by Dave Nimmer, Guest Blogger Wazeer Brown, and his brother Emmanuel, are the first youngsters the Visitation Sisters “met” after they decided to locate their monastery in North Minneapolis in 1989. The two boys, about three and four years old, were standing on the street corner at 16th and Fremont as the Sisters were driving 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 Dave Nimmer, Guest Blogger Bob Briscoe is a regular at the monthly, Monday-night Salesian Spirituality Meetings at the Visitation Monastery. He is one of a handful of men among a roomful of women and, along with his wife Khalilah, the former Chicago cop seems to fit right in with 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 Anna Dourgarian, Visitation Companion Salesian service finds its wholeness and its joy in embracing the present moment. It speaks to my heart because I am very short-sighted and, when facing service goals, I see only obstacles. Great feats of service rouse great doubts in my heart. World problems are Read more
The following is the first in a series of interviews with Visitation Companions — a lay community committed to the ministry of the Visitation through prayer, Salesian study and service. The Call to Companionship Q: In a few words, what inspired your call to become a Companion to the Visitation Sisters Read more
How many ways are there to communicate love for your community? For the families that inspire and nurture our very existence? What are we called to say, do, be — in response to the outpouring of God’s love born out through one another? How do we, as the Visitation Community, express Read more
by Sr. Suzanne Homeyer, VHM As we planned our recent Visitation Companion Advent morning of prayer and reflection Jody, Linda and I spent some time sharing about our community Advent focus of Promise. A phrase from the 2008 – 2014 Vision Statement of our order somehow spoke to all of Read more
So we had a party. Or rather, a WEEK of parties: merry-making, reflecting, celebrating, giving thanks, and marking our call to found a monastic community in the heart of north Minneapolis twenty-five years ago. From Monday to Sunday, our Salesian friends, family, neighbors, collaborators, and benefactors descended on our little corner Read more