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!!