the Mystery of Faith, and carry out their service with reverence and holy awe.

click for larger image Be present, Mary, Queen of Apostles, to all future priests, that they may place Holy Mass at the heart of each day, and discover the joy of prolonged conversation with Jesus in the Eucharist.

Be present, Mary, Mother of Fair Love, to all consecrated men and women, called to prolonged and intense contemplation of the Eucharistic Face of your Son, that they may find in the intimate friendship of Jesus in the Tabernacle, the meaning and fulfillment of their Life.

Be present, Mary, Mother of the Church, to all the faithful, that they may find in the gift of the Eucharist light and strength for daily life in the world, for the exercise of their professions and, above all, for the mission of family life in all its beauty.

Be present, Mary, Cause of our joy, to young people and children, that they may bring to every encounter with Jesus hidden beneath the Eucharistic veils, the enthusiasm of their youth, their hope, and their capacity to love.

Finally, O Mary, who stand on the threshold of this Year of the Eucharist to greet us, receive from our lips the greeting of the, Angel, "Hail, full of grace!" and remain with us throughout this year in the tenderness of your unfailing intercession, even as your Son remains with us in the Sacred Mysteries of his Body and Blood. Amen.

Our celebration of the Year of the Eucharist holds a special focus of appreciation for our priests. Since coming to Mount St. Francis, we have been even more aware of their willingness to sacrifice themselves in order to provide for our daily Mass and regular times for the Sacrament of Penance. We would love to list all twenty-six priests who have celebrated at our altar, among them several of our Franciscan Friars, priests from many parts of our diocese as well as the diocese of Arlington. Our prayer for them is continuous, as well as our prayer for the fourteen seminarians who hold a future full of hope for the diocese of Richmond.

Let me go out like sunset of outer fire, as daring as tonight's. We are still getting to know our beautiful property, its contours, rainbows, and sunsets. Sunday sharings time after Vespers has often been the point of convergence for groups of hikers and explorers. But this is only a hint of the all-new Discovery of Divine Love that is ours each time we come before the Blessed Sacrament in adoration. In this Year of the Eucharist, the treasure we have always cherished, we want to cherish even more. There before His Presence do we pray for each of your needs and intentions, there do we pray for the Universal Church and for our Nation, and the whole world.

As we celebrate our first Christmas on Mount St. Francis, we are united with you in adoring our God who reveals Himself in poverty and humility through the Mystery of the Incarnation. We turn, not to power, nor to wealth, nor to those who dominate the popularity polls, for the answers to all the troubles of the world, but to a tiny mighty God whose Infant cry still fills the universe. Pope John Paul II once wrote: The only answer is Christ! To Him to we entrust the New Year.

Liturgies:
Christmas Mass at Midnight
Christmas Morning -8:30 a.m.
New Year's Day - 8:00 a.m.


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