News Blog page 12
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26.11.21.
We have gently flowed into Advent, this special season that invites
us to silent contemplation, silent expectation, longing & great joy!
As we approach the end of this year dedicated to St Joseph we think
of him, his hidden & simple life, his awareness of a secret, a
secret that God had entrusted to him. May he help us to grow in
awareness of the hidden secret entrusted to each one of us today and
in the continuous Sacrament of Advent. As we live these Advent days
may we, each day, sing Mary's FIAT and make it our own. |
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17.11.21.
We have planted some new fruit trees, rabbit proof, deer proof, and
anything else that ventures near proof, as they become established
and get a chance to grow without being chewed! As we enter into our
triduum retreat before the renewal of our holy Vows on Saturday
(advanced a day this year because of Christ the King being
celebrated on the 21st) we thank God for the many blessings in our
lives, for the beauty of nature that surrounds us, for our sisters
in community and for the gift of our vocations. |
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7.11.21.
We are in the season of God's loving mercy. November is the month of
the Holy Souls, those who have gone before us & who now rely on our
prayers. When speaking of death Cardinal Basil Hume said 'When that
time arrives do not worry; we shall travel through the cold, grey
light of a bleak English morning into God's spring and summer.' We
think of those who are on that journey, those we know and those we
do not know as we pray - 'Eternal rest grant unto them O Lord and
may perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace.' Amen |
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25.10.21.
HOSPITALITY derives from the meaning of 'A friendly and gracious
reception of guests and visitors'. The word WELCOME means to greet,
receive and accept and the word RETREAT stems from the French
'retraire', to withdraw, to pull back. Put all these together & you
have out Retreat apostolate.
We welcome those who seek to withdraw from an often busy, noisy and
very full daily life; those who seek stillness & silence in a place
of 'otherness', a place of prayer, where God can speak to their
hearts.
The daily rhythm of our life can offer a glimpse of contemplation;
our enclosure seeks to invite, to pause, rest, recreate and
recharge. |
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15.10.21.
Yesterday our dear Sr Josephine Margaret celebrated her 90th
birthday and we enjoyed a tea-party. Sister is a much loved member
of our community; still very active, especially when it comes to
picking apples in the orchard! We thank God for her presence
in our lives. |
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26.9.21.
Beautiful autumn days are with us, the trees, as yet, haven't caught
up, haven't shed their leaves or changed colour; apples are hanging
in abundance in the orchard, it will be a good harvest this year.
Sometimes a walk in the garden can be a great blessing; away from
the hustle and bustle of a busy daily life - yes, even enclosed nuns
have busy lives. We need to make time to 'Listen in silence'; our
hearts and our days become full of a thousand things in which we're
unable to hear God's voice. If we make the effort to 'Listen in
silence' He will speak to us and we will hear Him. |
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13.9.21.
After over 18 months we have at last been able to welcome our good
friends and affiliated sisters, Donna, Sue and Ann. With the
kindness and generosity of Fr Jim Hurley we enjoyed, on a very hot
day last week, a recreation with a McDonald's dinner and icecream!
Click on the pic opposite. |
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11.9.21.
We pray and we never forget . . . . |
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8.9.21.
Everyone likes stained-glass windows don't they? We have quite a few
here, in the chapel, in the porch and in Patmos. Our Lady is like a
stained glass window; God's beauty shines through her, radiating to
all who come close to her. God has his own stained glass window
miracles too in nature; this picture is a dragonfly wing! |
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6.8.21.
Join us for a stroll around the grounds; from the pond to the park,
from the bees to the dragon flies! Although the weather is so
unpredictable there is still much of God's beauty to see. |
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24.7.21.
The Angelus is rung in our monastery three times each day; it calls
us to prayer, to place ourselves in God's presence as we recite the
well-known words; at our former monastery our outside bell would
also ring through the neighbourhood. This tradition can be
traced back to the 11th century & then in 1456 Pope Callixtus
ordered the formal ringing of bells; it was found in the catechism
in Venice in 1560. These simple words, taking just a couple of
minutes, invite us to stop what we are doing, to raise our minds &
hearts to God through the intercession of Our Blessed Lady & with
her say our 'Yes' to whatever God may ask of us. |
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18.7.21.
Every year we have a summer recreation in honour of Our Lady of Mt
Carmel. Saturday was very hot but we enjoyed our dinner on the patio
and a game of croquet. I don't know who's rulles we follow but l
suspect they are our own! There was a bit of cheating but there was
also a lot of laughter and fun. |
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8.7.21.
Sr Josephine Margaret will be 90 in the Autumn & although nuns do
not retire she does have more free time now so she is enjoying her
new hobby - colouring. Sister really loves doing this & does it
beautifully. It made me think that in life we are each given a
colouring book; each day a page of fine pen sketches & we spend our
lives colouring them in! Some pages become vibrant & bright with
striking hues, some are pale & pastel & perhaps more gentle, while
others may remain black and white sketches! At the end of our lives
we hand our colouring books back to God. He flicks through them, He
understands, He smiles & He says 'Welcome'. |
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2.7.21.
Are any of you watching The Chosen; we love it & are up to Season 2
episode 6. In episode 5 Jesus says to Simon the Zealot "I have
everything that l need, but l WANT YOU"! He has said this to all the
sisters in my community, to every sister in our Order since the year
we were founded -1610, 'I have everything I need but I want you'.
Can you hear Him saying that to you too?
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22.6.21.
Where would we be without our Saints, without our Martyrs? Today, on
the anniversary of St John Fisher's execution in 1535, we celebrate
the feast of Sts. John Fisher & Thomas More; known for their great
faith & trust in God, for their courage & resilience in times of
persecution. Today we pray, through their intercession, for our
country, that once again we too may echo the words ' I die the
King's servant, but God's first'.
St John Fisher.
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13.6.21.
In life there are different shades of 'normal'; right now in our
daily lives these are very diverse and mine is not yours and yours
is not mine. But we thank God for the shade in our lives, allowing
us, at times, to escape the glare and limelight, to just abide in
the stillness and beauty of the now.
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11.6.21
Sacred Heart of Jesus
"The Heart of Jesus is the ultimate symbol of God's mercy,
the source from which salvation gushes forth for all humanity".
Pope Francis. |
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8.6.21.
As we enjoy the warm summer sun, here is a salutary message. We all
need to take stock, to prioritize, to remember what is important in
our lives - and to smile! |
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31.5.21.
The Visitation
A day of Eucharistic adoration, prayer and reflection as we share
this with you -
We are a monastery of the Visitation and our days are also full of
'visitations! Some of us, like Mary, are more at the beginning of
the journey, we are trusting, faithful and at times afraid, yet
courageous.
Some of us are like Elizabeth; older, and have been longer in
religious life; have lived fully our 'Mary years', and like
Elizabeth too are fruitful in our golden years, trusting that
nothing is impossible to God.
Elizabeth, for Mary, is living proof that God's promises will be
fulfilled, and so it is in our Visitation community. The Elizabeth's
among us bear witness for the younger sisters; their joy, enthusiasm
for their vocations, after so many years, speak volumes to the
Mary's among us.
Countless times each day, in our monastery, a Mary sets out, in
haste, to help an Elizabeth. And Elizabeth receives Mary graciously
with joy. This mystery of the Visitation is lived daily, again and
again, with our sisters in this 'Place of our delight.'
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25.5.21.
We are nearing the end of the month of Mary. Each day we have
devotions to her & sing a Marian hymn; each day we rejoice that we
have her as our Mother, our Intercessor, and our friend. We gave Our
Lady a crown of roses, because as Dante said she is "The rose
wherein the Divine Word was made flesh". Holy Mary, Mother of God
pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death.
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19.5.21.
We go into retreat tonight in preparation for Pentecost. As we
remember you in prayer during these days, we share this beautiful
prayer of St Thomas More. Click on picture. |
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16.5.21.
This is Sr Clare Chantal's prayer seat! It's just as well she had
vacated it before one of the bee hives swarmed. Our Mother was able
to get them safely back home after their little adventure, and she
only got one bee sting! |
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11.5.21.
As we are told in Revelations ch2:17 we each have a new, secret name
written on a white stone, if we are open and listen to the Spirit.
Do you know your secret name; something known only to you and God,
by which He lovingly calls you? Inviting you to a new beginning,
gifting you with a hidden manna, the Revelations of God. In the
monastery we use a white stone when we have elections for a new
superior, or for an important decision; a white stone means
acceptance, a black stone, rejection. During these days when we
await the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost it's good to ponder
- what do we call our God and what does He, in love, call us?
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30.4.21.
The daffodils are over & now it's bluebell-time! At the end of these
sunny April days a sea of blue pervades our ancient woodland & takes
our breath away. Beauty is one of the most wonderful gifts we have
been given & we are immersed in it & surrounded by it. God be
Praised! |
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25.4.21.
Good Shepherd Sunday
Today we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday &
we think of all those who have inspired and walked with us on our
faith journys. Here in the monastery we give thanks for our own
'Good Shepherd', Mother Jane Margaret, and for her gentle support
and guidance each day.
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20.4.21.
Some spring pictures on another beautiful sunny day. Our
ducks are busy looking for a place to nest and lay their eggs, they
spend hours searching, let's hope they pick a safe place away from
the foxes. The bees are busily buzzing, searching for pollen, what
would we do without them?
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17.4.21.
Today we offer our prayers with the rest of the country, for our
Queen and the Royal family as they hold the funeral & unite in
celebrating the life of Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh. May he
rest in the light of God's eternal glory. Amen. |
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6.4.21.
A few Easter pictures to share with you.
Please click on the picture. |
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3.4.21.
ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA! ALLELUIA!
How wonderful it will be to be able to sing these joyful words again. The
Divine Office & Liturgy resounds with it at every opportunity after
6 long weeks.
We wish you many blessings this Eastertide.
With love and prayers your Sisters of Waldron
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27.3.21.
As we gaze into the park with it's yellow mist of daffodils we are
given hope, our spirits are lifted, that the barren months of winter
are passing. At Vespers this evening we begin this holiest of the Church's weeks & look back on
a year when many have experienced broken bodies & broken spirits; we
have seen & realise how fragile all life is; accepting this is
preparation for healing & rebirth.
This special week gives us time to reflect not just on our own
sufferings but the pain of everyone & eventually, with God's grace,
the stone is rolled away from this place of darkness allowing God's
light to shine through.
May your Holy Week be prayerful & bring you blessings. We will
be in retreat & will remember you in prayer.
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18.3.21.
Introducing our two Irish colleens, proudly 'wearing of the green'
yesterday on the feast of St Patrick and sharing a talk our Mother
gave us in preparation for the feast of St Joseph tomorrow. Click on
the pictures.
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16.3.21.
The daffodils are out! Praise the Lord!
S - ee
M - iracles
I - n
L - ife
E - veryday |
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11.3.21.
Genealogy took off as a hobby several years ago & is still very
popular today; we all want to know our roots, where we came from,
who we came from, our Family Tree. Just as relevant would be our
Spiritual Family Tree - finding our faith roots, seeing how our past
has meandered along ways of strengths & weaknesses, sufferings &
courage. Perhaps our faith is strong today because of family
influences past. So many will have journyed with us & with our
ancestors, determining God's power in us today. God works in us
through others, through them we are nurtured & grow in faith. Let us
take a minute today to think with grateful hearts of those we know -
and those we don't know, who have enabled us to have faith today, &
praise & thank God for them. |
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3.2.21.
We all need to have a vision for the future, especially given
present day circumstances. We must plan, and be aware of & be
responsible for the future, but our hope & vision must not just be
rooted in the present. Life is not just memories & longing for the
past, nor is it dreams & fantasies about the future. It is here &
now, flowing with & from reality, in communion with the earth, the
universe, other people & ourselves. |
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24.2.21.
The sun is out & today has all the promise of spring being just
around the corner; after all these past challenging months we need
this hope to look forward to. The roses in the cloister courtyard
were heavily pruned in late autumn & it was thought that they might
not survive so strenuous a chop; prayers have been whispered over
them that the new life within might burst forth. After some-what
anxious days/weeks, behold the new shoots are proudly there, green,
healthy, fresh & strong.
This is for us, during these Lenten weeks, a parable showing us that
pruning within ourselves, painful, challenging but necessary, will
enable new life to spring forth if we are courageous enough. |
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14.2.21.
We are in the season of 'Shrove-tide', the week preceding Ash
Wednesday & Lent. The word comes from the meaning of Carnival & in
some countries traditionally this is the time of carnival, of having
a last fling before the rigours of six weeks of Lent. Someone wrote
it is a time to give ourselves 'licence in the ways of frolic & good
cheer'! For us here at the monastery there are days of extra
recreation & fun, with pancake-making & tossing on Pancake Tuesday!
In the 16th century, the Church, in order to make reparation for all
the excesses of carnival, instituted special days of prayer, & a
Plenary indulgence was granted by Pope Benedict XIV in 1747 to all
who prayed at this time before the Blessed Sacrament exposed. We too
unite in these special times of prayer for the first three days of
Lent.
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7.2.21.
While some of you wake up to blizzards & thick snow this is what we
were gifted with the other morning.
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26.1.21.
On the feast of our Holy Founder our dear Sr Mary Christine was
called into the eternal presence of God. Sister was 88 years old
with 62 years of religious profession. Originally from Ireland, she
trained as a nurse before entering our monastery of Roselands; they
later relocated to Partridge Green & when that monastery closed
Sister & the remaining sisters fused with our Waldron community.
Sister was cared for in a nearby nursing home in her last few years
where she was much loved. She offered her many sufferings to Jesus
crucified to whom she had a great devotion. May she rest in peace.
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23.1.21.
Feast of St Francis de Sales
Tomorrow we celebrate in joy with our sisters all over the world the
feast of our Holy Founder, St Francis de Sales. We give thanks for
our vocation within the church, we ask Holy Founder to bless our
communities that we may each 'Live Jesus' where He has called us to
be & to enfold within that calling all those who journey with us in
faith & love. A very Happy Feastday to you all.
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'In truth our little congregation is the
work of the Hearts of Jesus & Mary. By dying the Saviour has
brought us to birth by opening his Sacred Heart.' |
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15.1.21.
Today we began the Novena to Our Holy Founder, St Francis de Sales,
in preparation for his feast on January 24th. We meet & recite the
Litany to him each morning. The Reliquary reflects the altar of St
Francis de Sales in our monastery church in Rue Royale, Annecy,
where our sisters reunited after the French Revolution. They moved
to their present location at the beginning of the 20th century. Join
us in the Novena. For
the litany of St Francis de Sales click on one of the
pictures.
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12.1.21.
As we begin this New Year & enter into the 'ordinary' time of the
church's calendar, we realise that today nothing is ordinary! We are
living in quite extraordinary times. As we carry the Lord in our
hearts we can still hear His invitation . . . click on picture |
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7.1.21.
This morning we have had news that at least 26 of the 30+ sisters
from out 1st Monastery of Madrid are very ill with the Covid 19
virus. Many are hospitalised & in ITU. We are beseeching our Spainsh
Sister Martyrs of that monastery, to intercede for them that they
may return to good health. Please join us in prayer.
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6.1.21.
Just a thought on this feast of the Magi; what do you think Joseph &
Mary did with the gold they received? Any ideas? |
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6.1.21.
Yesterday morning our dear Sr Paul Mary, Superior of our former
monastery of Stamullen, Ireland, died peacefully in St Francis
Nursing Home, Dundalk, where she had been cared for with great
devotion for a number of years. Sister's funeral mass will be on
Friday January 8th, she will be buried in our cemetery in Stamullen.
May she rest in peace in God's eternal love. |
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1.1.21.
Our Lady Mother of God
'I said to the man who stood
at the gate of the year:
'Give me a light that I may
tread safely into the unknown.'
And he replied:
'Go out into the darkness & put your hand into the hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light,
& safer than a known way.' |
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Keep us good Lord
under the shadow of your mercy
in this time
of uncertainty & distress.
Sustain & support
the
anxious & fearful,
lift up all who are brought low,
that we may rejoice in your comfort
knowing that nothing can
separate us from your love
in Christ Jesus Our Lord.
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28.12.20.
A sharing of our Christmas days for you. The first pictures are of a
beautiful Advent Calendar gifted by our dear Inge, we pressed out &
put the relevant cut-outs in place each day. Also Christmas day was
the 94th birthday of our dear Sr Paul Miryam so we enjoyed a double
celebration.
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click on picture
& turn sound up |
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25.12.20.
In this rather 'different' year we come to wish you the many
blessings of this beautiful season. May the Christ Child bring you
hope & peace of heart, may you keep safe & well & may you look to
the future with joy.
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