by Sr. Mary Frances Reis, VHM Theologian and retreat leader Sister Joyce Rupp reminds us that before we can say hello to new beginnings, we need to pray our good-byes. This wisdom applies to many of our life’s journeys as we move from dying to rising. For the past seven Read more…
by S. Suzanne Homeyer, VHM “We were, indeed, pilgrims on the same path, engaging each other in contemplative conversation. We were using the same concepts if not the same language and imagery, and saying so many of the same things. And that, after all, is what it’s all about isn’t it? Read more…
by S. Mary Frances Reis, VHM Isaiah 52:13-15; 53: 1-12 A Blessed Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion. This is the day to gaze on Love—a day, in the words of the Palmist, to “Be still and know that I am God” (Ps.46:11). What other stance can we take before Read more…
by S. Suzanne Homeyer, VHM TRAVEL DOESN’T CHANGE MY DAILY PRAYER LIFE as much as one might think. I begin each day with prayer. As St. Jane de Chantal suggests: “Upon awakening in the morning, turn your thoughts to God present everywhere. Place your heart and your entire being in Read more…
by Sr. Karen Mohan, VHM March, once primarily known to this Irish “lass” as the “month of St. Patrick,” now includes an awareness of “Women’s History Month“, “National Catholic Sisters’ Week” (March 8-14), and even “Nutrition Month.” These themes: being Irish, being a woman, and a religious Sister who values the Read more…
by Jody Johnson, Visitation Companion “Lord, what else hast thou said to me by placing me in this holy monastery, but ‘My daughter, walk always in my presence, think of me in all thy ways, and I will direct thy steps?’ “–St. Jane de Chantal Out of the stillness, time unfurls Read more…
by Jody Johnson, Visitation Companion* “I will lead you into the desert, and there I will speak to your heart.” –Hosea 2:16 I’ve come to the desert seeking silence, or seeking to enter into it more fully. I practice contemplative prayer but, if as Thomas Keating says, twenty minutes of Read more…
by Sr. Karen Mohan, VHM In my early years of teaching middle grade girls at Visitation Academy in St. Louis, I once decorated the September classroom bulletin board with the Chinese proverb, “A Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins With a Single Step”. I’ve always been drawn to the theme of Read more…
by Melissa Borgmann-Kiemde, Visitation Companion “There is a healthy silence that heals and bonds us all.” — S. Mary Margaret McKenzie The Burkinabe freedom seeker with his fist in the air. The Syrian mother lowering her babe into a boat. Pope Francis lifting the Eucharist at mass in Cuba. The police officer Read more…
by Guest Blogger Aimee Fritsch* Oh my goodness, why does the Pope make me cry? That crossed my mind more than once as my eyes watered up, sitting in the St. Jane House, watching the documentary “The Francis Effect”. The eyes of the world are on him, and I think Read more…