Dear Friend,

We’ve had such a busy but wonderful week! Last weekend at Vespers we had the Rite of Transfer for Sister Mary Magdalene Buergler. We  call her Sister Maggie.

Several years ago Sr. Maggie made her vows to St. Scholastica Monastery at Fort Smith, Arkansas. When the community grew to be too large in numbers they formed a new foundation which was called Our Lady  of Peace Monastery in Columbia , Missouri. Sister Maggie went with some of those sisters to form this new community.

After a few years with a shortage in vocations this community became too small to exist and the Sisters that were left needed to discern where they would go to continue their journey to God. Sister Maggie asked if she might come and stay with us for awhile. During the year she studied the norms and rules of our Federation of St. Benedict.

Like the song in “My Fair Lady” – we grew accustomed to her face and she to our ways and so after a year we celebrated the rite of full membership into our monastic community. The rite is quite moving and beautiful. I was thinking of you as we sang Psalm 27.

“It is your face, O Lord, that I seek!
The Lord is my life’s refuge, of whom am I afraid?”. . .

I prayed for you, Dear Friend, in a special way that whatever you might fear would go away and you would come to know the plan of the Lord for you. The Scripture  reading was from Jeremiah 29:- 11-14

“ I know well the plans I have in mind for you, says the Lord.
Plans for your welfare, not for woe!
Plans to give you a future full of hope.
When you call me, I will listen to you.
When you seek me, you will find me
And I will change your lot.”

I just couldn’t get you out of my mind as we continued to sing and praise the Lord with words that spoke to me of you and your discernment. After Vespers all the guests joined us for a festive meal in joyful celebration and gratitude for Sister Maggie.

“See how God in love, shows us the way of life.” – Rule of Benedict

Sunday afternoon we held an  OPEN HOUSE TOUR  celebrating the 10th  anniversary of our move from Nauvoo, IL to Rock Island, IL.
Sisters were each assigned to a particular area to greet the guests and to give all the details about that particular area. People expressed how happy they were for us that we had such a beautiful and well-planned home. They were most grateful for the invitation to come and see the inside of the Monastery.

There were three assigned to the parking area and they gave directions for the tour which began at  Benet House – our retreat center. Many had not seen the new addition of this past year.

The weather was on the cool side with a few sprinkles but also a lot of sunshine. The tour ended in our beautiful dining room where you heard lots of laughter, conversation and of course enjoyed plenty of refreshments!

It was good to meet new friends and visit with our old friends. However, one friend was missing and you know who that was – yes, you!  Maybe, next time. I kept you with me in spirit.

Monday was Trick or Treat. We enjoyed giving out goodies. We said Goodbye to October and Hello to November. Tuesday we celebrated the feast of All Saints. You may think of saints as perfect, but no one is perfect! We are all sinners but we love God, so we are saints in the making. Blessings to you!

Bye for now,

Sister Mary Jane