Anna's Thanksgiving at the Convent

In Anna's most recent letter she described the Thanksgiving schedule at the convent. Thanksgiving is also one of the few days she can call her family, so we spoke with her late this evening!!  The Sisters packed a lot into one day.

All the Sisters came to the Mishawaka convent this Thanksgiving, even those from the satellite convent locations.  This is not typical that all the Sisters meet for Thanksgiving in Mishawaka, but was part of the 150th jubilee celebration.  Normally, they gather in several of the smaller satellite convent locations instead of travelling to be with the rest of the Sisters in Mishawaka. 

Morning prayer was not until 8:00 am (so it was a sleep in day!!), followed by breakfast, Mass at 10, Midday Prayer at 11:30 and then the Thanksgiving meal.  Anna indicated the food was traditional Thanksgiving fare, with turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, gravy and all the trimmings.  Her favorite dish was acorn squash casserole. Numerous deserts and pies were available, with Anna's favorite being chocolate pecan (sounds yummy).  Thanksgiving is also a special occasion day, so the Sisters have the opportunity to drink wine, and Anna enjoyed a glass of chardonnay.

At 2:30 pm there was a presentation and pictures from the Germany trip, especially for the Sisters who did not get to go to the beatification.  This was followed by evening prayer, benediction, and supper.  Following supper was a special compline service to remember sisters who have died.  Anna said it took 15 minutes just to read through all of the Sisters who have died!

It was great to spend 39 minutes on the phone with Anna. She is doing well and is continuing to adapt to life at the convent.  We asked what the rest of the weekend would be like.  We keep forgetting that as a postulant, they are typically not informed of agendas and plans in advance.  Since Anna is a planner, we are sure this is a difficult transition.  However, she said it is hardest when scheduled plans change and they are not informed until the last moment.

Since the Sisters focus on prayer during Advent, they do not communicate with those of us outside the convent, which means she cannot send or receive mail or any communication except in emergency.  We definitely look forward to her home visit this Christmas!!

Pictures and links from the Beatification of Mother Maria Thersia Bonzel

I will be posting some of Anna's reflections on her trip to Germany in the next few days.  In the meantime, below are links to articles describing the trip and some pictures from the beatification Mass.

Catholic Moment - Lafayette, IN Diocese

Anna is quoted in this article:
http://www.thecatholicmoment.org/archive/2013/11-24/indiana-sisters-celebration-germany.html

Today's Catholic News - Ft. Wayne Diocese

Sisters celebrate beatification of Blessed Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel
http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2013/11/sisters-celebrate-beatification-of-blessed-mother-maria-theresia-bonzel/

Bishop Rhoade's column on his participation in the beatification
http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2013/11/blessed-maria-theresia-bonzel/

Beatification of Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel fills sisters with joy
http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2013/11/beatification-of-mother-maria-theresia-bonzel-fills-sisters-with-joy/

Below are from the beatification Mass. 

The beatification Mass is also on You Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uE2BIBbwoWA

Anna was by a camera, so she was in the video feed quite a few times.

Anna's in Germany!!

2013 is the 150^th Jubilee of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration.  It is truly a blessing that Pope Francis, in his first decree March 27, acknowledged a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Mother Maria Theresia Bonzel, foundress of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration.  Her beatification is November 10, 2013.

An anonymous benefactor donated money so 48 of the sisters and postulants from the eastern province in Mishawaka, Indiana could travel to Germany November 6.  I would have loved to see the reaction of onlookers when the group of 48 sisters and postulants joyfully walked through O’Hare airport and then boarded the plane!!  For many of the younger sisters , this was their first trip abroad.

They will be joined by seven priests from Indiana, the Bishop of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, eight sisters from the Philippines, nine sisters from Brazil, and seven sisters from the western US province in Colorado.

Anna and the sisters will visit the motherhouse in Olpe, Germany, along with the “old” motherhouse and the birth house of Mother Maria Theresia.  They will travel to Paderborn, Germany for the vigil celebration and of course the beatification on Sunday, November 10.  The following day they will celebrate a Pontifical mass with Cardinal Cordes which will include the new texts of Blessed Maria Theresia.  The travel itinerary allows no time for what I would call sightseeing.  

Anna wrote that all the sisters were surprised to be given 130 euros each for spending money.  Of course they were told they would need to by some meals and track all spending, but should have enough for a “treat”! Anna said she was just excited to get some money.  Ah, the joy of the vow of poverty.

Bless the sisters who remained in Indiana to cover perpetual adoration and ministries.

One funny story.  Due to issues with hotel booking, the sisters gave up some of their rooms for the priests who were travelling to the beatification.  This meant the postulants would end up sleeping on floors (and there is not much floor space in those European hotel rooms).  Anna and 3 others volunteered to also pack an air mattress in their small suitcase.  When the 'air mattresses' arrived, Anna just had to laugh.  The air mattresses were actually pool rafts and of course were labeled 'use only in water'. 

More information on Mother Maria Theresia and the beatification: http://www.diocesefwsb.org/Beatification-of-Mother-Maria-Theresia-Bonzel